They Fired the Pregnant Chef, Then Chaos Hit the Hotel Chapter 08

They Fired the Pregnant Chef, Then Chaos Hit the Hotel Chapter 08

“Olivia, we really have you to thank for what happened downstairs.”

The general manager poured me a cup of coffee.

I took a sip.

It was excellent.

No wonder Martin Walker liked it.

“Olivia, I’ll be direct.”

The general manager rubbed his hands together.

“When you were in the banquet kitchen, Food and Beverage earned excellence ratings every year. Guest satisfaction was always the highest in the hotel.”

“But ever since you went to Procurement, the banquet kitchen has had problem after problem.”

“I could tolerate the small mistakes before, but today they caused a food-safety incident this serious. I will be deducting two months of bonuses from them.”

“But the banquet kitchen can’t stay in chaos forever.”

“Olivia, come back.”

“Your kitchen manager is useless. I’ll remove her. How would you like to replace her?”

“Come back as banquet executive chef and train those younger employees while you’re at it.”

“As for your pregnancy, I’ll personally approve your pregnancy accommodation this year. How does that sound?”

I said nothing.

I turned the cup in my hand.

Every word out of his mouth smelled like charity.

As if promoting me and allowing me to carry my child were generous favors.

As if they could erase every unfair thing that had happened before.

That was not right.

I looked up and smiled at the general manager.

“That won’t work for me, General Manager.”

“I don’t agree.”

“Back then, because Sophia was Martin Walker’s niece, you forced me to choose between ending my pregnancy and going to Procurement.”

“Now, because the banquet kitchen has fallen apart, you want me to come back, clean up the mess, and train new people.”

“That is not how this works.”

No one had ever spoken to the general manager like this.

A flash of anger crossed his face.

“Olivia, don’t push your luck.”

“What exactly do you want?”

I kept my expression steady.

“General Manager, I want the hotel to change its pregnancy accommodation policy.”

“Evaluate each case based on actual working conditions. Give women fair workplace protection during pregnancy.”

“No.”

The general manager refused at once.

“Olivia, don’t go too far.”

“I’m already under pressure for making an exception for you this year.”

“And now you want me to change the rule?”

“If we change the rule, what happens when every female employee decides to get pregnant? Who will watch the banquets? Who will serve the guests? How will the hotel operate?”

I took another sip of coffee.

It really did smell good.

“General Manager, there’s no need to get worked up.”

“I’m talking about evaluating cases individually.”

“Pregnancy accommodations should be handled according to department, position, and physical condition. They should not be limited to one slot in the entire Food and Beverage department for a fiscal year.”

“Our hotel markets itself as family-friendly and women-friendly. We have hosted events for prenatal care organizations, mother-and-baby brands, and charity foundations.”

“But internally, we punish women for becoming pregnant. Don’t you think that is a little contradictory?”

“Besides, even when we are pregnant, if we haven’t reached the stage where we must take leave, we can still work.”

“We work in food service. We are not fragile things to be sheltered.”

“We don’t need to be coddled.”

“And we should never be pushed out.”

The general manager froze.

I did not know whether he was thinking about how Martin Walker had abused his authority to reduce Sophia’s shifts.

In the end, the general manager spoke at last.

“Olivia, what if I don’t agree?”