When the call ended, Elena sat quietly for several moments.
She had approved hundreds of difficult personnel decisions during her career.
Some involved restructuring.
Some involved performance failures.
Some involved serious misconduct.
She’d never enjoyed ending someone’s employment.
This one was no different.
But Dana’s own explanation had revealed the problem.
She hadn’t said she would never speak that way to another passenger.
She’d said she wouldn’t have spoken that way if she’d known Elena was the CEO.
That distinction mattered.
By the time Meridian’s operations team completed the crew replacement and the captain confirmed the aircraft was ready to depart, Dana was no longer employed by the airline.
The aircraft had never left the gate during the investigation.
And Elena was still sitting in the seat she’d purchased.
Marcus returned to the cabin just before the door closed.
He stopped beside Elena.
“Ms. Carter?”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t intervene sooner.”
Elena studied him.
“You challenged the false seat claim.”
“Eventually.”
“What happened before that?”
He hesitated.
“I heard Dana’s first remark, but I was in the galley checking supplies. I thought Caroline would handle it.”
Elena nodded.
“Then you heard her threaten me?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
