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Chapter 1 - Grey Eyes

I glanced over at the clock on the wall as I made a task list in my head. It was 8 am. Soon the staff room would be filled with caffeine-addicted nerds looking for their next hit.

Grabbing a cloth, I sprayed some disinfectant on the counter before wiping away the residue. Finally, the coffee machine timer went off, telling me that the first of many pots of coffee was ready. I quickly arranged some cups next to the machine and placed the mini blueberry muffins I picked up from the bakery this morning next to it. I didn't have to bring in treats for everyone, but I enjoyed giving them something yummy to start their day.

Besides, they all treated me well. Everyone in the building respected me and didn't make me feel like I was just the maid that cleaned up after them.

The office maid. That's what I was—the office maid for Golden IT Solution.

Golden IT Solutions was a rising IT company taking over the world. They were involved in some extravagant projects with names like the government and the military included. Even though they had their cleaning crew to keep their 20-floor skyscraper squeaky clean, my job was to make their daily life easier.

Golden IT's General Manager, Moira Jackson, had recruited a small cleaning company, "Twin Clean," to make sure small basic things were done for staff members to ensure they had a productive day.

Two years ago, I joined Twin Clean owners Samantha and Crystal Barnes. They were twins that were opposites. After joining, they allocated me to be the office maid for Golden IT.

My job was to make sure the staff room on every floor was cleaned after break times. The coffee pot was refilled with a fresh brew. The toilets on every floor were cleaned a few times a day. To make sure the offices were vacuumed and rubbish bins emptied. Occasionally, I made tea or coffee for team meetings or visitors the General Manager had. As basic as it all sounded, it was very different from the life I was used to. A life I had left behind two years ago.

"Stace, what's in your basket of treats this morning?" Jimmy asked as he walked into the staff room with his personalized "Favourite Son" mug.

"Mini Blueberry muffins," I smiled.

"That sounds good. It was another chaotic morning today. I'm starving" Jimmy picked up a muffin and popped it into his mouth.

"How was it chaotic? You didn't even leave the office," Kaz snickered as he strolled into the staff room.

"Hey, when Mr. Masters wants work done, you bend over backward to make it happen. For me, that's chaotic, so shut up" Jimmy rolled his eyes, making Kaz laugh.

"Morning, Stace. How are you doing, babe?" Kaz winked at me before reaching for the coffee pot.

"I'm good, thank you. Enjoy the muffins. I'm going to the 19th floor if anyone is looking for me." I grabbed all my cleaning supplies and headed for my cleaning cart.

"Don't you normally go up there after 9 am?" Kaz asked as he picked up a muffin.

"Mrs. Jackson has left a note saying to go there around 8 am. Something about having an office cleaned."

The company had given us an office space on the third floor to keep our supplies. We used that space as a break room as well. When I arrived this morning, there was a note in our "to do" tray informing me about Mrs. Jackson's request.

"You obviously don't pay much attention. Did you not hear Moira say Mr. Masters is coming back from Germany? They have finally secured the contracts there, and he's coming home after two years," Jimmy explained as he filled up his mug with coffee.

Wow, Mr. Masters was coming back.

In the two years I had been working here, I hadn't met him. He was the owner of Golden IT Solutions. Mr. Masters lived in Germany while sorting out some extensive contracts he had. From what I was told, they didn't expect it to take this long, but after two years, it sounds like he had finally succeeded.

"So it's his office on the 19th floor that needs to be cleaned?" I asked as I organized my cart.

"Yeah. Technically, Mr. Masters has two offices. One on the 19th and one on the 20th. But the office on the 20th floor is restricted access because he has a bedroom up there. Apparently, he spends a lot of nights here in the building. So if we have to see him, we got to the 19th." Jimmy popped another muffin into his mouth.

"Mmmm... These are so good, Stace."

I smiled at Jimmy as he licked his lips and gave me a thumbs up.

"Maybe you can teach me how to bake these yummy treats you bring for us?" Kaz winked at me as a smirk formed on his face.

I couldn't help but laugh. All the single guys took turns hitting on me. It was like some contest to see which one finally managed to score.

I had managed to avoid it skilfully and decline anyone who was a little too persistent. I wasn't interested in a relationship. If my past had taught me anything, it was to run from man.

"I'm sorry, Kaz. I don't actually bake them. However, a bakery not too far from here sells them. If you'd like, I can give you their address. I'm sure if you ask them nicely, they would be happy to teach you" I chuckled and a blush formed on Kaz's cheeks. Jimmy burst out laughing, making me laugh too.

"I'll see you guys later."

I pushed my cleaning cart to the lift and made my way to the 19th floor.

The 19th floor was a lot more luxurious than the rest of the building. All the executives had their offices up here. Mrs. Jackson had her office right at the end of the corridor. Opposite her office was the locked office that now I understood belonged to Mr. Masters.

I pushed my cart down to her office and parked it at the end of the hallway. I quickly adjusted my apron bow and tucked all my hair flyaways behind my ear before softly knocking on the door.

She usually didn't start work until 9 am, but the light came through her frosted glass door. So she must have started work early today.

"Come in," her voice commended.

I slowly pushed the door open and poked my head in.

"You requested for me, Mrs. Jackson?" I smiled at the brunette sitting behind a large glass table.

Mrs. Jackson didn't look a day older than 21. People had speculated her age around the office, but there was no telling what it actually was. She had an hourglass figure and always wore clothes that hugged every curve she had. The man in the office admired her as she walked past them. I was sure some even undressed her in their minds.

"Ahh yes, Stacey. I'm glad you got my note. Unfortunately, you had left by the time I got downstairs, and I didn't have another way of contacting you. I would have liked this job done yesterday, but I too was informed a little late about the arrival of Zach" Mrs. Jackson opened a drawer from the credenza behind her and pulled out what looked like a bunch of keys.

"Zach?" I questioned.

"Zach Masters. You know, the guy that owns the company?" She gave me a confused look.

Oh, his name was Zach?! People had always referred to him as Mr. Masters.

"Yes, of course. Sorry I haven't had the chance to meet him yet." I quickly explained.

"Oh, that's right. Zach had left for Germany when you started"

I smiled and nodded.

"Okay, well, he's coming back today. Apparently, he is very eager to be back home. So I need his office dusted and cleaned. I would have asked the cleaning crew, but there are some confidential files in his office, and I can't trust just anyone. " Mrs. Jackson got up from her seat and walked over to where I was awkwardly standing.

"Here are the keys to the office. Unfortunately, it has been closed for some time, so you will need some time there." She held out the keys for me.

"I have a few other jobs I need to do on other floors. Can I do those first?" I asked to take the keys from her.

"How about you call your boss and get someone else to come and do the rest of the jobs? I really need this job done first." She pressed.

"Okay, ma'am. I'll give them a call. Is there a certain time you want it done by?" I placed the keys into my apron and pulled my phone out.

"As soon as you can, please. Zach is meant to be arriving into the country today; however, there is no telling when he will turn up at the office" Mrs. Jackson rolled her eyes.

Did she not want him coming back?

"Yes, ma'am. I start right away." I turned to leave.

"Stacey," Mrs. Jackson called, making me turn towards her.

"If you find a black safe anywhere, could you please let me know? I've been looking for some documents and couldn't find the safe" she looked at her fingers and seemed nervous.

Wouldn't Mr. Masters have told her where the safe was if she was meant to access it?

I nodded and made my way out of the office.

The door shut behind me, and I immediately dialed Samantha's number.

After three rings, a tired voice answered the call.

"Sam, why are you still sleeping? It's 8 am." I chuckled.

"Shut up. I had a long night, okay. Why are you calling so early?" Sam grumbled.

I laughed a little and looked towards the locked door.

"Mrs. Jackson has asked me to clean out an office. Apparently, Mr. Masters is coming back today, and his office is a mess. Do you think you could come out and do the rest of my tasks while I get this office cleaned?"

"Damn, the hottie is coming back? Now I'm jealous." Sam snickered.

"The hottie is coming back?! WHEN?!" Screamed another voice in the background.

I knew that hyper pitchy voice anywhere.

"One day, this girl will damage my eardrums," Sam grumbled. "Calm down, bïtch."

I laughed. The girls may be twins, but they were worlds apart.

"Give me the phone. Stace, is Zach back?!" Crystal yelled through the phone.

"He's not back yet, but he will be today. I was just asking Sam if one of you can come to do my tasks while I get his office cleaned. Mrs. Jackson sounds a little dodgy today," I whispered the last bit, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one heard me.

"Yeah, okay, I'm on my way. It's just the usual stuff, right?" Crystal asked. I could hear Sam whine and curse in the background.

"Yeah, just the usual. I have got a written tasklist on the table in our office." I pulled the keys out of my apron and twirled it around.

"Sounds good. Lord, I wish the hottie turns up while I'm there. I'd love to bump into him" Crystal chuckled, and Samantha made gagging noises.

I couldn't help but laugh at their banter.

"Is he really that hot?" I enquired.

The girls had been working for Golden IT solutions since before I started. They had met and worked with Zach, so they knew what he was like.

"Girl, you're in for a treat. He is so dreamy. Tall brunette with broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a body that can set your world on fire. Do you know what the best part is? He's got beautiful grey eyes. Rare eye color for a rare breed of men" you could hear the admiration in Crystal's voice.

"Sorry, love, but in my experience, guys like that are arrogant and manwhores." I walked over to the door and inserted the key into the lock.

With a quick twist, the door popped open.

"Okay, I gotta go. Text me when you get here. We can have lunch together." I pushed the door open.

"Sweet. See you later" Crystal hung up.

I put my phone back into my pocket and walked further into the office. The office was three times the size of Mrs. Jackson's office.

It was dark inside besides the tiny beam of light trying to poke through the ceiling to floor-length blinds blocking out the sunlight. The air was thick, and a layer of dust had settled on everything in the office.

I quickly opened the blinds letting the sunlight in to brighten the place. Looking around, I found the aircon remote on a credenza behind what I assumed was Mr. Masters's table. It was a pretty big mahogany table with three drawers on both sides.

I turned on the aircon, hoping it would circulate the air and take away the musty smell. I had some air fresheners in my cart that would help too. Thankfully someone had covered most of the furniture with sheets. However, some of the sheets looked moved.

Did Mrs. Jackson move them while looking for the safe? Why was she really interested in it?

I slowly pulled the sheets off the furniture and started folding them up. I put the sheets by the door and grabbed my spray bottle as well as a rag. Giving the office one last look, I got to work.

It took me a good three hours, but I had successfully cleaned the office. Once I was satisfied with my work, I started emptying the rubbish bins I had filled up.

As I reached for the rubbish bin under the table, I dropped some of the rags in my hand. Just then, my phone started to vibrate. I knelt and pulled my phone out while trying to pick up the rags.

I unlocked my phone to find a text from Crystal saying she was ready for lunch. I smiled at my phone and started to type out my reply when someone cleared their throat behind me.

Fuck!

I slowly slid my phone back into my apron and turned to see who was behind me, ready to apologize profusely.

My eyes traveled up my captor's body, taking in their attire from the black suede shoes to the charcoal dress pants that blended into a white shirt and a matching charcoal jacket. A forest green tie was nesting on the white shirt.

My eyes went further up, revealing the handsome features my captor had. A well-trimmed beard hid what seemed to be a defined jawline and dimples. He licked his prominent pink lips, leaving them glistering under the sunlight pouring into the room. I watched as he parted his lips slightly, wanting to say something but seemed as hesitant as I was.

The heart-stopping moment, however, was his sparkling grey eyes. The minute our eyes met, it felt like the world had stopped, and the only thing I could see was the storm brewing within his grey orbs.

Grey eyes?! Shit!

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