Chapter One: The Red Words on the Severance Agreement

The sudden tightening of Vale's pupils told Lin his gamble had landed. He turned away. Silence followed him, then the shriek of a chair scraping backward. By the time the lift reached the underground garage, sweat had soaked Lin's shirt. He had no evidence—only two impossible lines of red text and enough savings to survive six weeks. His phone rang. Su Man, acting chairwoman of Harborbridge Athletic. Harborbridge sat second from bottom in the Championship, owed the bank twenty-eight million, and had not paid its staff in full for three months. A week ago, it had rejected four of Lin's recommendations because it could not afford even a loan fee. “I hear you were fired,” Su said. “News travels faster than scouting lists.”