Chapter 445

“I know I messed up. Let’s change the rule, however you say it should be changed.”

Monty swallowed hard as he spoke.

Calliope strode into the employee cafeteria. As she went to grab her food, the surrounding staff noticed them immediately.

The chatter that had filled the room moments ago died down in an instant. People nervously greeted them while quickly digging into their meals, unable to bring themselves to complain anymore.

“Ms. Jewell!”

“Mr. Jewell!”

Calliope nodded at everyone, offering a friendly greeting.

“Please, continue eating. Feel free to voice any concerns or suggestions you might have. We value open dialogue. If anyone has constructive feedback, we’re open to making improvements.”

After speaking, she headed straight for the food line. Today’s offerings were simple: two vegetable dishes and a soup, all looking rather plain and lacking any rich flavors.

Monty followed closely behind Calliope, visibly sweating. He picked up a tray too. Once seated, Monty found himself unable to eat as he gazed at the food. Calliope, however, began to eat her meal at an easy pace.

The surrounding staff glanced at Calliope, a mix of admiration and surprise in their eyes, wondering why she was here in the first place.

Calmly, Calliope took a few bites, and then addressed the room, “I overheard some of your discussions earlier.”

Her words sent a ripple of shock through the room.

No way, they thought. Was she going to fire them? They were just venting a bit, but they still needed their jobs. With the job market so tough, losing this position would be disastrous.

“Ms. Jewell, we were just joking around!”

“The food’s actually pretty good. I love my veggies!”

“Yeah, vegetables are great for health and wellness!”

“Perfect, I’m on a diet anyway!”

Voices chimed in, uncertain of Calliope’s intentions. But regardless, Calliope was a Jewell, the sole heiress. Whatever family matters there might be, she was still their family. Putting their family matters aside, all they knew was not to cross her.

“I’m not here to fire anyone or make a fuss over this,” Calliope assured. “Starting tomorrow, there will be no more charges for your meals. The cafeteria will provide meals for free—three dishes and a soup each day, with unlimited rice, two meat-based dishes, and at least one vegetable dish.”

The room fell silent at Calliope’s announcement. You could hear a pin drop.

After a pause, the realization began to sink in.

“What did you just say, Ms. Jewell? Did you really mean no more charges for meals?”

“And we’re getting meat every day? Two meat-based dishes? Is this for real?”

Some folks were already excited, while others were skeptical.

“Can you really make that decision, Ms. Jewell?” someone wondered.

“Yeah, do you have the authority? The Chairwoman hasn’t said anything!”

“I wish you were in charge, Ms. Jewell!”

There were sighs among them.

Monty felt the sweat trickling down his back.

Calliope glanced at Monty. “I do have the authority. If I didn’t, I’d pay out of my own pocket to set up a restaurant for you all, and you could eat whatever you want.”

Monty forced a chuckle, quickly standing up. “Calliope is in charge now. From now on, consider her the Chairwoman, and you should all listen to her. The cafeteria will start the changes tomorrow!”

The room erupted in astonishment.