Chapter 8 - The Audit of AuthorityThe three executives sat opposite Celeste and Marcus Vance.
Lord Reginald Sterling, a man who sat on five international corporate boards, cleared his throat nervously, resting his liver-spotted hands on the table.
"Celeste," Lord Reginald began, "what occurred at Logan Airport was an appalling failure of basic human decency and corporate protocol. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I want to offer our deepest—"
"I don't want your speeches, Reginald," Celeste interrupted calmly, leaning back in her leather armchair. "I want to see the audit."
Arthur instantly unzipped his briefcase and slid two documents across the polished wood table.
The first was the thirty-page handwritten compliance overhaul he had drafted at 38,000 feet. The second was a formal termination notice for Dana Hensley, along with a secondary legal filing revoking her international flight accreditation under FAA crew conduct regulations.
"This is the immediate compliance directive," Arthur explained, his voice low and steady. "Beginning at midnight tonight, all Crown Atlantic ground staff, gate supervisors, and cabin personnel are required to complete mandatory bias and passenger-rights certification."
Celeste picked up the handwritten pages. She flipped through them slowly, her eyes scanning Arthur’s precise handwriting.
"Furthermore," Arthur continued, "we have established the Monroe Protocol—a permanent operational directive mandating that any seating dispute involving a minor passenger in a premium cabin must be elevated directly to regional station management, with zero authority given to cabin crew to initiate removal or security intervention."
Celeste stopped on page twelve. "And what about the gate supervisor in Boston? The one who handed my daughter's pass to the police without checking the corporate validation code?"
"Gary Hallowell has been demoted and reassigned to ground cargo operations pending administrative review," Arthur answered without hesitation.
Celeste set the papers down. She looked at Philip Vance, the Chief Financial Officer, who looked pale and was clutching his leather portfolio.
"Philip," Celeste said. "What is Crown Atlantic’s current cash reserve as of 10:00 AM London time?"
Philip swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Fourteen million pounds, Celeste. Our payroll obligations for Friday are twenty-eight million."
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"In two hours," Celeste stated, "your London debt matures. Without my signature on the $1.2 billion credit agreement, Crown Atlantic ceases to be an operational carrier by three o'clock this afternoon."
Lord Reginald leaned forward, his voice pleading. "Celeste... we have met every single one of your demands. We have dismantled the crew hierarchy that allowed this to happen. Please... do not destroy thirty thousand families over the arrogance of one flight attendant."
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