As the murmurs around us grew louder, Madelaine looked even more smug.

“You little bitch, how dare you insult me? You’ve got a death wish!”

I wasn’t the least bit shaken by her threats. If anything, I found them almost amusing.

“Secretary Madelaine, is it? I’d suggest you watch your mouth.”

“If you really push me too far, not even your boss will be able to clean up the mess.”

“Watch your damn mouth, my ass!”

After cursing me a few more times, she still didn’t feel satisfied. She rolled up her sleeves and lunged for me again.

“What now? Secretary Madelaine, is this how you solve problems by throwing punches?”

She swung her hand at me again and again, but didn’t even brush the hem of my clothes. Each time she missed, her rage only deepened.

“You little bitch, I dare you to dodge one more time!”

“Believe it or not, I’ll call President Dawson right now!”

Even as she hurled threats and tried to provoke me, I didn’t fight back. I simply endured it all.

It wasn’t that I feared her. Before I left the unit, my superior had warned me repeatedly.

“Every word and action of yours represents the image of the unit. Once you step out there, you must never, under any circumstances, get into conflicts.”

Besides, I didn’t even know how to fight.

Either I wouldn’t lift a hand at all, or I’d strike to kill.

Seeing me stand silent, Madelaine assumed I was afraid. She raised her hand again and lunged for me.

But just then, an angry shout cut through the air behind her.

“Stop!”

“Madelaine, you’re my personal secretary, for heaven’s sake. How dare you start hitting people in public?”

A tall, broad-shouldered young man strode forward, flanked by a group of bodyguards.

“You must be Dylan Dawson?”

I studied the man in front of me carefully. I had to admit, my dad had a decent eye.

Tailored designer suit, sharp features, every inch the image of authority.

If I had to pick a flaw, it would be the chill in his eyes when he looked at me.

“Mr. Dawson, nice to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself.”

“My surname is Laurel. My given name is Lilah. I come from Flor—”

“No need.”

Before I could finish, Dylan lifted a hand impatiently, cutting me off.

“We’ve met. I don’t think we’re a good match. You can get off the plane.”

For a moment, I wondered if I’d misheard him.

I had gone through multiple levels of approval at my unit just to secure this rare half-day off.

And now, we had barely exchanged a few words before I could even finish introducing myself, and he wanted me to leave.

Was he seriously treating me like some kind of fool?

That thought alone made my temper flare.

“You must be Dylan, the blind date my dad arranged for me, right?”

“You don’t even let me finish speaking before telling me to leave? Isn’t that a bit lacking in the most basic courtesy?”

After hearing me out, Dylan let out a low sneer.

“Manners?”

“Why don’t you go find a mirror and take a good look at yourself? Did you really think you were worthy of me?”

As he spoke, his gaze swept over me with thinly veiled contempt.

“No idea what my father was thinking, trying to marry me off to a decorative vase like you.”

That single remark sent the crowd into an uproar.

“What? Is she actually President Dawson’s fiancée? That’s wild!”

“A clueless country bumpkin like her thinking she can marry into a wealthy family? She should look in the mirror first.”

“President Dawson is the dream man every woman in Georgia wants. I, Lori, am the first to oppose this marriage!”

As the chatter grew louder, I stood there, stunned.

When had I ever said I wanted to marry him?

Let’s take ten thousand steps back. Even if I truly wanted to get married, it would still have needed approval from my superiors.

“Alright, alright, I’m a vase, and you’re the young master. Happy now?”

“Since President Dawson isn’t interested in me, I’ll just head back. However…”

My tone shifted suddenly.

“My superior reserved this first-class seat through the airline. Not just anyone can sit here.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Madelaine jumped in.

“You little bitch, still putting on an act in front of President Dawson, huh?”

“The entire plane belongs to the Dawson family. Who are you to say who can or can’t sit where?”

Watching this unfold, I finally understood what the word “bootlicker” truly meant.

“Secretary Madelaine, I only want to sit in the seat assigned to me. What does it matter to me who owns the plane?”

As soon as I spoke, Dylan’s expression darkened. He pulled out his phone without hesitation.

“It’s just a first-class ticket. I’ll pay ten times the price.”

“I’ll give you a hundred thousand, get lost, and don’t let me see you again.”

I curled my lips into a faint smile and looked straight at him.

“Since President Dawson is being so generous, I suppose I’ll just have to accept reluctantly.”

Just as I turned around, Madelaine suddenly barked at me.

“You little bitch, stop right there!”

I paused, then slowly turned back to face her.

“What? Don’t tell me Secretary Madelaine has changed her mind?”

She flashed a sinister smile and leaned close to Dylan, whispering something into his ear.

The next second, the man hailed as Georgia’s youngest tycoon erupted in fury.

“Lilah Laurel, how dare you lay a hand on my people?”

Judging by Madelaine’s expression, it was clear she must have poured every nasty accusation she could think of into his ear.

I had to admit that her way of using someone else’s hand to strike was almost flawless.

Given the impression Dylan already had of me, I knew no explanation would change anything, so I didn’t waste my breath.

“Whether I laid a hand on her or not doesn’t matter anymore. The real question is, what exactly do you plan to do about it?”

Dylan seemed surprised by how calmly I responded, a flicker of astonishment crossing his eyes.

“What else? Of course, you need to apologize!”

I raised an eyebrow, the corners of my lips curling into a faint smile.

“An apology’s out of the question. You’d better think of another solution.”

“One million!”

Before he could say anything, Madelaine stepped forward with a gleeful look.

“As President Dawson’s personal secretary, I handle multimillion-dollar contracts every day.”

“Because you shoved me just now, I’m now feeling physically unwell. You have to take responsibility!”

After hearing her words, the bystanders around us drew in sharp breaths.

Even Dylan looked a little taken aback.

“Secretary Madelaine, isn’t one million a bit excessive?”

“Even a full-body checkup wouldn’t cost that much, would it?”

Madelaine immediately waved it off with a dismissive flick of her hand.

“No, no, President Dawson, you’re thinking too simply.”

“As your secretary, being attacked on your plane doesn’t just embarrass me. It humiliates you.”

“Only asking for one million is already us showing mercy to her.”

Dylan paused, weighing it over for a moment, then gave a small nod.

“Fine. One million it is. I’ll pay.”

I didn’t give them a chance to rethink it and accepted without hesitation.

The instant I spoke, every gaze on the plane locked onto me.

Some believed I was just putting on airs, pretending to be wealthy to save face.

Some were convinced I was a hidden powerhouse quietly observing the scene.

And the rest were simply here for the spectacle.

But all those comments didn’t matter to me in the slightest.

What truly mattered was that someone had actually dared to steal my seat.

Even if they paid more than ten times the price, their arrogance left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Now that the matter of the shoving is settled,” I began, my tone shifting as the corners of my lips lifted in a faint smile, “shall we talk about the seat?”

“My itinerary was reported to the airline. Did you really think just anyone could sit there?”

The moment I finished, laughter erupted around us.

“This girl must be crazy. It’s just a first-class seat. Who needs to report that?”

“Exactly! The whole airline belongs to the Dawson family. Who would she even report it to?”

I swept a cold glance over the crowd, my voice lowering into something sharper.

“All of you seem so convinced the Dawson family is drowning in money and owns the entire airline.”

“Then tell me this: can President Dawson make this plane stop?”

As I spoke, I let a faint grin tug at my lips.

“She can’t… but I can.”

“Cut the nonsense! Do you have any idea how many procedures it takes to stop a plane?”

“Across the entire country, only leadership in the capital could pull that off. And who the hell do you think you are?”

Madelaine grew more worked up by the second, her face flushing an angry red.

“You little bitch, spouting all this crap just to dodge paying?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you can’t cough up that million, don’t even dream of leaving this plane alive!”

In less than an hour, I’d been threatened twice.

That was something I’d never imagined happening since the day I joined my unit.

I didn’t bother wasting my breath. Right in front of everyone, I took out my phone.

“Hello, Leader? This is Lilah Laurel.”

The voice on the other end chuckled warmly.

“Lilah, how come you’re calling at this hour? Met the guy yet? Any good impressions?”

I shot Dylan a cool glance, sneered lightly, and spoke in a steady voice.

“Leader, the matchmaking is a whole other story. I have an emergency to report.”

“Someone tried to buy my seat.”

“What!?”

On the other end, the leader’s stunned voice practically exploded through the speaker.

“That was a non-transferable, exclusive seat! You’re not joking with me, are you?”

I kept my tone calm and steady. “Leader, how could I possibly joke about this with you?”

“The one trying to buy my seat even accused me of shoving her and demanded a million dollars. If I don’t pay, she said I won’t leave this plane alive.”

I gave a quick, clear summary of everything that happened. The leader grew so enraged I could hear a teacup shatter in the background.

“Who is it?”

Just as I opened my mouth to reply, Madelaine lunged over and snatched the phone right out of my hand.

“Hello? You must be the backup this little bitch called.”

“Before this plane lands, I want to see that million in my account. Otherwise, you’d better prepare to collect her corpse!”

The leader must have been so stunned that someone dared speak to him like that he fell silent for several seconds.

“So you’re the one who stole Lilah’s seat, and now you’re demanding she pay you?”

Madelaine still had no idea who she had just provoked and kept her smug tone.

“Save your nonsense! Just answer me: are you paying or not?”

Even through the phone, I could feel the leader’s fury radiate out like a storm.

“Pay? A million sounds far too cheap. How about this: I’ll give you a hundred million instead.”

“Just wait right there. I’m sending someone over with the money right now.”

Madelaine clearly hadn’t expected the leader’s voice to turn so cold. She froze for a moment before snapping back in disbelief.

“You old bastard, what kind of bullshit were you spouting? A hundred million in compensation?”

“If you really dared to pay, I’d dare to take it. Go on, bring the cash if you’ve got the guts!”

After hanging up, Madelaine looked smugly at her boss as though she was proudly showing off her victory.

Watching her, I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing right there.

“Mr. Dawson, you really hired a remarkable secretary.”

“She even dared to curse out my superior. I’ve traveled across the country, but I’ve never seen anyone as brazen as her.”

Madelaine let out a disdainful snort, completely unfazed.

“I don’t care what kind of ‘superior’ you think you have. The plane’s about to take off, so get lost already.”

Instead of getting angry, I chuckled softly.

“Take off? Without my say-so, this plane won’t budge an inch today. Believe it or not?”

Just as the words left my mouth, someone in the crowd suddenly cried out. “Everyone, look outside!”

All eyes turned to the windows.

A dozen armored cash trucks were rolling across the tarmac in a grand procession.