Matheww leaned against his kitchen counter, sipping his coffee as his laptop screen lit up with headlines.
The video was still playing on loop—Andrea Steel, the fiery heiress, delivering a slap so thunderous it could be felt through the screen. Her ex-fiancé, Sebastian Gonzalez, looked stunned, his face frozen in disbelief.
Matheww shook his head. "The internet doesn’t miss a thing," he muttered, pausing the video.
It had only been a few hours since he’d witnessed the aftermath of their argument in person, and now the entire world was dissecting it.
Comments poured in beneath the video:
"She’s so dramatic. Typical heiress behavior!"
"Sebastian deserves better than this mess."
"I heard their families arranged the whole thing for business. No wonder it’s falling apart."
Matheww’s curiosity piqued. He typed “Andrea Steel and Sebastian Gonzalez” into the search bar and hit enter.
A flood of information greeted him—articles detailing their respective family empires, their planned wedding in two weeks, and rumors about their tumultuous relationship.
“So, this wasn’t some regular breakup,” he said to himself, scrolling through an article that speculated on the financial implications of their union. “It’s a business deal gone sour.”
His mind wandered back to the restaurant. He hadn’t planned on intervening, but when Sebastian had raised his fist, instinct kicked in.
It wasn’t every day he played peacemaker between two ultra-rich brats. Yet, Andrea’s confidence had been... interesting. She’d walked out without so much as a backward glance, like she owned the entire world.
He closed his laptop and shook his head. “Stay out of it, Matheww. Not your circus, not your monkeys.”
Just as he was about to return to work, the doorbell rang. He frowned, glancing at the clock. It was late, and he wasn’t expecting anyone. Pushing off the counter, he walked to the door, opened it, and froze.
Andrea Steel stood on his doorstep, arms crossed, her expression sharper than a knife.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.
“Did he or did he not break up with me?” she demanded, skipping any preamble.
Matheww blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” she said, stepping closer. “You were at the restaurant. You saw it. Did he break up with me or not?”
“I—” He paused, utterly baffled. “What does it matter what I think? Shouldn’t you know?”
Andrea scoffed, brushing past him and into his apartment without waiting for an invitation. She paced the room like a caged lion, her heels clicking against the floor. Matheww stared after her, momentarily stunned by the audacity.
“Make yourself at home, why don’t you?” he said dryly, shutting the door.
She ignored him, turning sharply to face him. “Sebastian told my father I broke up with him. Can you believe that? Me!”
Matheww raised an eyebrow. “And why would he lie about that?”
“Because he’s a coward!” she snapped. “He doesn’t want to admit that he couldn’t handle me. So now, my father’s breathing down my neck, telling me to apologize and ‘fix things.’” She made air quotes with her fingers, her frustration palpable.
Matheww leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her unravel. “Sounds like a personal problem.”
Andrea glared at him. “Don’t be smug. You were there. You saw everything. Just tell me the truth.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, yeah, I saw him say he wanted to break up. But you slapped him before he could get more than a sentence out, so…”
Andrea smirked, folding her arms. “Exactly. He broke up with me. End of discussion.”
Matheww raised a hand. “Whoa, hold on. Are you trying to use me as a witness to settle some family drama?”
“Not ‘trying.’ I am using you,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. “You’re the only unbiased person who saw what happened.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Lady, I don’t even know you.”
Andrea waved her hand dismissively. “Details. You’re a detective, right? Aren’t you supposed to help people?”
Matheww frowned. “I’m not your personal problem-solver.”
She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. “Fine. If you won’t help, I’ll just tell everyone you were taking Sebastian’s side.”
Matheww laughed. “Good luck with that. No one even knows I exist.”
Andrea tilted her head, studying him. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“Moved in last week,” he admitted reluctantly.
A sly smile spread across her face. “That explains why you didn’t recognize me earlier. But now you do.”
He rolled his eyes. “Trust me, I wish I didn’t.”
Andrea’s phone buzzed, and she glanced at it, with a strange look of happiness. “Great. My father’s calling again.”