Having lost her dad at the age of twenty, Kesa hated being surprised. Her dad was her everything and he just left without saying goodbye. Earlier that day he passed, he had promised her a surprise, but the plane decided to crash that day and moment. The pain was unbearable and since then, she had dreaded anything wrapped around the word “surprise”.

She was everyone’s role model; successful in every aspect of her life asides relationships. She had always lived a quiet life and tried her best to plan every single activity carefully. Her sweat, toil and sleepless nights had birthed her multi-billion dollar empire.

Her mom had always tried to set her up with so many men, but none caught her attention. She’d never meet any man like Duke, her late husband. He was everything sha had ever dre and of in a man. She had always blamed herself for his death. And only the cancer had been traced and treated earlier, she wouldn’t have lost him to the cold hands of death. He had left her with an amazing daughter, Debbie and son, Tyler. She missed him everyday and wished she could turn the hands of time.

But then, there was something captivating about the guy who was standing right before her. With his perfectly chiseled jawline and masculine voice, he had some effect on her.

This wasn’t her mom’s doing. No, it was far from it.

“This is the new housekeeper, Mason. He’ll be tending to the house everyday. He’ll be involved with the maintenance of the spick and span nature of this house. He’ll also be taking care of the kids.’” Stella, Kesa’s assistant said. She just snapped Kesa out of her thoughts.

Kesa shuddered. She’d had her own share of men, they’d come, serve their purpose and leave. Yet, there was something about this guy that amused her. It was something that stirred the primal part of her existence.

“You’re definitely not the Dave I expected.” Kesa stated.

Stella replies quickly “Dave couldn’t take the job offer and Mason was the next in line, he agreed to take it.

“What qualifies you to take care of my kids and my home Mr Mason?” Kesa asked.

Mason stutters but replied in a shivering voice,”I’m a professional and I have experience in this field. I am also an expert in taking care of children.”

Kesa nods in assurance. “Well, I do hope you’ll be able to take care of the kids and the house as expected of you”,she blurts.

“Yes, I’ll do my very best ma’am”, Mason replies with a promising look on his face.

Mason’s heart was pounding, he didn’t expect to be facing one of the richest women in New York. The owner of Daltech herself. He had taken this job because he really needed the extra money for his student loan. His mum had really contributed by making him apply for the vacancy with such a huge salary. Thank God the other guy didn’t come through, he’d have lost this opportunity.

This is the woman that indirectly held your future in her hands.

She inspected him with her dark brooding gaze. If only he could guess the thoughts running through her mind, he’d flee as fast as he could from there. Kesa wouldn’t dare to voice them.

Kesa’s phone chimed loudly on her table. With the surprise right in front of her, she’d need a distraction and this could be the perfect one. It was her manager, Derrick.

She hoped he had news about the deal she’d been trying to secure. She placed the phone on her ear with a smile plastered on her face, “It’s Kesa! What’s up?”

Derrick had always been her go to. He’d been there for her for the longest time. Since she started the journey of building Daltech, he’d been really supportive and now, they work together. He sounded worried and disturbed, it had to be about the Gaza deal. It had been eating the both of them up for months.

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay. I’m sure of that”, Kesa says reassuringly.

Her attention was needed in the office and she needed to head back. “Just give me a few minutes, I’ll be there shortly”, she said to Derrick.

She turned her attention to Mason who looked anxious before her. “I have urgent business meetings I’ll be attending to so I won’t be around for most of the times. Hence the need for a house keeper. I’m sure Stella here has already discussed the necessary terms and conditions, alongside your salary. An employee contract will be drafter for you soon. I’ll show you around the house before I leave.

Mason hurriedly turn to follow his new boss as they strode around the house. With the mansion being so large, he found it difficult to take note of the twists and turns. But he had to, if he wanted to keep this job. He followed her carefully, hoping not to get too close to her.

As expected, everything was beautifully decorated and furnished. Thick carpets cushioned her footfalls and artworks adorned the walls. He admired her taste in art. He had usually not met a lot of people with similar taste, so he was stunned.

She showed him all the rooms, including where he was to stay and the rooms that were off limits.

The kitchen was beautiful, the marbled counters were so to die for. This was the first time he had seen a kitchen this big and beautiful.

A little girl probably eight years of age walked up to Kesa and wrapped her arms around her waist. That had to be Debbie. A cute little girl with a striking resemblance of her mother.

“Mommy! Where have you been?” She asks while looking up at her mother.

Kesa replies while stroking her hair,”I’ve been in the study. This is Mr Mason, he’s going to be your new caretaker and he’ll help around in the house.”

“Hello Mr Mason, I’m Debbie. Nice to meet you.” Debbie says to Mason.

“Nice to meet you too” Mason replies with a smile on his face. Debbie leaves the room to go play.

“Your duties will be explained to you. I expect that you pay attention to details”, Kesa said while turning to face him.

Looking at the time on her wristwatch, she realized she needed to leave so she would meet up with Derrick.

“I’ll be leaving now so I meet up with my appointment “ she said and walked out of the room leaving Mason with Stella.

As Kesa’s footsteps retreated,Mason felt like he was in an alternative reality. Kesa’s overwhelming presence had already placed his stomach in knots and fill of butterflies.

Mason would not have imagined himself here if he had been told a week ago or even in his dreams. A week ago, he’d been so different and oblivious to the fact that his life was about to change. He didn’t get the offer at first so he gave up. He was forever grateful to the number that called him to tell him to come over.

Then again, things had been different. Things had changed for the better. At least, his student loans were covered. The pay was worth it.

A set of eyes were watching him and he felt it. The presence of Debbie drew him from his thoughts and had him shifting uncomfortably. He tried his best to eradicate tear from him. She had looked so innocent.

An older woman walked into the room taking his attention. She introduced herself as Ms Baker. She’s the chef for the household. She has been with the family for a while. Her face was pale,tiredness was plain to see from the lines of her face.

Mason offers a smile to neutralize the tension he was feeling. “Hello, I’m Mason. Nice to meet you.”

“I need to tend to something in the kitchen, I’ll be right back, she hurriedly says and moved towards the kitchen. He nodded. For the first time, he was able to take by in the beauty of the kitchen and it’s intricate designs. It all looked amazing to him.

“DON’T PLAY WITH THAT, IT’S DANGEROUS!”

Mason, startled to his bone marrows turned to see Stella talking to Debbie and Tyler. He almost missed his step because of her loud voice. He turned to look at them. Debbie’s eyes had darted towards the latest member of their household before scurrying up the stairs.

“She seemed qui—“Mason opens his mouth to say.

“Quiet you mean. Well, she’s not so far from it”, Stella interrupts him.

Curious about the environment, Mason decides to ask about the previous keeper. He knew it was none of his business. He couldn’t control his mouth from spilling ,”What about the last housekeeper?”

Stella looked at him with fear in her eyes”I would advise you let that go and focus on your work. The ethics of this family is based on confidentiality and Kesa respects that strongly. Unfortunately, the last housekeeper disregarded that ethic and lost her job. Whatever you do, try to respect ethics.”

“Now, you’ll need to get the house in order before Kesa gets back. As you can see, her toys are all over the living room. I’ll attend to her while you do that.” Stella stated further.

“Not a problem” Mason answered, grateful that the living room wasn’t too much of a mess. He’d been grateful he hadn’t worn something uncomfortable as his kin hag advised him to earlier that morning.

Little Miss Debbie lifted her head and stared at Mason. He seemed strange but nice. Her stare pierced through Mason and made his heart skip a beat within his chest. What could she possibly be thinking? Still, he pasted a smile on his face to keep himself confident and void of worries. There was no reason to be scared, she was just a child.

Straightening his spine, he made his way to the living room. It wasn’t as hard to find as he expected. Maybe, just maybe, he’d started getting a hang of it. The room was arranged so

carefully in such a way that the furniture didn’t contrast the aesthetic ambience of the room. Aside from the scattered toys, everything looked good.

He slowly started picking up the toys and arranging them in the playroom. Debbie and Tyler were given the best of everything and she’d have her mom to thank for that lifestyle. The best of shoes and cloths and even the best of toys and video games. Mason had never owned a toy right from birth.

After arranging the living room, he was instructed to bathe Tyler. He went up the stairs to the bathroom. He helped Tyler undress and take a shower.

After over 30 minutes of wrestling to get him cleaned and ready for bed, he was already feeling exhausted. It had been a while since he worked with kids. He’d lost the battle and the evidence was the wager which had soaked a portion of his shirt.

He needed to clean up so he let the kids watch tv while he tried to air dry his shirt. Their attention was captured by the cartoon with its vibrant colors. As a result of the bathing battle, Tyler had made sure more water ended up on him. His wet shirt has started hugging his torso, carefully outlining his packs.

He opened the bathroom door once again to check if he had successfully taken away their attention. The tv was a good distraction. He carefully peeled the wet clothes off his body. He looked in the mirror to admire his abs. Since he started going to the gym again, he’d felt more confident as ever. He had become so proud of his body structure and worked hard to remain that way.

Right there on his chest was the scar. The one his father had left him with after they fought when he was little and he got stabbed. Since then, he chose to lose contact with his father and move on. No loving father would hurt their son and his wasn’t going to be an exception. It was no longer the harsh shade of pink as it was that year. The change in colors proved that his body was healing. The scar was easier to heal, but the pain in her soul couldn’t go away that easily. This was a scar that held a lot of memories for a fleeting moment before everything went sideways for him.

After he had a change of cloths, he decided to check up on the kids. He’d been hearing commercials from the tv. Due to the steam which had covered the room, he wasn’t able to spot anything clearer. He went closer and the kids weren’t there.

“Shit!”

He looked around but he had no idea where to check first. Fear instantly filled his eyes. How was he going to explain how he’d lost the kids within an hour of being with them?

He walked across the bedroom door, with the energy to start looking around the whole house. A childish giggle came out from the extreme of the room. He sensed immediately that the kids were there.

In hushed voices, he heard “If you don’t keep it quiet Tyler, he’s gonna catch us.” That should have been Debbie speaking.

Tiptoeing across the space, Mason felt his lips twitch up into a smile. These kids.

In a sarcastic tone, he said “I’m going to be in so much trouble if I don’t find these kids. Where could they have gone to?” While he said this, he stomped his feet to give the impression that he was walking away. This time he heard another giggle and it was Tyler.

At the front of the curtain we’re the kids hid, Mason slowly pinched the curtain between his thumb and forefinger. Then with a woosh, he made sure he pulled the fabric aside, exposing the kids. He started laughing while feeling a sense of relief.

The kids immediately sprung into him and started playfully tickling him. He wasn’t the ticklish type but he had to act it. With the acted shouts for help, they thought they had done so much to Mason. He tried fighting his way from under by tossing them onto the couch and they started giggling.

This wasn’t much but it was off to a great start, this Mason believed.