They Ordered a Black Woman to Give Up Her VIP Seat — Then She Revealed She Owned the Airline...
Chapter 7
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"What... what did you say?" Thomas whispered, the blood draining from his face.Margaret Covington was just confused. "What's a Code 7? What's going on? Thomas, call security!"Before Thomas could even form a word, the cockpit door burst open.Captain David Matthews, a thirty-year veteran of the airline, emerged. He was a tall man with a commanding presence, and he looked annoyed."What in the hell is going on out here?" he boomed. "We've got a Code 7 pinged to this flight, which hasn't been used since 9/11! And my console is lighting up with a direct message from the... Oh, my God."He stopped dead. He stared at the woman in 1A, who was now holding up a slim, black ID card attached to a lanyard. It wasn't the standard blue crew ID; it was the black executive pass with the gold Meridian seal."Ms. Jordan," Captain Matthews breathed, his face losing all color. "I... I had no idea you were on board."The passenger in 2A, who had been filming, dropped his phone. "Holy crap, that's Serafina Jordan! She's the CEO!"The words ripped through the cabin. A dozen other phones immediately raised up, all filming.Thomas Brody looked like he might faint. He physically swayed, grabbing the bulkhead for support. "Ms... Ms. Jordan, no. No, I... I—"Serafina stood up. She wasn't tall, but in that moment, she seemed to tower over everyone in the cabin. Her voice was no longer quiet; it was steel."Captain Matthews," she said, acknowledging him with a sharp nod, "thank you for coming out. I am here incognito, conducting a service and safety audit—an audit which, I'm sad to say, this flight has failed spectacularly."She turned her burning gaze onto Thomas."Mr. Brody, you identified me as a passenger with no status. You colluded with another passenger, Mrs. Covington, to have me removed from my paid, assigned seat based on her preference. When I politely declined, you lied about operational necessity. When I called you on that lie, you escalated, attempting to downgrade me. And when I refused to be humiliated, you threatened to have me removed from the aircraft in violation of at least four separate FAA regulations and a dozen Meridian corporate policies. You used your authority not for safety, but for prejudice."Thomas was trembling, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.Serafina then turned to the stunned, purple-faced Margaret Covington."And you, Mrs. Covington—you who believe your husband's platinum status makes you royalty. You verbally harassed another passenger. You demanded she be moved. You reveled in the idea of her being downgraded and humiliated. You, madam, are the living embodiment of the cultural rot I am here to excise from this company.""Now, you see here!" Margaret finally found her voice, though it was trembling with a mixture of rage and newfound fear. "My husband, Richard Covington, spends millions with this airline! He's a friend of Marcus Thorne on your board! You can't talk to me like that! I'll have... I'll have—"