Chapter 6

Hannah's POV

The last flight I worked with Adrian was New York to Chicago.

Sophie was in the cockpit as an observer. Mid-flight, she came out to use the restroom. As she passed through first class, the plane hit a small patch of turbulence.

Sophie's foot slipped. The coffee cup in her hand went flying, landing squarely on a VIP passenger's laptop.

"Are you blind?!" The passenger exploded with rage, jumping to his feet. "I've got tens of millions in contract data on that computer! Can you afford to replace it? Get me your lead flight attendant! I'm filing a complaint!"

Sophie went pale with terror, tears spilling instantly. She covered her face and ducked behind the work area, not even managing a single apology.

I heard the commotion and rushed over immediately.

I glanced at Sophie trembling behind the curtain but didn't say anything. I grabbed a towel, walked over to the passenger, and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.

"Sir, I'm so sorry. This was our staff's mistake. Our airline will cover the full cost of cleaning and repairing your laptop. If you have any data loss, we'll also assist you through the compensation process."

The passenger was furious. He pointed at me and cursed for a full half hour. All kinds of vile words rained down on me, but I maintained my bow the entire time without a single word of defense.

It wasn't until the plane landed and the passenger signed the compensation agreement that things finally settled down.

The crew conference room.

Adrian sat at the head of the table, his face dark as stone. He slammed the complaint form down on the table, his cold gaze sweeping toward me.

"What happened with the first class complaint today? Hannah, as lead flight attendant, you can't even calm a passenger down? You let a customer scream in the cabin for thirty minutes—where's your crisis management?"

I stood there, my back ramrod straight, saying nothing.

Sophie sat next to Adrian, her eyes red, speaking timidly. "Captain Pierce, it's not Hannah's fault. I'm the one who carelessly spilled the coffee..."

"Quiet." Adrian cut her off, his eyes still locked on me. "You're a pilot. The cabin is her responsibility. Hannah, are you taking your issues with me out on a new crew member during a flight? Watching her mess up and doing nothing, just to prove how competent you are?"

The conference room went deathly silent.

Everyone looked at Adrian in disbelief. They all knew Sophie had caused the mess, that I'd taken the blame for her and endured thirty minutes of abuse. Yet Adrian, without any regard for right and wrong, was pushing all the responsibility onto me.

I looked at this man.

Seven years of love, in this moment, had become a complete joke.

I raised my hand, slowly removed the gold badge on my chest that marked me as lead flight attendant, and gently placed it on the table.

"It was my fault," I said, my voice as flat as still water. "I didn't look after the new crew member. I didn't handle the emergency properly. I accept whatever punishment the airline gives."

Adrian was stunned for a moment, but then continued his rigid commands.

"Three days grounded. Write me a thorough written reflection."

I nodded. "Fine."

I turned and walked out of the conference room, without a single lingering glance.