Chapter 2 - The Sky Diverts
Thirty-five thousand feet above the cold Atlantic Ocean, the atmosphere inside the private cabin was practically celebratory. Aaron Prescott leaned back in his plush leather recliner, clinking crystal champagne flutes with Jasmine, who had already discarded her professional notebook in favor of an expensive cashmere travel wrap. Across the aisle, Evelyn Prescott was flipping through a luxury real estate magazine, admiring sprawling estates in the English countryside.
“To independence,” Aaron toasted, his smile radiant with unchecked pride. “By this time tomorrow, the board will have no choice but to ratify the Sterling partnership. No more board oversight from the Vance trust. No more walking on eggshells around Alyssa’s high-and-mighty family. I built this company with my own sweat, and it’s time the world recognizes me as the sole visionary.”
“You’re an absolute genius, Mr. Prescott,” Jasmine purred, leaning her head against his shoulder, her eyes gleaming with triumphant malice. “Alyssa was simply dead weight holding your true potential back. When she walked off the tarmac today, she proved she doesn't have the stomach for high-stakes business. She belongs in society galas, not the executive suite.”
“She’s a spoiled child,” Evelyn chimed in, taking a delicate sip of vintage champagne. “Her family gave you a little seed money, yes, but you did all the heavy lifting, Aaron! The nerve of her, trying to make a scene over a seat. Jasmine has sacrificed her evenings for this company, while Alyssa spends her afternoons arranging flowers. You did the right thing by putting her in her place.”
Suddenly, the smooth hum of the aircraft engines changed pitch. The nose of the Gulfstream dipped noticeably, banking into a sharp, sixty-degree starboard turn. The cabin chime sounded twice as the seatbelt sign illuminated in bright red.
Aaron frowned, setting his champagne glass down on the console as the aircraft vibrated through a pocket of heavy cloud cover. “What is Captain Miller doing? The transatlantic flight corridor should be straight out of Halifax.”
He pressed the call button on the bulkhead. Seconds later, the lead flight attendant, Sarah, stepped through the forward curtain. Her posture was rigid, her expression completely detached from the deferential warmth she usually displayed toward him.
“Sarah, why are we turning?” Aaron asked impatiently, waving his hand. “Tell Miller to correct our heading. We have a hard landing slot at Heathrow at eight p.m. sharp. We cannot afford delays.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Prescott,” Sarah replied calmly, her hands clasped neatly in front of her apron. “We are not proceeding to London Heathrow.”
Aaron stared at her, blinking in disbelief. “Excuse me? What do you mean we aren't proceeding? I am the Chief Executive Officer of this company! I chartered this flight for an urgent international summit!”
“You did not charter this aircraft, Mr. Prescott,” Sarah stated, her voice icy and firm. “This vessel is the registered property of Vance Maritime & Aerospace Holdings. Thirty minutes ago, our corporate operations center received a direct operational override from the majority shareholder and title owner of this tail number.”
Evelyn gasped, dropping her magazine into her lap. “What nonsense is this?! Aaron pays the leasing invoices every single quarter!”
“With company funds that are sixty-two percent underwritten by the Vance Family Trust,” Sarah countered without flinching. “Under Federal Aviation Administration regulations and the Vance Global Maritime charter, owner directives supersede all passenger requests. Our corporate dispatch has declared a total asset freeze. Your international clearance has been revoked. We are currently descending on direct vector to Bangor International Airport in Maine for an emergency administrative grounding.”
Jasmine shot upright, the color rapidly draining from her manicured face. “You can’t do that! We have a signed contractual summit with Sterling Global in five hours! If we don't land in London, the entire financing package collapses!”
“Then I suggest you take that up with the aircraft’s owner, Miss Vance,” Sarah said coolly, turning on her heel and disappearing behind the cockpit security door, locking the deadbolt with a resounding mechanical click.
Aaron lunged from his seat, slamming his fists against the reinforced cockpit door. “Miller! Open this damn door right now! I pay your salary! Do you hear me?! Open this door or you'll never fly a commercial or private aircraft in this country again!”
From inside the cockpit speaker, Captain Miller’s voice crackled through the cabin intercom, calm and entirely indifferent to his rage:
“Good afternoon, passengers. This is the captain speaking. We have begun our descent into Maine per corporate security protocol. Wi-Fi and satellite communications for passenger devices have been terminated. Please ensure your seatbelts are securely fastened and your tray tables are stowed. We will be on the ground in twenty minutes. Thank you for flying Vance Global.”
The overhead internet router lights blinked red and went dead. Aaron looked at his phone—no signal, no roaming, completely cut off from his bankers, his PR firm, and Victor Sterling.
May you like
Across the aisle, his mother clutched her pearls, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Aaron… what did that girl do? What did Alyssa do?!”
Aaron stood frozen in the narrow aisle, the realization hitting him like a physical blow to the solar plexus. For four years, he had convinced himself that he was the master of his universe. But looking at the gold Vance family crest stamped into the leather bulkheads, he suddenly remembered whose world he had actually been living in.
