When Viola, a hotel maid, is sent to clean an especially difficult guest’s suite, she finds herself the victim of a cruel game initiated by the hotel owner’s spoiled daughter and her friend.
Viola can’t fight back in case she gets fired, but an unexpected visitor changes everything.
Viola stood outside Suite 207 in the opulent hotel hallway, her worn uniform contrasting the lavish surroundings.
The guests inside this suite had been notoriously difficult, causing another maid, Jean, to quit and run home in tears.
Viola knocked firmly on the mahogany door. It creaked open, revealing a young woman with manicured nails and red hair.
“Room service,” Viola announced. The woman rolled her eyes and slammed the door, only to reopen it with a playful smirk. “Okay, okay, I’m kidding. Come in.”
Inside, the suite was a mess. Bags of chips littered a table, and a velvet sofa faced a coffee table overflowing with champagne flutes.
On the sofa, a young woman with blonde hair lounged in a sparkly dress, her face mirroring the first girl’s smirk.
“Finally!” she exclaimed. “Where have you been? I called you five minutes ago!”
Viola stammered a response but was interrupted as the first girl placed a heavy, ornate glass bell around her neck. “Now we’ll hear you every time you come near us,” she said with a cruel smile.
Viola’s face crinkled with the effort to maintain professionalism. She calmly removed the bell. “Miss, this isn’t right,” she protested.
The redhead leaned closer to Viola, her voice low and menacing. “Put it on,” she commanded.
The blonde woman began recording everything on her phone. “This is my hotel,” the redhead continued. “If I want, I’ll make this bell part of your official uniform. You got it?”
Viola, feeling powerless, resignedly placed the bell back on. The blonde woman’s triumphant smile was illuminated by her phone screen as she captured the scene.
“Good girl. Now, clean my shoes… to begin with,” the redhead spat out, her voice laced with cruelty.
Laughter erupted from her lips, a sound laced with malice and entitlement. The blonde girl joined in, her laughter echoing through the vast hotel suite. “Yeah. Do it, girl, that’s easy.”
Viola stood between them, her fists clenched, trying to hide her humiliation. She hesitantly picked up a dusting cloth and began cleaning the redhead’s stiletto.
“Oh my god, Jess,” the blonde woman laughed. “This is priceless!”
At that moment, the door opened, revealing an older man in a sharp suit. His shock was evident as he saw Viola at Jess’s feet. “What’s going on here?” he demanded, his voice tinged with outrage.
Jess, the redhead, looked up, her triumphant smirk fading. “Dad? What are you doing here?”
“Following up on a series of complaints from my staff about the guests in this suite,” he replied, glaring at his daughter. “You’re coming with me, young lady!”
***
In the hotel manager’s office, Jessica sat nervously on her father’s desk.
“Jessica, what have you been doing? Humiliating employees, making noise, destroying property?”
Jessica spun around, feigning innocence. “It was the maid. Had to teach her some manners. She was rude to Alicia and me. That brat should be fired.”
“You’re calling her a brat?” her father asked in disbelief. “Gosh, I didn’t raise you to be like this! And why are you not in class?”
“College is on a break,” Jessica retorted. “Alicia and I wanted to relax.”
“You call this relaxing?” he sighed. “Jess, you’ve been taking too much time off from your studies.”
Jessica’s anger flared. “I’m studying all the time!”
Her father, unimpressed, presented her with a simple black and white dress. “What is that dress?” she asked.
“Take a look and find out,” her father replied. Jessica unfolded the dress. The black fabric felt stiff and uncomfortable against her fingertips, a stark contrast to the designer clothes she was accustomed to. She dropped it onto the desk with a sigh of disdain.
“Jessica,” her father said calmly, “you need to learn the value of money. It doesn’t grow on trees. And you’ll work as a maid in this hotel for a month or two, replacing the one who quit because of you.”
“Dad, is this a joke?” Jessica asked incredulously, holding up the dress.
“No, Jessica,” he replied firmly. “This is no joke. You won’t see another dime of my money if you don’t do it.”
Jessica was outraged. “Is that what this is about?” she spat, leaning forward over the desk. “Money? You’re giving me conditions now?”
Her father met her defiant gaze and nodded.
“Fine,” Jessica said with false acceptance, “But if I do well, I get your gold card for a month or two.”
“Deal,” her father replied.
Jessica took the uniform and walked away, seeing this as a chance to access his gold card. In the hotel supply room, she donned the uniform. Her face, usually adorned with expensive makeup, was bare now.
“What are you staring at?” Jessica snapped defensively as Viola entered and looked at her.
“Just… don’t forget your gloves,” Viola advised gently. “The cleaning chemicals can harm your skin.”
“I don’t need your advice,” Jessica retorted. With a gentle shrug, Viola walked away.
Later, Viola paused outside the room Jessica was cleaning. “New guests will arrive in half an hour. Will you be done by then?” she asked.
“I can’t get it out,” Jessica sighed, struggling with a wax stain on the carpet.
Viola kneeled beside her, placed a serviette over the wax, and pressed a hot iron onto it. The wax melted, much to Jessica’s surprise.
“Another romantic evening gone awry, I presume?” Viola said with a hint of amusement.
A slow smile spread across Jessica’s face as she and Viola tackled the wax stain together. As they finished, Viola directed Jessica to serve breakfast to other rooms, reminding her of specific guest needs like a certain Mr. Baxter’s medicine and a toast-free order for rooms 6-13.
“How do you keep it all in your head?” Jessica asked, surprised and overwhelmed.
“Well, being a maid is not just about cleaning. It’s also about caring for people, knowing their needs and preferences,” Viola replied calmly.
Jessica understood a maid’s job wasn’t just limited to cleaning after guests. She wheeled the breakfast cart down the corridor, a newfound respect for Viola lingering in her heart.
While serving breakfast, Jessica encountered both kindness and rudeness from guests, which tested her patience. She badly wanted to rest after serving breakfast but was immediately sent to clean a suite, where she unexpectedly met her friend, Alicia.
“Whoa, Jess! You’re dressed up as a servant?” Alicia mocked.
“I’m a maid, not a servant,” Jessica retorted, pushing past her.
Alicia’s mockery continued as she spilled chips on the floor. “On your knees, servant,” she sneered at Jessica.
Jessica lost her cool. “Get out of here, Alicia,” she demanded, asserting her self-respect and authority. “This is my hotel. I’m going to clean this mess, and you’d better be out of here by the time I’m finished.”
Jessica bent down and swept the potato chips Alicia had spilled.
Alicia smirked. “If you don’t do as I say, I’ll tell your father you were expelled from college and how you’re wasting his money,” she threatened.
Jessica froze, hurt evident in her wide eyes.
“Yep, that’s right!” Alicia went on. “So shut up and do what you do well. Isn’t that right, servant?”
Before Jessica could react, a warm hand settled on her shoulder. It was Viola. “Don’t listen to her,” she told Jessica. “I’ll cover for you here. Go.”
Jessica nodded, but Alicia pulled out one last insult before she could leave. “You forgot your accessory,” Alicia said, holding the bell. “Didn’t you say you would make this part of the uniform, Jess?”
Jessica couldn’t contain her anger any longer. “How dare you!” she snapped, snatching the bell. “This isn’t funny. It’s rude and mean-spirited.”
“Oh, come on, Jess,” Alicia shrugged. “You’re being such a drag. Just clean and then go fetch us another bottle of wine.”
Alicia turned away, rejoining the group around the sofa, leaving Jessica standing alone in the middle of the room. A wave of realization washed over Jessica as she gazed at the group, the people she once considered her friends. “I am so sorry I was ever friends with you guys!” she declared, hurt.
Then, she turned to Viola. “I’m sorry I made fun of you. I’m not like them anymore,” she said apologetically.
Then came the to teach her so-called friends a lesson. “Get out of here!” she yelled, facing the group.
Alicia tried to threaten her, saying she’d expose her lie about the college break, but Jessica didn’t care. “Go ahead, tell him. Dad deserves to know the truth!” she declared boldly.
Alicia’s face crumpled, her bravado faltering under the weight of Jessica’s honesty.
“Now you better hurry up,” Jessica continued, a playful glint in her eyes, “before I hit the security button. The hotel security just loves throwing people into the bushes.”
Though she didn’t press the button, the gesture was enough to send shivers down Alicia’s spine. “You wouldn’t…” Alicia stammered, a tremor in her voice.
Jessica met her gaze, a steely resolve hardening her features. “Are you sure you want to test that?” she challenged, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl.
The answer was clear. The group surged towards the door, shoving past Jessica and Viola in their haste to escape. Alicia, abandoned by her friends, stared at them in disbelief.
“Hey!” she cried, “Who’s going to drive me home?”
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The group ignored her cries and disappeared into the hallway. As the door slammed shut behind them, a wave of relief washed over Jessica.
After confronting Alicia, Jessica and Viola shared a moment of understanding and laughter, solidifying their bond.
Then, in her father’s office, Jessica confessed her failures and lies, including her expulsion from the college and how she’d been misusing money. Her father listened calmly, encouraging her to speak.
“I’ve been humiliating and insulting people, too,” Jessica admitted tearfully. “And lying to you.”
Her father’s response was unexpectedly gentle. “Go on, Jessica,” he urged.
Pouring out her heart, Jessica vowed to repay every penny she’d taken from him. Her father smiled.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” he said.
“Proud?” Jessica asked, surprised.
“You found the courage to be honest and take responsibility. That takes strength, honey,” he explained.
Though touched by his words, Jessica still felt unworthy of his praise. “But… after all I’ve done?” she asked hesitantly.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” her father said. “What matters is fixing them.”
Her father suggested she might manage the hotel someday, but Jessica had another idea. “Viola deserves that job,” she said. “I’ll work part-time as a maid and go back to college. I have so much more to learn.”
Her father beamed proudly. “We all have so much to learn,” he agreed.
Embracing her father, Jessica felt the warmth of his love and support.
“I love you,” her father said softly.
“I love you too,” she replied, ready to face her future with renewed hope and courage.
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