"Excuse me, could you please recheck the airline's backend system?" I said.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and handed my phone to a bewildered Lawrence. He took the phone and looked at Raine's ticket again with an uncertain expression.

He contacted the ground crew via the internal communication device, and a few seconds later, he looked up at me with a conflicted gaze.

"Ma'am, the system does show Ms. Gilmore's name."

Raine let out a shrill burst of laughter and looked at me triumphantly.

"Stumped, aren't you? Let me tell you, this is an internal family ticket my husband bought for me! My husband is the captain of this very plane, Klaus Peterson!

"I was just showing you some courtesy earlier by not exposing you for occupying someone else's seat. Now that you've brought this on yourself, I'll oblige."

She deliberately raised her voice, ensuring everyone in the first-class cabin could hear.

However, a bomb had been set off in my mind.

Wasn't Klaus Peterson my husband of five years? Who was this arrogant woman before me?

The moment Lawrence heard the captain's name, his attitude took a complete turn. He returned the phone to me with a polite smile.

"Ma'am, perhaps you should return to your seat in economy class. Let's not delay the scheduled takeoff, okay?"

I was still reeling in chaos, and I couldn't stay calm at all.

"I am not going to economy class. I paid for a first-class seat, and my payment record can prove that this ticket is mine."

Raine acted as if she'd heard the joke of the century. She crossed her arms and looked me up and down.

"Whoa, were you so desperate for first class that you even forged a ticket? Technology is so advanced now that Photoshop is easy, right? I mean, you're so young—why such a strong desire for vanity?

"Is there no one in your family who could pay for this? You can't even afford a first-class ticket, so you have to resort to such low-life tactics?"

The surrounding passengers immediately began whispering and pointing fingers at me.

"Goodness! She actually forged a ticket? How brazen!"

"And she even stole a child's seat? How shameful. Did she think a child was an easy target?"

"Now she's bitten off more than she can chew. That lady's husband is the captain! Let's see how she gets out of this!"

Seeing this, Raine became even more smug. She lifted her hand to adjust her hair, and a necklace around her neck swung into my view.

My pupils constricted abruptly.

I had found this necklace the day before my business trip, in the pocket of Klaus' jacket hanging in the cloakroom.

At the time, I thought it was the five-year wedding anniversary gift he was preparing for me.

It made me feel touched for a long time. I thought of finishing this business trip early and returning to surprise him.

It turned out the surprise had already been given to someone else. And I, like a fool, was kept completely in the dark.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails almost dug into my palms.

"Mr. Pratt, I'm asking you one last time. Are you truly unable to resolve this matter?" I asked icily.

Raine seized the opportunity to interject, saying, "Hey, why are you making things difficult for the staff? They're just trying to do their job. You got caught with a fake ticket, and now you're feeling guilty, so you want to solve things by complaining? Well, I'll be!

"Not only do you lack respect for the elderly and children, but you don't even have basic respect for service staff! Where are your manners?"

Lawrence's expression had darkened completely, and his tone became stiff. "Ma'am, I advise you to take a step back for the sake of peace. Don't make things hard for us workers."

I sneered coldly. Ignoring them, I stepped forward directly and reached out to unbuckle the unruly boy's seatbelt.

"How dare you touch my son!"

Raine let out a sharp scream, raised her hand, and slapped me hard across the face with a resounding smack.

I staggered from the blow, and my cheek burned with pain.

The entire cabin fell silent instantly.

"You actually dared to hit my son! Guards! Air marshals! There's an assailant on the plane!" Raine screamed shrilly.

Lawrence's expression shifted dramatically, and he immediately called for the air marshals via the intercom.

Two towering air marshals quickly arrived and restrained me on both sides. My arms were twisted behind my back, leaving me unable to move.

Raine put on a pained expression and pointed at me, lecturing, "Look at yourself! Is all this really worth it just for a seat? Do you have any idea that because of you, the schedules of hundreds of people on this flight are being delayed? Can your conscience handle that?

"As a family member of someone in civil aviation, what I despise most are people like you—selfish and lacking any sense of public duty!"

After speaking, she pretentiously patted her son's shoulder.

The unruly boy understood the cue. He jumped up from his seat and loudly recited, "My dad is the most handsome captain in the world! He often tells us to respect the elderly, cherish the young, and always follow public transportation rules.

"We can't let our own affairs affect everyone else!"

These words instantly ignited the anger of the surrounding passengers.

"What's going on? Hurry up and take this woman away! We have places to be!"

"Exactly! She's so self-indulgent! Who does she think she is, causing trouble here!"

"Even a child understands this principle. How can a grown adult not get it?"

"What's wrong with the airline? It's such bad luck to let someone like this on!"

The insults and accusations came from all sides.

I was pinned down firmly by the two air marshals, and I was so angry that I trembled with rage.

This airline was one I acquired five years ago. I bought it because Klaus said he loved the blue sky and wanted to be a pilot free from constraints.

For him, I used my family's connections to have him skip the lengthy seniority-building process and become a captain at a young age.

But now, all my efforts ended up benefiting an ungrateful wretch, who even had the nerve to harass me!

"This seat is rightfully mine! She's the one who's forcibly occupying it with her son and twisting the truth, and the one who's delaying the takeoff!"

I stared fixedly at Lawrence and the air marshals. "I want to see your captain. Get Klaus out here!"

"You even dare to ask for my husband?"

Enraged, Raine rushed forward and slapped me several more times. She even lifted her foot to kick my shins hard a few times.

"Didn't your mother teach you how to behave? I'll teach you today, then! Who do you think you are, thinking you deserve to see my husband? Go take a look in the mirror to see if you're worthy!"

I endured these blows head-on. My face and legs burned with pain, but I just sneered coldly and stared at her with a gaze sharp as a knife.

"Tell him to come. He knows who I am."

Raine was stunned for a moment, and then she became even more furious. She yelled at the air marshals, "What are you all still standing around for? This woman first stole the seat and hit a kid, and now she's threatening the staff and demanding to see the captain!

"She's a lunatic! Hurry up and throw her off the plane!"

Lawrence was also looking at me disgustedly. He waved his hand and said to the air marshals, "This lady is seriously disrupting public order and endangering flight safety! Remove her from the aircraft and hand her over to the ground police for handling!"

"Understood!"

The two air marshals increased their strength and began shoving me toward the aircraft door.

Raine crossed her arms, and there was a triumphant smile on her face.

Just as I was being pushed to the door, I took out my phone and quickly dialed a number.

"This is Caitlyn Greene! Notify the control tower immediately that a hacker has compromised your aviation system and that a passenger's ticket information has been maliciously altered!

"Taking off now would endanger the lives of all passengers! Send the company's top-level executive here immediately to handle this!"