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...
Sven grimaced at the headline of the newspaper boasting of Prince Hendrik's return to Oost den Burg and the romantic photo of him proposing to Maia. He skimmed through the article growing angrier by the minute. The reporter completely disregarded his comments about their engagement being a farce. Even the local tabloids were gushing with the news and proudly displayed a recent picture of them kissing in Maia's houseboat.
"Not happy with the news?"
Sven looked up as a curvaceous woman with curly black hair, deep red lips and eyes the shade of the ocean slipped into the chair across from him. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know you."
"You don't," she said, grinning as a waiter brought a tray of tea to the table. "At least not yet."
Sven scoffed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Saskia Everdene," she said, pouring herself a cup of tea. "Prince Jorien thought it would be good if you and I had a chat about your situation."
"And what's my situation?"
Saskia laughed softly. "Don't be coy, Mr. Fontein," she said, taking a sip of tea with her eyes full of mischief. "You need a certain little author to help bolster your menial career and I can help you."
Sven crosses his arms over his chest. "And how can you do that?"
"You want to expose them?" Saskia said, tapping her finger over the picture of Maia and Mateo in the paper. "I have plenty of information and the expertise to help you do that, but I'm not cheap."
Sven raised an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued, Miss Everdene. What expertise do you have?"
"Saskia is just fine." She slid a slip of paper across the table to him before she stood from the table. "It was nice meeting you, Sven."
"You too," Sven murmured as he turned over the piece of paper and a devilish grin curled over his lips.
I'm Prince Hendrik's ex. I'm the reason he left and I can make him do it again. Meet me at the old lighthouse at the edge of the city at 7pm. We'll talk payment for my services then.
Sven slipped the note in his pocket and poured himself another cup of tea. Saskia Everdene. He thought her name sounded familiar. She was the woman Mateo was head over heels for until the damaging news came out of his affairs and Saskia must've been the one who exposed him.
Prince Jorien had certainly done him a favor by sending Saskia his way and he'd pay anything to make sure Maia would come running to him for help when this faux engagement blew up in her face.
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Maia flipped through a fashion magazine as she sat under a hair dryer and a smile tugged at her lips at Demetri and Mateo toking on a joint and chatting like old friends on the patio of Demetri's private studio.
She was a little nervous for them to meet, even though Demetri was a fan of their relationship and Mateo was pretty chill about her casual flings with Demetri, she was still worried they wouldn't like each other or there would be tension between them. Like there was when she and Sven were a couple, but she should've known that would never be the case with Mateo.
