Chapter 6 - The Quiet Heroine
As the echoes of Brianna’s screams faded away, Kaden turned his attention back toward the open doorway of Boeing 737 N737SP.
Standing just inside the galley threshold, clutching her service tablet like a lifeline, was Kylie Vance. She had watched the entire scene unfold from the shadows, her eyes wide with shock, her hands trembling so badly she could barely hold her device. She thought about the business card currently burning a hole in her pocket.
Kaden walked back up the ramp, his boots clicking rhythmically against the metal plating. He stopped right at the doorway, looking down at the young flight attendant.
Kylie swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are... are you really...?"
"Kaden Ree," he supplied with a faint, reassuring smile. He reached out and gently tapped the corner of her service tablet. "And you are Kylie Vance, correct?"
"Y-yes, sir," Kylie stammered, dipping her head. "I'm so sorry about... about everything. I tried to stop her, Mr. Ree. I swear I did. But she's senior staff, and..."
"And you stood up to her anyway," Kaden interrupted gently. "Even when she threatened your career, you knelt down with a bottle of club soda and a clean napkin to help a passenger who you thought had nothing. That isn't just good customer service, Kylie. That's character."
Marcus Vance stepped up behind Kaden, peering over his shoulder at the young flight attendant. Marcus frowned, scanning her digital nametag. "Kylie Vance? How long have you been with SkySpan, Ms. Vance?"
"Eight months, Mr. Vance," Kylie whispered, bracing herself for the inevitable corporate axe. In aviation, junior staff were often swept up in the fallout of senior disciplinary actions.
Instead of frowning, Marcus Vance’s face smoothed out into an approving expression. He looked at Kaden, who gave a subtle, affirming nod.
"Eight months as a line flight attendant," Marcus said clearly. "How would you feel about a temporary reassignment starting tomorrow morning, Ms. Vance? Say... Senior Director of In-Flight Experience and Cabin Culture Training?"
Kylie’s jaw dropped so low she nearly choked. "S-Senior Director? Sir, I'm just a junior flight attendant! I don't have a business degree—I haven't even finished my bachelor's!"
"You have empathy, integrity, and spine," Kaden said, his dark eyes locking onto hers with absolute sincerity. "Those are three things money can't buy and business schools can't teach. For three years, I've watched our corporate culture drift away from what SkySpan was founded on. We need people who know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of arrogance to teach our crews how to treat human beings."
Kylie looked from Kaden to Marcus, her chest heaving as tears of absolute shock and vindication welled up in her eyes. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the plain business card Kaden had given her forty minutes ago at thirty thousand feet, and clutched it tightly in her palm.
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"I... I don't know what to say, Mr. Ree," Kylie choked out, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Don't thank me yet," Kaden smiled, turning back toward the terminal. "The real work starts tomorrow morning at corporate headquarters. And by the way—put those jeans on the company expense account. I hear designer denim costs a fortune."
