The CEO's Temporary Assistant

Coffee-Brown Eyes

Elise tossed and turned on the bed that the hotel keeper had given them. The man had told them earlier that this five-star hotel was owned by Olivia Fabien herself. Despite that, she couldn't stop thinking about how that arrogant woman had treated them with hostility the moment they reached this fancy hotel.

"I'll just be in my suite. If you need anything, call the front desk. Do not disturb me," she remembered Olivia saying.

"Who did she think she was?" Elise mumbled to herself. "Olivia's mom seemed to have eaten only a bitter gourd when she was pregnant with her."

Anyhow, it was a gigantic room; four times bigger than their own house on the farm. Large crystalline lights hung in the air, and the atmosphere inside had been cold because of the air conditioner.

"Do you like this place, child?" her Aunt asked.

Elise immediately shook her head in disapproval. "It's too fancy for me, auntie. I like our farm better."

"Child, you are smart and beautiful. You don't deserve to be kept on the farm. You deserve to be in the city so you could put your talents and skills to good use," her aunt replied.

Elise smiled wryly. "Are you giving me away already? You and uncle Jose are the only gems I want to take care of for the rest of my life, auntie. End of discussion."

Aunt Milda only laughed at her reply. "Well, we will know what your destiny will be soon. Just remember that your uncle and I will always be here for you."

"What's with all the drama, auntie?" Elise asked, giggling. Her aunt Milda only smiled sweetly as the bedsheet ruffled with her wrinkled hand.

Later that evening, a server knocked on the door and brought a variety of food inside the room. "Mrs. Cortez, Miss Cortez, I am Rod, your server. Miss Fabien sent these for you," he said.

"She did?" Elise asked in disbelief. "How could that rogue of a woman be so hostile and thoughtful at the same time?"

"Yes, Miss Cortez. Your meal this evening comprises Chinese Chicken Salad, seafood and Chicken Paella, ravioli, and Spring Carbonara. Miss Olivia would also like to present a bottle of red wine to you."

As much as Elise hated that CEO, she couldn't deny the fact that sending them this exquisite meal warmed her heart.

"That CEO seems thoughtful after all," Aunt Milda exclaimed as they started to dine together.

"Well, she better be! After all, we are VIPs," Elise replied with disdain as she popped the cork open.

It was already past midnight when Elise started feeling tipsy. Her aunt Milda was already sleeping on the bed across from her.

"Auntie!" she called, but the old lady only let out a grunt before turning her back against her. Elise started walking toward the window. And when she had gotten closer, she could only gasped at the sight that had welcomed her eyes.

"Awesome," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the city lights that flickered almost everywhere. She stayed in that spot for a while but felt sorry when she remembered her uncle Jose.

"I wish uncle was here. I know he would say that the scenery on the farm is better compared to this," she thought, giggling upon remembering her uncle saying that everything in the city was superficial. "You might be right about that, Uncle Jose," she whispered to herself, breathing on the glass so she could draw a little heart from the mist she created.

She moved a little and realized that the room was spinning. Squinting her eyes, she sashayed toward the table and found an empty bottle of red wine and two wine glasses. She remembered her aunt Milda gulping an inconsiderable amount of the wine, but it had been she who had drunk all the contents. She hadn't been a heavy drinker, but that wine had been expensive and delicious. Before she knew it, she had already consumed the contents.

Elise felt lightheaded, but the image of Olivia crossed her mind.

"That arrogant goddess might already be asleep in her big and soft bed. Should I go to her and get my underwear? Why did she even take an interest in my thing? Does she want to wear it?"

The thoughts felt silly, overwhelming her. Imagining Olivia wearing her underwear tickled her to the bones. Then, Aunt Milda stirred and mumbled something in her sleep. Elise couldn't stop herself from laughing. She then decided one thing, "Olivia Fabien, I’m going to get my underwear, you piece of shit."

Staggering, Elise blindly grappled at the door. Her drunken eyes expertly examined each room number as she mumbled Olivia's name. And when she finally reached her, everything had gone blank.

Upon waking up, Elise had felt the intense urge to pee. Searing pain in her head had made her moan a little. When she sat up on the bed, she realized that she was still in the hotel. The room was pitch-dark, but she noticed the small digital clock on the study table beside her. It was already 3 AM.

"Auntie?" she whispered to herself upon noticing a person beside her. Elise pulled the blanket to cover her aunt’s exposed arm. Aunt Milda was lying on her side, with her back turned against her, but she decided not to stir the old woman’s peaceful slumber. "Sleep well, auntie. I’ll just be in the bathroom."

Her head was throbbing with pain, and she felt like throwing up. She spent another five minutes inside the bathroom before she went back to her bed.

"Auntie," she mumbled. "My head hurts. Damn that rich b***h for giving me that bottle of wine!"

Elise then started sniffing her aunt’s hair out of habit, and her brows knitted into a frown when she noticed something. "Auntie? Your hair smells different." She sniffed her again and confirmed that it was indeed a fresh smell. "Did you change your shampoo today, auntie?" But there was no response.

Grunting, she shook the idea away and snuggled into her aunt even more. But she became more confused when she realized that her Aunt Milda had become thinner than usual. "Why have you become so thin, auntie? Oh, jeez. Uncle Jose's going to kill me."

Just then, Aunt Milda finally stirred and reached for the lampshade beside her. But when the room finally flooded with light, Elise's heart stopped when she realized who she had been hugging and sniffing.

"Elise," the woman beside her said in a rough but confident voice. "You seem lost, probinsyana."

"O-Olivia?" Elise stammered.

***

The trip had exhausted Olivia, not only because she had driven back and forth but also because that probinsyana had given her a headache.

"Why does she have to be so hard to handle?" Olivia shook her thoughts away and felt disturbed when the ringing of her phone filled the room. She casually walked towards it and groaned when she saw who was calling.

"Hey, Grandma."

Despite that, the excited tone of her grandmother's voice made her feel a little better. Her grandmother might be hard-headed as a clam, but Olivia still wanted her to be happy all the time. Imagining the happiness she would bring to her tomorrow made Olivia's heart flutter.

"Did Milda come with you, dear?"

Olivia nodded her head before answering. "Yes, Grandma. We'll be at the mansion tomorrow. And she also brought her annoying niece with her."

"Oh, that's good! I'm excited to meet them. But I told you to bring them to me tonight, didn't I?"

Sighing, Olivia put the phone between her neck and ear as she started unbuttoning her shirt. "They're tired, Grandma. And so am I. I took them here to one of our five-star hotels—"

"Did you let them eat?" her grandmother interjected.

Olivia shut her eyes because she had forgotten to feed them. "I... I'm going to send food to their room."

"Hurry, Olivia. It's already late. Don't let them sleep with empty stomachs! Bring the best five-star hotel meals, and oh, don't forget to give Milda's niece a bottle of red wine."

Rolling her eyes, Olivia assured her grandmother that she would do as she was told. After the call, she immediately made another phone call to the main office of the building. "Julie, bring the most exquisite meals for my visitors in Room 307. Yes, the one next to my suite. And, tell the server that Miss Elise Cortez will have a bottle of red wine as a present. And, I'll also have a bottle of champagne delivered to my suite now."

"No heavy meals for you, Miss Fabien?" the receptionist asked.

"No. Just bring me a platter of Spring Carbonara."

She ended the conversation and sighed. Olivia continued undressing, letting her clothes fall on the carpeted floor before going inside the bathroom. As she turned the faucet on, her thoughts lingered on the moment she and Elise had met.

"I shouldn't have complimented her in front of Franko if I had known she would just slap me," she mumbled to herself. She then walked towards her scattered clothes and reached for her cargo pants. She searched her pockets and found Elise's undergarment. Clicking her tongue, she went back inside the bathroom and put the underwear near the sink. Then she poured some powder into her bathtub so it would start bubbling as the water continued to rise. "How silly of her to antagonize me."

The server brought her champagne later on. She ate the Spring Carbonara before settling in the tub with a champagne glass in hand. She took a drink from her glass and summoned all the energy that would bring her some kind of peacefulness. But every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Elise's oval-shaped face and luscious lips. The scene that afternoon kept on repeating in her mind like a broken film.

Olivia reached for the bottle and drank from it through the lid. "Oh God," she mumbled in frustration. "Where is the distraction I gravely needed?"

Feeling pissed, she settled in the tub again and tried closing her eyes once more. She started to feel numb, and her consciousness drifted away into nothingness.

She might have indeed slept in the tub for a couple of minutes because her neck was already aching when she opened her eyes again. When she looked for her champagne glass once more, she found it empty on the carpeted floor. She then stood up and walked toward the shower room to wipe all the soap from her body. Grabbing a white robe and wrapping it around her, she went out and changed into a gray satin sleeping gown, then dried her pixie-cut hair using a blower. Finally, she settled on the bed, feeling refreshed.

She was already drifting to sleep when Elise's face came into view again.

"f**k! Why can't I get her out of my head!"

Olivia decided to go and check on them so she could say in front of that probinsyana's face how much of a bother she had been today. But just as she was about to open the door, it was flung open, and someone collapsed in her arms.

Time suddenly stopped when Olivia realized who it was.

"E—Elise? W—what the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Coffee-brown eyes..."

Olivia could smell the intoxication in Elise's breath, and she couldn't suppress a smile. "What the f**k are you talking about?"

"Coffee—" Elise mumbled again before passing out.

"Hey, don't you dare pass out on me, you retard!"

But it was too late. The probinsyana had already taken a vacation to dreamland.

Groaning, Olivia gently scooped her up and put her on her bed. She stood there, looking at her and wanting to smack her on the forehead. And yet, as she stared at her sleeping face, she couldn't deny the fact that Elise was such a beauty.

Heaving a deep sigh, Olivia turned away and sank back to the other side of the bed. "How lucky are you to ride in my vehicles and even sleep in my bed!" she grumbled as she shut her eyes to sleep.

Olivia was just drifting when Elise started moving beside her. As much as Olivia hated drunk girls and how much she wanted nothing more than to get this psycho out of her doors, there was something about Elise that had stopped her from calling the hotel staff.

The probinsyana looked adorable when her eyes were closed and not constantly throwing daggers at her. Even more so, it intrigued her how this stranger had been mumbling her name repeatedly all night long.

It was already past 3 AM when she felt Elise waking up and starting to bother her again. The wealthy CEO had been sleepless overnight since Elise was constantly moving on her bed, not giving her much of a rest. Now, as Elise started walking toward her bathroom, Olivia wanted to yell at her. But the girl still looked a little disoriented. She resigned herself to watch her as she moved like a zombie on the loose.

"Crazy probinsyana," she said to herself.

Elise went back to bed after spending ten minutes in the bathroom. Olivia was about to confront her, but Elise suddenly started sniffing her hair. The act immediately sent a surge of panic through Olivia's stomach. The hairs on her body stood up as Elise continued to torture her with her nose.

What the hell is she doing?

"Auntie? Your hair smells—different. Did you change your shampoo today, auntie?"

Just then, Elise's frail arms braced her already frigid body. She felt Elise's smooth skin as she snuggled closer to her. Olivia felt uncomfortable... and hot.

Wait! Did I actually feel hot because of this probinsyana? f**k!

"Why have you become so thin, auntie? Oh, jeez. Uncle Jose's going to kill me."

I'm not your aunt, dimwit!

Not being able to contain the intensity of her touch, Olivia reached for the lampshade, and the yellow light of the lamp immediately flooded all over them. She stared at Elise's round eyes and the curves of her inviting lips. It shocked her fully, especially since Elise was only three inches away from her.

"Elise," she breathed her name, smirking.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"You seem lost, probinsyana," she whispered, filling the intense silence between them.

"O-Olivia?"

Elise's eyes popped open when she realized what she had been doing. She tried to withdraw them, but Olivia stopped her and even pulled her closer.

"I'm pretty sure this is not your suite, Miss Elise," she taunted her, marveling as Elise became panicky in front of her.

"W—what the hell are you doing to me?"

Elise moved away from her, but Olivia pinned her on the bed. "I should be the one asking you that. Do you remember what you did to me?"

Olivia watched her face as Elise realized what was happening.

"Oh, my God," Elise exclaimed, her face looking so disgusted and embarrassed.

"You don't know how annoyed I am because of your drunk-ass antics. Do you even know the troubles I had to go through because of you? I canceled everything yesterday just because I had to fetch you and your aunt!"

Olivia's face moved closer, threatening the girl that she would consume her mouth if she even moved an inch.

"And do you realize how tired I am because of the trip? Girl, I could take advantage of you now as payment for the nuances you caused me."

Elise was already whimpering as Olivia hovered over her. "P-please, I'm sorry."

Obviously, Elise was already getting terrified of her. Olivia wanted to laugh, her heart abnormally racing inside her chest.

"Please, Olivia. Let me go."

Chuckling, Olivia released her and stood up from the bed. This girl had been so hard to handle since yesterday. But now, she felt that power coming back to her again.

"So, you know how to apologize."

Elise didn't say anything, but she finally got up from the bed. Fixing her tousled hair, she glared at Olivia and stomped toward the door.

"I did not tell you to go out yet," Olivia warned her, smirking again when Elise stopped to slowly look at her. But, she saw a glimmer of tears in the girl's eyes, catching her off guard.

"I did not apologize because I felt sorry for the things I did to you while I was drunk. I said sorry because I pity you."

The statement almost made her laugh. "You pity me? How ridiculous!"

Then there was silence again. Olivia stared at Elise, whose face was half-hidden in the shadows, her hand reaching her face to wipe off her tears. "I will never like you, Miss Olivia Fabien."

Olivia's jaw dropped when Elise slapped those words at her. And when she was gone, she sank onto her bed and felt too weak to move. She did not understand why the probinsyana's words had affected her that much.