Team's president: Riki

In another setting, there's a bald, tall man exuding authority. His sharp, gold-rimmed glasses accentuate his commanding presence. Dressed in impeccably tailored suits, he projects confidence and control despite his age.

Trophies from numerous prestigious championships adorn the space behind him as he reviews papers on his desk. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Riki paused, placing the papers on his desk, and raised his eyebrows towards the door. "Come in!" he announced, looking at the door. 

A man in a suit, looking hesitant, stood at the door holding a file in his hands. "Sir, do you have a minute?" he asked. 

Riki's autocratic tone continued as he demanded, "What do you have? Hurry up!" 

The man, sensing the urgency, responded, "Sir, our newly recruited player Kay Marik had an..." he gulped his saliva as he continued"had a catastrophic accident this morning, and he is currently undergoing surgery." He paused briefly, as if struggling for air in the tense atmosphere of the room. 

The young man braced himself for a furious response from Riki, but to his surprise, Riki remained silent, staring at the ceiling.

The silence felt like the calm before the storm, and after what seemed like hours to the man, Riki finally erupted in anger, shouting, "I see you are still standing in front of me! Go out and tell me the results of the surgery as soon as possible!" 

After the young man left the desk, Riki smashed a cup of coffee that was near him onto the floor and shouted, "Why did it have to be him? He's the most expensive player with one of the highest salaries on the team, and he's only been here for two months!". 

Suddenly, Riki raised his head as if he remembered something important. He opened a shelf on his desk and began searching through files.

After a while, he couldn't find what he was looking for and called out to his secretary, "Carolina! Carolina!" 

A young blond girl entered the room and responded, "Yes, sir?" 

Riki asked, "Where did you put the file of the player's contracts?" 

"It's on the shelf below, on the right," she replied. 

Riki grumbled, "How many times have I told you not to touch my things?" He continued searching on that shelf for the file. 

"Ah, here it is, you can go" exclaimed Riki as he held up a file in his hands. 

The blond lady went outside and Riki opened the file and sifted through the papers until he found what he was looking for. With a grin, he began reading line by line until he stopped at a particular clause and burst into laughter. 

The clause stated, "If the player injures himself in a manner that prevents him from participating in football activities during the term of his contract, and he is responsible for that injury occurring outside the field of play, he shall forfeit 80% of his salary during the period of injury." 

While Riki was engrossed in reading the contract, there was a knock on the door. Setting the file aside, he called out, "Yes?" 

The young man from earlier entered and hesitated for a moment before delivering the news, "Sir, I have some bad news regarding Kay's accident." 

Riki's expression darkened as he asked, "What's the matter?" 

The young man continued, "It's about Kay's accident, he couldn't play football." 

Riki, anticipating the worst, inquired further, "And how long will he need to recover?" 

The young man's response was grim, "Sir, the problem is that they amputated his legs, so he can't play football for the rest of his life." 

Riki's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected such devastating news. He thought at worst Kay might need several months or even a year to recover, but the reality was far worse – Kay could never play football again. 

Frustration and anger surged through Riki as he exclaimed, "Idiot player! We paid a fortune to his previous team for him, and we haven't gained anything from him!" 

The young man was taken aback by the president's reaction. It was clear that Riki prioritized money over the well-being of his players. At that moment, the young man realized he was dealing with one of the worst kinds of humans. 

Riki picked up his phone and dialed a number, the tension evident in his foot tapping on the floor as he waited for someone to answer on the other end. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi Tom, it's me, Riki." 

"Hi Riki, good afternoon. How are you? How the team is doing ?" 

"From your answer, I assume you haven't received the news yet!" 

"What news?" 

"Tom, your agent had an accident this morning. They had to amputate his leg, so he lost the ability to play football for the rest of his life." 

"What? Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I just received the news." 

"Oh sh**, I've lost a very talented and promising agent." 

"Do you remember the clause we inserted into his contract?" 

Tom paused, thinking hard. "You know, I have a lot of players under me. I can't recall offhand, but I do remember we added a clause under the table in his contract without him knowing." 

Riki took the contract and began reading the clause: "If the player injures himself in a manner that prevents him from participating in football activities during the term of his contract, and he is responsible for that injury occurring outside the field of play, he shall forfeit 80% of his salary during the period of injury." 

"You know, you're the worst!" said Tom 

"No, it's all about business, and you'll have your share." 

After the phone call ended, the two men agreed to apply the clause. Despite Kay's loss of his leg, he would also lose a significant portion of his salary. 

*** 

The news of the emerging football talent losing the ability to play spread rapidly, triggering varied reactions of sympathy, revenge, and assigning blame among the public. 

In the following days, Kay's physical and emotional well-being showed improvement, a positive change he credited to the unwavering support of his parents and the occasional visits from Alex during his hospital stay. 

After two weeks in the hospital, the doctor granted permission for Kay's family to leave, creating a joyful atmosphere in his room.

While Reina gathered Kay's belongings, the doctor offered advice to Max, emphasizing the need for continued rest and avoiding discussions related to the accident to support Kay's recovery. 

Max asked the doctor, "When can we begin the procedure for the artificial leg?" 

The doctor replied, "We should wait until the wound heals completely." 

Max then inquired, "How much time does it need to heal completely?" 

"I think about two months are enough" the doctor estimated. 

Kay and his parents left the hospital and headed toward their home. The journey home took about three hours, filled with a warm and familial atmosphere. 

During the journey, Kay contemplated his future. Observing the state of his foot, he reluctantly accepted that a return to the football field seemed almost impossible.

With this realization, he considered the limited possibilities ahead. 

Kay spent the entire journey contemplating his future, considering every remaining opportunity.

However, his choices were severely limited because he had dedicated his entire childhood to becoming a professional player, and he never expected this turn of events. 

See you in the next chapter ...

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