Vanessa stepped closer to his desk, close enough that he could see her face clearly, read the expression she was deliberately arranging.
"You want front-page stories," she whispered. "That's what you keep telling everyone in morning meetings. You want stories that people actually read. Stories that get shared. Stories that make this paper look relevant."
Daniel nodded slowly. "Go on."
"I can give you that."
"You already give me that. You're a good writer, Vanessa. Nobody's disputing that."
"But I'm not a front-page writer." She held his gaze. "Not in your eyes. Not in the eyes of anyone who matters around here."
Daniel didn't deny it.
That stung more than she expected it to.
"So here's my proposal," she continued, forcing her voice to stay steady. "You keep Aria on Rossi. Fine. She
