Page 72 of Hired Husband

“And yet, you still let it happen.”

“I did not let anything happen.” He blew out an agitated breath and checked his watch again. “There are internationally recognized guidelines for corporate governance and GlobalStar complies with them. The board heard Isaac’s pitch and voted against it. That’s how business works.”

I scoffed. “Right. It’s not personal. No matter how much of themselves they poured into that design or how much better it is than the one that won.”

“There is no question that it’s better, sweetheart. Not a single person will argue that David’s team presented the better design. Everyone knows that Isaac’s is miles above David’s, but David’s is considerably cheaper and faster. That’s it.”

“So after all of this, Isaac just goes home because he gave you something worth spending money on rather than something cheap, easy, and inferior.”

My father’s expression softened slightly. “No one said he has to go home, baby. I have other plans for Isaac if this project doesn’t work out.”

I frowned. “You do?”

“Of course.” He cocked his head at me. “I still want him here and I still support him working with GlobalStar.”

My eyes narrowed. “Then why has he packed his bags?”

“Chicago is still his home, sweetheart. It was inevitable that he would return there at some point, but he didn’t come all this way because of one industrial complex.”

“He kind of did.”

“No, he came because he’s talented and there are many opportunities here, but nothing happens overnight and he is American, which means he cannot stay here indefinitely if he isn’t actively working on something.”

My irritation faltered for a moment. “So you’re not done with him?”

Dad scoffed and shook his head. “Why would I be done with him? This was one project, Jasmine. One executive vote. The board loves him. What he presented simply isn’t what they had in mind for that development.”

“Have you told him this?”

My father pursed his lips before pushing up from the desk. “Isaac and I have spoken about a great many things. He’s a smart man, Jasmine. Do you honestly believe he’d have left his entire life behind for just one project? He’s building a career. That’s a marathon, not a sprint and it certainly doesn’t make sense to walk away from a sure thing for a single event.”

I sighed. “Don’t patronize me. I know what he’s doing and what he’s capable of, but I also know that you didn’t give me a straight answer. You haven’t told him about your other projects, have you?”

“Actually, I have.” He regarded me for a long moment. “You seem unusually invested in his employment status. Is there something going on I should know about?”

My heart stuttered. “No. I’m not unusually invested at all.”

“No? You’ve never flown in here like this after a board vote before,” he said slowly, picking up his briefcase again. “They’re an almost daily occurrence, but here you are today, advocating for an independent contractor who made a presentation.”

“Isaac is Colin’s brother,” I said quickly. “Deja likes him and you can’t tell me you don’t feel some sense of responsibility, having brought him out here and everything.”

He held my gaze for a long beat. “So there’s nothing going on I should know about?”

“No.”

“Nothing at all?”

“No,” I said, but on the inside, I was screaming.

Absolutely nothing to report other than the fact that I may accidentally be falling for your engineer, who kisses like he invented the concept and is currently trying to leave the country.

On the outside, however, I smiled sweetly. “I think you’re imagining things.”

His eyebrows swept up, but before he could respond, I took a step backward, already angling my upper body toward the door. “Well, good luck for your afternoon. I’ll see you next week.”

“Next week?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m going to be gone for a few days later this week. I’ve got some plans.” I gave my hand a dismissive wave. “Summer, you know?”