"I don't know anything about an internal message."
She tilted her head.
"Then why did you arrive expecting this seat?"
He stared.
"I made a request."
"To whom?"
"My office handles these things."
"Who in your office?"
He frowned.
"Why are you interrogating me?"
She remained calm.
"Because my employee is now visibly afraid to explain an instruction concerning your travel arrangements."
Richard laughed.
"She's afraid because you've turned a minor seating issue into a spectacle."
The chairwoman looked toward the handbag he had thrown.
Then at the boarding pass he slapped against the table.
"Did I?"
He opened his mouth.
But no answer came.
The woman turned toward the attendant.
"Please contact the cabin manager."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And ask the captain to hold departure until this is resolved."
The attendant nodded.
She hurried toward the forward galley.
Richard stared.
"You can't delay an international flight over a disagreement."
The chairwoman met his eyes.
"I can request an operational hold when an unresolved cabin safety and security issue exists."
He looked toward the other passengers.
Several were watching him with obvious disapproval.
His face reddened.
He leaned closer.
"You're going to regret embarrassing me."
The woman stopped smiling.
"Mr. Whitmore."
He froze.
Her voice remained quiet.
"But you should listen carefully."
She gestured toward the cabin.
"Your behavior has disrupted boarding, intimidated employees, and interfered with a passenger's confirmed reservation."
She paused.
"If you threaten me again, we'll document it as part of the incident."
Richard stared.
"You think you're untouchable because you own an airline?"
"No."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I think ownership makes me responsible for what happens inside it."
The words landed heavily.
For several seconds, Richard had no response.
Then he stepped backward.
The captain emerged from the forward galley.
He was a tall white American man in his early fifties, wearing a crisp uniform with four gold stripes on each shoulder.
Behind him came the cabin manager and the airline's senior ground operations representative.
The captain approached with professional composure.
"Good morning, Madam Chairwoman."
The woman nodded.
"Captain."
Richard's expression changed again.
The captain clearly recognized her.
Not from a phone.
Not from an uncertain document.
In person.
The reality was becoming impossible to deny.
The captain looked toward the cabin manager.
"I understand there's been a seating and conduct issue."
The chairwoman gestured toward Richard.