"Jamie," Michael repeated, letting the name settle.
He looked at the young man in front of him—the shy posture, the worn-out hoodie, the nervous energy.
Then he looked past him, at the glowing, impossible numbers that only he could see, a beacon of raw potential.
[CA 59 / PA 89].
He had a choice. He could ask Arthur to send a scout, to invite Jamie for a trial, to run a background check, to do things the right way.
That would be the sensible path.
The path his father would take, bogged down by committees and risk assessments.
But Michael Sterling didn't buy a football club to be sensible. He did it to be decisive.
"Do you play for a team, Jamie?" Michael asked, his voice even and calm, betraying none of the frantic, screaming excitement in his head.
Jamie Weston shuffled his feet on the pavement.
"Nah, not really. Used to be in an academy when I was a kid. Got released. Said I was too small."
He shrugged, a gesture that tried to convey indifference but was heavy with years of disappointment.
"Just play here with my mates now."
Arthur shifted beside Michael, a silent signal to wrap it up, to not get involved. Michael ignored him completely.
"You're not too small," Michael said, the statement so full of simple, unwavering conviction that it made Jamie look up, his eyes meeting Michael's for the first time.
"You're quick, you have a low center of gravity, and your left foot is a lethal weapon."
Jamie stared, his mouth slightly agape.
"Who… who are you guys?" Jamie asked, his voice barely a whisper.
This was the moment. The leap of faith.
"My name is Michael Sterling," he said.
"And this is Arthur Milton. As of about three hours ago, we own Barnsley Football Club."
The statement dropped into the quiet evening air like a stone into a perfectly still pond. Jamie's eyes went wide with disbelief.
He looked from Michael's young, earnest face to Arthur's older, impeccably dressed figure.
Arthur gave a tight, almost pained smile that seemed to confirm the absurd declaration.
Jamie looked like he was about to bolt. He thought this was some kind of elaborate prank.
"I'm not joking," Michael said quickly, softening his tone.
"We just left the stadium. We're the new owners."
He paused, letting the impossible truth sink in. "And I have a question for you, Jamie."
"A… question?" Jamie stammered.
"Yes. How would you like a job?" Michael asked.
"How would you like to sign a professional contract to play for Barnsley?"
The world seemed to stop.
The distant traffic, the buzz of the floodlights, the chatter of Jamie's friends fading into the background—it all went silent.
Jamie just stared, his face a kaleidoscope of confusion, shock, and a dawning, fragile hope.
He looked at Arthur, as if for confirmation that he wasn't dreaming.
Arthur's expression was a mixture of horror and begrudging acceptance.
"You… you're serious?" Jamie finally managed to get out.
"I've never been more serious in my life," Michael said. He didn't have a contract, he didn't have a pen. All he had was his word and the secret knowledge burning in his mind.
"I'm offering you a chance. A trial, to start, but with a full professional contract waiting for you if you're as good as I think you are. All you have to do is say yes."
For a moment, Jamie looked like he might cry.
The years of being told he wasn't big enough, wasn't strong enough, had been washed away in an instant by a stranger who saw something no one else had. He didn't need to think. He didn't need to ask questions.
This was the dream he thought had died years ago, knocking on his door on a random Tuesday night.
He swallowed hard and nodded, unable to form words. He just nodded again, more vigorously this time, a massive, disbelieving grin spreading across his face.
"Yes," he finally choked out. "God, yes."
"Good," Michael said, a huge smile breaking out on his own face. The relief was immense. He had landed his first star. "Be at the Oakwell training ground tomorrow morning. Eight a.m. sharp. Ask for Arthur Milton. We'll get your paperwork sorted out."
He shook Jamie's hand again.
The first signing of the Michael Sterling era wasn't a multi-million-pound superstar; it was a kid from a cage, sealed with a handshake in the dark.
They left Jamie standing there, looking at his own hand as if it belonged to someone else, and walked back into the night.
They walked in silence for a full block before Arthur finally broke.
"Are you completely out of your mind?" he hissed, the words a pressure valve releasing his pent-up professionalism. "We know nothing about that boy! We haven't seen his medical records, we haven't checked his background, he could have the attitude of a rattlesnake for all we know! You just offered a professional contract based on ten minutes of a kickabout in a park!"
"I have a good feeling about him," Michael said calmly, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"A good feeling?" Arthur spluttered. "We don't run a football club on 'good feelings,' Michael! We run it on data, on scouting networks, on meticulous planning! This is the most unprofessional, impulsive thing I have ever witnessed!"
"And yet," Michael said, stopping and turning to face him under a streetlight. "You didn't stop me."
Arthur was taken aback. "I… I work for you."
"No," Michael said, his expression serious. "We're partners. If you thought it was a truly terrible idea, you would have found a way to stop it. But you didn't. Because you saw it too, didn't you? The talent. The spark. You saw a player."
Arthur opened his mouth to argue, but he hesitated. He had seen it.
The quick feet, the balance, that thunderous left foot.
His professional mind screamed that this was reckless, but the football man deep inside him was intrigued.
"It was an unnecessary risk," Arthur finally grumbled, but the fire had gone out of his argument.
"The biggest risk," Michael said, turning to walk again, "is not taking one."
They parted ways at the next corner.
Back in his tiny flat, the smell of the bakery now a comforting welcome, Michael switched on the television. T
he sports news channel was on, the screen filled with slick graphics and hyper-excited presenters.
"…and sources say Manchester City are closing in on a record-breaking £120 million deal for the Brazilian striker, cementing their status as the team to beat this season."
The screen showed a montage of the player—a global superstar, muscles gleaming, celebrating in front of 80,000 screaming fans.
"Not to be outdone, rivals across town, Manchester United, have reportedly triggered the £85 million release clause for the French World Cup-winning midfielder…"
Michael watched, a small smile on his face.
The giants of the game were exchanging blows with nine-figure sums, moving human assets around like chess pieces on a global board.
They were playing a different game, a game of brute financial force.
He had just made his first move. It cost him nothing but a handshake and an ounce of faith.
They had their superstars and their nine-figure deals. He had Jamie Weston from the cage.
And he had his secret. He had the numbers.
He switched off the TV, the room plunging into darkness. He lay in bed, the sounds of the city a distant lullaby. Tomorrow, the real work would begin.
Tomorrow, he would meet his team.
Tomorrow, he would start building his empire, one hidden diamond at a time.