Page 104 of His Ruthless Match

Jareth looked equally surprised but recovered faster, nodding casually. “Yeah, of course, you can have the day off. Go enjoy yourself, Grelth. You’ve earned it. Besides, we already ate.”

Grelth tilted his head slightly, as if considering the offer, before giving a sharp, approving nod. “Very well. Master Grelth accepts your benevolence. I shall return for dinner.”

He turned on his heel to leave, but just as he reached the doorway, he paused. Over his shoulder, he delivered his parting remark, completely deadpan. “By the way, Master Grelth can see your nipple.”

And with that, he popped away, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.

I froze, my mind grinding to a halt as his words registered. Slowly, I glanced down in horror. Sure enough, the edge of the sheet had slipped, and my left breast was peeking out. I yanked the covers up to my chin, my face blazing with embarrassment.

“Oh my god,” I muttered, burying my face in my hands. “This is mortifying.”

Jareth was shaking with laughter. “Well, Grelth certainly knows how to make an exit.”

I grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at him, hitting him square in the chest. “You could’ve told me!”

“Where’s the fun in that?” he replied, tossing the pillow back with a grin. “Besides, you seemed so confident in your cover-up technique.”

“I hate you,” I muttered, though the twitch of my lips betrayed me. As much as I wanted to stay mad, his stupid grin was contagious.

“Sure you do. Though, you’re going to have to work harder to convince me.”

I let out a long sigh and sat up properly, clutching the sheet tightly around me. “I feel terrible. We didn’t even know it was his birthday.”

Jareth shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “Grelth doesn’t strike me as the type to enjoy parties. But if it makes you feel better, we can do something for him later. Maybe cake or a small gift.”

“He deserves something nice,” I murmured, glancing toward the door where he’d stood moments ago. “Even if he does have the worst timing in the world.”

I was perchedat the kitchen counter, my laptop open in front of me, scrolling through the latest updates on my caseload. Worry gnawed at me. Genevieve. Jareth. Too many thoughts whirled in my mind, making it hard to concentrate. Work usually helped focus my mind, but today, even the technicalities of my assignments failed to hold my attention.

My phone vibrated, and I glanced over to see Genevieve’s name flashing on the screen. Genevieve’s name flashed on the screen. My stomach twisted as I answered immediately.

“Genevieve? Everything okay?”

“I hate to bother you, Eva,” she began, her voice bordering on frantic. “But I can’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to go against your advice, but I can’t stay in this hotel room for another second.”

“What happened?” I pressed, my mind already running through worst-case scenarios.

“The rat,” Genevieve said, her voice breaking. “It’s back. I swear it’s the same one. Pest control came and said there was nothing, but it’s here. Scratching in the walls, watching me from around the corner. I can’t sleep. I’m losing my mind.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Okay, listen. Jareth and I will come get you, and we’ll move you to another hotel.”

Genevieve exhaled shakily, her relief palpable even through the phone. “Thank you,” she whispered.

I hung up and turned toward Jareth, who was leaning against the counter, watching me with an arched brow. “Genevieve’s at her breaking point. We need to move her to a new location.”

“Let me guess. The rat?” he asked, one corner of his mouth tugging upward in amusement.

“Don’t start,” I warned, narrowing my eyes. “She’s paranoid, and honestly, I don’t blame her. We’ve got guards in place, but she still feels unsafe.”

Jareth nodded in understanding. He grabbed his keys from the counter. “All right. Let’s go.”

I stared out the window,my mind tangled in a web of plans and what-ifs.

“The last time we saw her, she looked horrible,” I said. “Like she hadn’t slept in days. We need to figure out who’s behind this before she completely unravels.”

“We will. Let’s just focus on getting her out of that hotel for now.”

“Easier said than done. Have you heard anything new from your contacts in The Below?”