"What?"
"I wasn't there for my daughter. I made choices that hurt her. I thought I could repair everything later."
He swallowed.
"But whatever I did wrong, you don't get to use her to punish me."
Victoria's voice hardened.
"Then sign the documents."
"No."
"Daniel, the financial transfers are already underway. Your board is going to remove you. Your attorneys will be buried in litigation. If you cooperate, I can make this much easier."
"You stole from the company."
"I protected myself."
"You falsified my authorization."
"You gave me access to everything."
"Access isn't permission."
"Don't pretend you're innocent."
"I'm not pretending anything."
For the first time, Daniel's voice was calm.
"I'm going to face every mistake I've made. But I won't let you turn my daughter into a bargaining chip."
Victoria said nothing.
Then the call ended.
Daniel stared at the screen.
A moment later, the airplane's engines grew louder.
The aircraft accelerated down the runway.
He was taking off.
Away from the city.
Away from his daughter.
And directly into the consequences of every decision he had made.
He looked toward Thomas.
"I need to get home."
Thomas nodded.
"Then we'll figure out how."
The plane lifted into the air.
Daniel watched the ground disappear beneath the clouds.
For a few minutes, he could do nothing but sit still.
Then the captain's voice came over the speaker, welcoming passengers aboard and explaining the expected flight time.
Daniel barely heard him.
He was already thinking through every possible route home.
He could contact the captain and explain the emergency. He could ask whether the aircraft could return to the airport. He could request assistance from the airline's ground staff after landing.
But none of those options would guarantee that he arrived in time.
He needed someone on the ground.
Someone who could protect Maya until he got there.
He called his attorney again.
This time, the attorney answered immediately.
"Daniel, I've spoken with the police. Officers are on their way to your house."
"Have they arrived?"
"Not yet."
"How long?"
"I can't promise an exact time."
"Can you contact Maya directly?"
"We're trying."
Daniel stared at the seat in front of him.
"Victoria is threatening the company. She's demanding that I sign documents."
"We anticipated that possibility. Do not sign anything."
"Can the transfers be stopped?"
"We've contacted the bank's fraud department. Some transactions are still pending, but we need to verify which credentials were compromised."
"Then freeze every account that can be frozen."
"We're working on it."
"Do it now."
"Daniel, shouting won't make the process faster."
The attorney's words brought him to a halt.
For years, people had responded to his anger by moving faster, apologizing, or pretending his demands were reasonable.
He had come to believe that pressure was the same thing as leadership.
Now he heard himself through someone else's ears.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "You're right."
The attorney paused.
"Are you all right?"
"No."
"Stay with me. We'll work through this."
Daniel thanked him and ended the call.
He looked at Thomas.
"Have you ever made a mistake you couldn't fix?"
Thomas considered the question.
"Every day."
Daniel gave a bitter smile.
"That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Thomas leaned back.
"The question is what you do after you make it. Some people spend the rest of their lives explaining why they were right. Others admit they were wrong and start doing something different."
Daniel looked down at his hands.
"What if it's too late?"
Thomas did not answer immediately.
Then he said, "You don't get to decide that for someone else. You keep showing up. You let them decide whether they can trust you again."
Daniel thought of Maya's notebook.
He imagined her sitting at the kitchen table, writing down every broken promise.
He wondered whether she would ever stop.
Perhaps she wouldn't.
Perhaps he would spend the rest of his life earning back the trust he had thrown away.
For the first time, that possibility did not frighten him as much as the thought of never trying.
An hour into the flight, the cabin settled into a quiet routine.
Passengers watched movies, read books, and slept.
Daniel remained awake.
He called the attorney whenever the signal allowed, checked his messages, and tried repeatedly to reach Maya.
At last, a new message appeared.
Dad, the police are here.
He exhaled so sharply that Thomas looked over.
"Good news?"
Daniel nodded.
"The police are there."
He called Maya.
A familiar voice answered.
"Dad?"
"Sweetheart!"
This time, he could hear less fear in her voice.
"The police told Victoria she has to leave," Maya said. "She was angry."
"Are you safe?"
"Yes."
"Is someone staying with you?"
"Mrs. Lewis is here."
Mrs. Lewis was their longtime neighbor, a retired teacher who had known Maya since birth.
Daniel felt a wave of relief.
"Good. Stay with her until I get home."
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Are you really coming?"
He looked out at the clouds.
"Yes."
Maya was quiet.
Then she said, "Okay."
It was not forgiveness.
It was not even trust.
It was simply a small opening.