Chapter 4 - The Ripple Effect
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Marcus Vance cleared his throat nervously, sliding the tablet back toward his side of the table. Sarah Jenkins looked down at her notepad, quietly processing the ruthless, surgical efficiency with which her boss had just excised a toxic tumor from the ranks.
Then Caden turned his attention to the other end of the room.
“Kylie Turner.”
Kylie stiffened, stepping half a step forward. Her palms were damp, but she kept her chin up. She had survived growing up in Macon with a janitor father; she wasn't going to cower in front of a billionaire.
“Sir,” she said clearly.
Caden walked slowly toward her, stopping a few feet away. His face lost its icy boardroom edge, replaced by something much more human, much more observant.
“You saw everything,” Caden stated.
“Yes, sir.”
“You brought me water when no one else cared to look.”
“I brought you water because you were a passenger on our aircraft, and you looked thirsty,” Kylie replied simply. “That’s what the job is supposed to be.”
Caden held her gaze for three full seconds. A slow, approving nod settled over his features.
“How long have you been with SkySpan?”
“Eight months, sir. Based out of Atlanta.”
“And how do you feel about your current role?”
Kylie blinked, taken aback by the question. “I... I love flying. I love taking care of people. But sometimes it’s hard watching what goes on behind the scenes when people think nobody important is watching.”
Caden turned back to Sarah Jenkins. “Sarah, what is the status of our Southern Hub Customer Experience and In-Flight Training Directorship?”
Sarah looked up, surprised, before realization clicked into place. “It’s currently vacant, Mr. Reed. We’ve been interviewing candidates for three weeks.”
“Cancel the interviews,” Caden said flatly. He turned back to Kylie. “Kylie Turner, effective immediately, you are promoted to Director of In-Flight Standards and Crew Training for the Southern Region. You’ll be relocating your base to Atlanta corporate headquarters, your salary will be tripled, and you will personally rewrite our cabin crew training manual to emphasize empathy, situational awareness, and zero tolerance for harassment.”
Kylie’s jaw dropped. She stared at him as if he had spoken in ancient Greek.
“Me? Sir—Mr. Reed—I’m just a flight attendant! I don't have a corporate degree, I’ve never managed a department—”
“You have integrity,” Caden interrupted, his voice firm and absolute. “And integrity cannot be taught in a business school. Everything else can be learned. Sarah will assign you a senior mentor by tomorrow morning.”
May you like
Kylie’s eyes welled with tears, but she blinked them back fiercely, holding herself together with every ounce of willpower she possessed. “Thank you, sir. I won't let you down.”
“I know you won't,” Caden said, turning back to his desk. “Now go get some lunch. You’ve had a very strange morning.”
