Daniel studied her face.
“You can.”
“No.”
“Then you're part of this.”
Her eyes flashed.
“You think I wanted this?”
“I don't know what you wanted.”
“I wanted to get on the plane and go home.”
“Then why didn't you sit in your assigned seat?”
“Because there was no seat.”
Daniel paused.
“What?”
Victoria lowered her voice.
“My original seat disappeared.”
Daniel frowned.
“Disappeared?”
“When I checked in, I had 14D. At the gate, they told me I had been upgraded.”
“That's not unusual.”
“They gave me 2A.”
Daniel glanced toward the galley.
“And you didn't question it?”
“They said it was a complimentary upgrade.”
“Who said that?”
“The gate supervisor.”
“Name?”
Victoria hesitated.
“I don't remember.”
Daniel almost smiled.
“You don't remember the name of the person who gave you a first-class upgrade?”
“I was in a hurry.”
“You're Jonathan Hale's daughter. People know who you are. You probably get upgrades all the time.”
Her expression hardened.
“Not like this.”
That answer caught Daniel's attention.
Before he could ask another question, Maria approached.
“Mr. Brooks?”
Daniel looked up.
“Yes?”
“Could I speak with you privately?”
He followed her toward the galley.
Maria glanced around before speaking.
“I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For how this was handled.”
Daniel crossed his arms.
“What happened?”
“I can't discuss internal airline security procedures.”
“Then tell me what you can.”
Maria lowered her voice.
“Your reservation was manually altered.”
“I know.”
Her face changed.
“You know?”
“My assistant confirmed it.”
Maria looked frightened.
“Sir, please don't mention that to anyone on this aircraft.”
“Why?”
“Because the person who made the change may still have access to the system.”
Daniel stared at her.
“How do you know that?”
Maria looked toward the cockpit.
“Because I was instructed not to interfere.”
“By whom?”
She hesitated.
Then whispered, “A senior operations manager.”
“Name?”
“Richard Cole.”
Daniel immediately recognized it.
Richard Cole was not an airline employee he knew personally, but he had seen his name before.
Cole had been involved in several aviation technology partnerships.
And one of those partnerships had recently been acquired by Hale International.
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“Why was I moved?”
“I don't know.”
“Why was Victoria given my seat?”
“I don't know.”
“Then why were you instructed not to interfere?”
Maria looked at him.
“Because I was told you were a security risk.”
Daniel blinked.
“A security risk?”
“Yes.”
“Who told you that?”
“I received a message through the crew communication system.”
“Show me.”
Maria hesitated.
Daniel noticed her hand trembling.
Finally, she pulled out a company-issued tablet.
The message was short.
PASSENGER BROOKS, DANIEL — DO NOT ESCALATE SEAT DISPUTE. HANDLE WITH DISCRETION. PASSENGER MAY PRESENT SECURITY CONCERN.
There was no name.
Only an internal reference number.
Daniel photographed the screen.
Maria immediately pulled the tablet back.
“You shouldn't have done that.”
“Neither should whoever sent this.”
He returned to his seat.
His mind was moving quickly now.
A false security warning.
A manual reservation override.
A VIP passenger placed in his seat.
A crew instructed to ignore his valid ticket.
And a major business meeting waiting for him in Seattle.
This was no longer about an airline seat.
It was an operation.
He opened his laptop.
Emily had already sent him a file.
Inside was a timeline.
At 4:17 a.m., his ticket had been modified.
At 4:19 a.m., Victoria Hale's ticket had been upgraded.
At 4:21 a.m., the airline's security system had flagged Daniel's reservation.
At 4:23 a.m., his company had received an automated notification saying his travel details had changed.
Daniel stared at the times.
Two minutes separated each action.
Someone had planned this carefully.
Then he noticed something else.
The person who made the changes had used an authorization code.
Daniel zoomed in.
The code belonged to an account labeled EXEC-47.
He knew that designation.
It was a temporary executive credential.
It wasn't supposed to exist anymore.
Three years earlier, Brooks Security Systems had performed an audit for a major airline technology consortium. Daniel remembered one of the engineers complaining about temporary credentials that remained active after projects ended.
At the time, the airline had promised to fix it.
Apparently, they hadn't.
Daniel closed his laptop.
He looked at Victoria.
She was staring at him again.
This time, he didn't look away.
She finally whispered, “They told me you were dangerous.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Victoria.”
“I swear.”
“What exactly did they tell you?”
She leaned closer.
“They said you were trying to interfere with my father's company.”
Daniel stared at her.
“That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
“Why would they tell you that?”
“Because they wanted me to stay away from you.”
Daniel felt a chill.
“Who?”
Victoria's eyes filled with fear.
“The man who gave me the new boarding pass.”
“Richard Cole?”
She nodded.
Daniel sat back.
“What does Richard Cole have to do with your father?”
Victoria looked down.
“My father fired him two weeks ago.”
That changed everything.
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“You're telling me your father's former executive arranged for you to occupy my seat, falsely flagged me as a security concern, and then put us on the same plane?”
Victoria whispered, “I think he wants us to blame each other.”
Daniel considered that.
Then the cabin lights flickered.
The aircraft shook slightly.
A flight attendant made an announcement asking everyone to remain seated.
Victoria grabbed the armrest.
Daniel looked at her.
For the first time, she didn't look like a spoiled heiress.
She looked like a frightened woman trapped in a plan she didn't understand.
Daniel leaned toward her.
“We're going to figure this out.”
She looked at him.
“Why would you help me?”
“Because whoever did this wants us fighting.”
“And?”
Daniel looked at the seat beneath her.
“He made one mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“He put the wrong two people on the same plane.”
By the time the aircraft reached cruising altitude, Daniel had stopped thinking of Victoria Hale as the woman who stole his seat.
She was now a witness.
Possibly an unwilling accomplice.
Possibly a target.
Possibly both.
He needed information.
Victoria, however, was not ready to trust him.
For nearly half an hour, they sat without speaking.
Daniel worked quietly on his laptop.
Victoria stared out the window.
Finally, she whispered, “My father doesn't like you.”
Daniel looked up.
“That makes two of us.”
She almost smiled.
It was the first genuine expression he had seen from her.
“My father doesn't like many people.”
“That's not reassuring.”
“He especially doesn't like people who refuse to do business with him.”
Daniel closed his laptop.
“Did he ever try to buy my company?”
“Twice.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
“Three times,” she corrected.
“I said no.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“My father talked about it.”
“What did he say?”
Victoria hesitated.
“He said you were stubborn.”
Daniel laughed.
“That sounds like him.”
“He also said you were dangerous.”
Daniel's smile disappeared.
“Why?”
“Because you don't need him.”
Daniel leaned back.
That answer made sense.
Jonathan Hale had built his empire by controlling companies through investment, financing, and strategic partnerships. Daniel had spent years avoiding investors specifically because he didn't want anyone controlling his decisions.
“What happened with the third offer?”
“My father withdrew it.”
“Why?”
“He said you had discovered something.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“I don't know.”
“You're his daughter.”
“That doesn't mean he tells me everything.”
Daniel accepted that.
He knew families like the Hales.
Money could create enormous walls inside a family.
Victoria looked down at her hands.
“My father has been fighting with someone for months.”
“Richard Cole?”
She nodded.
“He used to run Hale Aviation Investments.”
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“That's the investment group connected to your airline?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“He discovered irregularities.”
“What kind?”
Victoria shook her head.
“I don't know exactly.”
“Try.”
“He told my father that money was disappearing.”
“How much?”
“I heard the number once.”
“And?”
“Two hundred million.”
Daniel went silent.
Two hundred million dollars.
That was not an accounting mistake.
“Did your father report it?”
Victoria looked away.
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“Victoria.”
She sighed.
“Because he said it wasn't worth the trouble.”
Daniel frowned.
“That doesn't sound like your father.”
“You don't know him.”
“No. But I know money.”
Victoria smiled sadly.
“So do I.”
Daniel noticed something in her voice.
There was resentment there.
“You don't want his company, do you?”
Victoria looked at him.
“No.”
“What do you want?”
She thought for a long moment.
“To stop being introduced as Jonathan Hale's daughter.”
Daniel nodded.
“That I understand.”
Before the conversation could continue, Maria approached.
“Mr. Brooks, Ms. Hale.”
Victoria looked up.
“Yes?”
“There is a request from the cockpit.”
Daniel immediately became suspicious.
“What kind of request?”
Maria glanced at him.
“The captain wants to speak with both of you.”
“Why?”
“He didn't say.”
Daniel closed his laptop.
“Together?”
“Yes.”
Victoria stood.
They followed Maria toward the front.