HIS ASSISTANT, HIS TERMS

YOU LIKE HER

Adrian's POV

On the car ride from the airport, my eyes stayed glued to my phone.

Answering emails, messages and even missed calls I didn’t need to answer or attend to yet. I scrolled anyway, my thumb moving with purpose, eyes locked on the screen. I needed the distraction to keep me from looking at Clara.

She was nervous. I could feel it even without looking.

She'd shifted once, then again, fingers twisting together on her lap. Her knees angled slightly inward, posture careful, like she was trying to take up as little space as possible. Occasionally she'd glanced out the window, the reflection of the passing scenery flickering across her face.

I kept trying not to look at her. I didn’t trust myself to stop staring once I did.

The picture she'd sent flashed in my mind without permission. Not the image itself, but the intent behind it. Or what I thought the intent might have been. I still hadn’t said a word about it. I knew Clara had likely been drunk, embarrassed, playful in a way she hadn’t meant to be serious.

But part of me had chosen this silence for another reason entirely.

I wanted to watch her squirm.

I wanted to watch her resolve break. I wanted to see how she behaved when she didn’t know where she stood, when she thought maybe, just maybe, I’d seen her differently.

I adjusted my phone slightly, positioning myself in a way I could see her without really looking up from my phone.

She exhaled softly.

I caught it out of the corner of my eye, yet I stayed quiet.

The drive was long enough for the city to fade into greenery, architecture turning softer, roads narrowing, the world growing quieter. The closer we got, the more animated her surroundings became. Her restraint slipped in small ways.

She leaned closer to the window.

Her eyes widened briefly at a curve in the road.

Her lips parted once, like she wanted to comment, then thought better of it.

I scrolled faster, trying to ignore the warm feeling I was getting from watching her.

When the villa gates came into view, I felt it before she said anything. Her entire body reacted, a subtle straightening, like she was bracing herself.

The car slowed. Gates opened.

Still, I didn’t look up.

We stepped out when the driver opened the door. The air was crisp, cooler than the city, carrying that quiet luxury smell of stone, trees, distance from the rest of the world.

Maids moved efficiently, greeting us, already handling luggage. Clara hesitated for half a second before stepping aside to let them pass, murmuring a soft thank you that barely carried.

My eyes remained fixated on my phone.

The butler began the tour, voice smooth like he had practiced the lines. I walked just behind Clara, phone in hand, pretending to read while watching her reflection on the polished surfaces around us.

Her reactions were immediate and unguarded.

She slowed in the archways, paused on the open terraces.

Her head tilted slightly at artwork, at textures, at spaces that felt almost unreal.

She tried not to gape, yet, she failed beautifully.

Every time she stopped herself from reacting too openly, something warm twisted in my chest. She wasn’t pretending indifference. She was genuinely overwhelmed.

I tried to focus harder on my screen.

When we reached the upper floor and the butler gestured toward her room, I saw her glance at the door adjacent to hers, mine.

“That’s my room,” I said casually, gesturing to the door. “Come to me if you need anything. It's best you stay close by incase work comes up.”

She glanced at me, then quickly away.

I didn’t react,

I stayed on my phone until the butler finished,

She disappeared into her room after the butler informed her dinner was ready, and she needed to join us downstairs.

I stood there for a moment longer than necessary, phone back in my hand, staring at nothing.

Dinner came and went in a blur of conversation I half followed. Benny did most of the talking. Felix listened, amused. I watched Clara more than I should have, especially when Benny introduced her as my friend.

I didn’t correct it.

The warmth that spread through me surprised even myself.

When Benny announced a girls’ night, Felix caught my eye. We excused ourselves easily, slipping into the office with practiced familiarity.

Felix leaned back on the couch, scotch glass resting loosely in his hand.

“So,” he said casually, “you're gonna tell me why you’ve been glued to your phone since we landed or should I guess.”

I exhaled through my nose. Ignoring him like a plaque

There was a beat of silence. The low hum of the villa settled around them.

“It’s Clara, right?” Felix said, flexing his brows teasingly.

I felt my jaw tighten slightly. “She’s just my assistant.”

Felix lifted his glass. “And I’m married to your cousin.”

I finally looked at him. “That’s exactly the problem.”

There was silence like he was still waiting for me to speak.

“She’s young, too young. She hasn’t lived yet. She hasn’t made mistakes. And I’m… me.”

Felix tilted his head. “Meaning?”

“Meaning I’m not someone you date for fun,” I said. “I come with expectations and a lot of issues. I don’t want to be the man who takes her best years because I couldn’t control myself.”

Felix frowned slightly. “You think liking her means trapping her?”

“I think people would say that,” I replied. “I think she’d feel it eventually. Whether she admits it or not.”

Felix let out a short laugh. “Society always has an opinion. Usually from people who’ve never risked anything.”

I shook my head, understanding what he meant. “You’re ten years older than Benny. That’s different.”

Felix leaned forward. “Different how?”

“It just is.”

“No,” Felix said calmly. “It isn’t. It only feels different because the numbers are bigger. But fear is fear.”

“I don’t want to hurt her,” I replied earnestly,

Felix’s voice softened. “And you think avoiding her will protect her?”

Felix continued, “You’re not afraid of her age. You’re afraid of how much you care.”

I scoffed lightly. “I don’t care.”

Felix raised a brow. “You didn’t deny it very convincingly.”

“She deserves real love,” I said quietly. “Someone who can give her the time and energy she deserves.”

Felix smiled, gentle now. “You’re acting like you’re already the villain in a story she hasn’t even written yet.”

“And what if she doesn’t feel the same?”

Felix shrugged. “Then she doesn’t. But you don’t protect someone by deciding their feelings for them.”

I leaned back, rubbing my temple. “You make it sound so simple.”

“It isn’t,” Felix said. “But it doesn’t have to be hard either.”

I looked away, I felt a bit lighter now.

Felix stood, finishing his drink. “Look, man. You like her. That doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”

He paused at the door. “And if society has a problem with it,” he added with a grin, “they can go screw themselves.”

"I better go check on the girls."

Felix left the room.

I stayed seated, the silence louder than before, my fears still there but no longer unchallenged.