The night was dark and quiet, the air cool and fresh after the rain.
From the balcony of the Beckhams' home, the faint lights of Ethan's house could be seen in the distance.
As far as Beckham knew, Ethan probably wasn't home.
Ethan had never been interested in nightlife.
If he wasn't at Newton Heath, he was usually at home or spending time elsewhere, but almost never in a bar.
He often joked that he was already too old for that sort of thing.
Coming from a man almost the same age as Beckham, the comment always made David want to laugh.
Yet somehow, the two of them had always got along extremely well.
"Eva told me she's pregnant."
Victoria stepped out onto the balcony.
"It's a boy."
The children were already asleep.
The assistants had left.
Now it was just the two of them.
"They really are an enviable couple, aren't they?" Victoria said.
Beckham nodded.
Like the Beckhams, Ethan and Eva were constantly followed by the media.
But they still seemed to live with a remarkable amount of freedom.
For David and Victoria, every public appearance became news.
That attention created enormous commercial value.
It also created endless problems.
"Ethan is a very unusual person," Victoria said.
"More impressive than the companies he owns, really.
"Sometimes it feels as though he can see where things are going before everyone else.
"The company Eva and I started made more than £5 million in profit during the first half of this year, largely because of advice he gave us."
She looked towards the summer sky.
There was almost no moonlight.
The night remained black and slightly chilly after the rain.
"Do you think I should leave?" Beckham suddenly asked.
Victoria shook her head.
"No, David.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do about football.
"I'll respect whatever decision you make.
"My responsibility is everything around football, not what happens on the pitch."
Beckham put an arm around her and sighed.
"AC Milan are out.
"They simply can't carry the financial burden of signing me.
"They've just won the Champions League, but they still don't have much money to spend.
"Their priority is defence.
"They're interested in Stam, and right now they're concentrating on Cafu."
"What about Real Madrid?"
"They're watching.
"Like a crocodile waiting beside the water.
"They know exactly how desperate Manchester United are to sell, and they know exactly what position I'm in.
"For both me and United, Madrid probably looks like the ideal solution now.
"But they don't want to pay the asking price.
"Especially after spending money on Samuel."
He paused.
"Chelsea are interesting.
"But they've been losing money for years.
"They've swallowed good players without ever becoming stable.
"I genuinely worry that if I went there and things went badly, I'd disappear into the same mess.
"At the same time, they're the richest buyer in Europe this summer."
"Doesn't Ethan have money?" Victoria asked.
Beckham shook his head.
"That's different.
"Ethan has money, but everything he spends has a purpose.
"He plans it.
"He knows exactly why he's buying someone.
"Chelsea right now are just walking around Europe with a chequebook trying to sign anyone they can.
"And because football finances are so weak at the moment, they can take advantage of it."
Beckham looked out into the darkness.
"I'm twenty-eight.
"This will probably be the most important transfer decision of my career.
"If I choose correctly, I could reach the best years of my career.
"If I choose badly, I could undo a lot of what we've spent years building."
Victoria understood exactly what he meant.
She wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Don't put all of that pressure on yourself.
"I know this decision is difficult.
"But Manchester United don't have a place for you anymore.
"Whatever happens, you have to leave."
A coldness briefly appeared in Beckham's eyes.
He did not object to leaving Manchester United.
He objected to being forced out like this.
Ethan had described it perfectly during their earlier conversation.
Manchester United had effectively put Beckham up for auction.
All that was missing was someone standing beside him with a hammer.
David Beckham for sale.
Who wants to bid?
It was absurd.
But the transfer market could be cruel.
Phil and Gary Neville had both called him privately.
According to them, Manchester United were in chaos internally.
Ferguson had not even known in advance about some of the statements released by the club.
Nor had he personally approved the agreement made with Laporta.
The players had now been placed under a strict media ban.
Nobody was allowed to discuss Beckham's situation.
Not even captain Roy Keane.
You probably never imagined it would turn into this either, did you, Boss?
For a moment, Beckham felt a bitter trace of satisfaction.
His own position was painful.
But Ferguson's could hardly be comfortable either.
Beckham was losing the club where he had spent almost his entire career.
Manchester United were losing something more difficult to recover.
Their reputation.
How many players would look at the way one of the club's greatest academy products had been treated and wonder whether the same thing might eventually happen to them?
In Ethan's previous life, Ronaldinho had once appeared almost certain to join Manchester United before choosing Barcelona instead.
Later, Benzema would reject United in favour of Real Madrid.
And several stars who became global names at Old Trafford would eventually want to leave once they reached the very top.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rooney.
Others as well.
Ferguson's principle had always been simple.
No individual was bigger than the club.
But there was another side to it.
No individual could become bigger than Ferguson's control either.
Once that happened, there was usually only one outcome.
Departure.
Ethan happened to be close to both Ferguson and Beckham.
Sometimes he thought the two men were like members of the same family trapped in a long-running feud, with everyone around them pulled awkwardly into the middle.
Who could really say that only one side was wrong?
As for the constant claims that Victoria controlled Beckham's career decisions, Ethan knew from his previous life that those accusations were nonsense.
David respected his wife.
He cared deeply about his family.
Naturally, he considered Victoria's opinion when making major decisions.
But Beckham had never been someone she could simply control.
"Whatever you decide, David, I'll support you," Victoria said.
She held him tightly.
At that moment, a faint crescent moon finally appeared through the clouds.
...
Two days later, Joan Laporta was elected president of Barcelona.
Champagne was opened immediately.
The celebrations began.
Then reporters asked him about Beckham.
Laporta suddenly looked helpless.
Almost innocent.
"We would very much like to have David Beckham.
"He's one of the best players in the world.
"Unfortunately, he has rejected the possibility of joining Barcelona, and Manchester United have also rejected our proposal.
"So with great regret, I have to say that Beckham is moving farther away from us."
The bridge had been burned.
The moment Laporta said it, Manchester United's humiliation became complete.
They had effectively allowed themselves to become a campaign tool in somebody else's presidential election.
And on the same day, photographers from The Sun caught Peter Kenyon meeting José Ángel Sánchez, one of Real Madrid's senior executives, on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Unlike what Ethan remembered from his previous life, however, the discussion lasted barely half an hour.
The two sides left without agreement.
The following morning, Marca published a story claiming that relations between Beckham and Manchester United had begun to improve.
The possibility of him staying at Old Trafford, it said, was increasing.
According to the paper, that was one of the reasons negotiations between Real Madrid and Manchester United had broken down.
It was obviously another attempt to push the price lower.
Manchester United could do very little about it.
They desperately wanted another bidder to enter the race and pressure Madrid.
Nobody did.
Real Madrid's highest proposal was reportedly £14 million in instalments, plus either Míchel Salgado or Geremi.
Geremi had played very well on loan at Middlesbrough that season.
But the offer remained far below Manchester United's demand of £25 million in cash.
Nobody seriously believed England's biggest star was worth only £14 million.
But transfer markets often produced ridiculous situations.
Manchester United had to sell.
Even at a reduced price.
And at that moment, Real Madrid were the only serious buyer capable of completing the deal.
Chelsea wanted Verón and showed far less interest in Beckham.
That left United in an extremely weak negotiating position.
Beckham himself had stayed at home in Manchester throughout the entire saga.
He rejected every interview request.
But he knew exactly what was happening.
Information reached him almost immediately.
He knew Real Madrid were trying to force the price down.
He knew Manchester United were trapped.
And he knew how little control he had over the situation.
Madrid had already contacted his representatives.
They wanted Beckham to publicly declare that he wished to join Real Madrid.
That would strengthen their negotiating position enormously.
In return, Madrid promised him a higher salary than he currently earned at Manchester United and guaranteed him a starting place.
Beckham refused.
He could not bring himself to make that statement.
Not now.
Elsewhere, the other major transfer saga continued in Paris.
Ronaldinho was also approaching a decision.
Manchester United wanted him.
Barcelona wanted him.
United had been in contact with the Brazilian for longer, but they could not properly finance the deal until Beckham was sold.
Barcelona, meanwhile, had already submitted an offer to Paris Saint-Germain and negotiations were underway.
The two transfers dominated football coverage around the world.
Everyone wanted to know where Beckham and Ronaldinho would end up.
If Beckham really had only Real Madrid left as a realistic destination, then Ronaldinho's choice between Manchester United and Barcelona was becoming even more fascinating.
During such a heavily scrutinised transfer window, a single day felt endless.
And almost nobody outside a very small circle knew that another club had entered the Beckham race.
Ethan still had not contacted Manchester United.
He would not offer them a single penny until Beckham gave him an answer.
Meanwhile, New Manchester United's other transfer business continued.
Senna completed a £6 million move to Villarreal.
The Spanish club rated him highly and believed he would become the ideal addition to their midfield.
Once Senna's departure was completed, New Manchester United finalised the arrival of Maicon.
Dani Alves, meanwhile, was sent on loan to Benfica.
The Portuguese club agreed to pay his full salary.
Only after Ethan had completed those moves did Beckham finally call him.
It was the day before David was due to leave for Asia.
The following morning, Beckham arrived at the airport for his flight to Japan.
Reporters immediately surrounded him.
Questions came from every direction.
Real Madrid?
Barcelona?
Manchester United?
Chelsea?
Where would he be playing next season?
Beckham stopped.
Then gave them the first clear answer he had offered throughout the entire saga.
"The only thing I can confirm is that my future is in Manchester."
(To be continued.)