The first difficult confrontation outside the boardroom came from Northstar employees. A group of maintenance technicians, reservations agents, and flight attendants requested a private meeting with Ethan and William. Helena Ortiz attended as a union representative and made clear from the outset that the workers did not want another speech about trust. They wanted to know when payroll would be funded, whether the investigation would lead to mass discipline, and whether Summit Ridge was still committed to the turnaround.
A maintenance supervisor named Tomas Alvarez spoke first. He was forty-six, with the tired eyes of someone who had worked too many weekend shifts. "We hear you're holding ninety-five million dollars," he said. "My crew didn't remove you from a plane. We spend every night keeping aircraft safe enough that people can go home. Why should our paychecks depend on something that happened in first class?"
Ethan let the question stand without defending himself immediately. Then he explained the restricted initial funding, the conditions for future releases, and the difference between an investor stopping a disbursement permanently and an investor requiring proof that contractual safeguards were being honored. He acknowledged that even a justified hold could create anxiety and that the workers had every reason to demand a timetable.
"I would be angry too," Ethan said. "You didn't create this situation, and you shouldn't have to trust private promises from people in suits. I've asked our lawyers to publish a clear schedule of what conditions remain before the next tranche can be considered. Your representatives will receive it."
Tomas watched him carefully. "And if the company doesn't meet the conditions?"
"Then we have to discuss what is possible without lying to you," Ethan answered. "I won't guarantee an outcome I don't control. I will guarantee that the people who made the decisions under review won't hide behind your jobs when we judge whether the company deserves investment."
A reservations agent named Naomi Price, unrelated to the airport officer, raised her hand. "I have handled calls from passengers whose records said they were disruptive when they were really disputing a charge," she said. "We were told not to alter security notes ourselves. Some of those customers called back crying because nobody would tell them what they had done. Is that part of this review?"
William looked at Priya, then answered himself. "Yes. It must be. And I owe you an apology for not making a proper correction route available sooner."
Naomi nodded, but she did not smile. The apology was a beginning. She would be the one sitting at a phone when a passenger called next week, and she wanted a system that gave her something honest to say. William assigned an independent appeals unit with authority to review incorrect disruption labels and require a written response within a defined period. The new process could not erase every past injury, but it could remove the false statements that kept harming people.