Daniel tips his head, curiosity tinged with the authority he wears as naturally as his favorite old boots. “You’ve got my attention. What’s going on here, Jenna?”

She glances around, eyes flicking to the door as if Bryce might materialize at any moment. “It’s Bryce. He’s been…well, he’s making it impossible to work here. Drives good people away, plays favorites, covers up health code violations. The staff—those of us who are left—we’re scared to speak up. We need this job, but it’s becoming unbearable.”

The weight of her words sinks in, like stones cast into a pond, ripples touching every corner of his mind. Daniel nods, understanding. He’s seen it before—management gone rogue, corners cut until the whole tapestry unravels. And in those words, there’s a plea for help and a conviction that prick at his conscience.

“Why didn’t anyone report this sooner?” he asks, though he knows the answer. Fear is a powerful silencer.

“Some did,” Jenna says quietly. “But nothing changed. Maybe they didn’t reach you, or maybe the reports got buried. I don’t know. But when I saw you today… I had to try.”

Her courage strikes a chord within him, igniting something long dormant. “Thank you for trusting me with this,” he says, sincerity woven through his tone. “I promise you, it won’t go unheard.”

Relief floods her features, but she remains guarded. “What will you do?”

Daniel squares his shoulders, a familiar resolve settling over him. “I’ll start with Bryce. Then I’ll be making quite a few changes around here.”

A glimmer of something like hope flickers in Jenna’s eyes, and Daniel sees the resolve that marks every true fighter—those who stand their ground not out of fearlessness, but from necessity.

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice barely rising above the background din.

As he turns to leave, Daniel pauses, looking back. “Jenna, you and the others—hold on a little longer. Change is coming.”