Adam stomped through the lobby of Calder Energy, holding his ID out ready to swipe without stopping. The receptionist greeted him.
"Good morning, Mr Ash—"
"Yeah, fine, thanks." Adam raised his voice to cut her off. He made his way to the elevator and kicked the doors as he approached, while jamming his finger into the call button. He pressed it several more times before the elevator cart had even begun to move. Finally, it reached the ground floor, where its brushed metal doors opened to reveal a house of mirrors for one, with near three-hundred-and-sixty-degrees of mirror surrounding him. He dropped his gaze as he spun on the spot. He almost pushed the floor button through the panel. Several moments later, he arrived at floor 42, the engineering hub for all of Calder Energy's infrastructure.
He immediately banked right to head toward his office, the largest on the floor, and visible from almost every corner. Adam swung open the office door. Sat behind his desk was a man, dressed in a very expensive suit, slick hair and a slender frame. He looked over at his secretary's desk, and there was Marie, smiling nervously.
"Good morning, Mr Ashworth, this is Mr Alan Smith, from Apex Intelligence… I'll give you the room." Adam stared at Alan Smith. He didn't turn to watch Marie as she hurried out of the office, making sure to close the door behind her.
"Mr Ashworth, please, take a seat."
"I intend to, once you get out of mine."
"Come now, Mr Ashworth, I'm a guest, can't we—"
"Do you know what happened to the last guy who sat in my chair without permission?" Adam's eyes hadn't moved, hadn't blinked, for at least 30 seconds.
"Ooo, how exciting, I think I heard that one in a film I watched." Adam's face reddened, the sound of his teeth grinding could be heard around the office.
"CILLA. Privacy." The glass walls surrounding the office turned opaque, and the lights increased in brightness to compensate for it.
"You clearly think you're a somebody, because you presume to know me. Can I make a suggestion before I ruin both of our days?"
"What's that, Mr Ashworth?" Alan Smith smiled, as he leant forward on the desk and interleaved his fingers.
"Get the FUCK out of my chair!"
Alan Smith's smile disappeared. He didn't flinch, but his demeanour changed. He stood, and gestured to the vacant chair behind him.
"Please, Mr Ashworth, take your seat." Adam moved to the left side of the desk, as Alan Smith came from behind it on the right. Their positions had now completely reversed.
Adam didn't take a second longer than necessary to make his grievances known. "You demand a meeting right before I'm due to give a huge presentation to the board. You arrive earlier than expected. You make yourself comfy in MY office, in MY chair. I don't know who you think you are, but you've got three minutes before I call security and ask them to do a personal favour for me."
"May I take a seat, Mr Ashworth?" Alan Smith didn't wait for the answer, as he pulled a chair from the formal lounge area in the corner of the office. Adam didn't speak, he just stared at the man.
"My name is-"
"I already know your damn name, Alan Smith. It's on the appointment listing that you kept re-sending despite me cancelling it several times."
"Oh...you cancelled those, Mr Ashworth? Interesting. I thought it was Marie who cancelled it. It's why I booked it in the calendar using your login details, so she wouldn't keep declining my invitation."
"You did fuckin' what?!" Adam stood out of his chair, his suit jacket button tore as he shot up, and landed on the desk. Alan Smith placed his index finger on it and laughed.
"Mr Ashworth, I seem to have...pressed the wrong button. Let's start over, if you'll indulge me." Adam sat back down in his chair, his face was flush and his hands were clenched.
"My name is Martin Aldridge. Alan Smith is my consulting name, a pseudonym. I do work for Apex Intelligence, though my role is...somewhat undefined. I like how you think, Mr Ashworth. Having Marie try and find out who I was, shows a man who likes to know his opponents."
"What are you talking about? I don't give a shit if your name is Alan, Martin, Judy or pigeon. The appointment said this was about Sector C. I have no idea what that has to do with Apex, why you use a fake name, or why this had to take place today. But, you look like the snake-type. The kind who likes to dig and blackmail people. I assume you think you've found something that you think you can use against me. Well guess what, you're wrong. I know you're wrong, because that project is clean. Every penny accounted for, every deadline met, every worker taken care of."
"Let me cut to the chase. You're right. I have found something, Mr Ashworth. And it's going to cost you." Martin pulled out a folio from under his suit jacket, and gently wafted it in the air.
"Are you taking the piss? So I was right. You're not even pretending any more, this is straight-up blackmail?!"
"Yes, Mr Ashworth. It is. I know what you've done. Been doing. To Eleanor. Here, take a look."
Aldridge threw the folio onto Adam's desk, the loose papers spilling free as it slid into Adam's grasp. Adam grabbed the papers from the desk and began to scan through them quickly.
"You'll find page five particularly interesting."
As he thumbed through the documents, he quickly turned to page five. A few moments later, he threw the papers back onto the desk and slumped back in his chair. Adam growled under his breath.
"You've been a very naughty boy, Mr Ashworth." Martin Aldridge said with a smile.
"You speak to me in that tone one more time, Smith...Aldridge, and you'll be visiting the foyer through the window behind me."
Adam meant it. Something shifted behind Martin's eyes. Adam knew he'd heard the threat loud and clear, and he saw Martin watching his every muscle, deciding if the threat was real or spoken by a man cornered and scared.
"You don't want to do that, Mr Ashworth." Martin said. "Let me talk plainly, Adam. I've just played my hand, you can see the cards I have. Now it's time for you to weigh up your own choices. Fold; confess your sins and suffer the consequences. Bet; sit in that chair, keep your hands to yourself and hear me out. Or, raise; reach over the table, grab me by my throat and show me you're a man of your word."
Adam didn't move a muscle. His hands stopped, his eyes focused. His breathing slowed.
"Excellent, bet, it is. Everything on those papers, well, that's just a summary. I know everything about you. But most importantly, I know the one thing you want no one to know. So here is my demand. And yes, this is just simple blackmail. I want money. One point eight million pounds."
"That's an awfully specific number. What makes you think I have that kind of money?"
"Oh, I don't. In fact, I know you don't. I went for a swim in your accounts last night and, boy, do you NOT have one point eight million pounds. Oh and er...Sorry about getting your account blocked by the way. I must have been careless when I was rummaging through your personal life."
Adam's hands started to turn purple as he clenched them even tighter.
"Oh...wait...dammit Adam. I thought I had you for a second then. For someone threatening to throw me out of a forty second floor window a minute ago, you're awfully composed. Albeit a shade of aubergine, right now. But, you're right, £1.8million is very specific. Let's call it, symbolic. You are going to pay me £50,000 a week, every week, until I've got £1.8million from you. Simple. I'll ping you the account details once I leave."
"And if I refuse? Or if I can't?" Adam's voice was low, controlled, but barely.
"You will deliver to me £50,000 this Friday, and every Friday, until I say stop. If you don't, then I tell Eleanor everything. I tell EVERYONE everything." Adam looked down, with a contemplative look on his face.
"I know what you're thinking; 'If I just confess I can be done with this whole charade'." Adam's face turned back to anger.
"That is a genuine option. And if you do confess, your marriage is likely over. And if it isn't, by the time I've confirmed every sordid detail to Eleanor, it certainly will be. So what else could you do? Oh, I know, you could lift the Privacy mode and tell CILLA to get security to throw me out."
"The thought had crossed my mind." Adam's brow furrowed as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Good, it means you're taking this seriously. But, if you do that, I tell Eleanor and your life is ruined. Maybe you could just refuse to pay. Try it. I tell Eleanor and your life is over. Or, maybe you simply can't pay. Well, I happen to know what you have in your account and that should be good for at least the first payment. If your account's released back to you in time, that is. And if you don't pay me in time then....You guessed it - I tell Eleanor and your life is destroyed." Adam's teeth sounded like they were cracking inside his mouth.
"Oh and, if I were you, I wouldn't waste your time trying to chase me down. I'm what the old-world used to call a 'closed-book'."
"You fucking bastard. Why are you doing this to me?!" Adam pressed forward against the desk, as he sneered at the blackmailer.
"You'll find out. Hopefully, once you finally realise there is no other option but to comply, you'll get to work getting me my money...I have a feeling you and I are going to get to know each other really well." Martin Aldridge stood up, buttoned up his suit jacket and reached out his hand across the desk from Adam. Adam stared at the hand for a moment, before standing up, slowly, before grabbing the hand carefully to shake it.
"Excellent. Well, I hope your presentation goes well Adam. I'll get out of your lovely hair." Martin laughed aloud, taking a moment to meet Adam's gaze, holding hands a fraction too long. Martin Aldridge then turned towards the exit, as he grabbed the door handle, opened it inwards, and looked up at the ceiling.
"Hey, CILLA, you can cancel the privacy mode now." Martin looked back at Adam. "I almost forgot. Happy anniversary. Three years in post. At Calder Energy no less. The way they churn through employees you must be one of the old-timers by now. Have a great day, Adam."