The next morning, Eleanor shared the story with Simone’s family over breakfast.
Michael was immediately concerned.
“That is unacceptable.”
Simone nodded.
“We should file a formal complaint.”
Marcus, who had been quietly listening, surprised everyone.
“You should buy their stock.”
The adults looked at him.
Simone laughed.
“Excuse me?”
Marcus shrugged.
“Not just a little stock.”
He looked at Eleanor seriously.
“Enough stock that they have to listen to you.”
Eleanor studied her grandson.
“That’s actually a very interesting idea.”
“You don’t just complain to companies,” Marcus continued.
“You become someone they have to answer to.”
Simone smiled.
“Since when did you become a corporate strategist?”
Marcus grinned.
“Since Grandma started teaching me about investing.”
Later that day, while the family explored Seattle, Eleanor’s phone continued receiving updates from Javier.
By evening, he had a preliminary report.
Sky America Airlines was vulnerable.
The company had struggled financially after the pandemic.
Customer satisfaction had declined.
Employee morale was low.
The stock price was underperforming.
And the airline had quietly settled several discrimination complaints over the years.
That caught Eleanor’s attention.
This was not just one flight attendant.
It was a pattern.
That evening, Eleanor sat with Simone and Michael in the kitchen.
“This is bigger than what happened to me.”
Simone nodded.
“I know.”
Eleanor looked at the financial reports.
“If this company has a culture problem, a complaint won’t fix it.”
Michael leaned back.
“So what are you thinking?”
Eleanor looked at the documents.
Her answer came slowly.
“I’m thinking about changing the company from the inside.”
A week later, Eleanor met Jordan Chen.
His office towered over downtown Seattle.
Jordan was known as one of the sharpest investment bankers in the region.
He listened carefully as Eleanor explained everything.
When she finished, he leaned back.
“So let me understand.”
“You want to acquire influence in a major airline because of a discriminatory incident.”
Eleanor corrected him.
“Not because someone was rude to me.”
“Because a paying customer was judged by appearance instead of facts.”
Jordan nodded.
That distinction mattered.
He pulled up Sky America’s financial records.
“Your timing is interesting.”
The company was vulnerable.
Their leadership was facing criticism.
Their stock price was weak.
Their customer satisfaction ratings were falling.
“This is not just a moral argument,” Jordan explained.
“It is a business problem.”
Eleanor looked at the numbers.
“What would be the first step?”
Jordan opened a notebook.
“We build a team.”
“Corporate lawyers.”
“Industry experts.”
“Financial analysts.”
“Public relations specialists.”
“And we investigate everything.”
Simone added:
“We also need someone who understands discrimination law.”
Jordan nodded.
“I know exactly who to call.”
As the meeting ended, Eleanor looked through the window at Seattle below.