by Holly Rayner
“You feel it too, huh?”
“He told me right after Christmas. I’ve had more time to recover than you have, but I wanted to let you know that we’re going to get through this, Yvonne. Zadid has done nothing but speak your highest praises, and I’ll need you more than ever as we move into this new territory. I brought Zadid on because I didn’t believe that I could lift this company up by myself—and between you and me, I was right.”
“You give yourself too little credit, John. You did this. Zadid simply came in and managed the troops.”
“That’s just it, though. I know nothing about the management of people. I just know finance and business—that’s what I’m good at. I don’t know what I’m going to do without Zadid managing things on the ground.”
He looked so sad and insecure, and Yvonne wondered just how they had gotten to where they were. Was it really Zadid that had held them together all this time? Did he know that? Would he have left if he did?
Yvonne leaned across the desk, forcing John to look at her. “We’re going to hold this company together, John. We can do this.”
He searched her gaze for a moment, seeking reassurance.
After a moment, he grinned. “You know what, Yvonne? I believe you’re right.”
Chapter 11
“I hate him!”
Yvonne stood in a group of people, looking over a case they had been working on for some time. She sighed as she did her best to put out yet another fire.
“Jessica, you can’t say that you hate the boss.”
Jessica threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “The man is completely incompetent! Do you know what he asked me to do this morning? He asked me to go to the press and take the blame for him. The nerve of that man knows no bounds! Excuse me while I go look for other jobs!”
She stormed away from the group, leaving a cloud of awkward silence in her wake. The gentle murmuring began, then. It was a scenario that had become far too common after Zadid’s departure.
As kind as John had been on that first day, it had very quickly become evident that he had no idea what he was doing. He made impulsive business decisions, expecting the people beneath him to follow through on empty promises and then take the fall for when they fell apart.
Overnight, the firm had become a landscape filled with whispered discontent, and, three months later, Yvonne was working desperately to keep things running smoothly.
She honestly had no idea why.
Every other day she found herself on job sites, looking around. The firm had been such an amazing opportunity at first, and of course, Zadid had been there to keep her focused and entertained. She missed his gentle humor and the easy way they worked together…especially when John was in one of his moods.
She had hoped that time would heal the wound that was Zadid. Instead, months after his abrupt departure, his absence had only served to make her fall for him even harder. In moments of desperation, she called his cellphone, reaching his voicemail at first, then later, only to hear that the number had been disconnected.
It didn’t take long for her to realize that he was trying to cut her out of his life.
“Yvonne?”
One of her colleagues was looking at her expectantly, and she blinked.
“I’m sorry, Ethan. What were you saying?”
“Do you think you can talk with John about the account? This is an impossible task. Someone has to be able to get through to him, and you’re the closest one.”
Yvonne inhaled, her stomach roiling at the thought of having to bring this issue up to John. He hated being bothered with pesky things like running the company he started.
“I’ll talk to him,” she promised.
The group looked dismayed even as she promised to give them what they asked for. Deep down, they all knew that anything they did was essentially pointless. The man was incompetent, and he was driving the company firmly into the ground.
Squaring her shoulders, Yvonne walked back up the stairs toward Zadid’s old office, where John now held court. She knocked three times on the door.
“What is it, Yvonne?”
She opened the door to find John playing with an indoor golf set. He was mid-swing as she walked in, knocking the golf ball into a cup across the room as she closed the door behind her. She did her best to try to hide the fact from the rest of the employees that he spent most of his time playing games.
“Hi, John,” she greeted, staying by the door.
She was often dismissed by him when he didn’t like what she had to say that she’d taken to sticking by the doorway to make a quick exit. Every time she stepped foot in that office, her soul ached for Zadid. How she missed their time together, her sitting across from him at that desk, reaching for the stars and often catching them.
When he didn’t respond to her greeting, she launched into her speech. “I’ve just heard back from Ethan’s team, and they can’t get the financials ready by tomorrow.”
“Why not?” he demanded, looking up at her with condescension.
“Because you gave it to them this morning.”
“So? You’re telling me we can’t get that portfolio done in a day?”
“On a sixteen-million-dollar account? No. We may be good, but we’re not wizards.”
“I don’t believe it. You’re all just being lazy, thinking you can get away with it without Zadid here.”
She bit back a retort as she watched him pull his golf ball from the cup and set it up to play another round. Who exactly was the lazy one in this scenario?
“I don’t know what to tell you. It will not be done. I recommend you alter your promise to better reflect what we can do.”
John looked down at his ball, measuring the distance. “How about this? If this project doesn’t get completed by tomorrow morning, I’m going to hold you personally accountable. Now let’s see how quickly it gets done.”
“Are you serious? This isn’t even my project!” she cried.
Her head felt fuzzy and she placed a hand on the doorknob to steady herself. John didn’t appear to notice.
“That doesn’t matter,” he said. “Let’s see how fast they work when they know someone else’s job is on the line. Chop chop, Yvonne. Time’s ticking.”
She glared at his turned back as she opened the door, forcing herself not to slam it behind her. She stormed off to her office, allowing herself to slam that portal instead.
She knew, in that moment, that she would be out of a job the next day.
Plopping into her chair, tears poured from her eyes as she fumed at John. He had been so soft-spoken and unsure of himself three months ago. How had he become such a tyrant in such a short amount of time? Yvonne allowed herself to cry as the emotions raged, overpowering her until she was sobbing into a tissue.
While Yvonne had never repressed her feelings generally, the emotional rollercoaster she’d been on the past few months did feel a little odd. She didn’t feel like herself. She had attributed that to heartbreak over Zadid, paired with the dictatorial nonsense of the new boss on duty, but it felt like more than that. She had felt crampy and nauseous, and, glancing in her waste bin, she saw the two pints of ice cream she had devoured the other day for no reason at all.
She’d been too busy and stressed to notice the signs. Suddenly, her stomach dropped as she realized what might actually be the cause of her body’s strange quirks. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had her period.
Oh, no.
Picking up the phone, Yvonne called her doctor.
“Dr. Phillips’ office,” the secretary said.
“Hi. I’m having a bit of an emergency. If I arrive there in twenty minutes, can I be seen by a doctor?”
“Can you tell us what’s wrong, ma’am? Do you need to dial 911?”
“No, I don’t. I just really need to see the doctor, please,” she sobbed, choking on the last word as more tears sprang forward.
“Of course. Come on over and we’ll get you in. I just
need some information first before you hang up, okay?”
Yvonne gave the receptionist what she needed and placed the phone back on the receiver, packing her purse and heading out the door. She spoke to no one as she made a hasty exit, though that kind of behavior had mostly started going unnoticed these days. At least once a day someone stormed out in tears.
Not bothering to hail a cab, Yvonne clung to her jacket as she walked briskly in the direction of her doctor’s office, grateful that she had one so close to work. Since she had spent much of her time there, it only seemed prudent, and had worked out well for midday appointments that came up from time to time. As she stepped into the sterile office, she checked in with the woman from the phone, who eyed her with open concern.
“Yvonne Hunt?” a nurse said, opening the door to the office.
Yvonne stood, joining the nurse as they made their way down the hallway.
“So what seems to be the trouble today?” the nurse asked,
She hadn’t said it out loud. She was scared to. Finally, she took a breath and released the words into the world.
“I think I’m pregnant.”
“That’s wonderful!” the nurse said.
She turned and read Yvonne’s expression, and her joyful smile faded. “Or not,” she added, opening a doctor’s office door and ushering Yvonne inside. “The doctor will be with you in a moment, but why don’t we take this test first?”
She handed Yvonne a urine sample cup and left the room. Once Yvonne was finished, she sat on the crinkled paper of the doctor’s table, shifting from side to side until the doctor walked in.
“Yvonne. You’re here for an emergency checkup?”
“I’m sorry for the urgency, but I had to get here as soon as possible.”
“Did you consider perhaps taking a home pregnancy test first?”
She blinked. “Well, no. My life has been rather…stressful of late, so this was the first thing I thought to do.”
“That’s quite all right. We’ll be able to give you a definitive answer, at least,” he said, grabbing a stick and placing it in her sample.
After a few minutes, two very clear lines appeared at the end of the stick.
“The two lines mean that your suspicions are correct. You are pregnant, Yvonne. Do you know the date of your last period?”
She shook her head.
“No problem. Let’s do an ultrasound so we can work out how far along you are.”
He wheeled a machine over, having Yvonne lay down as he squirted cold blue goo onto her stomach—which, she realized, was starting to protrude slightly.
How had she not noticed?
The blurry screen popped up as he pressed the wand against her stomach, moving it around in various directions. There on the screen, a tiny image clearly appeared, and the doctor snapped a picture.
“They look to be about twelve weeks along,” he said.
Yvonne swallowed. “What do you mean…they?”
Dr. Phillips cleared his throat. “So far, I’m counting three babies in here.”
“Three?” she gasped.
“Yes. Let’s make sure there aren’t any more.”
As he moved the wand around her belly, Yvonne stared with eyes wide as saucers as she watched a baby appear on screen, then another, and another. As her shock began to wear off, she realized in that moment that she was going to be a mother to triplets!
“Are you all right, Yvonne?” her doctor asked, placing a gentle hand on her elbow and gazing at her with concern.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she breathed.
Yvonne was not fine. She was not fine at all.
“All the babies look healthy. You’re near twelve weeks. If you can calculate that, you might be able to find some answers to those questions.”
“What questions?”
“The ones in your eyes,” he said, wiping the gel from her belly as he moved in the direction of the door.
“We should monitor you closely over the next few months. Triplets are certainly rare, and we want to make sure all your children stay healthy.
All your children…
Yvonne could hardly breathe as she nodded before the doctor walked out. Overnight, she’d gone from a lovesick, lonely woman to a mother of three.
And Zadid was the father. There was no doubt about it.
Chapter 12
Yvonne nearly laughed as she tapped out an email to John on her phone, letting him know she would be out for the rest of the day due to a “family emergency.” After she hit send, she was convinced that she would be unemployed by morning, if not the end of the day.
A cold wind bit at her cheeks, but she needed fresh air. She set off in the direction of home, knowing the walk would take at least thirty minutes, and all the better for it. Her fingers itched to rest on her belly, where three unborn children were currently growing.
Zadid’s children.
Her mind drifted back to her holiday wishes—three wishbones won, three babies to give her the family she desired. It would almost be laughable, if it wasn’t so absolutely terrifying. While in a way she had gotten what she desired, her babies still lacked one very important element to a family.
They needed their father.
Finding Zadid was no longer a matter of her shattered heart being put back together. She had her future children to think about. At the very least, he needed to know that he would be a father before the year was over. Still, she thought about the fact that she had been unable to reach him since he’d left her that day three months ago. She would have to be a bit cleverer in finding him.
She began crafting a plan as she walked, her mind lost in thought as she approached her apartment building and welcomed the warm air of the lobby. Back on the tenth floor, she opened her apartment door and stared inside.
Could she fit three children in here?
It might be possible to make it happen, though of course, if she was out of work the next day, there would be a whole new list of challenges to overcome. Brushing that thought aside, she stepped into her home office and fired up her computer, tapping her nails on the desk as she waited for it to load.
Once it did, she began a search for Zadid. There was general information, of course, but she dug a little deeper until she found an article in a business journal about his company. Opening the article, she read through it, learning about the new business he had started in Abu Algar. She skimmed through until she finally found a contact number.
“Bingo,” she said to herself, writing the number down.
She picked up her phone and began dialing the long extension, waiting for the call to go through. Instead of the standard ring she was used to, there was a series of long beeps before a woman answered the phone in Arabic.
“Hi, I’m sorry, do you speak English?” Yvonne asked.
Zadid had taught her some Arabic when they’d worked together, mostly so she could work off of documents that he used for international accounts. While she could read basic words well enough, the spoken word was something they had never really worked on.
How she would have loved to take language lessons with Zadid.
“I do, yes. How may I direct your call?” the woman replied.
“I need to speak with Sheikh Zadid Al-Alamein. It is a matter of some urgency.”
There was a pause at the other end of the line.
“Hello?” Yvonne asked.
“Yes, I’m here. I’m just unsure how I am supposed to transfer you to the president of our company from this level. I don’t have that level of access, you see.”
“Please, I’m begging you. I need to find him, and his American cellphone was shut off when he left the country a few weeks ago. I’m his former assistant, Yvonne Hunt.”
“Let me just check on that, please.”
Yvonne waited while the woman clacked on a keyboard a world away. After a while, she spoke again.
“Your story appears to check out. Let me patch you through to my manager. He might be able to transfer y
ou to the correct number. One moment.”
“Thank you,” Yvonne said, leaning back in her chair as she gave in to the urge to rest a hand on her belly.
Now that she knew the truth, the bulge was undeniable. Clearly, her comfortable winter clothing had done a good job of stretching just enough to keep her condition under wraps.
“Hello, who is calling, please?”
The man’s voice was deep, and he sounded like an older gentleman. Yvonne gave her story again.
“It’s extremely important that I get in touch with him, but he never gave out his new cellphone number. This is quite urgent…I’m sure he will be grateful for your help.”
The man cleared his throat. “Yes, that’s all well and good, but I don’t have that level of connection. Allow me to transfer you to my supervisor. Perhaps she can help you.”
“Thank you,” Yvonne said, her voice weary.
“Of course, madam. One moment.”
The phone line faded to music as she sat on hold once again. She held her breath, wondering if this would work. He seemed impossible to find—had it been that way when he worked in the States? Yvonne could hardly remember. Of course, that was when she’d had unlimited access to him at any time, day or night.
Those were the days.
“Zadid Al-Alamein’s office.”
A woman’s gentle voice sounded like an angel as she said those words. Yvonne tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke.
“Hi there. My name is Yvonne Hunt, and I was Zadid’s assistant when he worked here in the States. It is absolutely imperative that I speak with him—a matter of utmost urgency. Can you please connect me?”
“My goodness, that sounds very serious! I would be happy to connect you, he is just here. One moment, please. Thank you.”
Yvonne’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t heard Zadid’s voice in months, and she was about to hear it any second. How was she going to tell him? She had been so focused on finding him that she hadn’t considered what to actually say when she did.
A wave of panic washed over her as the phone clicked.
“Hello, this is Zadid.”