Chapter 2

In front of the entire flight crew and the passengers, Olivia pointed at me with pure hatred in her eyes.

"He's the air traffic controller who gave us false weather information!"

"Because of him, I had to take everyone back into the sky and risk our lives all over again!"

The passengers who had been hugging each other moments ago, grateful to be alive, suddenly turned toward me.

Their gratitude turned into anger.

"What the hell? This guy is an air traffic controller?"

"Does anyone even check these people before letting them into the tower?"

"How does someone this incompetent get trusted with hundreds of lives?"

"He almost killed everyone on that plane!"

"He must have gotten this job through connections. People like him don't belong anywhere near aviation!"

"We need to report him immediately!"

"Someone like this is a danger to the public!"

"We can't let him work another day!"

Amid the storm of accusations, I looked across the crowd.

Every face was filled with anger.

And then I saw Olivia.

Standing there.

Watching me become the villain she created.

"After six years working as an air traffic controller, I know exactly what my responsibilities are."

"I could never make a mistake as careless as the one you're accusing me of."

Ryan immediately stepped forward.

He looked like he was forcing himself to say something painful.

"Ethan, we've been friends for twelve years."

"We were college roommates."

"I never wanted to believe you were capable of something like this."

"But as aviation professionals, I cannot defend what you did."

His voice grew heavier.

"Because nobody can guarantee the next flight will survive a mistake like this."

"Your selfish decision could cost hundreds of innocent people their lives."

"Every person on that aircraft had someone waiting for them."

"People who would never see them again because of you."

A passenger's face changed.

"What are you saying?"

"Are you saying he did this on purpose?"

Ryan lowered his eyes as if he didn't want to say it.

"Ethan's family is facing serious financial problems."

"He needed a large amount of money."

"And Olivia's life insurance policy, along with the compensation from the airline and government."

"It's worth a fortune."

He paused.

"And as her husband, he would be the primary beneficiary."

Ryan covered his mouth, pretending he was horrified by the thought.

"If Captain Olivia hadn't been experienced enough, if we hadn't worked together perfectly, maybe we really wouldn't be standing here today."

More than one hundred passengers erupted in fury.

"You sick bastard!"

"You tried to kill us for money!"

"You're a murderer!"

"You almost turned that plane into a graveyard!"

"Arrest him!"

"Someone like you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near an airport!"

The crowd surged toward me like a wave.

With their arms folded across their chests, they stood back and watched me drown in hatred and accusations.

With the cold satisfaction of people watching someone else pay the price for their lies.

At that exact moment, the fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles I had called in for Flight TK6587 roared onto the apron.

"The police are here!"

"Perfect timing!"

A well-dressed woman who looked like a professional hurried over to one of the officers and pointed straight at me.

"That man abused his authority and tried to murder us."

"Arrest him immediately."

"There are more than one hundred witnesses here."

"We were all seconds away from dying because of him."

Watching Olivia and Ryan's faces instantly darken with panic, I couldn't help laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

The officer looked at me in confusion.

"They're accusing you of attempted murder."

"Do you have anything to say?"

Faced with the law and due process, my expression turned serious.

"Officer, anyone can make accusations."

"But criminal charges require evidence."

After listening to the woman's account of what had happened, the officer took out a notebook and began writing.

Then he looked at Olivia.

"When exactly did Ethan Carter give you false weather information?"

Olivia hesitated, visibly uneasy as she fabricated her story.

"Last night."

"At home."

"I asked him to check today's weather forecast."

"He told me the weather would be perfectly fine."