"I'd like to try," he said. "If my knee gives me trouble, you can tell me to sit down." Daniel laughed softly.
"I'll tell you to sit down before that. You've done enough standing for one lifetime."
Tyler Pruitt had been listening near the front desk, his face shifting between shame and resentment. When Daniel approached, Tyler spoke quickly. "Mr. Brooks, I'll do whatever you ask. I have a baby on the way. I can't afford to lose this job over one bad afternoon."
Daniel looked at him without contempt. "I read forty-two unresolved customer complaints from the past year. Several specifically mentioned you. Yesterday you made an elderly man wait outside while his daughter asked to inspect a car."
Tyler swallowed. "I didn't think anybody was keeping track of that."
"I know," Daniel replied. "That's part of the problem."
Tyler tried again.
"Victor told us to focus on serious buyers. We were following orders. Everybody does it."
Daniel shook his head. "Everyone follows orders until the orders become cruel. That's where character matters. You had chances to behave differently. Maria did. Walt did."
Margaret stepped beside them with a folder containing an employee review notice. "The acquisition hasn't closed," she said, "so formal employment decisions are being made by the current employer with legal oversight and in accordance with existing agreements. We will preserve the relevant records and give employees an opportunity to respond. Mr. Sterling has agreed to remove you from customer-facing duties immediately while the process is completed."
Tyler looked toward Victor, whose expression remained tired and distant. "So I'm fired?" he asked. Daniel took no satisfaction in answering.
"Your employment is ending, Tyler. You'll receive the notice and the pay provided under the transition agreement, including an additional month to help you look for another position. This isn't about making a public example of you. It's about recognizing a pattern you continued after customers complained."
"It isn't fair," Tyler whispered. "I did what everyone else did." Walt approached and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.
"Son, that's the saddest excuse a man can give. Come on. I'll walk you to the staff office so you can collect your things in private."
Tyler looked once toward Daniel, perhaps hoping for a sudden reversal, but no such reversal came. He followed Walt down the corridor without another word.
Vanessa remained near the reception counter with her tablet clutched to her chest. She looked smaller without the easy support of the people who had laughed at her jokes. "Mr. Brooks," she began, "I owe you an apology. I thought I knew what people were worth by looking at their clothes. I was wrong."
Daniel studied her for a long moment. "Most people make judgments," he said. "The important question is what you do when you learn they're wrong."
"I'll do whatever it takes," Vanessa said.
"I'll wash your truck. I'll wash every vehicle on the lot. I want a chance to prove I can change."