Page 139 of His Ruthless Match

Guilt flared hot in my chest. I straightened, trying to compose myself. “I’ve been working on this, Genevieve.”

Sighing, she ran a shaky hand through her disheveled hair. “Meanwhile, I’m holed up in this place like some kind of fugitive. I can’t keep living like this. I’m going crazy.”

I took a deep breath to steady my voice. “I know it’s difficult, but you’re safe there. That’s what matters right now. You have the best guards, and your location is secure.”

Genevieve’s weak smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I know. And Iamgrateful. But I want my life back, Eva. I want normal again. If that’s even possible.”

I wanted that for her too—for both of us. “We’ll get there,” I promised, leaning closer to the screen. “But for now, you have to trust me. I can’t even come see you yet because my safety is at risk, too.”

Worry crept into her tired face. “You’re in danger, too?”

I nodded, exhaling sharply. “Yes. But I’m working diligently to get to the bottom of this. Just hang in there a little longer.”

Genevieve’s fingers twitched against her temple. “Eva… do you believe in hypnosis?”

The question threw me off balance. “Hypnosis?”

“Yeah. What if someone is hypnotizing me? That would explain why I can’t remember any of these things I’ve supposedly done. The bar, me stripping in front of strangers... none of it makes sense. None of it isme.”

My stomach tightened. As absurd as it sounded, she wasn’t wrong to suggest it. What was happening wasn’t normal. “Honestly? You might be onto something. There’s definitely something happening to you that isn’t natural.”

Genevieve sat back, her face paling further, but there was a glimmer of relief in her eyes. “My grandmother used to tell me stories about magic. She swore it was real. I always thought she was just eccentric, but now…”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Genevieve deserved honesty, at least a sliver of the truth. I owed her that much. “Genevieve,” I began softly, “I just want you to know you’re not crazy. There is… otherworldly stuff at play here, and this is not your fault.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her lip quivered before she let out a shaky breath. “You’re serious?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “There’s a whole world you’re not aware of. I’m not going to go into detail now, but you’ve been a pawn in a much bigger game. And I swear I’m going to get to the bottom of it. I won’t give up until you’re free of this.”

Her tears spilled over. “Thank you. God, Eva, I… I thought I was losing my mind.”

“You’re not. And I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you sooner. About everything. I should have listened to you.”

Genevieve nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line as she wiped her cheeks. “Thank you for apologizing. It means more than you know.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get any leads. You deserved better. I hate that so much time has been wasted because I was searching for something that didn’t exist.”

“You were just doing your job, Eva. Don’t blame yourself for this. Like you said, there’s something else at play that’s obviously much bigger than me.” She smiled weakly, a flicker of hope lighting her expression. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Yes. I really believe that.”

When we ended the call, I sat back and stared out at the ocean. The waves glittered under the sun, their constant motion soothing but doing nothing to quiet my racing thoughts. Genevieve’s relief had been palpable, but so was her fear. The weight of her trust settled heavily on my shoulders. I had to get this right. I had to.

The sound of arguing caught my attention, so I stood and headed back inside. The second I stepped into the kitchen, I was greeted by the sight of Grelth, his fists clenched as he glared at Jareth, who was lounging at the table with his usual unbothered air.

“Master Grelth deserves to be treated better,” Grelth shouted. “Master Grelth may quit and find some other asshole to serve!”

Jareth took a slow sip of his coffee. “Fine by me.”

Grelth jabbed a clawed finger at Jareth. “You can’t even wipe your own ass without Master Grelth’s assistance!”

A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it, which earned me a sharp glare from Jareth. I clapped a hand over my mouth, grinning despite myself.

“If you’re done with the theatrics,” Jareth said dryly, setting his mug down, “what is it you actually want?”

Grelth crossed his arms, his nose in the air. “Control of the menu. No more of your plain chicken and boring vegetables. Master Grelth will cook what he deems best.”

Jareth sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. “Fine. You can choose the menu from now on.”