Chapter 142: Closer Than Necessary

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Closer Than Necessary

The next morning began in the small breakfast room of the hotel.

Ben and Daisy were drinking terrible hotel coffee and reviewing their schedules when Zane Kessler casually walked in and joined them. He had already managed to arrange a private interview with a notoriously difficult former club executive.

Daisy was genuinely impressed.

"You really don’t sleep, do you?" Daisy asked, looking at the fresh schedule he placed on the table.

"Occupational hazard," Zane smiled easily.

He didn’t pull out the chair across from her. Instead, he pulled out the chair directly beside her and sat down.

Ben noticed immediately. His eyes flickered over the small distance between them, but he didn’t say anything.

Zane effortlessly shifted the conversation away from work. He asked Daisy specific, thoughtful questions about her photography, her previous work at the newspaper, and her university years. He casually remembered tiny details she had briefly mentioned the previous day.

Daisy was surprised by how easy he was to talk to.

Ben just quietly watched him. He wasn’t furiously jealous yet. He was watching because he was beginning to realize exactly how good Zane Kessler was with people. The man was a human skeleton key. He knew exactly what to say to make people comfortable.

Throughout the entire day of the investigation, Zane repeatedly found reasons to help Daisy.

He knew exactly which older parts of the stadium had the best natural lighting for her photographs. He casually carried her heavy equipment bag when they walked up the long stadium stairs. He personally introduced her to former staff members, making her feel instantly welcome. He knew the club’s history surprisingly well, pointing out interesting historical details that made for beautiful shots.

Nothing he did crossed a professional line. He wasn’t sleazy. He wasn’t aggressive.

That was exactly what made him so hard for Ben to read.

Daisy actually found herself genuinely enjoying talking to him.

Ben noticed every single time she laughed at one of Zane’s jokes. His jaw tightened just a fraction more each time.

And the absolute worst part?

Ben knew exactly why this was happening. Because last night, in the dark hotel room, he was the one who had told Daisy to get closer to Zane for the investigation.

While Daisy was photographing a dusty, abandoned section of the old stadium locker rooms, she took a slow step backward without looking.

Her foot caught a thick, loose electrical cable coiled on the floor.

She lost her balance.

Ben reacted instantly. Before she could hit the hard concrete, he lunged forward, grabbed her firmly around the waist, and pulled her hard toward him.

Her heavy camera swung wildly between them, hitting his chest.

They froze. Her back was pressed flush against him.

"Careful," Ben murmured, his voice low.

Daisy looked up over her shoulder. "I didn’t see it."

Ben suddenly realized his hands were still resting firmly on her hips. He immediately dropped them and stepped back.

"Clearly," Ben replied roughly.

Daisy straightened her jacket and checked her camera lens. Neither of them said another word.

A few feet away in the hallway, Zane stood watching them.

He didn’t make a single comment. He just smiled slightly. But he definitely noticed exactly what had just happened.

Later that afternoon, Daisy and Ben were sitting side-by-side in a small club office, reviewing her digital photographs on the laptop screen.

Ben leaned closely over her shoulder to look at the screen.

Their shoulders touched.

"That one," Ben said, pointing at the screen.

"The trophy?" Daisy asked.

"No," Ben clarified. "The former player standing in the reflection in the background."

Daisy leaned forward and zoomed in on the glass.

Their heads were suddenly close. She turned her head slightly to ask him a question, and her cheek very nearly brushed against his jaw.

They both stopped moving.

Daisy’s breath hitched. She looked into his dark eyes.

"You could’ve just said which photograph," Daisy whispered.

"You could’ve moved," Ben whispered back.

"So could you."

Neither of them moved.

Then, a cheerful voice echoed from the doorway.

"Am I interrupting?"

Zane was standing there, holding two files.

Daisy and Ben separated, immediately sitting back in their chairs.

"No," Daisy said quickly, her cheeks burning slightly.

Ben didn’t say a single word. He just glared at the screen.

Zane gave them a small, knowing smile before casually walking inside.

Ben spent the rest of the afternoon aggressively comparing the 2019 financial records with the new information they had gathered from their interviews.

He quickly found a pattern.

Several massive payments had been made through third-party companies that had no obvious connection to the football club. More importantly, several of the same names kept appearing around the authorized transactions.

Ben didn’t jump to wild conclusions. He was a professional. He wrote down the names and marked them for strict verification.

Then, he noticed something else.

Someone had accessed the archived financial records right before he and Daisy arrived at the club today. A specific folder they had requested earlier had already been moved to the front of the box.

Ben realized the implication. Whoever moved it would have needed to know exactly what they were looking for before they even asked.

But he still had no idea who it was.

That evening, as they were walking back toward the rental car, Ben pulled Daisy aside.

"I need you to get closer to Zane tomorrow," Ben instructed quietly.

Daisy stopped walking and stared at him.

"Excuse me?" Daisy asked.

"He trusts you," Ben reasoned.

"And?"

"You might be able to find out what he actually knows about 2019."

Daisy’s expression changed. She crossed her arms.

"You want me to flirt with him?" Daisy demanded.

"I didn’t say flirt," Ben defended quickly.

"That is basically what you’re asking me to do, Ben."

"I am asking you to talk to him," Ben corrected firmly.

Daisy laughed dryly.

"You have spent the entire day looking like you wanted to physically murder him every single time he spoke to me," Daisy pointed out.

Ben went quiet.

Daisy noticed his silence.

"And now," Daisy continued, "you’re telling me to deliberately get closer to him?"

"It’s for the investigation, Daisy," Ben said, his voice strained.

"I know," she sighed. "That doesn’t mean I have to like it."

Ben looked away, staring at the dark parking lot.

"I don’t like it either," Ben muttered under his breath.

"Then why are you asking?" Daisy demanded.

Ben turned his head and looked directly into her eyes.

"Because we desperately need to know what he’s hiding," Ben answered honestly.

That annoyed her, mostly because she knew he was absolutely right.

"Fine," Daisy agreed.

Ben looked at her. "Fine?"

"I will talk to him. I will ask questions. I will find out what he knows about 2019," Daisy promised.

She pointed a sharp finger directly at his chest.

"But if this goes wrong," Daisy warned, "it is your fault."

"I know," Ben nodded.

"And what happens if he actually starts liking me?" Daisy challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Ben’s jaw tightened visibly.

"He won’t," Ben stated flatly.

"That’s very confident of you."

"Just do the job, Daisy."

Daisy smiled a slow, knowing smile.

"Jealous?" Daisy teased softly.

"No," Ben answered instantly.

"You answered way too quickly."

"Daisy."

She laughed, a bright, triumphant sound, and walked toward the car.

The next day, Daisy deliberately spent more time with Zane.

But she approached it exactly like an investigative journalist. She casually asked about his history with the club, his exact role as Media Relations Director, and who he officially reported to on the board.

She asked how the club handled the 2019 scandal internally, which specific departments had access to the old records, and which executives suddenly left around that period.

Zane answered everything easily. Almost too easily.

He took her on a private tour through an older section of the stadium. They talked about her photography again.

Eventually, Zane looked at her as they walked down a quiet hall.

"You know, you’re different when you’re not around Ben," Zane noted casually.

Daisy looked at him. "Different how?"

"More relaxed," Zane smiled.

Daisy returned the smile. "Ben isn’t exactly a relaxing person."

Zane laughed a deep, genuine laugh. "I noticed."

Ben was standing at the other end of the hall, conducting a dry interview with a former maintenance staff member.

Except, his attention kept drifting toward Daisy and Zane.

He told himself he was just closely monitoring the conversation for the investigation. He absolutely was. But when Zane made Daisy laugh again, Ben’s pen stopped moving on his notepad.

The former employee stopped talking and looked at him.

"Did I say something wrong?" the man asked nervously.

Ben quickly looked down at his notes.

"No," Ben said roughly.

A beat passed.

"Keep talking," Ben instructed.

He had no business being irritated right now. He had literally told Daisy to do exactly this.

Daisy eventually brought the casual conversation directly back to 2019.

Zane instantly became much more careful. His easy posture tightened slightly.

"Wasn’t the discrepancy originally discovered by the accounting department?" Daisy asked casually, pretending to adjust her camera strap.

Zane shook his head slowly. "No."

Daisy studied him. She already knew Daniel Mercer had discovered it.

"Then who actually found it?" she asked, testing him.

A long, heavy pause settled between them.

"Someone in senior management," Zane finally answered.

Daisy watched his face carefully. "Who?"

Zane’s friendly expression faded. His eyes grew serious.

"That is not something you should ask me," Zane warned quietly.

"Why?"

He looked at her, and the playful charm was gone.

"Because if you keep asking dangerous questions like that," Zane said softly, "someone might start wondering exactly why you’re asking them."

Daisy smiled lightly, pretending to brush it off.

But inside, she understood perfectly. He was warning her to back off.

Back at the hotel room that evening, Daisy told Ben everything.

Ben was highly impressed.

"Good work," Ben said, writing the information down quickly.

Daisy stared at him. "That’s it?"

Ben looked up from his laptop. "What do you want?"

"Maybe a thank you?" Daisy suggested.

Ben smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"Better," Daisy nodded, satisfied.

She turned around to walk toward the small desk.

Her foot caught the hard edge of Ben’s heavy suitcase sitting on the floor. She pitched forward.

Ben shot out of his chair and caught her before she could fall. She landed firmly against his solid chest. His hands settled naturally around her waist, and her palms pressed flat against his chest to steady herself.

Neither of them moved away.

"You need to stop catching me," Daisy whispered, looking up at him.

Ben looked down at her wide eyes.

"You need to stop falling," Ben murmured.

"I wasn’t falling."

"You were."

"I was walking," Daisy argued softly.

"Badly," Ben corrected.

She let out a soft laugh. For a moment, the awkwardness faded into an easy, domestic familiarity they hadn’t shared in years. Then, slowly, Ben released her waist and stepped back.

Suddenly, Daisy’s phone buzzed loudly on the desk.

She walked over and checked the screen. Her expression changed.

Zane: You asked about the former finance director today.

Another message arrived.

Zane: Don’t ask about him again.

Ben walked over and looked over her shoulder at the bright screen.

Then, one final message appeared.

Zane: Some questions get people hurt.

Daisy slowly looked up at Ben.

He didn’t answer immediately. He gently took the phone from her hand and read the three messages again.

His expression shifted into something cold.

"He knows," Ben stated quietly.

Daisy nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Ben looked toward the locked hotel door, then back down at the dangerous messages.

"The real question," Ben said softly, "is how."