Chapter10 The live chat exploded in an instant . " Holy - what a plot twist ! " " I'm sick . I was just sympathizing with her - what was I thinking ?! " " She's pure evil ! " " Gaslighting ? Manipulation ? This is like some trashy soap opera ! " " Dog - eat - dog ! Both of them can rot ! " Silence fell over the courtroom . Every eye fixed on the woman collapsed at the defendant's table . Sophie's color had completely drained . She stared at the screen in disbelief , then at Charles , who sat like a hollow shell ; her lips trembled but no words came out . Every lie , every carefully staged performance , had been torn apart by the very man she trusted most , her senior , in front of the whole world . Charles stared at her with a void in his eyes . Summoning the last of his strength , he forced out syllables , voice breaking and louder with every word . " For you , I destroyed my career - my family - my life ... " " I staked everything on you ... " " But you , Sophie Carlisle , you used me from the start . ) ) His voice rose , raw and frenzied . " You love putting on an act , don't you ?! Always playing the innocent , huh ?! " " Today I'll let everyone see what you really are ! " Then , with a bestial roar , he lunged up from the defendant's bench , trying to reach Sophie . " I'll kill you- ! " Bailiffs swarmed , pinning him down . He thrashed and raved like a man gone mad - snarling , cursing , laughing - until his mind finally broke . The hearing was forced to halt. Charles was ruled mentally unfit and escorted out for court - ordered nsuchiatric commitment His life collapsed in utter disgrace . Sophie faced the full weight of the law . She was convicted on multiple counts : endangering public safety , giving false testimony , defamation , and more . She was permanently banned from civil aviation by the Authority . 1 Her flying dreams and her aspiration to marry into wealth were annihilated , not even a shard left . Ms. B art t of the courthouse into bright sunlight that felt warm on my face . At last , I had bottegal and moral ruin - nailed there by their own hands . text from an unknown number . The sender name : Richard Alden . art , in recognition of your outstanding performance during the AF370 emergency ceptional professionalism you displayed , the Board has resolved to appoint you - by exception - as General Manager of Cabin Services at AeroCorp . " tared at the message , stunned . General Manager ? To jump from purser straight to department GM - there was no precedent in company history . I read the text again to make sure I wasn't mistaken . My heart began to race . In my last life , Charles and Sophie had ruined me , the industry had blacklisted me , and I'd died in a fire they arranged . In this life , not only had I brought them down , I had been granted an unprecedented promotion . The reversal hit so abruptly I didn't know how to react . Then my phone buzzed again . This time , it was a call . " Evelyn , congratulations ! " Grace Miller's voice burst through the line , full of excitement and envy . " You're a legend now ! Everyone online is talking about you ! " I walked down the courthouse steps and sat on the edge of the landing . " Legend ? " " You haven't seen it yet ? " Grace's words tumbled out in a rush . " The video went viral ! That clip of you giving orders during the rescue - it was filmed by a passenger and uploaded . It's already past Chapter10 10.42 % ten million shares ! " " People are calling you the Sky Hero . Some even say they want to make a movie about you ! " I unlocked my phone and searched casually . Sure enough , the trending list was lit #HeroEvelyn #RealProfessionalism #RespectThePurser The comments were a flood of praise . " Incredible . That's real professionalism ! " " Without her , everyone on that plane would've died . " " Give this woman all the respect she deserves ! " I turned the phone off . The praise felt strange , almost unreal . In my past life , I saved every soul on that plane and was branded a terrorist . In this one , I simply did my job - and they raised me to the status of a hero . The world was nothing if not ironic . " Evelyn ! " The familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts . I turned to see Michael Reed striding toward me , a rare smile lighting his face . " Word is you're being promoted to General Manager ? " I nodded . He clapped my shoulder . " You deserve it . That day - if not for you - we'd all be gone . " " I only did what I had to . " I stood . Michael shook his head firmly . " No. Most people would've played it safe . But you didn't . " Chapter10 10.42 % We walked side by side toward the parking lot . " Oh , by the way , " he added , " Charles was sent to a psychiatric hospital . Sounds like he's in bad shape . " " And Sophie ? " " Still in custody , waiting for sentencing , " Michael said , his voice tinged with disgust . "Word is her family's still scrambling to pull strings for her . I stayed silent . Some people never learn until it's too late . At the lot , Michael got into his car . "Dinner's on me sometime - celebration's in order . " " Alright . " I watched him drive away , then slid into my own car . As the engine roared to life , a thought struck me . I pulled out my phone and dialed . " Hello ? " " Dad ? " " Evelyn ? " Thomas Hart's voice carried surprise . " Why are you calling now ? " " I wanted to share some good news . I told him about the promotion , keeping it simple . There was a pause . Then his voice came back , thick with emotion . " Evelyn ... I'm proud of you . If your mother were here , she'd be overjoyed . " My eyes stung . In my last life , my parents had lived under the shadow of my so - called disgrace until it broke them . This time , I would let them see their daughter succeed . I hung up and drove home . On the way , I passed the Grand Meridian Hotel . Once , it had been the hideaway for Charles and Sophie . Now , it was nothing more than concrete and glass to me - no anger , no pain . Nothing at all . I had let it go . Chapter10 10.42 % Back home , I stood on the balcony and tilted my head to the sky . A plane traced a silver - white contrail across the clouds , glimmering in the sunset . So beautiful it stole my breath . Once , I had burned in flames . Now , I had risen again from the ashes . And for the first time in forever , I smiled . It was only just beginning . Chapter10