Meanwhile, Karen continued with her check-in, still murmuring under her breath about the perceived slowness of the process. The ticketing agent, still visibly shaken by Karen’s outburst, proceeded with professionalism, though her eyes occasionally flicked toward Michael as he walked away.

As Karen’s boarding pass was printed, she noticed the NorthStar Airlines logo prominently displayed. She recalled the buzz in the real estate circles about NorthStar’s rapid expansion and how they were quickly becoming a formidable player in the aviation industry.