Dererick leaned over then shrugged. It is a name. Emily lowered her voice. Cole Meridian Partners. The words changed nothing on Heather's face, but Adrienne heard them.
He remained silent. Emily continued. There was an internal briefing this week. The recapitalization. Heather's eyes flickered for half a second.
That has nothing to do with cabin service. I think it might. Emily opened the internal reference page she had remembered and scanned the limited information available to crew members. She could not access confidential financial documents, but she did not need them. Crown Atlantic had publicly acknowledged ongoing strategic financing discussions.
Internally, employees had been told that senior representatives connected to Cole Meridian could travel on company flights during the review period. Emily looked at Adrienne again. The age matched, the name matched. More importantly, his calm suddenly made sense. He was not trying to impress anyone.
He was observing. "Mr. Cole," Emily said carefully. "May I ask whether you are connected to Cole? " Meridian Partners. Adrienne looked at her.
"You may ask. " Heather interrupted. Emily stopped. Adrienne turned his attention back to Heather. "Why? " Heather blinked. "Why?
What? Why should she stop asking a question when you have spent the last 10 minutes asking me questions? " A few passengers exchanged looks. Daniel Kim, seated two rows behind Adrien, had watched the entire encounter from the beginning. He leaned slightly into the aisle. She has a point, he said, nodding toward Emily.
His pass worked. His identification matched. "What exactly are you still checking? " Dererick looked back. "Sir, please remain out of this. " Daniel sat back but kept watching. Emily gathered her courage.
Heather, there is no operational reason to remove him from this seat. Heather's expression hardened. You are junior crew. You do not make that determination. I know, Emily replied.
But I can read a manifest. The cabin seemed to become quieter with every sentence. Adrienne watched Emily carefully. She was nervous, but she was no longer looking away. That mattered, not because she recognized his name, but because she had recognized the unfairness before she knew whether the name carried power.
Heather crossed her arms. The captain will decide. Adrienne nodded, then let him decide based on facts. Derek gave a humorless smile. You seem very confident.
Adrien looked at him. Facts make confidence easier. At that moment, the cockpit door opened. Captain Gregory Walsh stepped into the cabin in full uniform, his silvering hair neatly combed, his expression already impatient. Heather immediately moved toward him.