Her wedding ring was visible.
She had not attempted to hide it.
Adrien sat beside her, but he did not speak first.
Instead, he introduced the investigation team and allowed its director, a woman named Elaine Foster, to begin.
"Mrs. Kingsley, thank you for agreeing to participate," Elaine said.
Talia nodded.
"Please call me Talia."
"Of course."
Elaine opened a folder.
"We reviewed the incident footage, available security recordings, employee schedules, management communications, customer complaints, and internal disciplinary records."
"Did you find anything?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, quite a lot."
She placed several photographs on the screen.
The first showed the dining room during the incident.
The second showed the manager, Gregory Mason, standing near the service station.
The third showed a handwritten note attached to the employee scheduling board.
Talia leaned forward.
"What does that say?"
Elaine read it aloud.
"'Avoid unnecessary conflict with premium guests. Service staff should prioritize customer satisfaction and avoid escalating complaints.'"
Talia frowned.
"That sounds normal."
"On its own, it might be. But we found several communications in which management used the phrase 'premium guests' to excuse behavior that would otherwise have resulted in removal from the restaurant."
The next document appeared.
It contained a list of customers identified as preferred patrons.
Several names had been marked with special symbols.
"These customers were allowed exceptions to ordinary conduct rules," Elaine explained. "Complaints against them were frequently dismissed. In several cases, employees who reported harassment were moved to less desirable shifts."
Talia stared at the screen.
"How long has this been happening?"
"At least two years based on the records available to us."
"Two years?"
"Yes."
She looked down at the table.
Two years.
That meant the incident had not emerged from nowhere.
The manager had not suddenly forgotten how to treat employees.
He had been operating inside a culture that rewarded him for protecting the wrong people.
"What about the customers who threw the soda?"
"We identified all three."
Elaine turned a page.
"The primary individual was named Blake Harrington. He is a frequent customer and has been listed as a preferred guest for approximately eighteen months. The other two were his business associates."
"Did he know Talia before that day?"
"Based on the interviews, he had interacted with her several times."
Talia remembered him.
Blake Harrington.
He usually sat near the windows with two or three other men. He wore expensive watches, spoke loudly, and treated the staff as if they existed to anticipate his needs.
He had once snapped his fingers at her because his water glass was nearly empty.
Another time, he had complained that she was taking too long to bring his receipt, even though he had not yet asked for it.
She had apologized.
She had always apologized.
"Why did he do it?" she asked.
Elaine hesitated.
"He told investigators that he thought it would be funny."
Talia's expression changed.
"Funny?"
"He said he believed you were becoming too familiar with customers and needed to be reminded that you were an employee."
The room became quiet.
Adrien's jaw tightened.
Talia stared at the document.
"Reminded?"
Elaine nodded.
"That was his wording."
Talia leaned back.
For a moment, she could not find the right words.
She had worked at Ridgeview Grill because she needed the income. She had stayed because she liked the people who came in, the conversations, the small moments of kindness that could make a difficult day easier.
She had never believed that being a server made her less deserving of respect.
Apparently, Blake Harrington had.
"Did anyone challenge him?" she asked.
"One employee said she told him to stop joking."
"Who?"
"Her name is Maya Ellis."
Talia immediately recognized it.
Maya was the young server who had stepped forward when Adrien asked who had been afraid to intervene.
"Where is she now?"
"She is currently staying with her family. She has not returned to work."
Talia looked toward Adrien.
"I want to speak with her."
"We can arrange that," Elaine said.
Adrien finally spoke.
"Before we move forward, I want something made clear. No employee will be pressured to return. No one will be asked to defend themselves publicly. And no one will lose an opportunity because they cooperate with this review."
Elaine nodded.
"We have included those protections in the investigation process."
Talia turned back toward the screen.
"Was Gregory the only manager involved?"
Elaine paused.
"No."
Another document appeared.
The records showed that Gregory had reported directly to a regional operations supervisor named Peter Lawson.
Peter had received complaints about the treatment of employees.
He had also received reports that Gregory routinely allowed certain customers to intimidate staff.