She pauses and then smiles. “Thanks, Marcus.”

Tina then removes her glasses and rubs the bridge of her nose. She has barely taken a sip of her coffee when a gentle knock sounds at the door. “Come in.”

The door opens, and a woman in her late fifties steps inside carrying a slim leather portfolio, two neatly organized folders, and a fresh cup of coffee.

Margaret Sullivan, Tina’s newly hired executive secretary, has been with the studio for just over two weeks. With her neatly styled silver-streaked brown hair, understated pearl earrings, and perfectly tailored navy trousers, Margaret carries herself with the quiet confidence of someone who has spent decades working alongside powerful people. “Good morning, Ms. Kennard.”

Tina looks up and smiles. “Morning, Margaret… and I told you to please call me Tina…”

Margaret only smiles as she approaches the desk, placing the fresh coffee beside Tina’s keyboard. “I noticed yours was getting cold, so I brought you another one.”

Tina looks at the cup, pleasantly surprised. “Oh, thank you. I didn’t even realize how long that one’sbeen sitting there.”

Margaret smiles. “Forty-seven minutes, give or take.”

Tina laughs. “You’re keeping track of my coffee now?”

“Only because cold coffee tends to make executives unnecessarily unpleasant, and I’d prefer to avoidthat particular workplace hazard.”

Tina chuckles as Margaret sets the folders on her desk. “Fair enough.”

“Now, a few things I thought you might need before your production meeting.” Margaret opens thefirst folder. “The completion bond company’s latest requirements came through this morning. I have confirmation of the stunt coordinator’s insurance coverage and the updated cast availability schedule.”

Tina reaches for the folder. “Wait, they sent those already?”

“Seven thirty-eight this morning.”

Tina flips through the pages. “I didn’t see that email.”

“That’s because they sent it to the general production account instead of copying you.”

Tina looks up.

Margaret smiles. “I’ve already spoken with the production coordinator and made sure you’re includedon the distribution list going forward.”

Tina nods appreciatively. “Excellent. Thank you.”

Margaret places the second folder beside the first. “And this is the revised cash-flow forecast fromproduction accounting. The line producer requested an accelerated payment schedule for the stuntequipment rentals.”

Tina’s brows crease. “Of course he did.”

Margaret points toward a highlighted section. “I asked accounting to compare the revised paymentterms against the original agreement. You’ll find the difference on page three…”