chapter 5

Ryan woke up to the sound of efficiency.

The soft clicking of a laptop keyboard. Pages turning. The unmistakable clink of a coffee cup being set down. All far too precise for 7 a.m.

He groaned and cracked one eye open.

There was Theo—sitting on the couch in their suite, fully dressed, glasses perched on his nose, typing something with the quiet elegance of someone who definitely had a to-do list.

“You’re working?” Ryan croaked, dragging a pillow over his face. “We just got married.”

“You got married. I’m just managing your schedule now.”

Ryan peeked out from under the pillow. “Are you serious?”

Theo didn’t look up. “You have a meeting at noon with your father. Post-marriage debrief. There’s a breakfast buffet until ten. I’ve left out your suit options on the rack. Pick one that doesn’t look like a rebellion.”

Ryan blinked. “Did I marry my PA?”

Theo finally looked at him. “Would you prefer that?”

Ryan scowled and threw the pillow aside. “No. I’d prefer if none of this was happening.”

“Too late.”

Ryan got up and shuffled toward the coffee Theo had clearly ordered for him. It was exactly how he liked it. Which annoyed him more.

“You seriously planned my day?”

Theo sipped his tea, unreadable as ever. “You're now a married heir to a multi-million company. Either you step up or I’ll do it for you.”

Ryan froze mid-sip. “You’re not my wife.”

Theo shrugged. “I’m your husband. And right now, the more responsible one.”

That shut Ryan up for a second.

He dropped into the seat across from Theo, watching him flip through an itinerary like this was any other job. The strange part? It felt like Theo belonged there. Like he had always been orbiting Ryan’s life in some quiet, frustrating, all-knowing way.

Ryan rubbed his temples. “You’re too calm. It’s freaking me out.”

“Would you prefer I panic?”

“I’d prefer if you showed any emotion at all.”

Theo looked at him then—eyes steady, expression cool. “You want emotion? Okay. I think you’re chaotic, unprofessional, and incredibly exhausting to be around. But unfortunately, you’re also my husband. So until you figure your life out, I’ll be here. Scheduling your meetings. Fixing your image. Keeping you from exploding your inheritance. You’re welcome.”

Ryan blinked.

“…Still not an emotion.”

Theo smiled, just barely. “I’ll try harder tomorrow.”

________

The first thing Ryan noticed when he walked into the office was the silence.

Not the normal, professional kind of silence. No—this was shocked silence. The kind that filled the air when you were the topic of every group chat and whispered hallway gossip.

Everyone looked up.

Someone actually dropped a pen.

And then came Theo—calm, perfectly dressed in navy and gray, tablet in hand, already reading through a schedule like he didn’t just marry the boss’s son over the weekend.

Ryan scowled harder.

“Stop walking like you own the place,” he muttered.

“I don’t,” Theo said without looking up. “You do. Start acting like it.”

Ryan bit his tongue.

They stepped into the elevator. A few brave souls joined them but avoided eye contact. One intern was visibly vibrating from the effort of not asking a thousand questions.

“Congratulations, sir,” the receptionist finally blurted when they passed her desk.

Ryan gave a tight smile.

Theo? He paused just long enough to say, “Thank you,” like he was already used to polite praise from strangers.

Ryan hated how smooth he was.

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Inside the Conference Room

Ryan sat at the head of the table. Theo stood beside him, setting out reports.

The room filled up slowly—department heads, managers, and one or two senior executives. All of them clearly unsure whether to treat Theo like an assistant or a CEO’s spouse. He made it worse by being better prepared than any of them.

“As you’ll see on page four,” Theo began calmly, “the logistics budget for Q3 has an inconsistency.”

Ryan blinked. Since when does he know our logistics budget?

He leaned over and whispered, “Are you planning a coup?”

Theo didn’t stop presenting. “No. I’m planning to stop your department from hemorrhaging money.”

One of the managers chuckled awkwardly.

Ryan looked at him. “Something funny?”

Dead silence.

“Didn’t think so.”

Theo finished his report. Flawlessly. Naturally. Like he’d been doing it for years.

Ryan should’ve been relieved someone was competent.

Instead, he was annoyed. Irritated. And, in a way he didn’t want to admit, outshined.

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