Chapter Four: Selling Tomorrow's Stands

In stoppage time, Milo was shoved down near his own box. Still on his knees, he shielded the ball until the final whistle. He did not swing a fist. He raised one hand, covered in rubber pellets, toward the away support. Lanhaven had its first win and escaped the bottom of the table. On the bus, Su handed Gu a report. Attendance shares, local sponsorship, and the win bonus totaled one hundred ten thousand euros—enough to clear a month of arrears. “You sold one match three times,” she said. “No.” Gu watched old trucks escorting the bus with their horns sounding. “We sold a piece of tomorrow to people willing to arrive there with us.” His phone lit up. An agent associated with Silvervault had sent one sentence: