Page 13 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

The office buzzed with its usual rhythm, phones ringing and keyboards clattering in sync with the hum of conversation.

I stepped through the glass doors, a coffee in hand that was mostly an accessory at this point, given how jittery I already felt.

Theo had been blowing up my phone all morning, and based on his messages, he was either about to break into a song-and-dance routine or deliver news of the apocalypse.

Either way, I wasn’t looking forward to whatever chaos awaited me.

Theo practically ambushed me the moment I stepped inside. “Finally! I’ve been waiting forever.”

I raised an eyebrow and brushed past him toward my office. “You texted me thirty minutes ago. Dramatic much?”

He followed close behind, his usual enthusiasm replaced with a nervous edge. “This is serious, Eva. You need to see.”

I didn’t pause until I reached my desk, setting my bag down with a deliberate thud. “See what?”

Theo glanced at the door, then back at me. He shut it, which he never did, and it instantly set me on edge.

“Check your inbox,” he whispered.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re making this sound like a horror movie.”

“Just do it.”

I pulled up my email and scrolled through the familiar grid of messages. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. But when I refreshed the page, a cold knot formed in my stomach. The newest email was three days old.

My heart sank. “What the hell?”

“Go to your trash folder.”

I clicked over and found… nothing. No recent deletions. “What does this mean?”

Theo shrugged helplessly. “I’m not an IT guy, but it looks like someone hacked us. They’ve been reading and deleting your emails.”

I stared at the screen, bile rising in my throat. My mind raced through the implications: case files, client communications, and sensitive information.

“Who the hell would…” I trailed off as anger replaced my initial shock.

Theo held up his hands. “I’m just the messenger, boss. You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

I took a steadying breath, forcing the panic to the back burner. “Keep this to yourself for now. I’ll handle it.”

He nodded and slipped out of the office, leaving me to stew in the uneasy silence. I already had my phone out, dialing the one person I trusted to deal with this kind of shit.

“Gabe,” I said the moment he picked up. “We’ve got a problem.”

His voice was calm, steady. “What kind of problem?”

“My emails have been hacked,” I said, pacing the length of my office. “They’re deleting everything recent. Three days’ worth of communications, gone.”

“That’s bold. Have you changed your passwords yet?”

“I will. I need you to figure out who’s behind this. Whatever you find, call me immediately.”

“You got it,” he said. “I’ll be at your office soon to resecure your system.”

When the call ended, I stood still, letting the tension roll through me before I grabbed my coffee again. There was no time to waste; I had to push through.

Gabe arrived an hour later as promised, his usual understated appearance belying the fact that he was the best fixer in the business. Tall, lean, and unassuming, he moved with a quiet efficiency that had always reassured me.

He sat at my desk without preamble, pulling out a laptop and a few gadgets. “Show me the damage.”

I pointed at the screen, and he got to work, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“Whoever’s behind this knows what they’re doing,” Gabe said after a while. “They’re covering their tracks well. But no one’s perfect. They’ll slip up eventually. I followed a few leads, but they all came up short.”

I sighed. “I don’t have time for ‘eventually.’”

Gabe met my eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll make it happen.”

Before I could respond, the door swung open, and Jareth strode in, cocky like always. His sharp gaze landed on Gabe, and he was instantly on guard.

“And who’s this?” he asked, his tone dripping with suspicion.

I groaned. “Gabe works for me. He’s handling an IT issue.”

“What kind of issue?” Jareth pressed.

I hesitated, but there was no point in hiding it. “Someone hacked my emails and deleted three days’ worth of communications.”

Jareth’s eyes darkened. “That’s it. This office needs better security.”

“Who the hell is this guy?” Gabe asked without looking up.

Jareth stared at Gabe as if he wanted to beat the hell out of him. Luckily, he chose to focus on the task at hand. He opened his bag and started unpacking it.

Theo sat at his desk, openly gawking like a kid at a candy store.

I shot Theo a quick text.

Eva: Stop ogling and get back to work.

Theo: Have you seen this man? How am I supposed to work?

Me: Just let him do his job.

Theo: Who is he anyway? Another Gabe?

I couldn’t very well tell him that Jareth was a magical cat shifter from a world below us.

Me : Yeah, he’s going to help out with security, kind of like a bodyguard.

Theo: Holy shit. I volunteer to be guarded.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I turned back to my desk. Jareth, of course, was oblivious to the attention. He moved around the room with practiced ease, his shirt lifting slightly every time he reached up to mount a camera. Not that I noticed, I told myself.

Gabe shut his laptop. “System’s secure again. I’ll keep digging for whoever’s behind this, but they’re unusually good. Might take some time.”

“Make it quick, please,” I said.

Nodding, Gabe cast a curious glance at Jareth before leaving.

Jareth sidled up to my desk. “Taking charge looks good on you. Hot as fuck, actually.”

I ignored him as I pretended to focus on my screen. But my ears burned, and I couldn’t stop the faint flush creeping up my neck.

Jareth smirked. “You know, if you ever need help putting someone in their place…”

“Get back to work,” I snapped.

He chuckled, and I wished—not for the first time—that I had a spray bottle in my purse.