“Gavin is offering to acquire part of the existing debt.”
Noelle became still.
“Has he completed the purchase?”
“No.”
“Then his proposal remains a proposal.”
Margaret sighed.
“Yes.”
Noelle continued.
“And nobody should describe him as our new creditor until the transaction actually occurs.”
For a moment, the older woman remained silent.
Then answered.
“Agreed.”
Noelle looked toward the maintenance report.
“Margaret, I want the lenders to know what we've found.”
The board chair hesitated.
“Everything?”
“Everything relevant that we can properly disclose.”
She took a breath.
“If the records contain errors, pretending otherwise only makes our position worse.”
Margaret sounded weary.
“Some investors will see this as proof we can't control the company.”
Noelle looked toward the window.
For several seconds, she remained quiet.
Then answered.
“Maybe.”
She paused.
“But if we hide it and they discover the truth later, they'll know they can't trust us at all.”
Margaret didn't respond immediately.
Finally, she whispered.
“You sound like James.”
Noelle felt her throat tighten.
Her father had died four years earlier after a long illness.
During his final months, he continued reading aviation technical publications because he couldn't imagine losing interest in the work that had shaped his life.
He had been proud of Ashford Executive Aviation.
But he never treated Noelle's success as proof she could stop listening.
The last serious conversation they shared about her company occurred after she announced a major fleet expansion.
James examined the press release.
Then looked toward her.
“Sounds expensive.”
Noelle laughed.
“It is.”
He nodded.
“Are you sure you can maintain all those airplanes?”
She smiled.
“We have a plan.”
Her father studied her.
Then answered.
“Good. Just remember the airplane doesn't care about your plan. It cares whether the work gets done.”
Noelle remembered that now.
She looked toward the operational holds.
The questioned invoices.
And the company she was afraid of losing.
Then she took a breath.
“Margaret, let's give the lenders the actual facts.”
The older woman agreed.
And for the first time since Gavin boarded Flight 907, Noelle made a decision that wasn't simply a reaction to his threats.
She decided to stop letting him define the emergency.
The forensic accounting firm identified the first confirmed overbilling pattern on Friday.
The analysis involved Keystone Aero Logistics, the maintenance supplier responsible for several of the unusually expensive work orders.
The firm's accountants compared Ashford's purchase orders with vendor invoices, bank records, and original maintenance-provider documentation.
Some transactions matched legitimate work.