She folded the ivory dress into a garment bag.
Champagne smell remained faintly on her skin.
When she returned, Daniel was still standing near 1A.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I’m not traveling.”
“Compliance meeting?”
He nodded.
“Then go.”
Daniel leaned down.
Kissed her forehead.
“I’ll call when you land.”
“You better.”
He looked at the passengers.
Then the crew.
No speech.
No warning.
No executive display.
He left.
The federal officers followed.
The door closed.
The aircraft pushed back.
Simone sat beside the window.
1A.
Exactly where she had been all along.
As the runway moved beneath them, she looked down at the city.
The passenger across the aisle had been replaced by an empty seat.
The flight attendant offered Simone another drink.
She chose water.
For nearly an hour, she said nothing.
Then the woman who had recorded the incident approached.
“May I sit?”
Simone gestured toward 1C.
The woman sat.
“My name is Rebecca.”
“Simone.”
Rebecca smiled awkwardly.
“I know.”
Simone raised an eyebrow.
Rebecca laughed.
“Your husband said it.”
“Right.”
Rebecca became serious.
“I sent the video to the federal officer.”
“Thank you.”
“I also backed it up.”
Simone looked at her.
“Good.”
Rebecca hesitated.
“Can I ask something?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you ask your husband to kick that man off?”
Simone looked out the window.
“Because Daniel wasn’t the person responsible for deciding.”
“But he owns legal.”
“He leads legal.”
“Same difference?”
“No.”
Simone looked back.
“It matters.”
Rebecca nodded.
Simone continued.
“If I ask my husband to punish someone because they hurt me, then I make the company’s rules personal.”
“I don’t want personal.”
“I want reliable.”
Rebecca considered that.
“So you wanted the flight attendant to decide.”
“I wanted policy to decide.”
Rebecca nodded.
Then:
“You’re calmer than I would be.”
Simone smiled slightly.
“I was not calm.”
“You looked calm.”
“Those are different things.”
Rebecca understood.
She returned to her seat.
Simone spent the rest of the flight thinking about the attendant.
Not the businessman.
That surprised her.
The man’s behavior was obvious.
Cruel.
Entitled.
Possibly prejudiced.
But the attendant’s hesitation represented something deeper.
A company problem.
How many employees had learned to tolerate misconduct from high-revenue customers?