Mateo has a terrible, awful crush on Maia Jefferies, the painfully beautiful best-selling novelist who lives next door, but he promised himself he'd never fall for the kindness of a woman like her. Not again. He's been down that road and was left lo...
"Right," Mateo said, sliding his hand over Maia's. "But first let me say that I would have never dragged Maia into my life like this and I hope you don't judge me too harshly for the things I've done."
Faye raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I work with a lot of two-bit actors who get themselves into a lot of stupid shit. What you have to say isn't going to faze me, and I'm not here to judge you," she said as her brown eyes hardened into a glare. "But I will fuck you up if you hurt my sister."
"Faye!" Maia said, sliding a hand over her face.
"I'm just being honest. I'm here to protect you and your life, not his."
A wave of relief and a weight lifted from his shoulders as a smile tugged at Mateo's lips. "Then you and I want the same thing. My reputation will be what it'll be. My main concern is that Maia's image won't be damaged by her association with me," Mateo said, taking a drink from his mug. "I'll do whatever you think is best to prevent that."
Faye's gaze softened. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that," she said, nodding. "So, go on. Tell me everything."
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Faye scribbled down notes on her pad while Mateo rehashed his damaging past with Saskia before he and Maia spent the rest of the morning explaining their current plan of action and how they'd gone from being a muse and and author to faking a relationship to being engaged in a matter of a few days.
Faye rubbed her fingers over her temples. "Alright, let me get this straight because there's a lot to unpack here," she said, heaving a deep sigh. "Sven's off on one and trying to be a hero to 'save you from the scandalous Prince of Oost den Burg'." Faye rolled her eyes. "Which is definitely the narrative he's going to play to make himself look good for his acting career."
"Yep," Maia said, sighing into her cup of juice.
"And Mateo, good lord. Besides your father's random announcement and throwing you back into the limelight, it seems like you've got a whole ass mess waiting for you," Faye said, shaking her head. "I don't care what you say, I'll bet money that your brother organized that shit with your ex." She scoffed. "But I need to know what steps you're taking to make sure something like that doesn't happen to you while you're with Maia or worse, if it happens to her."
"I understand." Mateo said, sitting up straight. "And I have a plan for that. I organized a primary and secondary security team for Maia, they know to check her food and drinks, vet any media and guests to any parties or functions. They also know about Sven's relationship with my sister-in-law and to keep him from getting near Maia."
"Good." Faye nodded, writing that down. "I'll need their contact information and do you have the same setup?"
"I do and there shouldn't be any reason for me to get into a situation like that," he said, looking over at Maia. "I'll be in meetings or with Maia the majority of the time we're in Oost den Burg."
"I would hope so, you both need to play up the narrative of being a little lovesick couple, which I'll be honest." Faye smiled. "You vibe really well with each other."
