Some made her clothing cheaper.
Some made the pilot scream.
Some claimed he called police.
Some said she bought the jet on the spot after being insulted.
The CEO watched one video where a fictional version of her purchased the aircraft from her phone simply to punish the pilot.
She closed the laptop.
“This is stupid.”
The operations director laughed.
“Very.”
“People believe this?”
“Yes.”
“They think I spent sixty million dollars out of spite?”
“Apparently.”
She rubbed her forehead.
“Human civilization was a mistake.”
He smiled.
The communications director entered.
“We need a statement.”
The CEO groaned.
“What now?”
“They want confirmation that you fired the pilot immediately after revealing ownership.”
“That is technically true.”
“They’re framing it as revenge.”
“Also predictable.”
“What do you want to say?”
The CEO thought.
Then:
“Nothing about revenge.”
“Facts.”
The final statement confirmed:
The aircraft had been purchased through an existing acquisition process.
The CEO boarded with valid authorization.
The pilot refused verification.
The pilot’s transitional employment was ended.
A separate investigation revealed unauthorized compensated passenger operations predating the acquisition.
Authorities were notified.
No passenger or crew safety incident had been identified.
That was it.
Too boring for the internet.
Excellent.
The sensational version still spread.
The CEO eventually agreed to one interview because silence was creating worse mythology.
The interviewer asked the obvious question.
“How did it feel when he said you didn’t look like the owner?”
The CEO paused.
“He never used those exact words.”
“But that was what he meant.”
“Yes.”
“Was it racism?”
She thought carefully.
“Race was part of what he saw.”
“What else?”
“Age.”
“Gender.”
“My lack of entourage.”
“My clothing.”
“The fact I carried my own bag.”
“His experience with the previous owner.”
“His confidence.”
She looked toward the interviewer.
“Bias is often several assumptions cooperating.”
The interviewer leaned forward.
“Did you enjoy telling him you owned the plane?”
“No.”
The answer came quickly.
“Not at all?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if I enjoyed it, then the story becomes about my status saving me.”
“And that’s wrong?”
“Yes.”