Five months later.
Starlight Airlines Headquarters, City Z.
Kaija Sepala walked through the gleaming glass doors of Starlight Airlines headquarters looking like a woman one insult away from committing a felony.
Her black heels slammed sharply against the polished marble floors, each step loud enough to turn heads from nearby reception desks. Behind her, her small carry-on suitcase rattled and creaked angrily over the tiles, perfectly matching the storm brewing inside her chest.
From the outside, however, she looked immaculate.
Her dark hair had been twisted into a flawless French knot so neat not a single strand dared escape. The powder-blue flight attendant uniform hugged her figure elegantly, emphasizing her slim waist and long legs while the silk scarf around her neck added the final polished touch expected from Starlight Airlines cabin crew.
Beautiful.
Professional.
Graceful.
Meanwhile, internally—
'I should've thrown the coffee at his face.'
Kaija tightened her jaw as she marched toward the crew briefing area.
Just an hour earlier, she had been standing inside her apartment kitchen listening to her boyfriend scream at her like she was something filthy stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
Again.
Niklas had hated this job from the very beginning.
When she first applied to Starlight Airlines five months ago, he'd spent weeks picking fights with her over it. At first it had sounded almost reasonable—concerns about long-distance schedules, exhaustion, demanding passengers.
Then gradually, the truth underneath began surfacing.
Jealousy.
Possessiveness.
Suspicion.
Now every argument ended the same way.
Slut.
Attention-seeker.
Indecent.
Niklas had stormed out that morning after accusing her yet again of "parading herself around for rich businessmen" in a tight uniform.
According to him, it was only a matter of time before she spread her legs for some handsome pilot because apparently bending down to serve drinks counted as seduction now.
Kaija nearly rolled her eyes just remembering it.
How had the sweet, thoughtful university boy she fell in love with transformed into this bitter, paranoid stranger over four years?
'Or was this always who he really was?'
The thought left a sour taste in her mouth.
A tired sigh escaped her as she pushed open the door to the briefing room.
The familiar chaos immediately swallowed her whole.
Crew members moved around the brightly lit room carrying tablets, coffee cups, makeup bags, paperwork, and rolling luggage. Some chatted loudly while others sat half-asleep in chairs staring blankly at the wall like their souls had not yet fully returned to their bodies.
Morning duty.
Everyone looked mildly dead.
Kaija headed toward the makeup counter in the corner and reached for her compact powder to touch up her cheeks.
Then her phone vibrated inside her pocket.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Niklas.
'Already?'
Kaija opened the message.
"Can't wait to see you. Don't forget, Blue Dreams Café, 6 PM."
She blinked.
Then, despite herself, the corners of her lips softened faintly.
Normally after fights, Niklas disappeared for days. Silent treatment. Ignoring calls. Passive-aggressive nonsense.
But now he was texting first?
Even asking her out?
Maybe he actually felt guilty for the disgusting things he'd said that morning.
A tiny bit of warmth eased the tightness in her chest.
'Good,' she thought. 'Because I'm exhausted.'
She quickly opened her emoji keyboard, thumb hovering over a stupid little kissy face.
Then another message appeared.
"Love you, Marja."
Everything inside her stopped.
Her finger froze above the screen.
For several long seconds, Kaija simply stared at the text while the sounds around her dulled into meaningless noise.
Marja.
There was only one Marja.
Marja Ralpha.
Her best friend since childhood.
The same Marja who knew every ugly piece of her life. The same Marja who comforted her after fights with Niklas. The same Marja who sat at her kitchen counter eating instant noodles while complaining about rich people problems Kaija could barely relate to.
Her stomach twisted violently.
'No.'
But even as denial rose instinctively inside her, another feeling came crawling behind it.
Recognition.
Tiny moments suddenly resurfaced in brutal clarity.
Marja smiling too long at Niklas.
Niklas suddenly texting late at night while turning his phone away.
The strange distance lately.
The arguments.
The irritation.
Kaija felt something cold spread slowly through her veins.
She could text him right now.
She could call.
She could scream.
Cause a scene worthy of some dramatic television soap opera.
But then what?
He'd deny it.
Marja would cry.
And somehow Kaija would end up looking insane.
No.
Absolutely not.
Now she had the location.
The time.
Proof practically gift-wrapped into her lap by two idiots.
All she had to do was wait.
Finish her duty.
Go to Blue Dreams Café before six.
And catch them together with her own eyes.
Then neither of them could twist reality afterward.
Kaija stared at the message one final time before calmly locking her screen and sliding the phone back into her pocket.
When she turned around again, her face had already reset into composure.
Not even a crack remained.
'Later,' she told herself coldly. 'I'll deal with it later.'
As expected, she was once again the youngest crew member at the briefing table.
Kaija took the empty seat beside the purser while two older flight attendants settled across from her.
The purser skimmed through the flight manifest before asking casually, "Who wants Business Class today?"
One of the attendants immediately laughed.
"That depends," she said brightly. "How many passengers are we dealing with?"
The purser's lips curved knowingly.
"Six outbound." She paused. "One VVIP inbound."
Silence dropped across the table instantly.
Even Kaija looked up.
The first attendant recovered fastest.
"Oh, I've handled Business Class sooo many times already," she said with an exaggerated smile before turning sweetly toward Kaija. "Maybe our new girl should get more experience?"
The second attendant joined immediately.
"Exactly! Practice makes perfect, Kaija."
Kaija lowered her eyes slightly.
Inside her head:
'You two fake little snakes.'
Outwardly, however, she smiled politely like the perfect junior employee.
Then she turned toward the purser with bright professionalism.
"Of course I'd love the opportunity," she replied sweetly. "I look forward to learning from you."
The purser barely reacted.
Clearly she'd heard this kind of eager newbie response a thousand times before.
Without looking up, she simply scribbled Kaija's assigned position onto the briefing sheet before returning to her phone.
Curious despite herself, Kaija glanced sideways at the screen.
An article headline filled the display.
Charles Kosonen.
Immediately, understanding clicked.
The Kosonen name was impossible not to recognize in Country S.
Media.
Entertainment.
Hotels.
Investments.
The family owned enough companies to practically infest every corner of the economy. Kosonen Entertainment alone—KE—dominated television, music, and film industries across multiple countries.
And Charles Kosonen?
A billionaire heir.
CEO.
Future chairman candidate.
Cold-blooded business prodigy.
'Great,' Kaija thought dryly. 'One of those.'
But none of that was the real issue.
The problem with ultra-rich passengers wasn't their money.
It was their expectations.
VVIPs were notoriously difficult, and judging by the relieved expressions around the table, her colleagues had happily shoved the responsibility onto the newest crew member to save themselves.
The briefing wrapped up shortly afterward, and the crew departed for the airport.
The outbound flight passed routinely enough.
The return leg, however, was another story entirely.
That was the flight carrying Charles Kosonen.
And according to literally every bit of gossip Kaija had overheard in the galley these past months, the man was a nightmare.
Oddly enough, not because he yelled.
Not because he made outrageous demands.
Apparently Charles Kosonen did neither.
He simply sat there in expensive suits looking terrifying while working quietly on his laptop or reading newspapers like some emotionally unavailable billionaire from a drama series.
Yet somehow—
No matter how flawlessly the service was performed, he always submitted complaints afterward.
Always.
Nobody knew why.
Which explained why her colleagues practically sacrificed Kaija to him like a lamb to slaughter.
Normally, Kaija would've been furious.
Today?
Her emotional bandwidth was already occupied by the realization that her boyfriend was likely sleeping with her best friend.
So instead of panicking, she simply focused on procedure.
Smile.
Serve.
Stay professional.
Don't murder anyone until after six PM.
Five minutes after boarding began, Charles Kosonen entered the aircraft.
And unfortunately for Kaija's peace of mind—
The man looked even more striking in person.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Immaculately dressed in a black tailored suit that screamed old money and terrifying legal teams.
His chestnut hair was neatly styled, while his silver eyes looked sharp enough to cut through flesh.
Everything about him radiated the same message:
Don't waste my time.
Charles boarded without acknowledging her at all.
No greeting.
No eye contact.
Nothing.
He walked straight down the aisle to his seat in Business Class, sat down elegantly, opened his laptop, and immediately started working.
Meanwhile his expensive carry-on luggage remained abandoned in the aisle blocking half the cabin.
Kaija stared at the bags.
Then at him.
Then back at the bags.
Her opinion of him dropped instantly.
'Oh, one of those rich men.'
Still smiling professionally, she moved forward silently and lifted both bags into the overhead compartment herself.
Not a thank you.
Not even a glance.
Kaija turned to head back toward the galley.
Then—
"Wait."
His voice stopped her instantly.
Deep.
Cold.
Sharp enough to make her spine straighten automatically.
Kaija turned back slowly before lowering herself gracefully onto one knee beside his seat, the trained smile already back on her face.
"Yes, Mr. Kosonen?" she asked brightly. "What can I help you with today?"
The moment Charles looked directly at her, something unreadable flickered across his face.
Shock.
Real shock.
His silver eyes locked onto her like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
"Kaija Sepala?" he asked.
Her brows lifted slightly.
"Yes, Mr. Kosonen."
Usually crew introduced themselves later during welcome service, so the fact he'd noticed her name tag at all caught her off guard.
"I'm Kaija," she continued smoothly. "I'll be serving you during today's flight. Is there anything I can—"
She stopped.
Because he was still staring at her.
Not flirtatiously.
Not casually.
Intensely.
Like he'd finally found something after searching a very long time.
A strange feeling crawled over her skin.
Then Charles spoke.
Low.
Controlled.
Steely.
"Kaija," he said quietly, "do you have a boyfriend?"