"I will personally oversee her promotion tomorrow morning," Halloway promised rapidly. "Mr. Hayes, please. Our flight crews are nearing their federal duty time limits. If we don't push back in the next 20 minutes, we have to cancel hundreds of flights globally. Please release the fleet."
Desmond sat in silence for a moment, letting the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar airline sweat through his sheets in Dallas.
"I will release the fleet when I am seated in 1A and the aircraft door is armed and cross-checked," Desmond said. "Goodbye, Rick."
Desmond reached over and ended the call.
He finally stood up, picking up his worn leather briefcase. He looked at Captain Mitchell.
"Get your plane ready, Captain. You have a schedule to keep."
"Yes, Mr. Hayes. Right away, sir," Mitchell said, executing a stiff, respectful nod before turning and practically sprinting back down the jet bridge.
Desmond turned his attention back to Preston Montgomery, who was still standing there, shivering in his pajamas, waiting for his own sentence to be handed down.
Preston looked up at Desmond with wide, wet eyes. He had just watched Desmond show mercy to the pilot. A spark of foolish hope ignited in Preston's chest.
"Mr. Hayes, please. You spared him. You can spare my family's company. I swear to you, I will resign tomorrow. I'll step down as EVP. Just leave the Hudson Yards financing alone."
Desmond looked down at the man. There was no anger in Desmond's eyes. Only the cold, unyielding calculus of a predator examining a wounded liability.
"I spared the pilot because his failure was one of situational cowardice," Desmond explained softly. "He was following a toxic corporate culture that your family helped create. He can be retrained. You, Preston, cannot."
Preston's mouth opened, but no words came out.
"You offered to step down," Desmond continued, his voice echoing slightly in the vast, empty terminal. "But the fact that your father put you in that position of power to begin with proves that the rot in Montgomery Holdings goes all the way to the foundation. You operate on the assumption that rules do not apply to you. In commercial aviation, that makes you a nuisance. In high-stakes real estate development, that makes you a catastrophic financial risk. If I leave my capital in your family's hands, it is only a matter of time before your arrogance causes a default that costs my investors billions."
Desmond pulled his phone out one last time. He dialed Victor Reynolds.