"Of course."
She hesitated.
"Will there be an investigation?"
"Yes."
Her face became tense.
I continued.
"Not just of what happened in the cabin. Of the instructions and decisions that led to it."
She swallowed.
"Are employees going to get blamed?"
The question hurt.
Not because I believed she had done something wrong.
Because she expected blame.
I looked directly at her.
"Elena, the review needs to be fair. Everyone should have an opportunity to explain their actions, and we need to distinguish mistakes from deliberate misconduct."
She nodded.
I continued.
"But reporting a concern in good faith should not cost someone their job."
For a moment, her eyes filled.
She looked away.
Then whispered, "I hope that's true."
I stared.
Those six words troubled me more than Victoria's entire performance.
I hope that's true.
An employee who had served my company for four years wasn't certain she could report misconduct without retaliation.
I wanted to reassure her.
To promise that nobody would ever punish her for telling the truth.
But I had learned something that morning.
A founder's promises were meaningless if employees didn't experience them as reality.
So I chose my words carefully.
"We're going to examine how reports have been handled, including concerns about retaliation."
Elena nodded slowly.
Then she said something unexpected.
"Mr. Cole, I wrote to your office."
I went still.
"What?"
She looked toward the galley.
Then back at me.
"Six months ago."
My heart began pounding.
"The anonymous letter?"
Her eyes filled.
She nodded.
I stared.
For a moment, the cabin seemed impossibly quiet.
I thought about the handwritten pages.
The accounts of employees being humiliated.
The warning that Black passengers were sometimes moved to accommodate wealthier customers.
The sentence about our company treating employees like disposable furniture.
I looked at Elena.
"That was you?"
She nodded.
"I didn't know whether you'd actually read it."
I felt my throat tighten.
"I did."
She closed her eyes.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then I asked, "Why didn't you use the employee reporting system?"
Her expression changed.
She looked genuinely surprised.
Then she gave a sad laugh.
"I did."
I stared.
"What happened?"
She swallowed.
"My manager told me I was damaging team morale."