Page 35 of Hotel Mallois

Jodie says nothing, makes a face with her lips, and Sarah understands the conversation is over, so she says goodbye to her friend and pushes her cart to continue working.

More than an hour late, the cleaner walks through the penthouse door, and Katherine's eyes light up when she sees her, but she's had such a busy morning that the Mallois Hotel owner hadn't realized how late it was.

"Hi," the blonde says while getting up to approach Jodie. "Did something happen?"

Jodie forgets how tired she is when she feels Katherine's soft lips and that hand she's placed on her waist to pull her closer.

"No," the cleaner whispers with her gaze fixed on Katherine's lips. "Sorry I'm late."

The middle Taylor sister smiles because she loves Jodie's expression after kissing her, always mesmerized.

"Can I sit for a few minutes?" asks the cleaner, who needs a break.

Katherine finds this all very strange.

"You don't have to ask, you know that," she says and leads the cleaner straight to the sofa. "But you need to tell me what happened."

Again, Jodie's indecision regarding Marjorie surfaces. Her mind splits in two when she thinks of Katherine as her boss, but also as the woman she shares sheets with. If the blonde weren't the owner of the hotel where she works, Jodie wouldn't hesitate to tell her girlfriend everything that's happening with the witch she has for a supervisor.

"Honey..." Katherine calls her, and Jodie reacts to that term of endearment.

"I had more work than usual today," she explains, expelling air through her nose. "That's why I'm late, I had to finish everything before coming here."

Katherine remains stone-faced. On the outside, her expression is serious, but inside a hurricane takes over, and this time she decides she won't let it slide.

"I'll talk to her," she concludes and stands up.

Jodie also stands up, nervous, and stops her by taking her hand.

"It only happens occasionally and..."

Katherine raises an eyebrow and interrupts her.

"How many rooms did you clean today?" she asks in an icy voice.

"Sixteen," Jodie answers after thinking for a few seconds.

"Have you eaten?" Katherine questions her again without getting upset, but wanting to tear everything down in her path.

"No."

"Then, do you think it's normal for an employee to do almost double the work they should and not even have time to eat? Besides leaving later than their scheduled hours," Katherine inquires, but continues speaking, "because I don't want that in my hotel, Jodie. I confess, it pisses me off that she's doing this to you, but if it were another employee, I wouldn't allow it either. This is harassment, and it's not the first thing I've heard about Marjorie, Mike has also received some complaints since he started asking questions about her."

Jodie knows Katherine is right and that if she weren't such a controlled woman, she would have already confronted Marjorie without caring about the consequences, but despite being a tough woman, she has always prioritized keeping this job that pays her so well to handle all her debts and responsibilities.

"I'm aware of what's happening, but I don't want to lose my job, Katherine," Jodie explains and sits back on the sofa. "I'll file a formal complaint with the director, not just for me, but for all of us who put up with her and are afraid to speak up for fear of ending up on the street."

Katherine presses the bridge of her nose so hard that a shock of pain shoots through her face. She can't believe this is happening at the Mallois.

"You've already filed the complaint, Jodie, and I'll talk to her myself," she answers with such firmness that the cleaner says nothing. "I need you to go to the Magnolis with Mike, the cleaning service has been there all morning, and I want you to supervise that everything goes according to what I've asked. But first, tell him to stop somewhere you like so you can eat something."

Jodie nods and gets up to approach Katherine. They connect their gazes and lose themselves for a few seconds in the tranquility they feel when they're together. They kiss slowly, and when Jodie breaks the kiss to leave, Katherine pulls her back, hugs her, gives her another kiss, and now lets her go.

As soon as the cleaner leaves the penthouse, Katherine follows a few minutes later with the goal of finding the head of housekeeping. She breathes calmly while walking through her hotel's corridors, having turned the matter over in her mind and regretting not having stopped the situation earlier.

"Ms. Taylor," Marjorie says with surprise when she sees Katherine enter her small office and close the door behind her. This isn't normal.

Katherine, with deliberation, sits in a chair across from Marjorie.

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