The cries pierced the air like shards of glass.
Little Nora, nestled in her father’s arms, shook the quiet cabin of the Boston–Zurich flight. First class, usually a temple of silence and comfort, had turned into a sound prison. Passengers squirmed in their leather seats, casting heavy, reproachful glances.
At the center of this chaos, Henry Whitman, business titan and feared billionaire, faltered. He, who ruled empires with a mere wave of his hand, found himself unable to calm his own child. His impeccable suit wrinkled, cold sweat forming on his brow.
Since the sudden death of his wife, all he had left was Nora… yet in that moment, he felt more helpless than ever.
“Maybe she’s just tired…” dared to whisper a flight attendant, as if trying to break the tension.
Henry nodded, but his gaze betrayed silent panic. Every sob from his daughter felt like a slap. Every scream, a defeat.
Then a voice rose from the back, clear and unexpected:
“Sir… I think I can help.”
Everyone turned. There, standing in the aisle, was a Black teenager no older than sixteen, a worn backpack slung over his shoulder. Simple clothes, scuffed shoes. Yet in his eyes shone a strange, almost disarming confidence.
“My name’s Malik,” he said gently. “I’ve raised my little sister. I know what it’s like… let me try.”
Henry froze. Hand his baby to a stranger? The idea seemed insane. But the cries tore at his soul like knives, and he nodded.
Malik stepped forward, cradling the child with unexpected tenderness.
