Chapter 2 - The Sky Belongs to the Vale
The silence inside the cabin of the Gulfstream G650 was instant and absolute.
Damon was sitting in one of the oversized cream leather captain’s chairs, a crystal glass of eighteen-year-old single malt scotch balanced in his right hand. Across the aisle, Vivienne Hart was unbuckling her seatbelt, her hand still resting over her barely swollen abdomen. On the mahogany table between them sat the small, pink pastel suitcase that belonged to twelve-day-old Lila, alongside Sienna’s leather wallet and a stack of medical charts.
When Sienna stepped into the cabin, draped in a five-thousand-dollar cashmere shawl, flanked by Arthur Pendelton and two heavy-set security officers, Damon’s face transformed from annoyance to pure, unadulterated shock.
"Sienna?" Damon stammered, standing up so fast his scotch splashed over his hand onto the silk carpet. "How... how did you get past security? This is a private charter!"
"It isn't a charter, Damon," Sienna said, stopping near the cabin galley. She didn't look at Vivienne. She didn't look at the plush leather seats. Her eyes locked onto the small pink suitcase on the table. "And it certainly isn't yours."
Vivienne stood up, smoothing her designer linen pants, trying to project authority. "Sienna, you need to leave. You're trespassing on Cross Meridian property. This aircraft is assigned to executive transport."
Arthur Pendelton stepped forward, pulling a heavy leather document binder from his briefcase and slapping it down on the table right beside the scotch glass.
"Correction, Miss Hart," Arthur said, his voice ringing with legal authority. "This aircraft is tail number N702CX, registered to Atlantic Horizon Holding Trust. I am Arthur Pendelton, managing trustee of the Harrison Vale Estate. Your employer, Cross Meridian, has been in default on its aircraft lease payments for seventy-two hours."
Damon scoffed, though a faint bead of sweat suddenly glinted at his temple. "That’s absurd. My finance team handles the leases. I own Cross Meridian!"
"You own fifty-one percent of the common stock of a logistics company that operates on five hundred million dollars of credit provided by Vale Maritime," Arthur replied calmly. "Credit that was conditioned on your marriage to Sienna Vale. A marriage you just publicly renounced in front of sixteen airport employees and four security cameras."
Damon’s head snapped toward Sienna. "You... you brought your father's old lawyer to an airport?"
"You took my daughter's medicine, Damon," Sienna said, her voice terrifyingly quiet. She stepped forward, picked up the pink suitcase, and handed it to one of the security officers behind her. She then swept her hand across the table, scooping up Lila’s medical charts and her own wallet. "You left me with twelve percent battery and a frozen credit card while I was twelve days out of an emergency C-section."
"I told you I'd send a courier!" Damon snapped, his arrogance trying to reassert itself. "You're making a spectacle out of nothing! We have a multi-million-dollar acquisition closing in Florida tomorrow morning. I don't have time for your emotional hysterics!"
Vivienne crossed her arms. "Sienna, please be reasonable. Damon needs this flight. The stress isn't good for my condition."
Sienna finally looked at Vivienne. She looked at the diamond bracelet on Vivienne’s wrist—a bracelet Damon had claimed was a 'corporate incentive reward' six months ago.
"Your condition is not my concern, Vivienne," Sienna said flatly. "Your employment status, however, is."
Sienna turned to Arthur. "Is Atlantic Horizon's corporate lease agreement bound by the ethical conduct clause?"
"Section 14-B," Arthur answered instantly. "Any officer of the lessee engaging in acts of moral turpitude, fraudulent asset conversion, or illegal conversion of trust property forfeits all corporate transport privileges immediately. In fact, Miss Vale, as sole trustee, you have the right to ground the entire Cross Meridian fleet as of this exact minute."
Damon’s face went from pale to completely ash-white. "Sienna... stop this. Right now. You don't know what you're doing. If I miss this meeting, the board will panic!"
"Then you better start walking toward the commercial terminal," Sienna said.
She turned to Captain Lawson. "Captain, please remove Mr. Cross and Miss Hart from my aircraft. If they refuse to leave, have the airport police arrest them for grand larceny of medical records and unauthorized entry onto a private vessel."
"Right away, Miss Vale," Lawson said, gesturing to the two security officers.
Damon took a step toward Sienna, his face contorted in rage. "You think you can play games with me? I made you! You were a ghost living off a trust fund when I met you! You're nothing without me!"
"I was a woman who made the mistake of loving a parasite," Sienna said softly, looking him up and down. "And now I'm the woman who owns your lease."
The two security officers stepped between Damon and Sienna. One of them placed a heavy hand on Damon’s shoulder. "Sir, step off the aircraft. Now."
Vivienne gasped as an officer grabbed her designer tote bag, handing it to her before gesturing toward the open door. "You can't treat us like this! Do you know who he is?"
"We know exactly who he is, ma'am," the officer replied. "A man walking off Pad 4."
Damon stared at Sienna, his eyes burning with toxic fury as he was escorted down the stairs into the freezing night air. "You'll regret this, Sienna! By Monday morning, my lawyers will have you stripped of every dime!"
Sienna didn't answer. She stood in the doorway of her father's jet, holding Lila close as the stairs retracted and the heavy door sealed shut once more.
Captain Lawson looked at Sienna. "Where to, Miss Vale?"
May you like
Sienna walked into the luxurious master suite at the back of the cabin, laying Lila gently onto the cashmere-covered bed, opening the pink suitcase to pull out a clean, soft yellow onesie.
"Take us to the Vale Estate in Portland, Captain," Sienna said, wiping a single tear from her cheek before taking a deep, clean breath. "It's time to go home."
