"Then you leave me no choice," the flight attendant said, reaching for the cabin phone.
Elise didn't flinch. She pulled out her encrypted personal phone and dialed a direct number. "This is Elise Morgan. Code authorization Alpha-7-7-2. Ground Flight 247. Immediately."
Chapter 2: The Override Code
The cabin went silent as the captain's voice came over the intercom moments later, announcing an unexpected halt to the departure due to an executive override.
Within five minutes, Graham Hale—Skyline Airlines' Senior Vice President of Procurement—hurried down the jetbridge. He stormed into the First Class cabin, his face flushed.
"What is the meaning of this?" Graham demanded. "Who authorized a ground halt?"
Cynthia stood up, smiling victoriously. "Graham, this woman created a scene over my seat and somehow got the flight delayed."
Graham glared at Elise. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. I run procurement for this entire airline. One word from me, and you'll be blacklisted from every commercial carrier in the country."
Elise remained unbothered. "You might want to check the internal system before you make threats, Mr. Hale."
At that moment, the gate agent rushed onto the plane holding a printed manifest, looking pale. She handed it to Graham. "Sir... we have a compliance flag."