Chapter 4 - The Viral Broadcast
Victor Sterling, the Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Global Airlines, stood in the forward galley, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. His eyes immediately darted past the flight attendant, past the captain, and straight into Suite 1A.
When he saw me sitting there, flanked by armed police officers and surrounded by glaring cell phone cameras, his face flushed with incandescent fury.
Marlene, however, completely misread the situation.
A look of immense, triumphant relief washed over her features. She smoothed her skirt, shot me a venomous smirk, and stepped forward to greet the most powerful executive in the company.
“Mr. Sterling! Thank heaven you’re here,” Marlene exclaimed, her tone dripping with polished sycophancy. “We have an emergency on board. Captain Evans was hesitating to enforce protocol, and this disruptive individual in 1A has been refusing to surrender the suite to Grant Holloway. I was just trying to protect our relationship with Holloway Capital!”
Grant straightened his tie, offering a confident, familiar hand toward the CEO. “Victor. Good to see you. Sorry you had to come down to the gate yourself. Your crew seems to be having a bit of a communication breakdown, but I’m sure you’ll sort this out immediately.”
Victor Sterling didn't shake Grant’s hand. He didn't even look at him.
Instead, the CEO of an eleven-billion-dollar global airline walked past Grant, pushed past Marlene as if she were an invisible ghost, and stopped directly in front of Suite 1A.
He bowed his head slightly, his voice shaking with profound embarrassment.
“Darius... I am so deeply sorry.”
The entire front cabin fell into an absolute, suffocating silence.
Grant’s hand remained frozen in mid-air.
Marlene’s eyes bulged, her mouth dropping open so wide her lipstick looked cracked under the halogen lights. The Port Authority officer who had checked my passport lowered his chin, hiding a knowing smirk beneath his gray mustache.
“Darius?” Marlene whispered, her voice cracking into a high-pitched squeak. “Mr. Sterling... you... you know this man?”
Victor turned around slowly. When his eyes locked onto Marlene Avery, the sheer coldness in his gaze could have flash-frozen the Hudson River.
“Know him?” Victor’s voice dropped into a terrifyingly quiet rumble that resonated through the silent plane. “Ms. Avery, you didn't bother to check the corporate registry before you humiliated a passenger on my aircraft, did you?”
“I... I saw his boarding pass, sir,” Marlene stammered, taking a panicked step backward against the galley counter. “It just said Darius Cole. There was no corporate discount code. No elite status marker. He was wearing... he looked like—”
“He looked like a young man traveling quietly on a flight he paid for,” Victor interrupted, every syllable dripping with disgust. “Let me educate you on who Darius Cole is, Ms. Avery. Six months ago, when Horizon Airlines was facing an aggressive hostile takeover and three billion dollars in debt maturities, it was Cole-Vanguard Holdings that restructured our balance sheet. Darius Cole is the founder and managing partner of the fund that owns fifty-four percent of this airline’s voting shares.”
A sharp gasp erupted from seat 1K.
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The woman who had been livestreaming turned her phone directly toward Marlene’s horrified face, speaking in an excited whisper to thousands of live viewers: “Oh my god, you guys... the guy in the hoodie owns the entire airline! He literally owns the plane!”
Victor wasn't finished. “Darius Cole is not just a passenger, Ms. Avery. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Horizon Global Airlines. He is my boss. And he is the man who pays your salary.”
