Hayley was able to forgive Simone's transgression, saying that she understood that Mateo was quite handsome. Mateo was jailed for a short time because federal agent Chris Stamp thought it was the only way to keep Mateo safe from Proteus. Simone leaked details of the Proteus investigation to what she believed was a publisher. As it turned out, the "publisher" was really someone working for Proteus – whose identity was revealed as Vanessa Cortlandt. Simone's leak resulted in a sniper gunning down Chris Stamp. Mateo was furious with Simone and ordered her to stay clear of him and his family. Vanessa suffered a nervous breakdown of sorts and was kept under guard at the hospital. Now free from the drug trafficking, Mateo and Hayley were able to return to the more important things in life – like raising their son.