Chapter 7: The Upgraded Journey

The following Monday morning, Mark and Lily stood at the busy gate at Logan Airport, waiting to board their flight to Chicago.

Lily was vibrating with nervous energy, tightly clutching her special, brightly colored travel backpack filled with coloring books and snacks Mark had meticulously prepared. To Mark’s absolute shock, when the gate agent scanned their tickets, they were directed to the first-class cabin.

It was an incredibly expensive, unexpected upgrade that Mark immediately suspected was Victoria’s doing.

They settled into the massive, plush leather seats. Lily was completely mesmerized by the buttons and the enormous amount of legroom.

“Dad, is that your boss?” Lily whispered suddenly, leaning over the armrest and pointing a small finger toward the very front of the cabin.

Mark looked up. Sure enough, Victoria was gracefully settling into a window seat just two rows ahead of them. She hadn’t mentioned a single word about being on this specific morning flight.

As if sensing their heavy attention, Victoria turned her head. She spotted them instantly. Her usually guarded face lit up with a brilliant, stunning smile that was vastly warmer than any expression Mark had ever seen from her in the office.

She stood up and approached their row, smoothing her dark trousers.

“Hello, Mark,” Victoria greeted him softly, before turning her full, undivided attention to the little girl. “And you must be Lily. I have heard so incredibly much about you.”

Lily, who was normally incredibly shy and reserved with adults, beamed right up at Victoria.

“Are you the boss who always helps my dad?” Lily asked directly, kicking her feet happily.

Victoria glanced quickly at Mark, a deep, beautiful amusement dancing in her dark eyes.

“I try my best to help,” Victoria answered smoothly, crouching down slightly to be at eye level with the child. “Yes. Though, I must admit, your dad is very, very good at his job all on his own.”

“He works really, really hard,” Lily informed her with absolute, solemn conviction. “Sometimes he works way too hard. Mom used to always say he needed to remember to play more.”

Mark froze, his breath catching in his throat at the sudden, casual mention of Sarah.

A profound flicker of something—deep compassion, perhaps, or shared grief—crossed Victoria’s flawless face. She didn’t look away awkwardly like most people did.

“Your mom sounds like she was very, very wise,” Victoria said softly, her voice filled with a gentle, authentic warmth. “Playing is incredibly important for everyone. Even for serious grown-ups.”

The short flight to Chicago passed incredibly quickly. Victoria occasionally stopped by their row to check if Lily needed any extra juice or another blanket. By the time the massive plane touched down on the tarmac, Lily had firmly decided that Victoria was not scary at all, even if she was the big boss.

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