He wished he'd acted differently just minutes earlier.
Emma, still not fully grasping the revelation, snapped back, her voice cutting through the moment.
"I don't know what she thinks she's doing, but this circus ends right now. We..."
"Emma," Captain Davis interrupted sharply, his tone firmer than usual, though still trembling. "You need to see this immediately."
Emma frowned in irritation and turned to Davis, only to freeze solid when she read the tablet screen.
Her smug expression vanished, replaced by sheer panic and desperation at the irreversible mistake she'd made.
"O. Bennett. CEO," she stammered, her voice a frightened whisper.
Jason Miller, standing beside her, went ashen like he'd been punched in the gut.
All his earlier confidence and arrogance collapsed into utter terror and confusion.
The other staffers hung their heads, avoiding Olivia's steely gaze, their hearts heavy with shame and regret.
They understood now that their silence and indifference had helped create this painful moment.
Olivia stood before them.
No words were needed.
The truth spoke for itself.
Her silent authority was more terrifying than any reprimand.
She knew the next few minutes would mark the start of her most important revolution at Bennett Aviation, a full-scale reckoning against the prejudices that had silently undermined the company she'd built.
In the cold, driving rain, Emma and Jason stood stunned and broken, finally grasping the immense price they'd pay for their bias and arrogance.
But by then, it was too late to undo anything.
The truth had burst forth, washing away every lie and injustice they'd long tried to hide.
As Emma and Jason still stood frozen in shock over the truth that had just been revealed, the wail of sirens erupted outside the airport lobby, shattering the already suffocating tension.
Through the sheets of rain, a convoy of glossy black SUVs screeched up to the entrance.
The door of the lead vehicle swung open, and Ethan Bennett stepped out, flanked by the company's top attorneys, HR executives, and security team.
Ethan's expression was ice, his gaze blade-sharp with a fury seldom seen from the famously composed COO.
The moment Ethan entered the VIP area, every employee fell silent, their breaths caught in their throats.
Scanning the room, his eyes locked on Olivia, still standing there, outwardly composed but clearly wounded inside.
Watching his sister, the woman who had poured her heart and soul into building Bennett Aviation, be treated like a criminal on her own flight ignited Ethan's anger into a blaze.
"Olivia, are you okay?"
Ethan strode quickly to her side, his voice gentle but laced with concern.
Olivia gave him a small nod, forcing her usual strength to the surface even as pain lingered in her eyes.