The CEO's Temporary Assistant

Gran's Special Request

"If it hadn't been for my kind doctor's call, you would have never visited me here. Is that how our relationship worked now, Olivia?"

Olivia could hear the bitterness in her grandmother's voice, and her conscience started barking at her. She heaved a sigh and bent down to kiss her sick grandmother on the cheek. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I was supposed to come here tomorrow, but I was held up at the office."

The old woman scoffed at her and replied with clear distrust in her voice. "You always said that to me, young lady. You never made time. Today I was alive, tomorrow I might not survive the night. I only wanted to spend more time with my favorite apo (grandchild) before your Lolo (grandfather) comes to finally get me."

Olivia rolled her eyes at her grandmother's sentiment. "You wouldn't die, Gran. You are as hard as a rock."

"I was just being frank with you, Apo. Anyway, I was informed that you almost fired a young model yesterday. What was her name again, Franko?"

It was then that Olivia noticed her bodyguard's presence inside the room. He was a big man—about 6 feet tall—with a receding hairline and a serious face. Franko had always been her loyal companion since she was a teenager. She felt guilty upon remembering what she had done to him last night.

"Damn it! Franko, you're here. I'm so sorry for ditching you last night. I totally forgot to text you."

"No problem, Miss Fabien," Franko replied with a grunt.

"You might think you were able to ditch him, but he was the one who dragged your sorry ass to your suite, along with that little model that you f****d last night, Olivia. How many times do I have to tell you to never treat your employees like that?"

Olivia tried to remember everything that had happened, and instantly, she pictured herself in Franko's arms along with the young model she had been with that morning. She and the girl looked miserable in her memory. "Shit."

"Now, what was the model's name again, Franko?"

"Phoebe, Madam Guada."

"Oh, right! That Cobie is—"

"Phoebe, Madam," Franko corrected the old woman patiently.

"That's what I said!" replied the old woman with a slight irritation in her tone. "That Chloe was almost fired, and it seems like she withdrew a hundred thousand pesos from the bank. Tell me, Olivia, when did you plan to stop this nonsense?"

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't the name, Grandma," replied Olivia with nonchalance as she sat beside her grandmother's bed.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Olivia. You are already thirty, and yet you still slept around and fooled around like an angsty teenager. You may have built your empire by expanding the Fabien Enterprise, but who would follow after your success? You can't bring these riches to the grave."

"My cousin's future children could take over," she replied with a sigh. "Look, Gran, my apologies if I ditched my bodyguard and if I hadn't visited you here, but me fooling around and acting like an angsty teenager was entirely my own business. Don't stress yourself too much about it so we can finally get out of this hospital and send you home."

"Sure, your cousin could get married and have a bunch of cute little kids, but what about you? What about that wish that I have always longed for? I already told you that I wanted you to have at least two children, Olivia. I wanted to see them before I expired."

The cough that came out from the CEO's throat made Franko stifle a chuckle.

"That wasn't funny, Grandmother! And for Christ's sake, Franko, stop chuckling!" Franko held up his hand, but a ghost of a smile still lingered on his face.

"I am not being funny, Olivia," the old woman replied coyly. She then decided to dismiss the bodyguard.

"You know what, Grandmother," Olivia whispered as long as they were left alone. "You are the one who needs a bodyguard, not me. Look at you, old bone, you need someone like Franko."

Mrs. Fabien playfully smacked her head, making Olivia laugh. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I know you like a thick guy like Franko, Gran, so I'm giving him up for you."

"Continue teasing me, and I'll wring your neck with this dextrose."

Laughing, Olivia moved to cuddle her grandmother, and they spent quite some time in that position. "I'm sorry, Gran. It was just too hard for me to bear—seeing you like this. And I just hate the smell of hospitals."

"I know, my dear. It's hard for all of us. How I wish I weren't sick so often."

"It's not your fault, Gran. So, what did the doctor say?"

The old lady exhaled an exasperated sigh before answering. "You know how it is with doctors. They gave me a bunch of things to follow, and my diet was reduced. I don't think I could follow all of it if nobody would take care of me full-time."

"Then we're hiring a handler. Hold on, I'll talk to the agency—"

"Olivia," said her grandmother, halting Olivia from getting her phone. "I don't want any handler from the agency. I want Milda Cortez."

Olivia immediately recalled a certain Milda Cortez from the past. "She was your favorite maid, wasn't she?"

"Yes, and I want her back. It's time for her to come back to the mansion. You will bring her here."

"Well, I'll book her a flight right away, Grandma. She'll be here in no time."

"You're not listening to me," the old lady replied seriously. "I said you will bring her here."

The statement took the CEO by surprise. "Grandmother, this is not part of my schedule. We're going to mess up my appointments."

"My private investigators reported that Milda Cortez is living in the countryside, along with her farmer husband and a young niece. You fetch the whole family with that big helicopter of yours and bring them here, to the city, safe and sound."

"I'm definitely not flying Phantom Flamingo to the countryside, Gran, if that's what you're asking."

"Olivia, please," her grandmother pleaded. "I need them to be safe, and I trust you enough for this job. Just consider this as my dying request."

Olivia stared long and hard at her grandmother, contemplating the task at hand. It seemed like her old bone had finally talked her into it. "Fine," she replied with a sigh.

The old lady's face brightened, and a smile was already plastered on her wrinkled face. Now she needed to prepare Phantom Flamingo for a long, tiring ride.

***

Elise felt satisfied as she looked at the long stretch of clothes in front of her. It had been two hours since she had started doing the laundry, and the result was quite satisfying.

"Thank God," she whispered, "the sun is shining like a ball of fire above us."

She then gathered her basin when she was done admiring her work. She could hear the gurgling water from where she stood. The sound came from the nearby river where she and her aunt usually washed their used clothes and utensils. It was also a clean river, abundant with fish and water crabs.

"Hey, Elise!" came a voice from a distance. Elise looked behind her and immediately felt uneasy when she noticed the young lad coming in her direction. "Jake," she whispered the name and instantly, her heart raced wildly inside her chest. The young lad was carrying a sharp bolo, and his t-shirt was hanging loosely on his broad shoulders, displaying his Filipino skin and bulging muscles that were a product of the usual heavy work on the farm. Elise felt the familiar slow motion as her childhood friend approached her.

"What can I do for you, farm boy?" she asked, trying her best to sound normal despite the fact that Jake's burning gazes were giving her delicious goosebumps. She also suddenly felt conscious of her body odor, especially since she had been exposed to the sun for too long.

"I wonder if Uncle Jose is already home. I have to give this bolo back to him."

"I don't think Uncle's home yet. He went to the market to sell our sweet potatoes. I helped them with the harvest this morning."

"And now you're washing the clothes. You're really a wife material, Elise."

The butterflies in her stomach almost made her gag upon hearing that. "Y-you're kidding," she replied, rolling her eyes. "But thank you."

"Well, I think I would just leave this to Aunt Milda. It looks like she's cooking a delicious meal inside."

Elise nodded her head in approval but was quite discontented with their encounter. She wanted to savor every moment with Jake, and she didn't want him to go yet. "How are you?" she asked again, hoping to prolong their conversation. The young lad smiled brightly, as if she had asked him if he had won the lottery. The glimmer in Jake's eyes didn't escape her scrutiny either. "You seem very happy."

"Well, I truly am. You see, the mayor has granted me permission."

"Permission?" Elise asked, a little dazed and curious. "Are you building a business?"

"Ah, no," Jake replied with a chuckle. "I forgot to tell you about Isabella."

"W-what about Isabella?" Elise could now feel a hint of jealousy creeping inside her. The name always evoked such emotion.

"I just couldn't believe that the mayor would let her daughter marry a farm boy like me."

The discovery left her speechless for a while. The last words echoed in her head, making her feel like crying. "W-what did you just say?"

"I asked her hand for marriage, Elise. I'm finally going to build a family with the girl of my dreams."

"I-I didn't know you and Isabella had a relationship." The betrayal felt a lot worse now that she had said that. Jake, sensing her discomfort, wiped the smile off his face upon hearing her reply.

"I didn't know you'd be interested. Remember when you said you didn't want me to talk about her?"

"So, you kept your relationship with her from me just because of that stupid comment? I'm still your best friend."

"Elise," Jake said with a sigh, "I tried telling you, but when we both went to different colleges, you became so distant, while Isabella and I—"

"It's okay, silly," Elise cut him off with a forced chuckle. She could feel herself drowning as she stood close to the man she had been loving for almost fifteen years. "When's the wedding?"

Jake once again looked giddy as he answered her question, but Elise's mind was so far away now. She could watch his lips move as he talked, but she didn't hear anything.

"But anyway, will you be at my wedding?" Jake asked her again, pulling her back to the present.

"Of course! The Cortez family will be there. And you can bring that bolo back inside the house while I go back to the river to cry—I mean—to hang our clothes dry."

"O-okay. But are you sure you're alright—"

Wasting no time, Elise walked quickly away from him as her heart seemed to stop beating. The butterflies inside her stomach were replaced with a thousand little needles, and each prick triggered a tear in her eyes. Upon reaching the river, she immediately slumped down on a huge rock, her face buried in her palms, and her feet soaked in the clear water. "If this is what it feels like to be heartbroken, I don't want to experience this again," she whispered to the river, crying and blaming herself for everything. She saw her reflection in the clear water beneath her, and the crippling jealousy once again took over her mind. "Isabella, the mayor's daughter. You are nothing compared to her, Elise. Nothing at all."

She didn't know how much time she had spent crying silently. Just then, she looked up and saw a tree shaking off some leaves from its branches. The leaves fell off and were carried away by the flowing river. "Alright, Elise," she whispered as she gathered herself together. "Fifteen years of one-sided love is over. You'll have to let him go."

The consolation did her good, but the heavy feeling was still there. However, Elise had decided to finish her laundry instead of moping around. The sun was already at its peak, indicating that lunch would be served later on. She didn't want her aunt to notice her tears.

Just then, out of nowhere, an unfamiliar wheezing sound disturbed her melancholia. A turbulent wind accompanied the sound, and upon looking up, a large flying item covered the sun's rays for a short while. Elise recognized a helicopter but was curious as to why such a vehicle would be hovering about in their location.

Climbing the steep path towards their lawn, Elise fought the ferocious wind from swaying her away, and when she finally saw the helicopter's landing destination, she was horrified as she watched the wet clothes that she had tediously hung earlier fly all over the place.

"No! No! No! Stop!" she screamed as she ran towards the big metallic monster. "What are you doing to my laundry?"

But the monstrous sound drowned her voice away. Elise could feel anguish brimming up inside of her. Whoever it was that was driving the big stupid vehicle would have some explaining to do.

But then, Elise stood still when, all of a sudden, a goddess seemed to have appeared from the vehicle. She was wearing a red cardigan over a white top, looking so proud and confident.

"W-who is she?" Elise asked herself as she stomped towards the lady's direction.