Then Diana had turned to Patricia, and her voice had carried the weight of profound disappointment.
"And you? You violated every principle this company stands for."
Patricia had been sobbing by then.
Makeup running down her face.
Her perfect appearance completely destroyed.
The confidence and authority she had displayed just minutes earlier had evaporated completely.
Diana's voice had remained calm, but it had carried the finality of a judge delivering a sentence.
"Clear out your desk, Patricia. You no longer work here."
Patricia had collapsed into herself like a building being demolished.
"Please. I have children, a mortgage. I was just trying to protect the store's reputation."
Diana had looked at Patricia with something that might have been pity if it hadn't been mixed with such disappointment.
"Whose reputation? The store's or your own prejudices?"
"I'll do better. I'll change. Please don't do this," Patricia had begged, reaching out toward Diana like she was drowning and Diana was her only lifeline.
But Diana had heard these desperate promises before from other employees over the years who had violated company policy and then tried to bargain their way out of consequences.
"You had your chance to do better," Diana had said quietly. "You chose not to take it."
The security cameras had captured everything.
Every microaggression.
Every discriminatory comment.
Every moment of Patricia's unprofessional behavior had been recorded in high definition.
There had been no disputing what had happened.
No room for Patricia to claim she had been misunderstood or treated unfairly.
Diana had looked around at her remaining employees, the ones who had tried to do the right thing even when it had been difficult.
"Kevin," she had said, "as of right now, you're the manager of this location."
Kevin's eyes had widened.
In the span of 30 minutes, he had gone from assistant manager to full manager of the most prestigious store in the Luminous Designs chain.
"Ashley," Diana had continued, "you're now the assistant manager."
Ashley had covered her mouth with her hands, tears of joy replacing the tears of shock she had been crying moments earlier.
"And Marcus," Diana had said, turning to the security guard who had shown such good judgment, "you're receiving a commendation for your professionalism and a raise effective immediately."
In less than an hour, Patricia had lost everything, while three employees who had shown integrity and character had been rewarded for doing the right thing.
It had been a perfect example of how actions had consequences, and how treating people with dignity and respect wasn't just morally right.
It had been good business.
Patricia had still been on the floor crying hysterically, trying to process that her life had just been turned upside down.