6. MatchMapping
Alexander
Oliver leads me into the living room, a large, light-filled space. Leather couches. An oak bookshelf. Framed family photos on the walls. The smell of coffee lingers in the air. It’s warm. Reassuring. Almost timeless.
“Marion and the kids aren’t here?” I ask.
“No. They went to Honfleur with her parents. The sea air will do them good.”
I realize then that he stayed behind for me.
“You didn’t go home?” he asks.
“No. I spent the night at Sam’s place.”
Something flickers in his eyes. Understanding, maybe.
“Sam…” he repeats slowly. “How is she?”
“She’s fine. She’s looking for a gallery to exhibit her work, but it’s hard when you’re just starting out and haven’t proven yourself yet.”
He nods.
“She’ll get there. She has talent. And more importantly, determination. That’s rare.”
He heads to the kitchen, opens the fridge, and pulls out two beers. I take mine without hesitation. We sit down by the fireplace. The flames crackle. Oliver takes a sip before asking the question that’s been burning his lips.
“And you… how are you holding up?”
I let out a humorless laugh.
“I feel like a complete idiot.”
That’s the understatement of the year.
I tell him everything.
The recent decision to take things to the next level with Kristel.
Buying the ring—with Sam’s help.
Showing up at Kristel’s place unannounced.
The scene in the bedroom.
The night wandering the streets.
Sam opening her door to me.
Oliver listens without interrupting. His jaw tightens little by little. When I finish, he mutters a curse.
“Wait… you’re telling me she not only cheated on you, but she’s blackmailing you on top of that?”
“Yes.”
He exhales, runs a hand through his hair.
“Jesus… she’s got some nerve.”
“I don’t know if she’s speaking out of anger or if she’s serious, but if she follows through on that threat—less than two months before the IPO—it could do serious damage.”
Oliver frowns, eyes narrowed, already calculating the fallout.
“If I understand correctly, you haven’t officially proposed yet, and publicly, no one even knew you were together.”
“That’s where it gets complicated,” I sigh.
I take a breath.
“David and I let a few things slip to investors. Nothing official, just hints. We wanted to project stability. Maturity. It was Kristel’s idea, actually.”
I pause.
“After all, what’s more marketable than the CEO of a dating app who’s found love himself? We even started planting clues on social media: ‘The CEO of MatchMapping has found his soulmate…’ See the irony?”
“I see the problem now,” he says finally. “I’m surprised you managed to keep the relationship quiet for so long.”
“Kristel wanted it that way. She knew the strongest lever in any network isn’t visibility—it’s implicit endorsement.
I never introduced her as my partner. I just introduced her.
And in that silence, everything happened: if he brings her in, then she’s trustworthy.
I became her guarantor without even realizing it. ”
“She’s smart,” Oliver admits.
“Yes. And methodical.”
I tighten my grip on the bottle.
“If she talks now, she can say whatever she wants. Truth won’t matter. Investors will remember only one thing: media chaos.”
I look at him.
“‘Young MatchMapping CEO entangled in romantic scandal.’ With an IPO looming, the slightest instability becomes a red flag.”
Oliver gets up and starts pacing. He always does that when he’s thinking seriously.
“You have to be able to stop her.”
“I don’t know,” I say quietly. “I feel like I’m discovering someone I never really knew. Or maybe someone I refused to see. I keep wondering how far she’s willing to go to get what she wants.”
I swallow.
“I’m not even sure she ever loved me.”
My voice cracks. Because suddenly, everything collapses.
A long silence settles between us.
Oliver finally stops pacing. He looks at me, thoughtful.
“You might be able to cut the ground out from under her.”
“How?”
He hesitates, as if weighing the consequences.
“Hear me out before you tell me I’m insane.”
“Go on.”
“Officially, no one knew you were with Kristel.”
“No.”
“Then you take back control of the narrative.”
He pauses.
“You announce your engagement.”
“Oliver—”
“Not with Kristel. With someone else. Someone credible.”
I go still.
“You give investors the image they expect,” he explains. “And Kristel looks like a bitter ex if she tries anything.”
“It’s risky.”
“But doable.”
I think. The entrepreneur in me is already running risk-benefit analyses.
“Where do you expect me to find that person?”
“An actress? An escort? Someone professional?” he suggests.
“And risk her blackmailing me later? Selling her story to the tabloids in six months? No thanks. The gossip press would pay a fortune for ‘The Truth About the Fake Engagement of the MatchMapping CEO.’ That would be worse than anything.”
Silence again.
“You need someone you can trust,” he says. “Someone who would never betray you.”
Suddenly, a face imposes itself in my mind.
Dark eyes.
A bright smile.
A woman who held me while I fell apart.
Who has never lied to me.
Oliver seems to read my thoughts.
“Sam,” he murmurs.
I nod, my heart pounding.
“Sam.”
He doesn’t look surprised.
“It could work. You’ve been close for years. No one would question it.”
“And she’s Kristel’s half-sister. The story holds.”
Oliver nods.
“And if Kristel tries anything… you end her with a single fact.”
“Exactly.”
Then he looks at me, suddenly serious.
“One thing, though.”
“What?”
“Don’t play with her feelings.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“Sam,” he says. “She was in love with you three years ago. When you got together with Kristel, it nearly destroyed her.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” I snap. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? You never wondered why she moved in with the Lacroix sisters so suddenly back then?”
I freeze. Memories rush back. Her sudden distance. The declined invitations. The sadness.
“Oliver…”
“I’m just saying—be careful. Don’t hurt her.”
Is it possible that…? No. That’s absurd. I would have known.
“If this is what you want to do, go talk to her now,” my brother says. “You have to move fast before Kristel pulls something.”
“You’re right.”
I nod, my heart hammering.
Because my brother is right.
I have to talk to Sam.
A few months. That’s all I’m asking for.
To save my company. To neutralize Kristel.
But will she agree?