Chapter 6 - The Boardroom Ambush
The glass tower of Apex Airways headquarters in downtown Seattle rose sixty stories into the grey Pacific Northwest fog. Inside the grand boardroom on the top floor, twenty board members sat around a massive mahogany table, dressed in tailored suits, sipping espresso.
At the head of the table sat Arthur Vance, the acting CEO—a man with cold eyes, slicked-back silver hair, and a reputation for ruthless corporate downsizing.
Helen Moore stood near the entrance, holding a folder of her employment records. She felt small and isolated in the vast, hyper-modern room. Next to Vance sat Victoria Sterling, looking polished once again, though her eyes were darting nervously around the room.
"Let’s bring this meeting to order," Arthur Vance announced, tapping his pen on the desk. "Item one on the agenda: the immediate termination of Flight Attendant Helen Moore for multiple customer service infractions and failure to maintain brand standards, as reported by our high-value partner, Ms. Victoria Sterling."
Vance looked up at Helen with utter disdain. "Ms. Moore, you have a history of minor delays and union complaints. Your conduct on Flight AZ711 yesterday was the final straw. You insulted a key stakeholder and failed to maintain order in First Class. Do you have anything to say before we vote on your dismissal?"
Helen took a deep breath, stepping up to the microphone stand set up for witnesses.
"I did my job, Mr. Vance," Helen said clearly, her voice echoing in the quiet room. "I prioritized human life and passenger safety over corporate snobbery. If that violates your brand values, then your brand values are broken."
Vance sneered. "Inspirational rhetoric doesn't protect profit margins, Ms. Moore. Motion to terminate—"
"Motion denied," a firm, clear voice rang out from the back of the boardroom.
The heavy double doors swung open.
Maya Lawson walked into the room. She was no longer wearing her faded blue jacket. She wore a tailored charcoal blazer over a crisp white shirt, carrying her battered spiral notebook like a judge’s gavel. Behind her walked two senior corporate attorneys carrying thick black briefcases.
Arthur Vance’s face turned pale. "Maya? What is the meaning of this? This is an executive board meeting. Children are not allowed in the—"
"I own fifty-one percent of the voting shares in this corporation through the Lawson Family Trust, Mr. Vance," Maya interrupted, taking her seat at the vacant leather chair at the opposite end of the table. "And according to Section 4, Clause 12 of my father's charter, I assume full chair authority on my eleventh birthday. Which was last week."
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Silence descended upon the room like a heavy curtain. Victoria Sterling shrank back into her leather chair.
"Now," Maya said, opening her notebook to a bookmarked page. "Let’s talk about what really happened on Flight AZ711."
