CHAPTER 3: Turbulence Before Takeoff

The jet lifted through a gray ceiling of clouds while everyone tried to pretend nothing had happened.
Ryan opened a folder and began discussing the Aspen presentation. His voice carried the polished warmth that had once convinced investors, lenders, and Claire's own father that ambition could be trusted if it wore a good suit.
Claire listened without sitting beside him.
She knew the script. Ryan would announce an expansion plan, flatter the board, and ask Claire to sign a revised voting authorization after landing. He had called it housekeeping. He always gave dangerous things clean names.
Brooke leaned close to him whenever the engines deepened, using the noise as cover for whispered corrections. She knew the deck. She knew the timing. She even knew which page Ryan would slide to Claire after dessert.
That did not frighten Claire.
What frightened her was how many people in the cabin had watched her marriage turn into a transaction and decided the view was comfortable.
The plane broke through the clouds. Sun filled the windows, bright and indifferent.