Chapter Two: The €4.7 Million Empty Cheque

Lin spread the public bids across the bed. No red text appeared on scans that nobody intended to sign. His power was not an all-knowing search engine. “Why did Kane put all three meetings on the same night?” he asked. “To create an auction.” “Numbers can be leaked from three cities. He put everyone in one building because something must happen simultaneously.” “Three signatures?” “Three formal rejections. A hidden condition probably activates only after two clubs withdraw.” They needed Luka Kovac, twenty-three, once a Croatian youth international. He had disappeared into the lower leagues after destroying his knee three years earlier. Public records listed him as another Crown Sports client.