Just attorneys, bankers, engineers, and signatures.
Naomi insisted on completing the final inspection herself.
She returned to the same hangar wearing a navy suit and flat boots.
The green coat remained home.
Conrad met her at the door.
For a moment, both remembered the last time.
He held out his hand.
“Welcome back.”
Naomi shook it.
“Thank you.”
No one asked for identification.
That almost made her laugh.
Luis Ortega waited beside Aircraft Seven.
“Ms. Carter.”
“Luis.”
“You remember me?”
“You were the only person in the room smart enough not to laugh.”
He looked embarrassed.
“I wasn’t smart.”
“What were you?”
“Scared.”
Naomi appreciated the answer.
He opened an access panel.
“The pressure-system work is complete.”
“Show me.”
For the next forty minutes, Luis explained repairs.
Not simplified executive explanations.
Real ones.
Part numbers.
Inspection intervals.
Wear patterns.
Verification signatures.
Naomi asked questions.
Some good.
Some not.
Luis corrected her twice.
Both times he looked nervous.
The second time Naomi stopped him.
“What?”
He hesitated.
“You don’t have to apologize before correcting me.”
“I know.”
“No.”
She smiled.
“You know now.”
Luis nodded.
Then continued.
At the end of the inspection, Naomi looked toward him.
“One question.”
“Yes?”
“If I tell you this airplane needs to dispatch tomorrow and you believe it should remain grounded, what happens?”
Luis answered immediately.
“It remains grounded.”
“What if I disagree?”
“I document why.”
“What if the COO disagrees?”
“I document why.”
“What if the board is furious?”
He smiled.
“I document louder.”
Naomi laughed.
“Good.”
Grant, standing behind them, raised an eyebrow.
“Am I allowed to have opinions in this new company?”
“No.”
Naomi and Luis answered simultaneously.
Everyone laughed.
At 4:03 p.m., the final payment moved.
Not $770 million.
The initial closing release was $629 million after escrow and holdbacks.
The giant transaction screen turned green.
Naomi watched it without celebration.
Money moved silently.
Numbers changed.
Ownership transferred.
Twelve aircraft that belonged to Whitmore Vale that morning belonged to Carter Meridian by sunset.
The first aircraft entered Carter Meridian service six weeks later.
The remaining eleven followed gradually after inspection and documentation work.
Naomi refused to rush.
Some board members complained.
Every week of delay cost money.
She answered the same way every time.
“So does pretending.”
A year after the original canceled closing, Carter Meridian Global Response had completed 1,400 flight hours.
One aircraft carried cardiac specialists to a hospital system after commercial flights were grounded by weather.
Another moved engineering teams between three countries during a major infrastructure outage.
Two supported humanitarian logistics after a hurricane.
The rest served corporate travel, executive transport, and project operations exactly as planned.
The fleet earned money.