Chapter 1
The heat rose in waves above Nisa Airport as Victoria Holmes stood motionless, watching the aircraft disappear into the sky.
Her aircraft.
Her airline.
And no one on board knew it.
A ground crew worker glanced at her luggage scattered across the concrete, then quickly looked away. No one wanted to get involved. The humiliation had already been witnessed by too many people.
Victoria slowly bent down and picked up a cracked phone from the ground. The screen flickered—barely alive—but still functional. One name remained at the top of her emergency contacts:
“Chief Operations – Adrian Cole.”
Her thumb hesitated, then pressed call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then a sharp voice answered. “This better be important.”
Victoria closed her eyes. “Adrian… I’ve been removed from Flight 417. Kicked off. At Nisa Airport.”
A pause.
Then silence so heavy it felt like the line had dropped.
“…Repeat that,” Adrian finally said.
“They threw me off my own plane.”
Another pause—then chaos erupted on the other end. Papers shuffling. A chair scraping back.
“Victoria… you were on 417? That aircraft is currently en route to London. Do you understand what you’re saying?”
“I understand perfectly,” she said quietly. “And I want to know who authorized it.”
But before Adrian could respond, another voice cut in the background—urgent, panicked.
“Sir… the flight crew just sent a message. They claim a passenger was creating a security risk. The captain ordered removal under protocol.”
Victoria’s grip tightened.
“That captain,” she said slowly, “is going to regret touching me.”
And for the first time, Adrian didn’t argue.
He simply said, “I’m sending a private jet. Stay where you are. Don’t trust anyone there.”
But Victoria was already looking at the distant sky where her plane had vanished.
May you like
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not waiting anymore.”
And she walked toward the terminal herself.
