Chapter Two: The €4.7 Million Empty Cheque

Lin found him in the hotel kitchen wearing a waiter's uniform and lowering a silver cover onto a steak. Luka saw Harborbridge's temporary credential and stiffened. “I don't discuss Milo.” “I'm here to discuss you.” Luka lifted the tray. Lin stepped aside and quietly said, “Drava Medical Fund.” The tray trembled. The fund had paid for Luka's surgery. In exchange, Crown Sports took sixty percent of his future income and an indefinite renewal option. Legal, perhaps, but a chain all the same. Lin had inferred it from an anonymous players' union arbitration; his power had never shown him the old agreement. “Milo thinks signing for a giant buys your freedom,” Lin said.