The executive home office was dimly lit, the blackout curtains drawn against the midday sun to keep the room cool. Victoria sat in her leather chair, wearing a crisp Armani blazer from the waist up and sweatpants from the waist down. On the screen, the twelve faces of the Board of Directors stared back at her via video link.
“The acquisition of Vane-Tech is proceeding on schedule,” Victoria said, her voice steady despite the fact that she hadn’t slept more than two hours in the last fourteen days. “We are integrating their R&D department this week.”
Beneath the desk, hidden from the camera’s view, a double electric breast pump was attached to her chest. She had timed the meeting perfectly to coincide with Hope’s nap, multitasking to keep her milk supply up while keeping the stock price stable.
“Excellent,” Mr. Sterling nodded onscreen. “However, the Asian markets are concerned about the leadership stability. There are rumors you are… distracted.”
“I assure you, Mr. Sterling, my focus is absolute,” Victoria replied.
She reached down to adjust the suction level. Her finger slipped, hitting the “Unmute” button on the video call interface instead of the pump controls.
*Rrr-suck. Rrr-suck. Rrr-suck.*
The rhythmic, mechanical grinding noise filled the conference call.
Mr. Sterling paused. “What is that noise? Is there… construction?”
A younger director snickered. “Sounds like milking time at the farm.”
Victoria froze. She saw the mute icon was off. The blood rushed to her face, hot and humiliating. She slammed the laptop shut, severing the connection instantly.
She sat in the silence, the pump still rhythmically working against her chest, tears of exhaustion stinging her eyes. She was the Chairman of a Fortune 500 company, yet in that moment, she felt reduced to nothing but biology.