Sarah, the head flight attendant, had watched the entire exchange from the galley doorway. She knew exactly what had happened and exactly who Leo was, having flown with him on a dozen international routes. She also knew that Julian had spent his first ten minutes on board introducing himself warmly to the other crew members, casually dropping the name of Richard, the airline’s former CEO, into conversation like a shield against any rules.
“I can have the captain on duty call airport security and have them removed before we push back,” Sarah whispered firmly when Leo reached her. “We can clear them out in ten minutes.” Leo asked what their original ticketed seats were. Sarah checked her master galley touchscreen. “They were assigned to 3C and 3D, standard first class. But the moment they left them vacant, the computer automatically reassigned those seats to upgrade two economy passengers. 3C and 3D are completely full.”
Leo absorbed the information with a quiet grin. If Sarah evicted the manipulative couple now, they would have no physical seats left on the aircraft, triggering an explosive corporate scene over Beatrice’s “medical anxiety.” Julian would undoubtedly turn the chaos into a massive formal complaint against the crew before the wheels even left the ground. Leo shook his head, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Don’t call anyone, Sarah. Find me the crew jumpseat for takeoff. If they want my suite so badly, let’s let them have it—along with a very customized flight experience.”