The girl considered the question.
“A black suit.”
The CEO looked down at her dress.
“Those can be useful.”
The girl smiled.
“And maybe shorter hair.”
The CEO laughed.
“Also useful, depending on the situation.”
The girl looked toward the jet.
Then asked, “Can someone like me really work with airplanes?”
The CEO's expression softened.
“Of course.”
The girl looked uncertain.
“Even if nobody in my family works in aviation?”
“Yes.”
The CEO gestured toward the educational displays.
“You'll need to study, learn the required skills, and follow the training path for the work you want to do.”
The girl nodded.
“But your background doesn't make you incapable of learning.”
She looked down at her notebook.
“What if I'm not good enough?”
The CEO considered that.
Then smiled.
“You don't have to know everything before you begin.”
The girl looked up.
The CEO continued.
“You have to be willing to learn, ask questions, and keep improving.”
The girl nodded slowly.
Then glanced toward the sculptural dress again.
“Did people really laugh at you because of that?”
The CEO looked toward the aircraft.
For a moment, she remembered the billionaire.
His silver hair.
His folded arms.
The mocking laughter.
The documents scattered across the floor.
Then she looked back at the girl.
“Yes.”
The girl frowned.
“Why?”
The CEO smiled faintly.
“Because they made assumptions about what a person in charge should look like.”
The girl considered that.
Then asked, “What did you do?”
The CEO looked toward the educational displays.
“I asked them to explain the documents.”
The girl blinked.
“That's all?”
The CEO laughed.
“Not quite.”
Then she became serious.
“I also made sure we didn't release money before understanding what we were purchasing.”
The girl nodded.
The CEO leaned closer.
“There's something I want you to remember.”
“What?”
“You don't have to make yourself smaller to deserve respect.”
The girl's eyes widened.
The CEO continued.
“But you do have to prepare yourself for the responsibilities you want.”
She pointed toward the training stations.
“Knowledge matters.”
The girl smiled.
Then asked, “Can I take a picture with you?”
The CEO laughed.
“Of course.”
They stood beside the white jet.
The girl held up her phone.
The CEO smiled.
And somewhere in the background, the billionaire watched.
He was sixty-three now.
His silver hair had grown slightly thinner.