Maia and her sister were like night and day. While Maia was short, bubbly and curvaceous, Faye was tall, lithe and calculated to the point that Mateo almost felt the need to stand at attention when Maia introduced them. He soon realized after a few sips of coffee and a few bites to eat, Faye's sharp brown eyed gaze softened.

"Oh my goodness," Faye said, leaning back in her chair as she dapped a napkin around her mouth. "Thank you so much for that delicious omelet. I feel a bit more human now."

"You're welcome," Mateo said, refilling her and Maia's cups of coffee. "Glad you enjoyed it."

"I did," Faye grinned, tucking her bronze chin length hair behind her ear. "And I'm happy to know you've been making sure Maia eats a decent meal."

"Oh yeah, of course. That was one of our agreements to me being her muse especially after I saw the dire state of her fridge."

"Mm-hm." Faye turned her gaze to Maia. "I knew you weren't eating out here."

"I was!"

"Coffee and muffins don't count." Faye and Mateo said.

Maia rolled her eyes. "Alright you two," she huffed. "I'm glad you can bond over something, but we're not here to discuss my eating habits."

"No, you're right. We're not," Faye said as she tugged out a leather business portfolio from her purse. "And while I'm glad we're on the same page about Maia's health, I'd like to know how the fuck you got her into this engagement situation?"

Mateo gulped at the stern look in Faye's eyes and he wished Maia hadn't rushed this conversation along because it didn't sound like Faye was going to go along with this. He thought he could do this, but if Faye didn't think the situation was good for Maia's image, Mateo wasn't sure he was ready to say goodbye to Maia.

"It's not his fault," Maia said, sliding a hand over his shaking thigh. "I was the one who got us into this."

Faye raised an eyebrow. "How? I know you started the whole fake relationship because of Sven, but how did that lead to an engagement announcement to a goddamn Prince?" she said, pointing her pen at Mateo. "And you should've had the decency to divulge that kind of information when you signed the contract to be Maia's muse. That's something you should at least tell an agent in confidence so I can be prepared for shit like this."

"I know." Mateo sighed as guilt slithered down his spine. "And I'm sorry for that, but I've been keeping my identity a secret for a while out here. I didn't know Sven knew anyone related to my family."

"Of course it was Sven." Faye shook her head as she scribbled a note on her pad. "He's going to be the first one talking shit to the press about you two," she grumbled. "I need to know everything. What's your backstory, how many people know about your relationship and why this announcement was made in the first place."

Mateo's heart thumped. "You're not going to talk us out of this?"

"Oh I would love to, but I know my sister and nothing I say is going to change her mind about this and it wouldn't help if I tried to." Faye sighed. "A reporter from a Dutch newspaper already called me asking about you, so the news is going to spread soon and while I don't agree with this," she said, clasping her hands over her ledger. "The agency is going to love the publicity especially since it adds to your brand being engaged to a Prince and I need to make sure you two don't fuck this up."

"We don't plan on messing this up. Mateo's reputation is on the line with this too."

"I'm sure it is," Faye said, swiping up her pen. "So, tell it to me straight. Why are you hiding and what's on the line for you?"

"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."

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."

Maia beamed. "Yeah we do, which is why I know we can pull this off."

"Mm-hm," Faye said. "How long are you planning to do this for and what's your endgame?"

"I'm not sure how long we're doing this," Mateo said, dragging a hand through his hair as his heart clenched. "And we haven't talked about an endgame."

"That doesn't surprise me," Faye smirked. "Let me work on that. As far as longevity, when does your father expect you to get married?"

"He hasn't said." Mateo shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find out when we get there."

"Alright, well let me know as soon as you do," Faye said, writing that down before she looked up at Maia. "I started getting some things organized for you. I've contacted Demitri and he's agreed to a three month retainer with an extension if need be. I told him you'd fill him in on the particulars of the job."

Mateo raised an eyebrow. "Who's Demitri?"

"He's my stylist and PR manager. He handles any of my publicity needs in Europe, but mostly he does my hair and make-up and designs all of my clothes."

"I get why you have a PR manager, but a stylist?" Mateo chuckled. "I feel like there's a whole side of you I don't know."

"Not really, I'm always me," Maia said, rubbing a curl between her fingers. "But I don't dress as casually as I do here and I'm shamefully addicted to having personally designed clothes and hair and make-up to match."

"There's nothing shameful about that, at least not in my world," Mateo said as a grin tugged at his lips. "I'll make sure a room is prepared for Demitri and tell my mother not to assign a stylist to you. Is there anyone else in your entourage I should know about?"

"No." Maia laughed. "I don't have an entourage, but I'll need to stop in Amsterdam to pick up a few things before we go to Oost Den Burg."

"We can do that," Mateo said, turning his gaze back to Faye. "Is there anything else you think we're missing from our story?"

"Yeah, just one minor yet very important thing," Faye said, digging into her tote sized purse and pulling out a slim black velvet case. "Maia needs a ring on her finger."

"Oh right," Mateo said, looking over at Maia with his heart pounding. "I should...propose to you."

"Y-yeah." Maia bit her lip. "I...guess you should."

"Yes and preferably now," Faye said.

"What?" Maia said, whipping her head to Faye. "At the table?"

"No." Faye scrunched up her face. "I didn't mean this exact minute," she scoffed. "We need to stage these photos and get ahead of the press with a few pictures ready to go on your socials," she said, looking around. "Mateo's ranch is perfect, but you both need to look a bit more," she waved her hands. "Cottagecore fairy tale romance, you get me?"

Maia nodded. "I get you."

Mateo frowned. "I don't know what cottagecore means, but there's a few good spots we can use outside if we need to."

"Great. Maia, why don't you go get changed while Mateo shows me around and picks out a ring for you?"

"Why can't I just pick it out?"

Mateo grinned. "I'm guessing it's to get your real reaction."

"Precisely," Faye said, nodding. "You have to be surprised by something and I don't trust your acting skills."

Maia laughed. "Fair enough. Just give me a half hour," she said, getting up from the table before she pressed a hand to Mateo's shoulder. "No pressure, but Faye's right. My acting skills are terrible so you better pick right."

Mateo grabbed her hand, itching to bring it to his lips. "Then I hope there's a ring that suits you, liefje."

"It doesn't have to be perfect, just one that makes me smile."

"I got it," he said, giving up and kissing her hand.

"Right, I'll be back," she said, padding to the door to slip on her boots and her coat. "Faye, don't be mean to him while I'm gone."

Faye rolled her eyes. "Just hurry up and come back looking cute."

"I already am cute!" Maia huffed as she walked out the door.

Mafeo chuckled, turning his gaze back to Faye and his heart clenched at the knowing look in her eyes.

"Now that she's gone, I can ask you the burning question on my mind."

Mateo gulped. "And what's that?"

"How long have you been in love with my sister?"

A blush burned over his cheeks as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Not sure it's love, but I've liked her for a while."

"Mm, I can tell." She sighed. "This isn't an act for you and Maia's completely oblivious to your feelings, isn't she?"

"No." Mateo shook his head. "She knows how I feel about her."

Faye frowned. "She does?"

"Yes, we've talked about it and she doesn't feel the way I do," he said, stacking their empty plates. "We're just friends."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said, frowning. "It's what she wants and before my father made his announcement, we planned to stop acting like a couple because I made the mistake of catching feelings."

"God, my sister is so blind." Faye shook her head. "I came out here expecting you to be the brunette version of Sven trying to take advantage of Maia's good hearted nature, but you're not." A smile curled over her lips. "You genuinely care about her, don't you?"

"I do and if there was a way to get her out of this engagement without hurting her image or her career, I'd do it."

"I believe you, but going through with this is the best thing for both of you right now and you never know," Faye shrugged. "One day, Maia might see what's staring her right in the face."

"Maybe," Mateo said, chuckling. "But it's nice to know you think I'm good enough for her."

"I'm sure you could be," she said as her phone blazed to life with calls and notifications. Faye snatched up her phone from the table and sighed. "And the shitshow has begun. Pick out a ring while I handle some of these calls."

"Would you like to use my office?"

"Oh that would be perfect," she said, gathering her purse and notepad before he took her down the hall to the office. Faye mouthed a 'thank you' while she answered a call from what he assumed was a reporter.

Mateo nodded, closing the door behind him and heaved a deep sigh. Things were getting very real and very fast. He hadn't thought about how it wasn't just Maia's life that was going to be turned upside down because of the engagement nor had he thought about the act of proposing to Maia.

Sitting down at the table, Mateo opened the velvet case, but he was going to enjoy this part of their plight.

He didn't believe Faye that Maia would ever see him as anything other than a friend, but he could at least make her see that she was worthy of the romance she weaved into her novels and to be treated with the love and care she deserved.

Mateo held up a ring and a smile tugged at his lips.

Even though the end would hurt and he'd always want more than her friendship, it would be worth all the good memories he planned to make with her.

A/N: 🥰 Mateo is definitely in love with Miss Maia. I'm glad Faye isn't fighting them on this and I'm glad she figured it out and she could see that Mateo isn't taking this situation lightly. I'm just waiting for the drama to unfold in Oost Den Burg soon... 😈 I'm also curious if Mateo is going to go full proposal or just pop the ring on her finger 😏 Guess it depends on how real Faye thinks it needs to be....or how lost Mateo gets in his feelings...

I'm sorry for the lateness this weekend and the next chapter might be delayed until Monday, but there will be two chapters this week!