“Relax.”
Tiffany photographed her plate.
Then Brianna’s.
“Yours looks better.”
Garrett turned toward Denise.
“Why does hers look bigger?”
Denise stared.
“Sir?”
“The filet.”
“They’re portioned equally.”
Garrett looked at Brianna’s meal.
“Doesn't look equal.”
A passenger ahead of them turned around.
“Are you serious?”
Garrett pointed his fork at him.
“Conversation doesn't include you.”
The man shook his head.
Brianna ate quietly.
She watched Denise retreat behind the galley curtain.
Then she heard something.
A breath.
Another.
Crying.
Very soft.
Brianna waited a minute.
Then stood.
Garrett looked annoyed as she squeezed past him.
“Bathroom?”
She ignored him.
Near the galley, Denise was wiping beneath one eye.
She immediately straightened when Brianna approached.
“Ma’am, is everything all right?”
“Yes.”
Brianna lowered her voice.
“Are you?”
Denise smiled automatically.
“Of course.”
Brianna waited.
Denise’s smile collapsed slightly.
“Long week.”
“Is he a regular passenger?”
Denise glanced toward row three.
“I can't discuss customer profiles.”
“Good answer.”
Denise looked confused.
Brianna smiled.
“Has he treated you this way before?”
Denise hesitated.
That was enough.
Brianna said, “You don't have to answer.”
Denise looked relieved.
Then whispered:
“He flies us twice a month.”
Brianna listened.
“Complains constantly.”
“About?”
“Upgrades. Meal inventory. Other passengers. Crew.”
“Has management addressed it?”
Denise looked embarrassed.
“He spends a lot.”
There it was.
Brianna had spent years warning executives about this exact danger.
A high-value customer could quietly become a manager without ever joining payroll.
Employees learned whose complaints mattered.
Which passengers could make their schedules difficult.
Which loyalty accounts caused supervisors to call.
“Has he threatened your job?”
Denise looked toward the curtain.
“Not directly.”
“Meaning?”
“He knows names.”
Brianna waited.
Denise whispered:
“Last year he complained about a flight attendant who wouldn't serve him another drink after turbulence started.”
“What happened?”
“She got pulled from premium cabin assignments for three months.”
Brianna's expression changed.
“Why?”
“Customer recovery.”
“Was she found to have violated policy?”
Denise looked down.
“No.”
Brianna felt something cold settle inside her.
Not anger at Garrett.
Not yet.
At her own company.
She thanked Denise and returned to her seat.