Noelle felt something warm move through her chest.
The company wasn't perfect.
It never would be.
But it had changed.
And so had she.
Captain Mercer welcomed the passengers before departure.
He greeted Lorraine personally, then completed his normal responsibilities without allowing the presence of the company's CEO to alter the operating procedures.
Noelle appreciated that.
She didn't ask him to depart early.
Didn't request special exceptions.
And didn't expect him to change a technical decision simply because the flight was meant to celebrate her mother.
The captain was responsible for the flight.
The cabin crew had their own duties.
And Noelle was a passenger.
Even though the company owned the aircraft.
She liked the distinction.
It was part of what she'd fought to protect.
After departure, Lorraine watched New York disappear beneath the clouds.
For nearly fifteen minutes, she barely spoke.
Noelle sat across from her.
She watched her mother admire the sunlight reflecting from the aircraft's wing.
Then Lorraine turned.
“Baby?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you something?”
Noelle smiled.
“Anything.”
Her mother looked around the cabin.
“Is this the same airplane?”
Noelle knew what she meant.
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Lorraine became quiet.
For a moment, her eyes moved toward the table.
Then she asked.
“The man who put his shoes up there?”
Noelle nodded again.
“That's the one.”
Her mother studied the polished surface.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Lorraine shook her head.
“Imagine being wealthy enough to sit anywhere you like and still choosing to make everybody around you miserable.”
Noelle laughed softly.
“I've thought about that.”
Lorraine looked toward her.
“Did you ever regret standing up to him?”
Noelle considered the question.
The consequences had been enormous.
The investigations.
The financial crisis.
The aircraft removed from service.
The sleepless nights.
And the fear that the company she built might collapse before she understood how badly it had been compromised.
For a moment, she remembered sitting alone in a conference room wondering whether she could pay thousands of employees if the lenders refused to cooperate.
She looked toward her mother.
“I regretted how much damage we hadn't noticed sooner.”
Lorraine nodded.
Noelle continued.
“I regretted that Claire felt frightened. That Nina had to leave a job she loved. And that people inside our company believed they had to choose between telling the truth and keeping their jobs.”
Her voice softened.
“But I don't regret refusing to let Gavin stay aboard.”
Lorraine smiled.