Chrysanthemums

Chapter 3

Sun beams bounced off the walls, as Benjamin stared out of the window of his office, in deep thought. Next week, he would be going to see his parents in Singapore for an engagement ceremony of sorts, but all he could think about was that coffee date. That girl. Her smile. Her eyes. They were unlike any he had seen before, not in appearance but in feeling. Her eyes had the wisdom and elegance of a woman but the childlike innocence of a girl, and they were brighter than the illumination of the moon. He longed to see her again, to talk to her again, to see that smile again.

He sighed in delusional content, this wasn't reality, it was just a daydream, the reality was he was marrying the woman of his parent's choosing. Sure, she's pretty and rich and comes from an affluent Singaporean family. But so what? What did any of that mean if he didn't love her?

Tick Tick Tick

The glass clock in the office ticked, mirroring the steady beat of a heart. Snapping out of his thoughts, Benjamin looked over at the time, it was lunch time already? He had barely completed any work yet, rolling his eyes, he could hear the monotonous voice of his father's scolding.
You're never gonna get anywhere like this.
You think I built this empire by doing nothing.
It took hard work and discipline.

BLAH BLAH BLAH

He couldn't handle the constant reminders of what he had to be. What he should be. What he's meant to be. How could he possibly live up to his father's legacy? His father was a good man. A great man. Without his self-sacrifice, they would be nowhere and now everyone was looking at Benjamin to be the next great Mr Zhang.

Longing for a break, he stood up and straightened out his shirt, he slipped his phone into his trouser pocket and left being the silence of the office, strolling past the receptionist and a few others who had been wanting his attention.
"Mr Zha-"

Ignoring them, he stepped outside, to be met with the bustling chaos of the city, folks shouting nonsense; construction workers "working"; businessmen walking the streets as if they owned them (which they most likely did).

"Hey!" A voice from behind shouted, Benjamin glanced backwards to see a woman, dressed in a trench coat, holding a recorder. Not another reporter, he thought, internally rolling his eyes. Putting his head down, he began walking at a fast pace in the opposite direction, desperate to lose his incessant tail. "Hey, you!" The voice shouted again, a little out of breath and shaky, as they has been chasing him. Benjamin sped up, swerving in and out of crowds, muttering apologies as he bumped a few people. Looking back to check, he could no longer see the woman previously following him.

He halted to a stop when he reached a quaint little cafe and ducked inside of it for refuge. Fairy lights strung across the counters, decorative flowers along the windows and random works of art cluttered the place. It was...homey, to say the least. Not particularly busy but not empty, the cafe was welcoming. Unlike the other cafe, it didn't have a gorgeous woman sitting in the corner window seat people watching, so there wasn't much keeping him here. Walking over to the counter, he ordered a latte to go, not really wanting anything but feeling it would be rude to not buy anything. It was given to him very quickly, he handed over the money with a small smile and stuck some money in the tip jar. The worker smiled at him,
"Have a nice day!" He replied with a less enthusiastic 'you too'.

The bell dinged as Ben exited the quaint shop, a bitter breeze hit him, causing a chill to run down his spine. Deciding not to go back to the office for another hour of mundane paperwork, he took a sip of his coffee, allowing the warm liquid to spread heat around his body.

A park stood before him, leaves of all different colours littered the path and a few wooden benches were scattered around. There weren't many people around, a few people walking their dogs, an old man reading a newspaper and a woman with her head in a book and a small flower tucked behind her ear. Ben decided on a little stroll through the park, to clear his mind.