Chapter 1: The First-Class Seat
Elise Morgan, CEO of Meridian Capital, boarded Skyline Airlines Flight 247 feeling thoroughly exhausted after a long week of negotiations. When she reached row 2, she found a woman sitting in seat 2A—the window seat Elise had reserved three weeks in advance.
"Excuse me," Elise said calmly. "I believe you're in my seat."
The woman, wearing a tailored navy suit and oversized sunglasses, didn't even look up from her tablet. "Take another one. There are plenty of seats in the back."
"This is First Class, and seat 2A is assigned to me," Elise replied, holding up her digital boarding pass.
The woman finally looked up, eyeing Elise's simple jeans and plain black sweater. She scoffed. "Look around, dear. This section is reserved for premium passengers who actually belong here. Go sit in economy where you belong."
The lead flight attendant walked over, noticing the dispute. Instead of checking the tickets, she immediately took the woman's side. "Is there a problem here, Mrs. Hale?"
"This woman is harassing me about my seat," Cynthia Hale said smoothly.
The flight attendant turned to Elise with a cold expression. "Ma'am, you need to move to your assigned seat in economy, or I will have ground security escort you off this aircraft for causing a disturbance."
Elise looked at Cynthia, then at the flight attendant. "I am the registered owner of this seat, and I will not move."