Chapter 196: Taking Friends Aboard The Flying Palace (2)
While the rest of the world buzzed in confusion, with air-traffic forums lighting up, aviation channels dissecting the impossible flight plan, and livestreams speculating on the A380’s destination and the identity of the passengers, the people in question were just having fun.
Thirty-five thousand feet above the Pacific, the air was calm and weightless. Inside, Liam led his friends through the upper deck of the aircraft, guiding them with the amusement of someone watching children tour a dream he’d built.
The boys followed behind him in a loose cluster, eyes darting everywhere.
"Bro, you just never cease to amaze me," Matt whispered.
"He’s Liam, of course. That’s impossible," Alex laughed.
Liam smiled as he kept the tour light — only showing the surface-level modifications, like the public areas—dining lounge, observation deck, private cabins. Even that was enough to make their heads spin.
When the elevator doors slid open to reveal the lower compartment, however, their collective reaction was priceless.
"Wait... wait—hold up." Matt froze mid-step. "That’s a garage."
Indeed it was. A full automobile bay occupied the mid-section of the aircraft, large enough to hold three cars side by side.
Kristopher blinked rapidly. "You’re telling me you can park a car here and drive it off when you land?"
Liam smiled, as he replied, "The ramp deploys from the belly section. It’s fully automated."
Harper ran a palm along the wall. "Fully automated, he says, like it’s normal to have a personal parking lot in the sky."
Matt finally threw his hands up. "Okay, seriously. How does this thing even fly? I mean — this aircraft’s weight should be, like, double what it’s supposed to be. How does it not snap in half just taxiing?"
The others nodded in agreement, waiting for Liam to reveal some grand technical explanation.
Liam only laughed softly. "Honestly? I don’t know. I just gave them ideas of what I want and waited for the delivery. I don’t know how they pulled it off."
"You’re telling me Airbus just — made it work?" Matt said, incredulous.
"They didn’t say no," Liam replied with a small shrug. "And I didn’t ask too many questions after it arrived. It flies, and that’s good enough for me."
The group exchanged disbelieving glances before Harper grinned. "Of course they didn’t say no. If you tell them to make a flying palace, they’ll figure out how to build Olympus."
They all burst into laughter when they heard this. They weren’t expecting any real answer from Liam. They knew Airbus — and every contractor involved — would never tell Liam how they’d actually brought this thing to life.
They were aware that that projects such as this one, usually comes with heavy NDAs that also comes with very steep penalties.
"Alright," Liam said, smiling, "come on. Let’s get lunch."
Back on the main deck, the girls were busy taking photos. When they saw the boys return, they waved them over.
"Finally!" Elise called. "We thought you got lost."
"More like trapped in a dream," Harper replied, flopping onto one of the couches. "You have no idea what’s down there."
Liam settled into his seat, and within moments, the cabin attendants began rolling out the carts.
They had prepared steak, salmon, saffron risotto, fresh fruit, and champagne that glittered in tall glasses.
Matt lifted his drink and made a toast, "To the most ridiculous flight of our lives."
Kristopher clinked his glass with his. "And to the man responsible."
"Please," Liam said, shaking his head with a small smile. "You make it sound like I personally built it."
"It makes no difference," Alex smiled.
They smiled and dug into their meal. After they were done, Kristopher leaned back, stretching, as he said, "So... about me being fired?"
Liam tilted his head, curious. "Go on."
"My parents told me to quit my job."
Liam blinked. "They told you to quit?"
"Yeah. Actually, the exact words were: ’You don’t need to keep working like everyone else anymore. Spend time with Liam. Have fun.’"
He said it so matter-of-factly that the others laughed, but his tone carried truth.
Liam frowned slightly. "You’re joking."
"Nope. They said my future’s already taken care of." Kristopher chuckled. "Apparently, being your friend is now considered a career."
Matt groaned dramatically. "Guess I should’ve majored in Friendship Studies."
Everyone laughed, but beneath the humor was gratitude and relief.
"Honestly, same here. My mom said there’s no need for me to attend those mentally draining functions anymore. She says we’re ’socially insulated’ now," Stacy chuckled.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Socially insulated?"
"She means untouchable," Harper clarified with a smirk. "You’re our human firewall."
Liam smiled when he heard this. He never intended to do any of that but seeing the smile on his friends’ faces, really made him happy.
"I really have to thank you, man. Who would’ve thought? Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I don’t want to work but it’s painful when there’s so much pressure on you because you have to take over the family’s business. Thanks to you, I no longer have to be burdened by unnecessary work anymore," Kristopher said, with a genuine smile.
"I’m happy I was able to help," Liam said, returning the smile.
Surprisingly, Lana spoke up next, her voice half-amused, half-exasperated, "You have no idea how crazy my phone’s been. Everyone who’s ever met me suddenly wants to ’reconnect.’ I even got a call from an A-list actress asking for an introduction to you. I don’t even know how she got my number!"
Alex burst out laughing. "You too? My dad’s old business partners are calling me nonstop. It’s like everyone wants a ticket to Willy Wonka’s jet."
Matt held up his phone and said, "Look at this — my classmates’ group chat has two hundred messages. All asking about you."
Kristy asked eagerly, "Liam, have you even checked your social media? Your follower count jumped from four million to fifteen overnight."
Liam blinked, genuinely surprised. "Fifteen?"
Elise nodded. "Fifteen point three, actually. And that’s before you’ve posted anything."
He looked mildly bewildered. "I haven’t even logged in since the day I created the account."
Elise smiled. "Exactly. The world’s dying for a photo. You’ve somehow managed to stay a ghost all this while, but no more."
"I’m not really into pictures," Liam said. "Never know what to post."
"Well," Elise said, standing and brushing off her skirt, "lucky for you, you’ve got us."
The others perked up instantly.
She continued, "We’re taking a group photo. Right here, right now. Then we’ll each post it and tag you. Consider it your soft debut."
Liam raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fine. Fine. I’ll cooperate."
"Good answer," Elise said, already pulling everyone into place. "Alright — Matt, move closer. Kristy, tilt the camera down a bit and stop fixing your hair; you already look good."
They gathered around him, laughing and bumping shoulders as Elise framed the shot. The window behind them framed streaks of cloud and sunlight.
"Alright, everyone smile!" she said.
The camera clicked. Then again. And again.
Laughter followed every flash.
They took another — this time with everyone making ridiculous faces — then individual shots with Liam.
When Elise showed him the photos, even Liam couldn’t hide his surprise. He did feel weird at first, as it was the first time he was actually taking pictures in a long time. But he didn’t need to worry as the pictures came out perfect.
"See?" Elise said proudly.
"They are good," Liam said.
Elise nodded, satisfied. "Then it’s settled. Group shot first, then everyone posts theirs."
They spent the next few minutes sharing the pictures around, choosing filters, debating captions. When the posts finally went live, the world’s collective feed shifted like a tidal wave, and the photos spread instantly.