Falling at 30,000 feets
On Valentine's Day, love is in the air-but so is danger.
At 30,000 feet, trainee captain Jane Harley proves she's more than just a rising pilot when she navigates a terrifying turbulence that leaves passengers shaken and lives hanging by a thread. Calm under pressurej and fiercely capable, Jane becomes the unexpected hero of Flight 423.
But while she's saving lives in the sky, fate is already setting something far more complicated in motion.
Among the passengers is the powerful and ambitious mother of Jayden-Aurelia Air's largest shareholder-whose midair health crisis is only the beginning of a chain of events. Grateful and intrigued, she sets her sights on Jane... not just as a hero, but as a future daughter-in-law.
Jayden, a grounded pilot with a sharp mind and guarded heart, has no interest in his mother's schemes-until one unexpected name changes everything.
In a world of wealth, expectations, and high-altitude emotions, two lives are about to collide.
Love, ambition, and fate take flight in Falling at 30,000 Feet.
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Chapter 14
Before Jenny's words could settle like dust over the table, another captain cut in smoothly-Lena, the seasoned pilot who'd spoken up for Jane earlier. She waved a dismissive hand toward Jenny, her eyes crinkling with amusement as she nodded toward Jayden.
"Ignore her, handsome," she said, her voice carrying clearly across the quieting room. "She's just jealous of Jane's success. Some people can't handle seeing others work hard and get what they deserve."
A few quiet chuckles followed, and several captains nodded in agreement. Even Marco, the burly champion eater, grunted his approval as he piled more lobster onto his plate.
Jenny shifted in her seat, her grip tightening around her glass until her knuckles blazed white. She opened her mouth to retort-but the words died on her lips as a tall blonde captain leaned forward, resting her chin lightly on her hand, her smile playful and warm.
"Hey, handsome," she said to Jayden, her voice bright and friendly. "Are you single? If not... open to a new girlfriend? I'm great with long-distance relationships-and I make a mean breakfast."
Laughter rippled across the table, breaking the tension once more. Pilots leaned back in their seats, grinning as they waited for Jayden's response.
But Jayden didn't smile. His expression remained calm, his gaze steady as he looked at the blonde captain-then across the table, where Jenny was watching him with narrowed eyes.
"Sorry," he said calmly, his voice carrying clearly over the noise. "I'm married."
The reaction was immediate.
"What?!"
"You're married?"
"Who's the lucky one?"
"Is she from Aurelia?"
Voices overlapped, curiosity rising as pilots leaned forward, their eyes darting between Jayden and the other guests, trying to guess who his wife could be.
Jayden gave a small nod, his hand moving slightly on the back of Jane's chair. "You'd have to ask my wife," he said, his tone deliberate.
His eyes flicked-briefly but unmistakably-
To Jane.
His hand, resting behind her chair, tightened slightly on the fabric of her dress. A small, almost imperceptible gesture-but Jane felt it, her breath catching for just a second before she subtly tugged at his sleeve. A silent warning: Not now.
He didn't move. His gaze remained steady, holding hers for just a moment before he looked away.
Across the table, Jenny's expression darkened like a storm cloud. She'd been so focused on painting Jane as a homewrecker that she hadn't considered this possibility-and now, her carefully constructed accusation had backfired completely.
She leaned forward again, her voice sharp and cutting.
"How shameless," she said, her eyes fixed on Jane. "Getting cozy with a married man. Is that what you've come to after Reuben dumped you? Chasing after taken men because no one else will have you?"
The room quieted instantly. The laughter died, replaced by an uncomfortable silence that stretched across the table like ice. Several captains shifted in their seats, their expressions turning serious-even those who'd been laughing moments ago could tell this had gone too far.
Jane's gaze lifted slowly from her plate. Her expression hardened, the warmth that had been in her eyes moments ago replaced by something cold and steady.
"Do you know why you'll never become a captain?" she asked calmly, her voice clear and even despite the tension in the room.
Jenny scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Because people like you get special treatment?"
"Because you lack basic respect," Jane continued, her voice steady as she leaned forward slightly. "For your colleagues. For your profession. For the rules that keep us all safe in the air. You spend more time spreading rumors and undermining others than you do practicing your skills or learning from those who know more than you."
"Respect?" Jenny laughed bitterly, slamming her glass down on the table. "Someone who slept her way up shouldn't lecture me about respect. Everyone knows the Chief Pilot favors you-who else would let someone become captain so fast? You probably spread your legs for him just like you're doing with this married man here."
The words landed-
Heavy.
Ugly.
Hanging in the air like poison.
Before anyone could react-
A sharp sound cut through the room.
Smack.
Reuben's hand had already fallen, striking Jenny across the cheek with enough force to make her head snap to the side.
"You're still not done humiliating yourself?" Reuben snapped, his face flushed bright red with anger and embarrassment. He'd sat silent through her accusations, but this final insult had pushed him too far.
Jenny froze, her hand flying to her cheek as she stared at him, stunned. A red mark was already forming on her pale skin.
"Reuben-" she grabbed his arm, her voice shaking, "you're hitting me in front of her? In front of all these people?"
He yanked his arm away, his jaw tight with fury. "Shut up! Haven't you ruined enough already? I told you to stop spreading lies about Jane-she never did anything to you! And now you're accusing her of sleeping with the Chief Pilot? Do you have any idea how serious that is?"
Silence.
Thick.
Uncomfortable.
No one moved, no one spoke-everyone was staring at Reuben and Jenny, shocked by the sudden outburst. Even the waitstaff had paused in their movements, watching from the doorway.
At the far end of the table, Jayden's gaze shifted to Michael. A brief look passed between them-calm, deliberate, a signal that didn't need words.
Michael understood immediately. He stood up slowly, clearing his throat to draw attention away from the confrontation.
"Apologies for the disruption," he began, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet room. "I just got off a call with the Chief Pilot."
The room stilled. Every eye turned to him-even Jenny, who'd been staring at Reuben with tears in her eyes, looked up sharply.
"He heard everything," Michael continued, his expression serious as he looked directly at Jenny. "The rumors. The disruption of tonight's celebration. The misconduct and false accusations against a fellow pilot."
A beat. He let the weight of his words sink in.
"You're grounded. Effective immediately. Your pilot's license has been temporarily suspended, pending a full investigation by Aurelia's ethics board and the FAA. You'll also be required to attend mandatory counseling on professional conduct."
Jenny's face drained of color. She sank back into her chair, her hand still pressed to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. She'd expected to get away with her accusations-maybe even gain some sympathy. She'd never imagined the consequences would be this severe.
"...This should've happened long ago," a captain muttered under her breath, and several others nodded in agreement.
Reuben didn't stay to see the aftermath. He turned sharply and walked out of the room, his phone already in his hand as he dialed someone-probably HR, to start the paperwork for Jenny's suspension.
Jenny remained-
Silent.
Defeated.
Sitting alone at the table as pilots slowly began to return to their conversations, though the mood was now somber and quiet.
Jayden stood up slowly, his chair scraping softly against the floor. He turned to Jane, his expression softening as he looked at her-at the tension still in her shoulders, at the way her hands were clenched in her lap.
"Let's go home," he said, his voice gentle.
Without waiting for a response, he reached across the table and took her hand. His fingers wrapped around hers-warm, strong, reassuring-and he pulled her gently to her feet.
Jane didn't resist. She let him lead her away from the table, her gaze moving from Jenny's defeated form to Jayden's steady back as he guided her toward the door. The warmth of his hand in hers was a small comfort against the cold weight of what had just happened.
Together, they walked out of the room-Jayden leading the way, his hand firmly in hers, while pilots watched them go with a mix of curiosity and respect.
Behind them-
Michael watched them leave, then looked back at the quieting table with a grimace. He shook his head dramatically, muttering to himself as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.
"My God," he muttered, heading for the door. "I'd rather be under a moving car than stay in this room for one more minute. And to think I thought this would be a nice, relaxing dinner..."
He paused at the door, looking back at Jenny one last time before shaking his head and walking out.
The feast was over.
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9.6
In the two years after I married Daniel Carter, my private photos had gone viral nine times, and Daniel had been taken into custody ten times.
Because every time his mistress, Emily Morgan, was unhappy, she would leak my private photos all over the internet.
I, Claire Parker, never let it slide. I reported every shady business Daniel was involved in and personally sent him behind bars.
That lasted until an unexpected kidnapping. I took a bullet for him, one aimed straight at his heart, and he shielded me beneath his body, taking the brunt of the explosion for me.
After we survived, the man who had always been so cold-blooded knelt before me, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.
"Honey, let's leave the drama behind. I just want a peaceful life with you."
Right in front of me, he ordered his men to send his mistress out of Northhaven and never let her appear before him again.
In the third year after we reconciled, I carried my eight-month pregnant belly and brought him lunch.
But on the way there, I was hit by a car. The hospital issued three critical condition notices, yet they still could not save the baby.
Daniel rushed over, but he did not even spare me a glance. Instead, he pulled the woman who had hit me and her child into his arms, soothing her in a low voice.
"Don't be scared. I'll protect you and the child."
Only then did I realize that the woman who had hit me was the very mistress he had sent away three years ago.
When I demanded an explanation, Daniel brushed it off as if it were nothing. "She didn't do it on purpose. Don't take it out on her and her son. You can have a baby another time."
At that moment, I finally understood. They had gotten back together long ago.
I looked at him and nodded. "Don't worry, this will never happen again."
7.8
My abusive ex was threatening a lawsuit that would destroy my father's career and wipe out my PhD. I was completely out of options.
That night, Graham, the boy from next door I hadn't seen in a decade, showed up at my apartment in the middle of a hurricane. Now a wealthy orthopedic surgeon, he offered a transactional marriage: he needed a local wife to keep his family away while he cared for his sick mother, and in return, he would make my ex disappear.
I thought it was a simple deal. But the morning after we signed the marriage license, Graham didn't just scare my ex off—he ruthlessly dismantled him. Then, Graham turned to me. His eyes were dead as he pulled out his phone, showing me a high-resolution photo of the night I illegally sold lab samples to pay off my ex's initial blackmail. He had hired a private investigator to stalk me. If that photo leaked to the FDA, I wouldn't just lose my degree; I'd go to prison.
"I needed a guarantee," he said flatly.
I was shaking with rage and terror. This wasn't a rescue. It was a hostage situation. Why did he hunt me down? Why use my darkest secret to trap me in this twisted marriage?
I couldn't live like this. I demanded an immediate divorce. But at the courthouse, the clerk dropped a bomb on us: state law required a mandatory thirty-day waiting period. Thirty days trapped with a ruthless, manipulative stranger. I had to find a way to break his leverage before the month was up.
7.1
I was the top commander of a black-ops military program. After slaughtering my way through a hellish mission, I reached the extraction helicopter, trusting my second-in-command to watch my back.
But the moment our hands locked, he didn't pull me up. Instead, he plunged a syringe of lethal neurotoxin directly into my neck.
He aimed his gun at my chest, coldly stating that I was too dangerous to live. My lungs stopped, and I died in a pool of my own blood. But the endless blackness suddenly shattered. My consciousness violently forced its way into a new, broken shell. I woke up in a freezing alley, soaked in muddy rain.
This body belonged to seventeen-year-old Eliza Wyatt. A massive wave of foreign memories crashed into my brain. Her own younger sister had just stood at the top of the stairs with a mocking smile, watching street thugs beat Eliza to death.
"Take good care of the Wyatt family's eldest daughter. Tonight is the night she finally disappears."
The endless humiliation, the cold stares of her family, and the brutal betrayal by her own blood flashed before my eyes. Why was this fragile girl treated like garbage and pushed to her death by the very people who should have protected her?
I looked down at my pale, trembling hands. The top commander was dead, but in this bleeding shell, Eliza Wyatt was very much alive. I picked up a switchblade from the bloody puddle and stood up in the storm. It was time to hunt.
9.7
For three years, I was the dutiful wife of billionaire Ervin Valdez.
On our third wedding anniversary, he came home smelling of his mistress's perfume, pinned me down, and brutally mocked me.
His mistress, Sylvia, had even sent me a fake ultrasound report to force me out of the picture.
In Ervin's eyes, I was just a vicious, calculating liar who used a pregnancy to trap him into marriage.
He didn't care that I had actually lost that baby, nor did he know the trauma of my gambling father selling me to a dark club where I was assaulted by a stranger.
When I finally handed him the signed divorce papers, giving up all assets, and left the penthouse with nothing but an old suitcase, he just sneered.
"She is playing a game of hard to get. She won't last three days before she comes crying back."
He froze all my bank accounts, let his mistress humiliate me in public, and waited coldly for me to starve and beg.
He thought my entire existence relied on his wealth, completely confident that I would inevitably surrender to his control.
But he was wrong.
I calmly opened my old laptop, bypassed the complex encryptions, and looked at the dozens of unread emails from top-tier global brands begging for my return.
I resurrected my hidden identity as the legendary jewelry designer "R," and walked straight into the top design firm in Manhattan.
"It is time to find myself again."
9.2
After six brutal months, I returned to my Seattle villa, my sanctuary. An unsettling quiet, then a cloying mix of cheap vanilla and baby talc hit me. Pink slippers, a cookbook, and a blonde hair on Nathan's hoodie screamed betrayal.
Unwashed baby bottles and a note from "M" to "feed the baby" confirmed my dread. A baby's cry led me to Misty, holding a baby with Nathan's exact curls. She claimed Nathan called me his "bankrupt ex-wife," my clothes gone, wedding photos crumpled, and his loving text proved his calculated fraud.
Nathan burst in, spewing gaslighting lies, despite finding a deed transfer for *my* house. His blame—that I was a "cold work machine"—only solidified my resolve. My husband used my money, home, and trust to build a new life, systematically trying to erase me. He didn't just cheat; he tried to steal everything. A venture capitalist doesn't just walk away from a hostile takeover.
8.0
"Don't you dare touch me. You bloody monster," Eric whispered glaring at me, which only turned me on the more.
A beautiful smile crossed my lips; luckily for us, his fake mother was so focused on Katherine, she did not know I was fucking her son before her eyes.
"So I am now a monster, huh? That was not what you said yesterday. Or have you forgotten about our hot night?" I asked as I traced my way to his lap again, approaching his groin area.
He swallowed hard, his eyes roaming around. "Damien. I am Katherine's fiancé. your niece" He reminded me as my hands reached his groan, caressing it through the layers of his trousers.
"Yesterday you were Mike's boyfriend, and what did I tell you? I don't give a fuck!," I whispered back. "Now be quiet and try to control yourself" .
Eric's life is thrown upside down when his brother is killed on his coronation day, and he now has to become the king. and he can't because he is gay and he has a boyfriend who he loves dearly, or so he thought until he met Damien Monetro, his fiancée's uncle and his former one-night stand