Noelle nodded.
“I believe you.”
Nina continued.
“I left because every time a wealthy passenger raised his voice, I wondered whether the people behind me would actually support me.”
Her voice broke.
“I wasn't afraid of every passenger. I was afraid the company would decide somebody else's money mattered more than my safety.”
Noelle felt tears rise.
She looked toward the table.
Then whispered.
“That should never have happened.”
Nina nodded.
For several seconds, she remained quiet.
Then asked.
“Did he really get back on one of your planes?”
Noelle took a breath.
“Yes.”
The younger woman's face tightened.
“After everything?”
“Yes.”
Noelle continued.
“Someone used an unauthorized executive approval to clear him. We've suspended the affected approval pathway and are investigating everyone involved.”
Nina stared.
For a moment, she seemed unable to speak.
Then whispered.
“I knew they'd try.”
Noelle looked toward her.
“Why?”
Nina hesitated.
Then reached into her handbag.
She removed a folded document.
It was a copy of a written statement she'd prepared shortly after the Geneva incident.
Noelle read.
Then stopped.
Near the bottom, Nina had recorded something Gavin said before leaving the aircraft.
You think this company can keep me off its planes? I'll own the damn airline before you're finished crying about your wrist.
Noelle stared.
For several seconds, she couldn't breathe.
Then she looked toward Nina.
“He said this eighteen months ago?”
Nina nodded.
“Yes.”
The CEO looked down.
The threat had sounded absurd at the time.
An angry billionaire trying to intimidate an injured flight attendant.
But now Gavin Royce was attempting to acquire financial influence over Ashford.
And somebody within the company had been helping him restore access.
Noelle looked toward Nina.
Then whispered.
“Thank you for telling me.”
The younger woman nodded.
For a moment, her expression softened.
Then she asked.
“Are you going to save the company?”
Noelle looked toward the window.
She thought about the seven aircraft withheld from service.
The lenders.
The forged authorization.
And the employees who were afraid of losing their jobs.
She took a breath.
“I don't know exactly what the company will look like when this is over.”
Nina's eyes filled.
Noelle continued.
“But I'm not going to save it by pretending the people who work there don't matter.”
For a long moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Nina nodded slowly.
“That would mean something.”
Noelle looked toward her.
For the first time since Gavin entered Seat 1A, she understood what the real fight was about.