Chapter 110: She Finally Stopped Chasing Him

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: She Finally Stopped Chasing Him

The city newsroom was loud, chaotic, and completely alive.

Ben sat at the main editor desk in the center of the room. He held a thick red marker in his right hand. A cup of black coffee sat dangerously close to his keyboard. Ben was now a senior editor at a major city newspaper.

A junior writer rushed over and dropped a printed article on his desk.

"Where do you want the local feature, Ben?" the writer asked quickly.

Ben did not even look up from the page he was editing.

"Page four," Ben answered flatly. "Cut the second paragraph. It is entirely too repetitive. And fix your headline, it sounds like a real estate ad."

The writer nodded nervously, grabbed the paper, and hurried away.

Ben took a sip of his black coffee. He checked his digital watch. The newsroom was running perfectly. Deadlines were being met. The layout was organized. Everything was running efficiently.

It was almost too efficient.

---

The heavy glass door of the Editor in Chief’s private office opened. The Chief walked out and headed directly toward Ben’s desk.

"Ben," the Chief said, stopping near the edge of the desk.

Ben kept his eyes on his computer screen. "Yes, Chief?"

"I am assigning a permanent photographer to your new investigative series," the Chief announced. "It is a heavy project. You need someone who can handle the pressure."

Ben nodded absentmindedly. He circled a bad quote on a piece of paper.

"Fine," Ben said. "Just make sure they know how to meet a strict deadline. I do not have time to hold anyone’s hand."

The Chief stopped walking. He looked down at Ben.

"You will not have to," the Chief replied quietly. "You already know her."

Ben finally stopped writing. He looked up.

"Daisy accepted the contract this morning," the Chief said smoothly. "She is moving to the city desk."

Ben completely froze. The red marker in his hand stopped midair. He stared at his boss, completely unable to form a single coherent sentence.

---

Ten minutes later, the main glass doors of the newsroom pushed open.

Daisy walked in.

Ben watched her from his desk. She was not a messy, chaotic college student anymore. She looked incredibly confident. She wore a sharp, professional dark blazer and fitted jeans. A heavy, expensive camera hung securely over one shoulder. A blue press badge dangled from her neck.

She walked straight to his desk. She stopped in front of him and offered a polite, totally professional smile.

"Morning, Ben," Daisy said.

Her voice was entirely calm.

Ben stared at her. He waited. He completely expected her to make a joke about his serious face. He expected her to tease him about smelling like old paper. He expected her to hand him a ridiculous cup of vanilla coffee.

She did not do any of those things. There was no flirting. There were no bright, annoying jokes. It was just work.

"Morning," Ben finally managed to say. His voice sounded a little bit tight.

Daisy pulled a chair over. She set her heavy bag down on the floor and opened her silver laptop. She looked directly at him, completely ready to work.

"Where do you want to start?" Daisy asked.

---

They worked together throughout the entire morning.

The rhythm came back completely naturally. It was like they had never stopped being a team. They did not even have to speak in full sentences most of the time.

Ben pulled up a digital layout on his monitor. He pointed at a blank space on the screen.

"I need the center spread to look a bit tighter," Ben explained, rubbing his chin. "We cannot use the photos from the press conference. They are..."

"Too wide," Daisy finished for him.

Ben looked at her.

Before he could even ask, Daisy reached over and handed him a small flash drive.

"I already cropped the wide shots," Daisy said simply. She did not look up from her own screen. She was busy adjusting camera lenses. "I swapped them for the close up angles."

Ben took the flash drive. He stared at it.

"You remembered," Ben said quietly.

Daisy shrugged her shoulders lightly. It was a completely casual movement.

"You always hated wide shots on the front page," Daisy replied. "It is bad for the margins."

Ben blinked. She still remembered everything about his specific, ridiculous work habits. But she said it so casually, like it was just a simple mathematical fact.

---

Lunchtime arrived. The newsroom slowly emptied out as reporters headed to the cafeteria or local cafes.

Ben sat alone at his desk. He typed a few emails.

He unconsciously looked around the quiet room. He looked toward the breakroom doors.

Years ago, this was the exact time Daisy would suddenly appear. She would completely invade his space. She would drop a peppermint onto his keyboard. She would force him to stop working and eat a sandwich. She would talk endlessly about some random photography project while he pretended to be annoyed.

He waited for it.

Nothing happened.

Ben looked over at the empty desk next to his. Daisy was sitting in the corner break area. She was quietly eating a salad while scrolling through a massive gallery of photographs on her tablet. She did not look his way at all. She did not bring him anything.

Ben turned back to his computer.

He felt a strange, heavy drop in his chest. He was actually disappointed.

That realization bothered him completely. He had always told her that romance and distractions were a massive waste of productivity. He finally had exactly what he asked for. So why did he feel so terrible?

---

Late in the afternoon, Daisy walked into Ben’s private glass office to approve the final layout for tomorrow’s edition.

She walked up to his desk. Then, she stopped completely.

Her eyes locked onto the far corner of his desk.

Spike.

The little green cactus was still sitting right next to his computer monitor. He was sitting in a slightly larger ceramic pot now. He was older, bigger, and perfectly healthy.

A bright, genuine smile completely took over Daisy’s face.

"He is still alive," Daisy said softly.

Ben looked at the cactus. He felt his ears get slightly warm, but he kept his face completely serious. He adjusted his glasses and looked back at his screen in a very matter of fact way.

"Plants improve concentration," Ben stated flatly. "It is a proven scientific fact. The extra oxygen is good for the brain."

Daisy laughed.

It was not a polite, professional chuckle. It was the exact same bright, musical laugh from university. It completely filled the small office.

For one single second, the heavy professional wall between them vanished. Everything felt incredibly familiar again. Ben felt his own lips twitch into a tiny, hidden smile.

---

The layout was officially finished.

Daisy packed up her heavy camera gear. She zipped her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder.

For years, she had always found a completely ridiculous excuse to stay just a little bit longer. She would ask about his weekend. She would try to distract him with a story.

Now, she simply turned around.

She was the one walking away.

Ben watched her take a step toward the door. Panic suddenly flared in his chest. He stood up quickly.

"Daisy," Ben called out.

She stopped and turned back to look at him. "Yes?"

Ben stood behind his desk. He had absolutely no idea what to say. He awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Good work today," Ben managed to say.

Daisy smiled warmly. It was a kind, sweet smile.

"Thanks, Ben," Daisy replied softly. "See you tomorrow."

Then, she turned around and walked out the door.

Ben stood completely still in his quiet office. He looked at the empty glass doors. Then, he looked down at Spike sitting on the desk.

A quiet, terrifying realization settled deep into his chest.

The office was not quieter because Daisy grew up. It was not quieter because they were professionals now.

It was quieter because she finally stopped chasing him.