"CILLA, what's my schedule looking like today?"
"Morning, Mr Ashworth. Today you have..."
"Budge up, honey, I need the mirror." Adam's hand twitched at the sound of her voice. She appeared in the doorway, already immaculate, shooing Adam away from the bathroom mirror.
"Oh, nice to meet you. Eleanor, wasn't it? I'm pretty sure you have your own bathroom across the way?"
"You know you could never forget me. Come on, you know I love this mirror. I always said this one should be mine. Besides, you've spent more time in front of that mirror than I—"
"CILLA, please resume," Adam said curtly.
"Yes, Mr Ashworth." Eleanor looked at his reflection and stuck her tongue out playfully. "You are due to meet with the Executive Board of Directors at 09:30am at Calder Energy HQ. You are delivering the Q3 progress report on Sector C. I've already arranged for your transport; it should arrive by 7:30am." Adam nodded along, half-listening, half caught in his own thoughts.
"Looks like we'll both be in important meetings this morning, hon." Eleanor side-shuffled towards Adam and bumped him with her hip. He barely registered the nudge.
"Why do you always get CILLA to call you Mr? Surely it's more enjoyable to be on first-name basis with our overlords' spymaster?"
"She's a tool, Eleanor. You don't ask the coffee machine to put some love in with the beans, do you?!"
"Well it's the only love I'd feel around here if I did..."
CILLA continued, "The only other meeting scheduled for today is at 08:30am. It's with Mr Alan Smith, from Apex Intelligence."
"Apex? I didn't schedule a meeting with anyone from Apex." Eleanor bumped Adam with her hip again. Adam barely noticed—his mind was already circling this unexpected appointment.
"Mr Alan Smith requested the appointment late last night. I believe your secretary added it to your schedule and made several attempts to contact you but-"
"What's Smith's role?" Adam interrupted.
"Mr Alan Smith is listed as a Consultant for Apex Intelligence, Mr Ashworth." Eleanor paused mid-lipstick to catch his eye in the mirror. He didn't look.
"CILLA, just cancel it. I want time to prepare for the board meeting, not wasting time on consultants I've never heard of."
"I apologise, Mr Ashworth, but I'm unable to cancel the appointment. It's been marked as urgent. The appointment states that it's regarding 'Sector C expansion at Calder Prime' and requires your direct attendance."
"Okay, thanks CILLA. I'll pick this up in the car." CILLA acknowledged the request.
"Hey, Hon, I'm going to be late again tonight, we've got a board meeting this morning but then-" Eleanor was interrupted.
"I wouldn't expect anything else. Anna has already changed the meal plan for one person" Adam messed with his cuff links despite already being perfectly adjusted.
"That was uncalled-for. I know you're stressed but don't-"
"Whatever, Eleanor. Ever since you took on the Director role at Meridian, you've spent every waking moment at the office. Good job we never had kids-"
"Fuck you, Adam." Eleanor turned to face him.
"Yeah, fuck me. Please. Once in a while."
"You prick. Have your bathroom. I'll be at work if you decide to break the habit of a lifetime and apologise." Eleanor grabbed her things and stormed out of the bathroom. Adam stood alone. His stomach clenched. He jammed his palm against the washbasin, straightened his tie one last time, and walked out of the bathroom.
As Adam reached the bottom of the staircase, the maid, Anna, passed him his briefcase and ID. He snatched them from her without a word. The high-pitched oscillation told him CILLA had clocked his approach to the front door, which opened with impeccable timing. "Thanks CILLA." Adam declared as he headed to the driveway.
"Oh, thank you CILLA," Anna muttered under her breath.
Adam paused mid-stride, spun on his heel and walked right up to Anna. "Sorry?"
"Nothing, sir. I was speaking to CILLA. I hope you have a good day."