At first, Noelle considered him valuable.
He secured long-term corporate accounts.
Built relationships with charter brokers.
And negotiated agreements that kept expensive aircraft occupied during slower periods.
But as the company grew, Adrian became increasingly impatient with restrictions imposed by the safety and compliance teams.
He believed major clients deserved flexibility.
He argued that successful operators had to accommodate unusual requests.
And he often described operational disagreements as failures of customer service.
Noelle disagreed.
She believed exceptional service meant solving problems without abandoning professional standards.
But she had allowed Adrian considerable independence because his commercial results were impressive.
Now she wondered whether that trust had been misplaced.
Adrian entered her office carrying a tablet.
“Noelle. You wanted to see me?”
She gestured toward the chair.
“Yes.”
He sat.
She placed Nina Calder's report between them.
Adrian glanced toward it.
His expression barely changed.
Then he smiled.
“I assume this is about the Royce relationship.”
Noelle studied him.
“Why would you assume that?”
He shrugged.
“The account has been under review for months.”
She looked toward the report.
“Who authorized that review?”
Adrian leaned back.
“I did. We have a responsibility to consider whether restrictions remain commercially appropriate.”
Noelle nodded slowly.
“And who has authority to remove a passenger safety restriction?”
He hesitated.
“Operations and compliance, depending on the circumstances.”
“Does commercial operations have unilateral authority?”
“No.”
“Then why did you tell account managers that Royce could be returned to active service?”
Adrian's smile faded.
For a moment, he looked toward the window.
Then answered.
“I didn't tell them he had been cleared.”
Noelle turned a page.
She pointed toward the message.
Review available pathways to reinstate the account before the Q4 capital discussions.
Adrian glanced at it.
Then shrugged.
“That's a request for review.”
“Not approval.”
“Correct.”
She leaned forward.
“Then why did the account team begin accepting preliminary bookings from his broker?”
He frowned.
“Because we needed to understand demand.”
Noelle stared.
For several seconds, she remained silent.
Then asked.
“Adrian, if a passenger assaults a crew member and threatens the captain because he doesn't like a safety decision, what does he have to do before we'll consider reinstating him?”
Adrian looked uncomfortable.
“Each case is different.”
“I know.”
She waited.
Finally, he answered.
“Demonstrate that the underlying risk has been addressed.”
Noelle nodded.
“Has Gavin Royce done that?”
Adrian hesitated.
Then said.
“He disputes the original account.”
She looked directly into his eyes.
“That's not what I asked.”