CHAPTER TWO
915 Words
A Cleaner's Uniform
"I have a job for you."
Ava stared at the handsome man standing before her, wondering if she had heard him correctly.
"You... you mean me?" she asked, pointing at herself.
Adrian Kingsley nodded once.
"Yes, Miss Carter."
The entire lobby became silent.
The employees nearby exchanged confused glances. It wasn't every day the CEO personally stopped someone who had just been rejected.
Ava swallowed hard.
"I thought... I wasn't qualified."
"You aren't qualified for the position you applied for," Adrian replied calmly. "But I have another position available."
For the first time that day, hope returned to Ava's eyes.
"What position is it?"
Adrian looked at her for a brief moment before answering.
"A cleaner."
The smile on Ava's face slowly disappeared.
"A... cleaner?"
"Yes."
She lowered her head, trying to hide the disappointment in her eyes.
She had graduated from university with good grades. She had dreamed of working behind a desk, wearing a neat suit and helping her family escape poverty.
Instead...
She was being offered a mop and a bucket.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kingsley," she said quietly. "I don't think I'm the right person for that."
Adrian didn't seem surprised by her answer.
"Why?"
"I didn't study all those years to become a cleaner."
There was no anger in her voice.
Only pain.
Adrian folded his arms.
"What did you study for?"
Ava looked up.
"To build a better life for my family."
"And can you do that without a job?"
His question caught her off guard.
She opened her mouth but couldn't answer.
"You need work," Adrian continued. "I need someone I can trust."
"But you've only just met me."
"Sometimes one meeting is enough."
Ava searched his face, trying to understand what he meant.
There was no mockery.
No pity.
Only calm confidence.
"The salary is three times higher than the average cleaner's wage," Adrian said.
Her eyes widened.
Three times?
That amount of money could pay the rent.
Buy medicine for her father.
Cover her siblings' school fees.
Her fingers tightened around her old handbag.
"I..."
Her voice trembled.
"I need a minute."
Adrian nodded.
"I'll wait."
Ava walked a few steps away.
Her heart was in turmoil.
Was she really about to become a cleaner?
She imagined her father's smile when she brought home food.
Her mother's relieved face.
Her younger siblings laughing again.
Suddenly...
Her pride didn't seem so important anymore.
She took a deep breath and walked back.
"I'll accept the job."
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Adrian's face.
"Good."
He extended his hand.
"Welcome to Kingsley Group, Miss Carter."
Ava hesitated before shaking it.
The moment their hands touched, something strange happened.
Neither of them spoke.
But neither wanted to let go first.
...
An hour later...
The Human Resources department completed Ava's paperwork.
She was given a company ID card.
A locker.
And a neatly folded navy-blue cleaner's uniform.
As she stared at it, she smiled bitterly.
"This isn't where I imagined I'd start."
The elderly woman in charge of housekeeping smiled warmly.
"My name is Mrs. Wilson."
"Ava."
"I know. Mr. Kingsley personally called and told us to take good care of you."
Ava blinked.
"The CEO?"
Mrs. Wilson nodded.
"I've worked here for twenty years."
"He has never done that for anyone."
Ava frowned.
"Maybe he just wants everyone treated fairly."
Mrs. Wilson only smiled.
"If that's what you believe."
...
On the top floor...
Adrian stood inside his office, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
His assistant entered.
"Sir."
"Is everything done?"
"Yes."
"She has accepted the position."
Adrian nodded without turning around.
"Good."
The assistant hesitated.
"May I ask you something?"
Adrian remained silent.
"Why her?"
For several seconds...
The office was completely quiet.
Finally, Adrian answered.
"I don't know."
It was the first time in years he had admitted he couldn't explain one of his own decisions.
He had seen hundreds of applicants.
Yet there was something about Ava Carter that wouldn't leave his mind.
Her eyes.
Her determination.
Her quiet strength.
He couldn't explain it.
He only knew one thing.
He wanted her close.
Even if it meant giving her the lowest position in the company.
...
Meanwhile...
Ava followed Mrs. Wilson through the enormous building.
Everything amazed her.
The shining marble floors.
The expensive artwork.
The luxurious offices.
"This place is bigger than my entire neighborhood," she whispered.
Mrs. Wilson laughed.
"You'll get used to it."
"I hope so."
They stopped outside a private executive hallway.
"You'll clean this floor every morning before the executives arrive."
Ava nodded.
"I understand."
She picked up her cleaning cart.
This was her new beginning.
She wasn't ashamed.
Work was work.
As long as it was honest.
She started wiping the glass doors carefully.
At that exact moment...
The elevator doors opened.
Three men stepped out.
Adrian Kingsley.
And beside him...
Two equally handsome men in expensive tailored suits.
Ethan Sterling.
Xavier Knight.
They were discussing an important business deal until Ethan suddenly stopped walking.
His eyes remained fixed on the young woman cleaning the glass.
She wasn't wearing designer clothes.
She wasn't trying to attract anyone's attention.
Yet...
There was something about her that made the world around him disappear.
"Ethan?"
Xavier called.
But Ethan didn't answer.
His gaze never left Ava.
Finally, he
spoke in a low voice.
"...Who is she?"
Adrian's heart skipped a beat.
For the first time since hiring Ava Carter...
He felt something he hadn't expected.
Fear.
- Writer
