The CEO's Temporary Assistant

The Cousins

Everything moved slowly as Elise fell into the pool. She then noticed how Elise gracefully glided into the water and submerged for a couple of minutes, but then flawlessly rose above the water, causing everything around her to appear suspended in crystalline gems. Olivia suddenly felt terrified of herself. She was utterly mesmerized by this probinsyana.

Olivia moved away from her as Elise was about to swim toward her. The slow-motion experience she had just a few seconds ago disgusted her. "You're such a clumsy little brat!" she said in an irritated tone. "You practically ruined my morning!"

She got out of the pool, leaving Elise furious.

"Brat? I thought that was you!"

"Shut the f**k up!"

"Can you at least pull me up?" Elise said, trying to stifle a cough. "I drank chlorine! I don't even know how many germs are floating in here."

"My pool is clean, i***t! But now, not anymore since your disgusting yellow dress is all over the water!"

"Is that how cold-hearted you are?" Elise yelled as she helplessly tried to pull her body out of the water. "You really won't help me?"

Olivia only rolled her eyes and grumpily tied a white towel around her waist. "Have fun drinking chlorine."

Suddenly, Xander's hurried footsteps were heard, intensifying Olivia's foul mood.

"Elise! What happened?" the hound asked breathlessly. She couldn't understand why, but something stirred inside her as she watched the man pull the probinsyana up. The girl seemed pleased, and Xander practically enjoyed playing the hero.

Olivia hated his guts, especially his ability to charm all the girls around them. Turning around, she walked back toward them and exclaimed in a grumpy tone, "So, Xander, you're here."

Elise had managed to sit by the edge of the pool, already shivering.

"What the hell, Miss Fabien? I really can't believe you," Xander barked at her. "Is this how you treat your visitor?"

Rolling her eyes, Olivia drew out a smirk as the two of them stared squarely at each other. "I know what you're up to, Xander. You're being an attention-seeker and an asshole again!"

"Look who's talking. I just helped this poor girl out of the water because that's what genuine gentlemen do. What's wrong with that?"

They could hear Elise saying something, but it was hard to stay away from arguing with Xander. She couldn't believe the audacity of this annoying man.

"Don't give me that double standard idea, Xander. Everybody knows I'm more of a gentleman than you are!"

"You left Elise in that damn pool! Is that what you call a gentleman? Well, what can I say? You're not even a real man."

"That hurts my ego now, Xander," Olivia replied between gritted teeth.

"Don't take it personally, Olivia. But why have you been affected anyway? It's not like she's one of your girls," Xander continued to taunt her, his abs glistening underneath the sun's rays.

"You are such an ass! I'm so out of words," Olivia replied, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

"Well, same as you."

The two of them continued bickering while Elise stood in front of them, shivering and looking confused.

"Guys!" Elise called again, louder than she had intended. "Are the two of you done? Because I am shivering right now!"

"Will you shut--"

Olivia's eyes darted upon her, cursing at what was displayed in front of her.

She could only stare at Elise and Xander mirrored her reaction. The tight-fitting dress was so thin that it almost looked like a wet nightgown. The yellow dress had transformed into a sexy fabric that revealed the probinsyana's curvaceous body.

"W-what? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Seriously, does this freakin' probinsyana know how hot she is?" Olivia screamed in her mind.

Elise was frantic when she suddenly understood the extent of their silence. Her hands automatically flew to cover her luscious boobs as she hastily walked away from them. "Perverts!" she yelled angrily. The two could only follow her with their eyes.

"She even got a busty behind," exclaimed Xander. "Am I not allowed to copulate with that girl?" Xander muttered, which prompted Olivia to throw her fist across his face.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

Heaving a sigh, Olivia cleared her throat as Xander chuckled from the jab he had received from her.

"Don't f*****g touch her!" She exclaimed, feeling the veins on her forehead pulsating as she glared at him.

Laughing, Xander patted her cheeks and replied with a grin, "Of course, cousin. All the nicest things are yours."

***

"I can't believe what happened today, Auntie," Elise said, recounting the incident to her aunt. The old lady could only laugh in response.

"Well, that means both of the Fabien children find you attractive," Auntie Milda chuckled.

"And where the hell did you get that idea, Auntie?" Elise asked, irritated by the comment. But deep down, she was taken aback by her aunt's statement, before realizing something. "Hey, did you say they are both Fabien children?"

Auntie Milda nodded her grey head and smiled sweetly. "You heard it right. Oh, I remember how small they were when I was still working here."

"I mean, how?" Elise couldn't forget how Xander had seamlessly blended in with the workers in the garden that morning. There was no way the two of them could be related. "I thought Xander was just a worker."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Ma'am Milda, Mrs. Fabien wants to talk to you," a familiar voice called from outside the room. Elise hurriedly walked to the door and opened it, coming face to face with one of the mansion's servants.

"She'll be out in a minute," she kindly replied. The servant bowed her head before leaving. Elise returned to her aunt's side and embraced her arm.

"I want to go home," she whispered. They had only been in this mansion for less than a week, and it was already stressing her out. Dealing with not one, but two impossibly gorgeous Fabien siblings was overwhelming.

Back in the province, Elise didn't have to face an intimidating girl and a handsome but perverted young man every day. She wasn't used to such attention.

Suddenly, her breathing hitched as she remembered how the two of them had marveled at her body earlier that morning.

"We'll go home soon, my child. But for now, I still have a friend and patient to attend to."

Right, her aunt was needed in this mansion so Elise might be able to endure a little longer. Aunt Milda now stood up from the bed, grunting. Clutching her knitting materials, she quietly exited the room, leaving Elise lost in her thoughts.

She spent the rest of the morning painting the butterfly sanctuary she had seen earlier. Elise was grateful that her Uncle Jose had packed her painting materials and novels from the province. And after three hours of painting, she decided to take a stroll around the mansion. Not long after she stepped out of her room, she noticed a familiar figure approaching her. She attempted to change direction to avoid Olivia, but it was too late.

"Hey!" Olivia called out, and Elise's shoes skidded as she half-heartedly ran back towards her room. But Olivia was faster, already standing in front of her.

"What?" Elise asked, irritated. Olivia stared at her, but Elise met her gaze with intensity and a scowl on her face. "What is it, Miss Fabien?"

"Olive. Call me Olive."

"Huh?"

Elise suddenly felt something was wrong. Unlike the usual treatment, the CEO actually seemed kinder this time. At least that's what she could make out of the way Olivia's brown eyes gazed at her.

"Do you really have to make me repeat everything that I say? I said, call me Olive," she insisted, her tone smoother than before.

"Fine. If that's what you want. What else?" Elise asked, noticing a sudden shyness in Olivia's tone, which was rather weird. "But I thought you wanted me to know my place? Calling you by that name would mean addressing you more informally," Elise pointed out, immediately catching the usual irritation in the CEO's face.

"Then be it. Suit yourself," Olivia retorted, her tone now carrying a touch of annoyance.

"Yeah, whatever," Elise taunted.

Silence filled the air as Olivia heaved another sigh. Her eyes quickly darted to the ceiling before landing back on Elise. The CEO wanted to say something but she was hesitating and utterly at loss for words. Nevertheless, Elise waited patiently, curious enough to know what was going on in Olivia's gorgeous head.

"You know what, just forget it," Olivia finally replied, turning to walk away.

"Weird!" Elise muttered, also turning on her heels.

"Wait, Elise," Olivia called out again.

Rolling her eyes, Elise gazed back at her, answering in an irritated tone. "Now what, Olive?"

She might have imagined it, but the way Olivia beamed when she uttered the name was overwhelming.

"Do you want a tour around the house?"

This whole switch in the CEO's attitude was confusing, but it felt nice. "Sure."

Olivia ran a hand through her pixie-cut hair and glanced at her wristwatch, nearly causing Elise to choke on her saliva at the sight. "Come with me," Olivia said, surprising Elise even more as she took hold of her wrist. They walked quietly, climbing winding stairs and passing under big and small chandeliers.

"So, where do we go first?" Elise asked, catching a whiff of Olivia's intoxicating perfume as they continued to walk side by side. The firm grip Olivia had on her wrist sent a surge of electricity through her, a sensation she had never felt before.

"You'll find out if you come," Olivia replied, her other hand tucked inside her pocket. They remained quiet as their footsteps echoed through the halls.

The mansion was indeed huge. Elise used to imagine living in a place like this when she was a kid, a place where she was the princess and a handsome young prince would come and marry her at eighteen. Such imagination had been suppressed inside her brain, and even now, at twenty-three, she still liked to entertain such thoughts. However, now that she was finally inside a house where the floors glittered and the lights were of various shapes and colors, the dream had suddenly become insignificant. She realized that living on their farm was better than being here. But would it be different if Olivia treated her better this time?

"What are you thinking?" Olivia asked, suddenly stopping in the middle of their tracks and disturbing Elise's thoughts. "You're blushing."

"Nothing," Elise replied bashfully, only then realizing that she was indeed blushing. How could this woman read her thoughts so easily? They didn't know each other that well.

"We're here," Olivia said after a while.

Elise looked around and saw a mural of an abstract painting of a woman. The artwork itself was exquisite. As an artist herself, she immediately felt a connection when she saw how vividly the emotions were portrayed in the painting. Just then, Olivia started punching several buttons on a square device near the artwork. The mural opened, shocking Elise as she saw an elevator—a secret passage.

Both of them entered the elevator, and Olivia silently led her inside. The tension suddenly felt heavy as they stood side by side in the confined space.

"Where are you taking me?" Elise squeaked, trying to ease the different kind of energy she felt. They were alone in this big metallic box, and the erratic drumming of her heart wasn't helping her to relax. At some point, she started wondering why she always felt this kind of nervousness whenever she was with Olivia.

"You'll see," the CEO replied, smiling and sending another jolt through her veins.