Chapter 2

I found Alexis in the strategy room, ironically, looking over VODs with Ethan.

She was pointing at the screen, praising a very basic play he' d made in a scrim.

"See, Jake? Ethan gets it. He understands the modern fan."

"Alexis, we need to talk," I said, my voice flat.

Ethan smirked, then excused himself. "I' ll leave you two lovebirds."

Once he was gone, I faced her. "The bonus. The car for Ethan. What was that?"

She sighed, tapping her pen on the table. "Jake, don't be so sensitive. It' s business. Ethan brings in numbers, sponsors love him."

"I bring in wins, Alexis. Actual championships."

"And you get recognized for that," she said, her tone impatient. "But you' re not seeing the bigger picture for the brand. Ethan is the future."

"The future? He can barely hold his own against mid-tier players."

"His social media engagement is through the roof! That' s what matters right now."

My jaw tightened. "So my $200,000 win bonus becomes team tokens, while he gets cash and a car for being popular?"

"It was a signing bonus adjustment for Ethan, completely different," she waved her hand dismissively. "Look, if you secure the next major championship, the really big one, I' ll give you a $300,000 bonus. Cash. And we can finally have that serious talk about kids, okay?"

Another carrot. Another empty promise tied to a near-impossible feat, while Ethan got rewarded for just showing up.

The talk about kids. She knew that was my weak spot. We'd talked about it for years.

Now it was just another bargaining chip.

Later, the team Discord was buzzing.

Marcus, one of the young prospects I' d scouted and mentored, posted: "Captain Jake leads us to a championship and gets paid in Monopoly money, while the new guy gets a sports car for his TikToks? Make it make sense. #JusticeForJake"

Leo, another prospect, chimed in: "Seriously messed up. Jake IS Phoenix Rising."

Tweets started appearing too, fans picking up on it.

Alexis was furious.

Not at the unfairness, but at the "negative PR."

She called an emergency team meeting, minus me.

Later, Marcus and Leo showed me the official warnings they received.

Pay docked. Playtime threatened.

"Publicly disparaging team management and creating a hostile environment for fellow players."

The "fellow player" was clearly Ethan.

I remembered a few years back, I' d found this incredible young talent. Raw skill, amazing game sense.

But he wasn' t conventionally handsome, a bit awkward on camera.

Alexis had shut it down immediately.

"He doesn' t fit the Phoenix Rising brand, Jake. We need players with appeal."

Now she was championing Ethan, who was all appeal and no substance, purely for his looks and social media.

The hypocrisy was staggering.