Page 61 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

EVA

T he desk Jareth had cleared for me was tucked in a corner of his cottage, positioned perfectly to overlook the ocean.

It was simple, sturdy—exactly the kind of thing I expected from him—and I couldn’t deny how practical it was.

My laptop was open, but the blinking cursor on my half-finished brief mocked me.

The view outside was mesmerizing. Waves crashed softly against the beach below, the sound soothing.

The endless stretch of ocean shimmered under the afternoon sun, golden light bouncing off the water in a way that made it hard to focus.

I sighed, leaning back in the chair, my eyes drawn to the horizon.

How was I supposed to work when all I wanted was to lose myself in that endless blue?

My phone buzzed on the desk, pulling me from my thoughts. Gabe’s name flashed on the screen, and I grabbed it quickly, relief rushing through me. “Gabe. Please tell me you have something.”

“Would I call if I didn’t?” he replied.

“Fair point. What’ve you got?”

“I’ve been digging into the fake social media accounts,” Gabe said, his voice shifting into something more serious. “There’s a trail—financial, mostly. Payments, server rentals, ad boosts. They all lead back to a company called Cerulean Innovations.”

I scribbled the name down on the notepad next to my laptop. “Cerulean Innovations? Never heard of it.”

“Neither had I,” he admitted. “It’s brand-new. A few months old. No founders listed, no board members, no public records. It’s a complete ghost company.”

“That’s convenient,” I said dryly. “Did you find anything else? A location, a contact, anything?”

“Not yet,” Gabe said, frustration creeping into his tone. “Whoever set this up knows what they’re doing. But I’ll keep at it. I’m emailing you everything I’ve found. Maybe you’ll see something I missed.”

“Thanks, Gabe. Seriously.”

“Anytime, boss,” he said before hanging up.

I opened my email. Gabe’s message was already there, filled with screenshots, spreadsheets, and attachments.

Clicking through them, I scanned the details—payments routed to untraceable accounts, invoices for services that didn’t seem to exist. Whoever set this up had gone to great lengths to stay hidden, but the fact that Gabe had found this much felt like progress.

I leaned forward, jotting notes as I worked. Was Cerulean Innovations a shell company? A front for something larger? My mind raced, threading together possibilities. This could be the lead we needed, the thread that unraveled the entire mess.

But as the minutes ticked by, my focus began to waver. I looked out the window, where the ocean continued its steady, hypnotic dance. The sun was sinking lower, casting the water in deep golden hues. It was beautiful, and for the first time in weeks, I felt a sense of calm.

Genevieve was at the safehouse Jareth had set up for her, complete with some of Raffaele’s guards. Raffaele was handling the chaos in the Crimson Dominion, which could possibly be linked to the bounty on my head. Gabe was uncovering leads.

Here, in this cottage, I felt... secure. It was an unfamiliar sensation, and I wasn’t sure how to process it.

The soft creak of a floorboard broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see Jareth standing in the doorway. His hair was damp, like he’d just stepped out of the shower, and the sunlight caught his golden-brown eyes, making them seem impossibly warm.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“Gabe found something. A company called Cerulean Innovations is attached to the fake Genevieve social media accounts. It might be a lead, but it’s all so vague.”

“Wait. Did you say Cerulean?”

“Yes, why? Have you heard of them?”

Jareth ran a hand through hair. “I saw that name on a billboard when we went to the vampire den a few weeks ago. It was the first time I’d ever heard of Cerulean.

They were advertising for magical scholarships or some shit like that.

The billboard was super creepy… something about the future of magical excellence, whatever the fuck that means.

I think it’s time we have all hands on deck looking into this company. ”

I frowned. “I don’t remember seeing it, but then I was too freaked out at being there. I’ll get Gabe on it from the human side. Do you have contacts here you can ask about them?”

Jareth pulled out his phone. “On it.”

After texting someone, he put his phone away and glanced past me, out the window, then back at me. “You’ve been at it for hours. Want to take a break? Go for a walk?”

“A walk?”

“Yeah,” he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You know, that thing where you put one foot in front of the other? I heard it’s a good way to clear your head.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’re such a smartass.”

“Smartass or not, I doubt you’ll turn down the opportunity to walk out in the open without that fucking wig,” he pointed out, his grin widening.

I closed my laptop and stood, stretching my arms above my head. “All right, you convinced me. Let’s go. There’s actually nothing I want more right now. Wait, do I really need the wig here on my brother’s estate?”

Jareth watched me for a moment, his expression unreadable but warm. “You bet. We don’t know how deep this thing goes. Come on, you could use some fresh air.”

As we stepped outside, the cool breeze carried the scent of salt and earth. The horizon stretched out before us, golden and infinite.

The path through the woods behind Jareth’s cottage was like stepping into another world. The air was crisp, tinged with the salty tang of the ocean, and sunlight filtered through the canopy above, painting golden patterns on the forest floor. Each step crunched softly underfoot in the serene quiet.

Jareth walked with his usual quiet confidence, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, his gaze steady on the trail ahead. He seemed so at home here, so rooted in this place.

“Do you know how lucky you are?” I asked.

He turned his head, his brow furrowing slightly. “What do you mean?”

I gestured around us, letting my arms sweep wide. “This. All of this. A forest in your backyard, the ocean right outside your front door. It’s like something out of a dream.”

He shrugged. “You get used to it.”

I shook my head, smiling as I looked around again. “I don’t think I ever would. It’s wonderful.”

He didn’t respond, but I caught the faintest flicker of something in his expression—pride, maybe, or a quiet satisfaction. For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, it filled me with warmth.

We walked on, the path winding deeper into the woods in an easy, natural silence. With every step, I was more keenly aware of Jareth beside me. His shoulder occasionally brushed mine, and the steadiness of his presence stirred something deeper inside me.

Falling for him was inevitable, wasn’t it? The thought hit me like a punch to the gut, and I found myself glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked calm, completely at ease in his element, while my mind spun itself in knots.

Should I say something? I wondered, my heart stuttering at the mere idea.

My stomach churned as doubt crept in. What if he doesn’t feel the same?

What if I’m just a job to him? The thought sent a sharp pang of embarrassment through me, and I focused on the trail ahead, biting back the urge to blurt something reckless.

“I want to show you something,” Jareth said.

Startled, I blinked up at him. “Show me what?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stopped and held out his hand, palm up. My heart fluttered wildly as I took his hand. His grip was warm, firm but gentle, and the simple touch sent a rush of warmth up my arm.

“Come on,” he said, his lips curving into a faint smile as he led me off the path.

The trees thickened as we walked on, their shadows stretching across the ground. I should’ve been nervous about veering off the marked trail, but with Jareth guiding me, I wasn’t. If anything, I felt safer than I had in weeks, the warmth in my chest growing with every step.

After a few minutes, we stepped into a clearing, and it took my breath away.

A small stream meandered through the space, its crystal-clear water glinting in the sunlight.

The sound of the current was soft and soothing, and the clearing itself felt untouched, as if we were the first people to set foot there in years.

I gasped. “Jareth, this is beautiful.”

Jareth nodded, his gaze fixed on the stream. “It flows all the way to the ocean. I come here to think sometimes.”

I glanced at him, surprised by the vulnerability in his tone. “It’s perfect,” I said sincerely, meaning every word.

He gestured toward a large, flat rock near the stream. “Come on. Best seat in the house.”

We sat side by side on the cool stone. I closed my eyes, listening to the water and the rustling of trees. Peace settled over me, and I inhaled deeply.

“I was thinking about Cerulean Innovations. It’s so new, so secretive. Do you really think it could be tied to Genevieve? It’s the first real lead we have, and I’m trying real hard not to get my hopes up.”

Jareth tilted his head to the side. “It could be,” he said after a moment. “I have my guys on it. But right now? I don’t want to think about any of that.”

A small smile tugged at my lips, and I nodded. “Fair enough.”

His hand brushed lightly against mine before curling around it. The warmth of his touch sent a spark up my arm. I glanced at him, but he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were on the water, his expression calm, though there was a tension in his jaw that made my stomach flip.

“Eva,” he said softly, his voice weighted. “I need to tell you something.”

My heart stilled at the seriousness in his tone. “What is it?” I asked, barely able to hear myself over the pounding of my heart.