THE BEAUTIFUL CLEANER'S TALE

Ava Bennett was a simple woman who worked as a cleaner in one of the biggest firms in the city.

She was usually modestly dressed to fit her role. She seemed invisible, as her routine was to come to work, clean the offices, empty the bins, finish work and go home.

She didn't like to be noticed. She never cared for that kind of attention. In fact, she would rather have it this way. Things remain uncomplicated. Keep to yourself. Don't attract any attention as that would only bring in trouble. Just perform your chore, receive your salary and return home. "How good the practice is!" Ava thought.

While working she often liked to pluck up a few tunes. Many songs came into the head of the heart's fancy. She enjoyed singing, and whenever she noticed no one was around or looking, she would hide in the background using her melodic or singing voice while working. She performed her assigned tasks quite well while remaining polite and cordial.

With the personality she possessed, Ava was well accustomed to maintaining a low profile and staying far away from trouble.

Little did she know that today wasn't going to be like every other day. It was about to take a new shape and she had no idea.

For a second she fought a horrible urge to turn. She needed, no, wanted to look. But she simply didn't. The excitement was so intense that it seemed as if she was far away from the region of the head where it could be understood and that there was no physical contact at all.

She could hear a voice in her head say, "don't look!"

But she couldn't stop herself. Her eyes darted upward, and for a split second, their gazes locked.

The young man stood at the threshold of the room, tall, commanding – his presence cutting through the noise of the site like a blade. He was wearing a black suit, sharp as a knife, contrasting with the grime of the unfinished apartment. His jaw was set, eyes cold and calculating, but there was something else too-something... dangerous.

Stallion Marc.

She had heard his name whispered by the workers in the firm. Everyone had something to say about Mr. Stallion Marc. The CEO of one of the most successful real estate empires in the world, who built his empire on power, wealth and ruthlessness. The man who had it all.

But in that moment, Ava could only see the intensity in his eyes, the way he studied her, as if she were the only thing that mattered in the room.

A quick breath caught in her throat. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why was she terrified that he was standing there, studying her?

Her heart pounded louder now, a relentless beat in her ears. She forced her attention back to the floor, pretending to focus on the task in front of her. But the heat of his stare followed her every move. It was suffocating.

"Who is she?" His voice cut through the air, low and steady but with an undeniable edge of command.

Ava froze. His words were like a command, an order not meant for her but for someone else-anyone else. But she knew who he was talking about. It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

She didn't look up. Didn't dare.

Behind him, his assistant, Mr. Henry, shifted uncomfortably, casting a quick glance at her before answering. "Her? She's just the cleaner, sir. She-"

"I don't care who she is," Stallion interrupted, his voice sharp as glass. "I want to know everything about her. Now."

Ava's stomach dropped, panic rising in her throat. Everything? She had barely even registered his presence until now, and now... now he was making her the center of his attention. This was not how it was supposed to go.

She couldn't hold the broom tight. Her fingers were trembling, but she fought the impulse to drop it. She couldn't let him see her weakness. She couldn't let him see anything.

But then the sound of his footsteps coming closer toward her made her panic.

Her breath hitched. She refused to look up. Stay calm. Stay invisible. Just play cool and you'll be safe.

A shadow fell over her, blocking the light. She looked up, the movement slow, deliberate, her pulse pounding in her throat.

He stood inches from her now. His gaze was fixed on her with a force she had never experienced before, like he could see right through her.

"I don't like being ignored," he said, his voice low but carrying a weight that made her blood run cold. He was all commanding and over the place. What could he possibly want with her?

She swallowed hard, straightening her back, refusing to give in to the rising fear. She clenched her fists around the broom handle, trying to steady herself.

"I wasn't ignoring you, sir" she said, her voice quieter than she wanted. "I was... working."

His eyes narrowed, lips curling into a barely perceptible smirk. "No. It didn't seem so. You were obviously avoiding me."

There was something dangerous about the way he said it. A challenge, an accusation – something that made her heart race faster, and not from fear alone. Something in the pit of her stomach twisted, but she ignored it.

"I honestly wasn't, sir," she replied, forcing herself to meet his eyes, though it took every ounce of strength to do so.

A long, charged silence followed. He studied her, and she could feel every second stretching between them. It wasn't just his presence; it was something about him that made her feel like she was standing on the edge of something far more dangerous than this building. His cold eyes, those sharp, calculating features. It was like he was dissecting her with every glance.

"There's something about you."

"I don't forget faces," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

His gaze lingered one more moment before he turned sharply.

He walked into his office. Mr. Henry followed. He sat down, fixed his right hand on his jaw and said, "Get me her full background. Everything. Now."

Ava's breath escaped in a sharp exhale, her heart still hammering in her chest. This wasn't just some passing interest. This wasn't just a passing glance from a man used to getting whatever he wanted.

This was something else.

And as the hum of the construction site rushed back to life around her, Ava couldn't shake the feeling that her life had just shifted, violently, onto a new, unpredictable path.