Page 118 of His Ruthless Match

Eva Delgado, once hailed as a top legal mind, follows in her client Genevieve Witt’s erratic footsteps. How long before her career is unsalvageable?

I swiped to the next photo—a grainy shot of me on the streets of New York in a blonde wig, holding what looked like a joint but I knew was just candy.

Delgado lets loose: Top 40 Under 40 star seen slumming it in the city.

It was damning and humiliating. My carefully curated reputation, everything I’d built, had been reduced to tabloid fodder in a matter of hours.

My phone vibrated with notifications—texts, missed calls, emails—but I couldn’t bring myself to answer any of them. Theworld felt like it was closing in around me, the air thick and suffocating.

A sharp sob escaped before I could stop it. I slammed my phone down on the counter, and gripped the edge as I fought to keep it together. My eyes burned, and my throat was so tight I struggled to breathe. This is what it felt like to watch your life fall apart in real time.

I didn’t hear Jareth approach until his voice cut through the silence. “Eva.” He’d gone to install Vivian’s magical tech in Genevieve’s hotel room before I even woke this morning.

I startled slightly, turning to find him standing in the doorway, his eyes sharp but soft with concern. His hair was tousled, like he’d been running his hands through it, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. He looked as unsettled as I felt.

“You saw it,” I said hoarsely. It wasn’t a question. Of course he’d seen it.

“Yeah. I saw it.”

I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and hollow. “Great. Now I can add you to the list of people who think I’ve completely lost it.”

“No one who knows you thinks that,” Jareth said firmly, pulling out the stool beside me and sitting down. His presence grounded me even as my emotions spiraled.

“You mean no one except the entire city of New York?” I snapped, gesturing toward my phone. “Do you have any idea how bad this is? My clients, potential clients, other attorneys… they’re all going to see this. Who’s going to trust a lawyer who looks like… like…”

“Like a human?” Jareth asked. He slid my phone out of reach of my hand. “Stop torturing yourself.”

“I’m not torturing myself,” I said, even as my voice cracked. “I’m being realistic. Everything I’ve worked for—everything I’vebuilt—is unraveling. And for what? Because some asshole with a camera wanted a story?”

My voice broke on the last word, and Jareth’s expression softened. He took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine.

“Eva, you are not defined by a fucking tabloid article. You know who you are. The people who matter know who you are. This? This doesn’t change that.”

“What if it does? What if this is what people remember? Not my work, not my cases—just this?”

Jareth leaned in, his eyes locked on mine, his hand tightening around mine. “Then fuck them. You’re Eva fucking Delgado. You’re brilliant, you’re relentless, and you’re a pain in my ass, but you’re not someone who gives up. You don’t let people like this win.”

My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall. He looked so certain, so unwavering, as if his belief in me could hold me together when I was ready to fall apart.

“You make it sound so simple,” I whispered.

“It is. You’re stronger than this. And you’ve got me. I’m not going anywhere.”

That did it. The tears spilled over. I ducked my head, my hands trembling, and Jareth immediately pulled me into his arms.

He held me like I was something precious, stroking my back as I buried my face into his chest. His warmth and steady heartbeat were everything I needed in that moment, and it made me fall for him just a little harder.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my temple. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

After a while, I pulled back, wiping at my cheeks and managing a shaky smile. “You’re annoyingly good at this comforting thing, you know that?”

He brushed a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. “What can I say? I have a soft spot for stubborn, infuriating women.”

I laughed, the sound lighter this time, and it felt like a small victory. “Lucky me.”

Jareth leaned back slightly, his gaze searching mine. “Seriously, Eva. You’re going to get through this. And if anyone tries to stand in your way, they’ll have to deal with me first.”

My heart stuttered at the intensity in his voice and the way his golden-brown eyes seemed to see straight through my walls. I knew he meant it. Every word.