The clock on the wall of Michael Sterling office ticked loudly. It was 8 PM. Three hours left until the window closed forever.
The office looked like a war zone. There were pizza boxes stacked on the floor. There were papers covering every inch of the desk. Arthur Milton was sitting on the floor with two phones held to his ears and a headset on his head.
"No!" Arthur shouted into the left phone. "We do not want to sell Diego Nunez! Even for fifty million! He will eat your scouts if they come near him!"
He listened to the right phone.
"Yes! The plane is waiting! Tell the pilot to keep the engine running! Tell him to fly like he is escaping a volcano!"
Michael Sterling stood by the window. He was watching the crowd outside.
Usually there were ten journalists at the gate. Tonight there were hundreds. They sensed something. They smelled blood in the water. The rumors about Osimhen and Endrick had leaked.
"Status report Arthur," Michael said calmly.
