Maddy tried not to cringe. Of course, she had heard the rumors about Akim Al-Farzi, the company’s head honcho who also happened to be a sheikh, and a member of one of the most powerful and wealthy families in the country. Having seen him around, the rumors were easy enough to believe. He was gorgeous, spent a lot of money on expensive clothes and gadgets, and stepped out every night with a new woman on his arm, from what she’d heard. She tried not to think of it. It wouldn’t do to think of her boss that way.
“Well, we are able to do quite a lot, actually. I’m working on a new drug that could help with infertility.”
Abda paused as they walked into the apartment, which was a complete mess; Maddy could tell that before the kids it would have looked chic and trendy. Abda gazed at Maddy searchingly before Oren stomped his feet, reminding them both of Maddy’s deal. Children never allowed serious conversation to go on for long, did they?
“All right, all right,” Maddy grinned. “Abda, you jump in the shower. Oren, you show me your toys. I’ll take this little guy,” Maddy said, accepting Abda’s youngest into her arms and heading over to a small area that looked like Christmas had exploded there.
Abda hesitated, clearly unable to decide if she could really accept the help. Then, with a relieved smile, she headed toward another room, presumably the bathroom, and moments later Maddy heard the water turn on. With the lollipop incentive, Oren turned into a little angel, showing Maddy all of his toys as she sat cross-legged on the floor, playing games with him.
Maddy’s night was far better spent with Abda, Oren and his baby brother than with Jonathan at the bar; that was for certain. After a while, the water stopped and Abda came out in a fresh skirt and top, her hair wet and braided. She sat on the sofa and leaned back into the cushions, closing her eyes.
“I haven’t had the chance to shower in two days,” she admitted.
Maddy didn’t think it would be polite to tell Abda how lucky she was in that moment, with the baby asleep and Oren playing happily on the floor with his toys. It was all Maddy had ever wanted.
“Would you like to get some sleep next?”
Abda’s longing expression was soon replaced by one of resignation. “It’s all right, thank you. You are beyond kind for helping me today, Madeline. I’ve realized I might need to get a nanny. It’s just too hard with the two of them on my own.”
Maddy nodded, giving the impression that she understood.
“My husband will be home soon, so I will get some rest tonight. Thank you, Madeline, for your help today. You are a beautiful person.”
Maddy smiled. She knew that when Abda called her beautiful, she wasn’t talking about her face. She rose, knowing it was time to take her leave.
“It’s been a pleasure getting to spend time with you all.”
Oren stamped his feet again and pointed to Maddy’s pocket.
“Yes, you did hold up your end of the bargain. I’m going to give this to your mom now, and it will be her decision as to when you get to eat the lollipop.”
She handed the sweet to Abda, who grinned at her eldest child. “I want at least ten bites of vegetables before you get this.”
“No!” Oren yelled.
Abda raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly at the trash. Oren’s tune changed almost immediately.
“Okay, Mama,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the kitchen.
Maddy waved goodbye to the family before she let herself out, eventually making her way back to her apartment. When she lay in her bed not long after, she imagined holding her own baby in her arms, and fell asleep cradling her pillow.
TWO
Early the next morning, Maddy was sporting her thick-rimmed black glasses as she pored over some lab results from the previous week’s tests.
“Ah, and look who has beaten us all to the office again.”
Maddy smiled and turned to see one of her research team members, Yousef. He grinned at her, steaming paper cup in hand.
Maddy raised an eyebrow. “You drink way too much coffee, Yousef, I swear. How are you not a constant jittery mess?”
“My blood is probably 43% coffee. Gotta get my fix!”
“You, my friend, are addicted.”
Yousef put up his hands, not wanting to have the same joking argument they’d had far too many times to count. “Yeah, yeah, fine, but if you ask me, you’re inhuman. You wake up crazy early in a good mood without the aid of caffeine—I’m starting to worry you’re a vampire!”
“I believe there are some chromosomal lab results you were going to get me this morning. Where are those again?”
“They’re coming to you as soon as my drug kicks in.”
“It’s never too late to admit you have a problem!” Maddy called as Yousef huffed out of the room to get the results she needed.
Maddy prided herself on being a cool and effective leader. Her staff was mostly comprised of men, and she had worked hard to prove herself as a competent manager. Once she had gained their trust, she had succeeded in creating a dynamic team that enjoyed what they did every day while producing quality work. She truly loved her job.
The afternoon was spent finalizing her presentation to the board. She had gone over it a hundred times already, and had it completely memorized, but she still didn’t feel quite ready to stand before that room and present her case. If she got her drug approved, it would be an opportunity to change the world in the best possible way.
In her mind, there was nothing worse than knowing one couldn’t have a child.
Maddy read through her notes again, trying not to think about the handsome CEO she would be presenting to. It wasn’t his looks at made her nervous—at least, not mostly. He had a reputation for being cold and hard-headed when it came to business. In the past, Maddy had actually seen grown men leave his board room crying.
She did not want to be one of those people.
The afternoon passed by so quickly that Maddy hardly realized that it was nearly time to set up the presentation. She quickly saved her last edits and pulled the flash drive from her laptop before heading toward the lab exit. Her team called out to her as she went.
“Go get ‘em, Maddy!”
“You’ve got this!”
“Get us some test subjects while you’re there!”
Maddy rolled her eyes at the last one. “Sure, I’ll try that,” she said, her tone dry.
She loved her team. They had been with her every step of the way, from beta trials to getting their drug ready for human testing. It was finally ready, and it had been years in the making. Her whole team had given everything to this product, and she couldn’t wait to go and talk it up to the big wigs.
Striding down the hallway, Maddy tried to look more confident than she felt. She was, after all, a scientist. Generally, most of her kind liked to be left alone to work in peace, and giving presentations wasn’t a strong suit of many in her field. She would simply have to do her best.
When she reached the boardroom, she took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders before opening the door and stepping in.
The room was completely empty, except for one person.
Sheikh Akim Al-Farzi sat at the head of a very long, very empty table, and his chocolate brown eyes were boring right into her.
Maddy cleared her throat, approaching him slowly. “Hello, sir. I thought this presentation was meant to be for the entire board.”
Akim’s stare was intense as he took her in, assessing her, evaluating her. Maddy didn’t feel like it was a sexual thing, but rather a boss sizing up an employee. He was nearly impossible to read, and Maddy couldn’t stand it.
It was obvious how the Sheikh had gotten to the position he was in. He radiated power and charisma, but Maddy refused to back down. As the sole woman in a male profession, it was a learned skill that she had perfected over time. She was a match for him, no matter his status, and she would keep her head held high.
“I will be watching for all of us. Do you need any assistance setting u
p?”
Maddy tried to picture her boss, the Sheikh, bending down, hands and knees on the floor as he worked to plug in pieces of equipment. It took all she had not to laugh out loud at the thought. Akim clearly did not perform menial tasks, no matter how polite it was of him to offer.
She shook her head. “I’ve presented in here before; I think I can manage.”
“Good,” he said, pulling out his phone and tapping away while she set her presentation up on the main screen.
It was tense with the two of them alone in the room. Maddy waited as Akim continued to type on his phone, somewhat aggressively, it appeared, before he looked up and realized she was waiting for him to stop so she could begin. He set his phone down and sat back in his chair, eyeing the slide projected on the screen.
“Chlomerol. The future of fertility treatments. Imagine, if you will—”
“Do you need a glass of water?”
Maddy squinted her eyes at the Sheikh in the reflecting light of her presentation. “What?”
“You were clearing your throat. Would you like a glass of water, before you begin?”
She stared at him for a moment. Was he being overly polite, or overly rude? It was impossible to tell. Maddy pushed on, not willing to let her team down.
“I’m fine, thank you. May I proceed?”
The Sheikh waved a hand, as though granting her permission. “By all means. Apologies.”
Did the CEO just apologize to her?
Maddy looked back at her first slide. She had to keep going. Years of research and the work of her peers depended on her in that moment.
“Thank you. As I was saying, Chlomerol is a groundbreaking new drug which has the potential to increase fertility in women who may otherwise not be able to conceive, and we believe that we are now ready to move onto human trials.”
Maddy flipped from slide to slide as she detailed the research her team had performed, going over the successes and failures, and emphasizing their confidence that they were ready to begin human trials.
“When you think of the opportunity we could provide to thousands, possibly millions of couples who are unable to conceive, the possibilities of this treatment are endless.”
Maddy stared into Akim’s eyes as he took in her presentation. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and it was maddening. She wished he would engage with her in some way—a smile, a nod of encouragement—anything. There was an awkward pause as she waited for him to respond.
He sighed. “Madeline?”
Maddy frowned. “Yes?”
“I’m going to have to stop you there. The truth is, there is no way we’re going to be able to let you move forward with human trials.”
Maddy’s frown deepened. In one sentence, the Sheikh was able to wipe away years of blood, sweat and tears. Her team had put everything they had into developing this treatment, and he was going to dismiss it already?