Adam took the private elevator from the 42nd floor to the top floor of Calder Energy HQ, 'The Pinnacle', the highest point in the entire city. The doors opened on to a three-way corridor with its own reception area. It formed a figure 8 shape across the entire floor, with a main corridor that wrapped the full perimeter of the building, and a central corridor that bisected the floor. Leading up to a floating glass floor was a staircase. This glass floor housed the executive suite. Every single wall was made entirely from glass and at least 50ft high, giving a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view not just into every office, but across the whole city. He passed through the reception area and towards the central staircase. No privacy up here. Never had been.
At the centre of the glass floor, the boardroom was already full with every executive and non-executive director at Calder Energy. As Adam looked around, he saw that the glass floor was part of a fully 3D glass cube, suspended between the floor and the very high ceiling, with just a single staircase leading into the structure. Adam had walked these steps only a handful of times. He paced himself as he looked at the magnificence of the structure.
Despite the morning's events, it didn't take Adam long to hit full swing with the Board of Directors. The executives all laughed on cue, they hung on every word, they took notes when Adam said something important. Adam was made for the boardroom—this boardroom. This was his stage, where he performed at his best: calm under pressure, his full glory on show. Adam was as bombastic and confident as always, but there was one single, imperceptible difference this time. In between breaths, he kept readjusting his stance. It was fleeting, but one board member noticed it—how Adam would go to slide his hand into his pocket during each pause.