Hired Husband (Billionaire Inheritance Arrangement #13)

Chapter 1

ISAAC

Iset the latest issue of Engineering News-Record down on my desk and slowly leaned back in my chair, struggling to catch up to the fact that the guy smiling back at me from the front cover… was me.

I, Isaac Thayer, had made the cover of ENR.

How bizarre is that?

While most people would probably find it about as exciting as making the cover of Watching Paint Dry Quarterly, I didn’t fall into that category. As an engineer, I was stoked to be featured in my profession’s version of Rolling Stone.

Seriously, this was one of the magazines, the journal professors kept stacked in their offices and told their students to page through for inspiration when they thought about giving up.

Hell, I’d paged through a few issues myself when I started questioning my own sanity for choosing to pursue this line of work.

I looked across my desk at Colin, who was grinning like only an older brother who’d supported me every step of the way could grin. “I really am proud of you.”

“So am I,” I replied without even trying to pretend otherwise. “They used a good photo too, which helps.”

He chuckled and dragged the magazine closer to himself across the desk with his fingertips before swiping it up again. “They’ve somehow even managed to make you look intelligent. God only knows how they got that right.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. So much for your unwavering support.”

He snorted. “I am unwaveringly supportive. My wife is even insisting on throwing a party to celebrate the achievement.”

“Yeah, but that’s your wife. It means I have Deja’s unwavering support.” I shot him a fake glare, then sighed as I glanced toward the Chicago skyline stretching out in every direction beyond the window. “I still didn’t need a party, though.”

“Trust me, I get it, but that concept doesn’t exist in the Saads’ frame of reference. When anything happens, you have a party to celebrate and this has given her a pretty legitimate reason, so you’re going to have to suck it up and have fun.”

I chuckled. “That sounds about right. When I told her it wasn’t necessary, she patted my cheek and told me not to worry, saying that I was just along for the ride.”

“At least you know that she throws a mean party,” he said. “I think it’s genetically encoded in that family to be amazing hosts.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely not mad about it,” I said. “Every one of their parties I’ve attended has been great so far, so I’m looking forward to seeing what she’s got up her sleeve for this one.”

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but I can tell you that she found an incredible venue. She chose it specifically since it’s supposed to be so hot this weekend.”

“Basel’s going to be in town too, right?”

“Yeah, he’ll be here.” A slightly resigned expression crossed his features as he glanced down at the stack of folders in his lap. “All of these are for him. I swear, it never ends.”

I laughed. “Well, he is your father-in-law, so no, it’s never going to end.”

“Nah, I’m not talking about him. He’s fine. It’s the red tape surrounding the merger that’s getting me down.”

I nodded, but there was nothing I could really say to that. Basel, Deja’s father, was a titan of industry, an Egyptian powerhouse who dominated every deal he got involved with, but also loved nothing more than a good celebration with his family.

Colin had been preparing for his arrival for a week, finalizing financial reports and the latest project updates following the merger of GlobalStar, Basel’s company, and Thayer Steelworks.

For all the trips my brother and his wife had made back to Egypt after getting married, there was somehow always more paperwork to be drawn up and discussed at his next meeting with his father-in-law.

“All I know is that you two better not spend the entire party talking business,” I said. “We’re celebrating. That means I want to see you dancing on tables and taking shots.”

Colin scoffed and shook his head. “When have I ever done that?”

“Exactly. There’s a first time for everything and this would be a great opportunity for you to learn how to let your hair down.”

“I know how to let my hair down.”

I arched an eyebrow at him and glanced at the stack of folders. “Since when? Spreadsheets are not fun, Colin. I better not see any of those at the party.”

“Take it up with Basel,” he said firmly, lifting a hand to rake his fingers through his hair. “He manages to blend business and pleasure like it’s the world’s finest cocktail. There’s no such thing as not working when he’s around.”

“And yet, I’d say you’re enjoying yourself. You’ve been spending almost as much time in Egypt as you do here. You wouldn’t keep going back if you weren’t having fun.”

“My in-laws live there and you know how they are.” He sighed, finally cracking a tiny grin. “It is fun, though. You’ve been there. It’s a fucking awesome country.”

“It is, except that you’re becoming one of those people who casually keeps saying things like, ‘When I was in Cairo last week.’”

He snorted. “I married a woman who’s from Cairo. What am I supposed to say?”

“I don’t know, but I think that’s how they get you.” I smiled and shook my head. “They make you think you have no other choice.”

Colin chuckled and looked like he was about to reply when his phone buzzed against the folders. He glanced at the screen and sighed. “I should take this. Congratulations again, little brother. We’re all very proud of you.”

With that, he lifted the folders against his chest and stood, sliding the thumb of his free hand across the screen to take the call. “Hey, Basel. I was just going to call you when I got done with Isaac. We got the initial findings back of the environmental impact study?—”

My door slid shut behind him, cutting off the rest of his sentence. As I watched him go, I exhaled a heavy breath, relieved as hell that it wasn’t my number Basel kept punching dial on every second minute of every day.

I shook my head, honestly not sure how Colin managed it. But he lived for the family business, and after a few rocky years, he was helping to bring us back to our former glory. The future was looking bright. Dad was still in prison, but we were still working on that.

I grabbed the magazine and slid it into my messenger bag before packing up to head home. On my way out of the building, I slowed beside my sister, Jane’s, office and waved goodbye, not even bothering going inside or trying to talk to her.

Jane was buried in a mountain of contracts, holding the phone to her ear and talking a mile a minute while still signing stuff with her other hand. She glanced up and smiled, waving back before snapping something about clause seventeen into her phone.

That was life as the oldest Thayer, though.

My sister was an absolute machine, juggling motherhood, being the CEO of a now-multinational company, and spearheading our family’s quest to rebuild our reputation all without breaking a sweat.

Most days, I was in awe of her, but this last week or so, even that awe had kicked up to a whole other level.

Alex Westwood, her husband, had been in Japan for business, and so on top of everything else, Jane had been managing their two kids by herself. With our help, of course, but the actual responsibility was still hers and hers alone. We were simply helping her hold down the fort.

With that thought in mind, I stopped by Ryan’s office on my way out, finding my younger brother on the phone while our five-year-old nephew played hide-and-seek under his desk.

His feet were in full view, but Ryan pretended not to see them, making a whole show of searching all around him even while he negotiated pricing conditions with what sounded like a supplier.

He waved and I mouthed at him to call me later, then made my escape before he could ask me to take over babysitting duties while he finished up the call.

When I finally got into the elevator, I breathed out a relieved sigh and turned to face the mirrored walls, still a little surprised to see myself in a suit even if it had been a couple years.

As much as I loved Thayer Steelworks, the company that had been in my family for almost a hundred years, I had thought for a while that I’d escaped the corporate side of it.

When I’d switched my major from business to engineering, I’d envisioned myself spending most of my time on construction sites, but it wasn’t to be.

These days, I was as office-bound as they came, chained to a desk while only occasionally getting out to sites, overseeing stuff in this cold, gray skyscraper instead of being out there, actually doing the thing—and if I was being honest, I missed doing the thing.

Since I worked as a structural and architectural engineer for Thayer, it seemed crazy that I could actually miss engineering, but I really did. I wasn’t nearly as hands-on anymore as I wanted to be.

Back in college and for a few short years after, I hadn’t been able to get enough of being right in the thick of things, but then I’d been appointed as Head of Basically Everything Technical, and ever since, I’d rarely had the opportunity to get my boots dirty.

Maybe I should just do it. Maybe this is the time to pave a trail of my own. Being featured in ENR gets my name out there. It could work.

Especially since I was also a licensed Professional Engineer now. I’d worked my ass off for those two, tiny letters—PE—but for as long as I stayed with Thayer, that was all they would be. Two tiny letters on my email signature.

But as I climbed off the elevator and strode into the parking garage, I knew it was unlikely I would ever leave the family business. This place was in my blood, part of me in a way that made it feel like home.

Still, the thought lingered as it always did, the what-if hanging front and center in my head as I climbed in my car and joined the other corporate warriors leaving after another long day in the office.

When I walked into my apartment, my best friend called me. Brady and I had survived college together and now he worked as an electrical engineer downtown.

“Have you been celebrating?” he asked. “It’s not every day you make the cover of ENR.”

“I was at work,” I said, tossing my bag down on the coffee table and flopping onto the couch in one smooth motion. “Contrary to popular belief, Thayer Steelworks is not one big den of iniquity.”

He laughed. “If anything, I think you guys have been more strait-laced than ever, trying to make up for your dad’s transgressions. I get that, which is why the boys and I are taking you out tonight.”

I grimaced. “Are you sure? I’ve got work tomorrow, too.”

“So do we, but I’m not taking no for an answer.” He paused. “You haven’t come out with us for months and this is big, man. We’re celebrating. End of story.”

I sighed, but he wasn’t wrong. My life had become remarkably predictable lately, a rinse-repeat of work, home, and sleep. With the GlobalStar merger in the works and Alex working tirelessly to help Jane expand the company into even more new markets and areas, things had been crazy at the office.

It was about time I found my sea legs again. “Yeah. Okay. I’m in, but I’m not going dancing.”

He laughed. “Dancing is optional. Now go get ready. Grab a shower, wash off the boring, and I’ll be over in an hour to start with a celebratory shot of tequila.”

I almost argued, but honestly, breaking routine already felt like a breath of fresh air and I hadn’t even done it yet. For whatever reason, there was a new kind of electricity in the air and maybe it was just being featured in the magazine of my dreams, but I didn’t plan on letting it go to waste.

It had been too long since I’d really felt like me, and maybe a night out was exactly what I needed to get back to it.