The Greatest Of All Time

by Stayrr

Dive into a novel about the rise of a legendary sportsman. Follow Zachary Bemba on his journey to become the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) in the soccer world. He travels back to a time in his past where opportunity abounds. Access to a system capable of propelling him to greater heights is just the icing on the cake. From a nobody born in one of the poorest and most remote pla

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Chapter 411 Leaving Bukavu

Zachary became busy after ending his call with Emily. He spent his morning hours packing his luggage before meeting his Congolese lawyer in charge of securing his property. Then, in the afternoon, he drove to town and linked up with Coach Samson Damata at a local hotel in Bukavu.

The Congolese coach had already requested to meet him more than a couple of times over the past two months. So, he figured that he should not disappoint him, especially since he was the person that had helped his grandma settle down in Lubumbashi.

"Welcome!" Coach Damata said in Swahili as soon as Zachary stepped before his table in the otherwise silent restaurant. "It's a pleasure to see you again, my young friend." Without waiting for Zachary to reply, the coach pulled him into a bear hug and patted his back repeatedly.

"How are you doing? Coach Damata asked, releasing Zachary.

"I'm doing okay," Zachary replied.

"And how's everything at home?" The coach asked as he stepped back and settled down on his seat.

Zachary followed suit and sunk down on an opposite seat before replying, "I've already employed people, including a local lawyer and hired guards, to secure my grandma's property. So, everything is moving smoothly."

Coach Damata smiled as he adjusted his plump figure within his seat. "It's great to hear that you're doing okay. During the times you feel sorrowful, take heart. Try to live your life, and you'll learn to live with the loss of your grandma with time."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Zachary replied, nodding. He then turned to the waitress who had just approached their table.

The waitress smiled splendidly and said, "Welcome to our humble restaurant. We have various drinks and most of the African dishes available. What will you be having?"

"Do you have bottled water?" Zachary inquired.

"Yes," the waitress replied.

"Then, give me a bottle of water. The bigger one!"

"Okay, noted." The waitress smiled before turning to Coach Damata. "What about you, sir? What will you be having?"

"Get me some African tea and a chapatti," the coach replied. "Make sure the food is hot. Okay?"

"Understood," the waitress said. "I'll bring over your orders shortly. Thanks again for choosing our restaurant." She then whirled around before stepping away to prepare the orders.

"She's really polite and enthusiastic," Coach Damata remarked when the waiter was out of earshot. "Maybe, she recognizes you."

Zachary chuckled. "Enough with the small talk," he said. "We've known each other for a long time. We aren't strangers. So, go ahead and tell me why you were very impatient to meet me."

Coach Damata forced a smile. "Actually, I'm meeting you to return a favor to an old friend. He tasked me with forwarding a proposal to you."

Zachary couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

Coach Damata nodded. "The old friend I'm talking about is Maxans Omari, the president of DRC's football governing body – FECOFA. He tasked me with inviting you to join the next training camp for the DRC national football team. He hopes that— No, let me rephrase that. We hope that you might join us at the start of September to prepare for the African Cup of Nations qualification matches."

"I see," Zachary said, sighing. "Thanks for inviting me. But I don't think I'll join the national team this year. I need time to refocus and straighten myself out, especially after everything I have gone through. So, can we take a rain check on this? We can consider the notion again next year — when I'm sure my mind is in the right place."

Coach Damata's eyes flickered with a trace of disappointment, but only for a moment. A soft smile outlined his face as he said, "Okay, then. We'll wait for you. But whatever you do, don't forget that DR Congo is your homeland."

"I know," Zachary replied, smiling helplessly. "I'll remember that."

It was at that moment that the waitress brought over their orders. Zachary's mind strayed as he waited for her to finish serving the drinks and dishes.

Half a year ago, he'd already positively considered the prospect of playing for DRC's national team. But after the death of his grandma, he felt like the bond between him and his homeland had shattered. He realized that he no longer felt any sense of belonging to the country and didn't want to bother with it. And since he didn't owe anything to the place, he decided against hustling with the various challenges affecting DRC's football community. He would wait and bide his time before thinking about the notion again.

Even though he was vaguely aware that a supernatural being had given him the system under the condition of helping his homeland, he had still resisted the notion of immediately joining the national team. That was because there were many ways to help his home country other than playing for the national football team.

For instance, he could build football academies, stadiums, hospitals, schools, and other facilities in his homeland. He could also set up a charity organization and start donating money to war victims from war-torn areas.

As long as he kept on earning millions by progressing his career in Europe, he would have the capacity to help his nation in many more ways than any Congolese politician or football player ever has. That was his vision. And that would be his way of completing the task placed upon his shoulders by the creepy ghost that appeared right before he received the system.

"So," Coach Damata said, breaking the silence on the table after the waiter stepped away. "Did you watch the World Cup final?"

"Yes, I did."

"It was really a surprise for Germany to win against Argentina," Coach Damata remarked. "I expected Messi to win the World Cup. But he failed again."

"Argentina tried," Zachary said after taking a sip of his water. "But the German team played better as a whole. Their teamwork was incredible, and they bested Argentina in all the crucial areas. They deserved to win."

"That's true," Coach Damata admitted. "So, when are you returning to Europe?"

"Within a couple of days, at most," Zachary said. "I'll be leaving Bukavu today evening. First, I'll fly to Kinshasa and settle a few things there. Then, I'll catch another flight from there and immediately head to Europe."

Coach Damata nodded. "The transfer rumors on the internet hint at you joining Tottenham, Juventus, Manchester United, or Chelsea. They insist that all four clubs have already made offers to Rosenborg as the first step to acquiring your services. Is that true?"

"Yes," Zachary confirmed.

"So, which team will you choose? Can you give me a hint?"

"I can't answer that," Zachary said, smiling mysteriously. "I don't want to hinder my agent's work due to my big mouth. But when I do—make a decision, you'll be among the first people to know. I'll call to give you the news."

"Then, I'll be waiting for your call," Coach Damata said. "And I wish you all the best of luck when choosing a new team."

"Thanks," Zachary said. "I also have a favor to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"If you can, please take some time to check on my grandma's property every once in a while. That'll help keep my employees in line when I'm away."

"Don't worry," the coach said. "I'll do that. You can travel to Europe and play your football at ease. I'll help supervise your employees here in DRC."

"Excellent," Zachary said, smiling. "You're a lifesaver. To thank you, I would like to gift you my Audi."

"Are you talking about the one I delivered to your late grandma's place in Lubumbashi a few years ago?"

"Yes, that's the one."

Coach Damata's eyes widened. "That's quite an expensive vehicle. Is it really okay to gift it to me?"

"Don't sweat the small stuff," Zachary said, waving his hand about him in a dismissive way. "We've known each other for years. You've even helped my grandma on several occasions. So, gifting you a car is the least I can do. Moreover, don't forget that I have a contract with Audi. They deliver me free cars almost every year. The car I'm offering you is just one of them."

Coach Damata laughed. "That's true. How could I forget that the seemingly helpless boy from less than five years ago has already turned into a world-class footballer? Zachary! I accept the car. Thank you very much. Driving such a vehicle is like a dream to me. I'll be able to stand out from among my colleagues in Lubumbashi."

"You're welcome," Zachary said, smiling. "The car is here in Bukavu. So, you can drop me off at the airport at five in the evening and then drive off in your vehicle afterward. Is that okay with you?"

"That's very okay," Coach Damata replied. "Let's just do that."

"Excellent."

—–

As planned, Zachary returned to his grandma's farm with Coach Damata after leaving the restaurant. He entered the house and instructed the maid to settle the coach in the living room. As for him, he hurried to the bedroom to commence his preparations for his journey that evening.

Thirty minutes later, he marched out of the house with his suitcase and dropped it in the vehicle's boot. He then called his employees over and gave them detailed instructions on how he expected them to conduct themselves while he was away. After that, he turned to Coach Damata, the plump and aged man standing a few meters away.

"The gentleman over there is Coach Samson Damata," he said to his employees. "He'll represent me when I'm away. Remember to respect him and to take his instructions seriously. Okay?"

"Okay." All the employees responded, more or less in unison.

"Good." Zachary smiled, nodding. "I'm going. So, let's meet again when I return. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," they replied.

"Coach Damata, let's go," he said, glancing at his watch. "It's almost four. I'm about to be late for my flight."

"Have you finished organizing everything? Do you have your passport and IDs with you?"

"Yes to all questions," Zachary replied. "Let's just go."

"Okay," Coach Damata replied before jumping into the driver's seat. "Let's go."

Zachary nodded and settled into the front passenger seat. He fastened his seatbelt, and off they went, driving out of his late grandma's farm before joining the murram road, heading towards the city. They had commenced their short journey to Kavumu Airport, the only airline transit hub in Bukavu.

At a distance, Zachary couldn't help but turn his head around to glance back at his grandma's farm through the vehicle's rear windshield. At that moment, he had a feeling that it would be a long time before he would return to the place.

"Are you okay?" Coach Damata asked, glancing briefly at him from the driver's seat.

"I'm okay," Zachary replied, sighing and turning his gaze away as his grandma's farm faded in the distance. "Let's just move on."

"Okay."

—–

Chapter 412 In Kinshasa

Zachary managed to board a FlyCAA flight from Kavumu Airport to Kinshasa that evening. After thirty minutes of flying, then a three-hour stopover in Goma, and finally another two and a half hours in the skies, he made it to the capital city of his homeland late at night at around eleven o'clock.

Complicated feelings impacted his entire being in waves as the plane descended and touched down on the runway of N'djili Airport. He sighed as memories of his last time in Kinshasa emerged from the deep confines of his memory bank and whirled around in his mind. They were all vivid recollections of the last few days of his previous life.

At that time, a lifetime ago, he had been between a rock and a hard place. His life hadn't been his own since he had owed an enormous debt to a dangerous man in Kinshasa City. That caused him to live in anxiety, day in, day out, as he tried to escape the clutches of his creditor.

In the end, he hadn't managed to outrun them, and his creditor's sycophants had drowned him in the Congo River. And that was how his sorry excuse of a hopeless life had ended in Kinshasa.

Now that he was back, he couldn't contain his emotions. He was angry at the thugs who had drowned him in the river. He was even more furious with their boss. There was even a voice deep within his heart, goading him to enact revenge on them.

With the money he possessed and his standing in Congolese society as a famous footballer, he wouldn't have to do the dirty work himself. He would only have to bribe the local police and military, and they would make the thugs disappear in no time. Their gang would vanish into thin air within days, never to be seen again. That was the power of money and status in Kinshasa, DR Congo.

"No. I can't go ahead with this. I can't get involved with those thugs again. My grandma in heaven would be disappointed."

Zachary caught himself before sinking into a whirlpool of feelings of revenge. Their cruel acts towards him had happened a lifetime ago. They had even caused his death, which allowed him to reincarnate with a badass system that totally changed the trajectory of his destiny.

So, in a way, they had helped him out, making him feel like he could ignore and forget their transgressions against him. He figured that he didn't have to lower himself to their level. Instead of fighting with local thugs, who only amounted to annoying bugs in his new life, he could spend the effort training and progressing his career. That was the way of champions.

Moreover, as the saying goes, he didn't want to battle with monsters, lest he became a monster himself. He also didn't want to stare into the abyss that was the Kinshasa crime community to avoid that very abyss from gazing back at him.

Zachary understood that if he acted against the thugs, he would bring himself trouble. He might even attract the attention of some of the high-profile criminals who had the potential to threaten his safety. Additionally, Zachary also felt that the act would pollute his mind and twist his behavior in some way. He might slowly get used to making all the people that offended him disappear — and in the end, turn into a criminal himself.

All the most heinous criminals in the world started with superficial crimes, like simple acts of revenge. Then, they would get comfortable and level up to become vile thugs and the prime enemies of society. Zachary didn't want to risk being that way. He didn't want to turn into a disappointment that tainted his late grandma's memory. So, he forced himself to disregard the thugs that had ended his previous life.

"Honored customers!" The air hostess said in French after the plane braked and came to a complete halt on the runway. "Thank you for choosing Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation as a means of travel tonight. We have arrived in Kinshasa. Please don't forget your hand luggage as you disembark. We wish you a pleasant stay in Kinshasa, and we do—hope that you utilize our services again for travel around DRC in the future."

With that said, the doors opened, and the passengers started descending the airstair. Zachary followed the rest out of the plane before heading to the airport's arrivals section.

Just then, he realized that many gazes were on him as he walked through the airport's hallways. Many people constantly looked his way with glittering eyes while others pointed at him. They had obviously recognized him as the Congolese footballer who had just won the Europa League. If he didn't take measures, the people eyeing him would probably approach him for autographs within the next few seconds.

"Not this again," Zachary thought and quickened his steps. He didn't want to deal with the fans at that late hour. So, he quickly looked for an airport official to help him through the ordeal.

The airport official was an understanding man. After receiving a few dollars from Zachary, he quickly called security to keep the excited fans at bay. He then helped Zachary through all the necessary procedures before arranging a credible taxi cab to take him away from the airport.

Zachary thanked the airport official and gifted him a few more dollars before boarding the cab. He fastened his seatbelt, and off they went, cruising out of the airport and onto the streets of Kinshasa.

As the tall buildings and fancy mansions flashed by the vehicle's window, Zachary sighed as mixed emotions emerged within his mind again. He started recalling the tremendous mountain of inequality between the haves and have-nots that was ever present within Kinshasa.

Fancy high-end buildings, magnificent mansions, expensive sports cars, and trendy people were often-common sights in affluent neighborhoods of Kinshasa like Gombe. It was to the point that if foreigners arrived in that part of the city for the first time, their first thought would be, "I'm in one of the trendiest cities in Africa." But if they were to take a brief tour around and move deeper into Kinshasa, they would immediately experience a swift change in opinions. That was because they would see the many slums housing one of the world's most impoverished populations in the same trendy city. They would be surprised by the enormous difference in the standard of living between the two groups of people living only a matter of kilometers from each other.

"We're here," the cab driver said after a few more minutes of driving. "This is the Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel."

"Oh!" Zachary said and leaned forward to glance through the windshield. A splendid high-end building appeared before his vision. It was indeed the five-star hotel where he would be spending his night.

"Thank you." Zachary smiled and paid the driver. He then exited the cab and walked towards the hotel entrance with his luggage in tow.

Thirty minutes later, he was already within the confines of his hotel room, enjoying a warm shower. After coming out of the bathroom and drying himself, he settled down on the table near the balcony to enjoy his room service dinner. He finished his meal within a few minutes before settling on his bed to consider his course of action for the following day.

"She said she'll be in Kinshasa this week," he thought. "I should call her and inform her that I'm already in Kinshasa. But, I should not hold any high expectations."

Zachary had surprisingly not felt any connection with her when they met for the first time at his grandma's burial two months prior. His mind had been blank, without even an ounce of positive or negative feelings towards her when they talked. It was as if he had met a stranger who would never take a firm position within his heart. But to fulfill his promise, he still decided to meet her in Kinshasa before setting off for Europe.

"Let's do this."

He sighed and immediately picked up his phone. A serene expression outlined his face as he dialed the number he had saved in his phonebook only two months ago. But the next instant, he couldn't stop his heartbeat from quickening as the call connected. He exhaled to calm himself down and placed the phone against his ear.

"Oui, allo!" A feminine voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"Hello, I'm Zachary." He also spoke French. "We met at the burial in Bukavu two months ago. We had made plans to meet this week."

"Oh, Zachary dear!" The voice at the other end exclaimed. "It's you. I've been waiting for your call for a long time. How are you, and how's everything?"

"Everything is fine," Zachary replied, forcing his tone to remain neutral. "I'm already in Kinshasa. Can we make plans to meet tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course," the woman at the other end replied. "Where should we meet? And what time?"

"Can we meet at the Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel?" Zachary suggested. "We can link up at the hotel's restaurant at midday. That is if that's okay with you."

"That's okay," the woman replied. "Let's meet tomorrow at midday then. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again."

"Then, see you at midday tomorrow," Zachary said. "Goodbye, and have a goodnight."

"Goodnight to you, too, dear."

Zachary didn't say anything else. He ended the call before exhaling again. His mind wandered, and he sat motionlessly on his bed, glancing absentmindedly at the wall.

He only caught himself after a few minutes and forced himself to focus back on the present. Without further ado, he cleaned up and started preparing for bed. But deep within his mind, he was still thinking about his only meeting scheduled for the following day.

—–

Chapter 413 Transfer Market Situation

The following day, the time showed 11:45 AM when Zachary set foot in Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel's restaurant for his only scheduled meeting before he returned to Europe.

He settled down at a table by the window in the far corner and started taking in the sights around him. The next moment, his eyes lit up as he was really impressed by the aesthetics around him.

The decorations around the place were elegant and extravagant, especially with the eye-catching paintings and expensive antiques adorning the walls. The luxurious dining table sets, neatly arranged in the restaurant, were like a work of art atop the beautiful woolen carpets covering a sizeable fraction of the tiled floor. And as a final touch to the entire set-up, soft classic music, at just the right volume, played in the background, soothing the ears of the customers savoring their meals.

"Good morning, sir," a uniformed waiter said after approaching his table.

"Good morning," Zachary replied, nodding at the waiter.

"Welcome to the Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel's restaurant," the waiter said. "We have a variety of dishes (both local and foreign) available for your enjoyment here in our restaurant. Please look at the menu and see if any of our dishes catches your eye." He placed three menu booklets of considerable volume on the table in front of Zachary.

"Thank you," Zachary said, picking up one of the menu booklets. "But I won't order any food for now as I'm still waiting for someone. For the moment, give me lemon juice and water. Then, when the person I'm waiting for arrives, I'll order the dishes."

The waiter nodded with a smile. "That's very okay. You can feel at home while waiting for your friend to arrive. Let me get you your water and lemon juice for the moment. It'll only take five minutes."

"Thank you for your service," Zachary said, smiling.

"It's my pleasure," the waiter said with a slight bow. He then stepped away from the table to prepare the orders.

Zachary ignored everything around him and immediately turned his focus to his phone. He started browsing the trending sports news around Europe to pass the time.

The news of Germany winning the 2014 World Cup was no longer a hot topic. Instead, it was the speculations and confirmations of transfer activity between the various top clubs in Europe that were making waves on the internet. So, when Zachary opened his phone browser, he immediately chanced upon the very same subject.

Barcelona had just completed the highest profile transfer of the summer so far. After months of negotiations with Liverpool, they had finally managed to land Luis Suárez for a whopping fee of 94 million Euros. Details on the internet even hinted at Barcelona promising to pay the phenomenal striker a staggering salary of 12.5 million Euros per year to land his signature. As far as most credible sports journalists were concerned, Luis Suarez was sure to become the most expensive signing of the summer.

"The events are similar to the ones of my previous life," Zachary thought. "It seems there weren't many changes caused by my going back in time."

Zachary smiled as he scrolled down the page to take in more headlines. There were rumors of James Rodríguez, the Colombian playmaker, agreeing on personal terms with Real Madrid. Reports claimed that his move was almost imminent, and he would leave AS Monaco within a few weeks.

Then, there were rumors of Angel Di María agreeing to join Manchester United and other speculations about Mario Balotelli's agent arriving in England to negotiate his move to Liverpool. There was also confirmation of Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa completing their moves to Arsenal and Chelsea, respectively.

After the World Cup final, transfer activity between top clubs was in full bloom. So, many more transfer rumors were floating around on the internet as sports journalists and netizens speculated about the subsequent high-profile signings. But what finally caught Zachary's attention the most were speculations about himself.

"Chelsea, Tottenham, and Juventus are still in the lead to sign Rosenborg's wonder kid – Zachary Bemba," a headline read. "Forget Luis Suárez joining Barcelona for a record summer transfer fee. The saga that has been tickling at our nerves is the one concerning Zachary Bemba. I believe I speak for all football lovers in Europe when I say that we are very eager to know Zachary Bemba's next club when he finally leaves Rosenborg."

"Even before the World Cup, various reports had already linked the young playmaker to top European clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG, Tottenham, and Juventus," the article read on. "But due to unexpected circumstances that saw the young playmaker lose a close relative, negotiations concerning his move out of Rosenborg came to a standstill. But worry not, football lovers! There's finally a breakthrough."

"A reliable source has recently revealed that his agent is already meeting parties from some interested clubs to arrange the final details of Zachary's transfer. And the same reliable source has also disclosed that the leading clubs in the race to acquire Zachary's signature this summer are Chelsea, Juventus, and Tottenham. All three clubs have already tabled 70-plus million Euro offers to land the player from Rosenborg. As long as one of the three clubs agrees on personal terms with Zachary, we'll finally get to know his next club…"

Zachary stopped reading the article and creased his brows as the waiter brought his bottled water and juice over. He thanked and sent him away before leaning forward and taking a sip of his lemon juice. At the same time, his mind was wandering. He was even a bit confused.

Aside from Tottenham and Juventus, he'd instructed Emily to disregard all the offers from the other clubs. But now, on reading the news on the internet, there were rumors strongly linking him to Chelsea Football Club. An even more baffling fact was that all those speculations were on reliable websites like The Daily Mirror and Sky Sports News. They all seemed sure that he was considering a move to Chelsea.

"What's happening?" Zachary wondered while continuing to sip his juice. "Is it José Mourinho playing mind games, or is this a move by Emily to strengthen our position during negotiations on personal terms? I should call Emily and get to the bottom of this, especially since I don't want to end up playing for Chelsea."

He immediately started searching for Emily's number in his phone book. He was ready to make a call to his agent to inquire about the exact details concerning his transfer out of Rosenborg. But suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted him, causing him to halt his actions.

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Chapter 414 Meeting

"Hello, Zachary," a tall and elegant mature African lady spoke in French after approaching his table. She was beautiful, with a pretty face and long braided hair that hung rich and black about her proud shoulders. A soft and warm smile outlined her facial features as she glanced expectantly at Zachary.

"Hello, and good afternoon," Zachary replied, standing up. He couldn't stop his heartbeat from quickening as it was only his second meeting with Céleste Kouame, the lady who was his biological mother. "Welcome!" He extended his hand across the table for a handshake.

The woman seemed disappointed by Zachary's formality. But she still took his hand for a firm handshake. "It's really nice to see you, my dear Zachary. I've been looking forward to this day, like forever."

"Oh!" Zachary said, smiling awkwardly. He was at a loss for words, and his eyes naturally floated towards another younger lady standing a step behind the older woman. The girl was quite tall and good-looking, with chic short black hair and large brown eyes that made her seem like the most amiable of persons.

Céleste's gaze lit up when she noticed Zachary's gaze. She pulled the younger girl forward by the arm and said, "This young girl is Natasha Kone, my second daughter. She insisted on coming with me when I mentioned that I was heading out to meet you. Natasha! Say hi to Zachary."

"Hi," the younger girl said, smiling awkwardly. She seemed a bit nervous as she extended her hand from across the table.

"Hi," Zachary replied, smiling and taking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Natasha."

The younger girl's face lit up, her brown eyes glittering. But she didn't say anything else. Instead, she stepped back and stood a step behind her mother like her shadow.

An awkward silence descended on the table for a few seconds until Céleste suggested, "Let's sit down before we continue."

"Oh! Indeed let's sit down and talk," Zachary agreed.

With that said, their group took up their seats at each side of the table. Then, they ordered lunch and drinks before continuing their awkward excuse of a discussion.

Zachary felt like the time was moving at a snail's pace. His emotions were complicated as he didn't feel much of a connection with the people at his table. But he remained patient and listened to the stories narrated by his biological mother.

He soon confirmed that she had initially been a native of the Ivory Coast, the African country also known as Côte d'Ivoire. But ten years ago, she landed a job in Brussels, Belgium, and moved there with her two daughters. What surprised Zachary the most was that she was a doctor by profession. He couldn't help but wonder how she got together in the first place with his dad, who was a budding musician before his passing.

The minutes trickled by, and then their orders arrived while they were still in the middle of their discussion. Waiters soon placed plates and bowls of African food, including matoke, steamed potatoes, goat stew, and vegetables. They naturally slowed their conversation as they diverted some attention to the food.

From there on, the minutes seemed to move forward quickly as they ate almost in silence. Only occasionally would Céleste ask a question. But Zachary would respond with a simple yes or no, or a precise and short answer before returning his attention to his plate. On the other hand, the younger girl, Natasha, remained silent the entire time — without attempting to butt into the conversation. Awkwardness reigned supreme, and just like that, they finally wolfed down their dessert and ended their meal.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Zachary said after emptying his plate. "But now, I really have to go. I have got to catch a flight to Europe as soon as possible."

"Oh!" Céleste's eyes widened. "Don't you wish to talk some more?"

"I would have liked that," Zachary said. "But duty calls as my club is still in the middle of the season. So, I need to be in Europe as soon as possible."

"I see," Céleste said, sighing. "Okay, then. We wish you a safe journey. But when can we meet again?"

"You now have my contact details," Zachary said, standing up and shoving his phone into his pocket. "You can contact me every once in a while. As long as I'm not busy, we can always decide when to link up through texts."

"Okay." Céleste sighed again and glanced up at Zachary. "I have a favor to ask."

"Oh!" Zachary raised a brow. "Go on. I'm listening."

"Can I hug you? Just for a few seconds?" She asked, her eyes filled with expectation.

"That…" Zachary was taken aback. He had feared that she was about to ask for something else. "Well. That's okay." He replied after collecting himself.

Céleste's countenance lit up like a bulb as she quickly stood up. She slowly leaned forward with wide open arms.

Zachary didn't mirror her exact movements, though. He instead leaned in with the side and gave her what he could best describe as a half hug. But even then, he felt like the world had stopped on its axis while in her embrace. It was as if there was no concept of time as the background noises within the restaurant faded into nihility.

Zachary's mind was at peace. He felt like there was something so warm, something that felt right, enveloping his soul in a warm light. He let his body sag, his muscles slowly becoming loose as he leaned in for a deeper hug.

But just then, a tremor went through his entire being, and he caught himself. His heart went on a wild caper within his chest, and he immediately stepped back from the woman's embrace. It was as if he had just sensed danger.

"I'm sorry," he quickly said to Céleste, who had almost lost her balance.

"That's okay," she replied, smiling. "Don't sweat the small stuff. I enjoyed the hug."

Zachary nodded and stepped back. "It's time for us to part as I have to catch my flight soon. I'll pay the bill while moving out. So, don't pay the second time."

"We could settle the bill if you are in a hurry," Céleste suggested.

Zachary shook his head. "I insist on paying the bill as I'm the host today. You can pay when we next meet."

Céleste smiled. "Then, I'll pay next time. Thanks for hosting us. Have a safe trip back to Europe."

"Thanks," Zachary replied, turning towards the quiet younger girl by Céleste's side. "Goodbye, Natasha. It was nice meeting you."

"Goodbye," she replied.

Zachary nodded to both of them and smiled. Without saying anything else, he stepped away from the table.

He was on his way to the counter to pay the bill. After that, he intended to head back to his room to prepare for his journey back to Europe. He had moved his plans forward and wanted to set off for London that evening.

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Chapter 415 An Element from an Alternate Future

Zachary settled at a table on the balcony right after returning to his hotel room. He opened his laptop and booted it up before opening his browser. Without wasting time, he began to peruse the details of the various flight offers from Kinshasa to London.

Even on such short notice, many outbound flights on the travel website matched Zachary's needs. Most were affordable and even offered by top airlines, like EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, and Brussels Airlines. But in the end, he ignored all the other companies and settled for the relatively more expensive Air France ticket because of the airline company's reliability.

He selected a business class ticket for himself before paying with his card. After receiving the e-ticket on his phone, he shut down his laptop before dialing Emily's number.

"Hello, Zachary," Emily's voice sounded from the other end of the line as soon as the international call connected. "What's up?"

"Nothing much but the sky," Zachary replied.

Emily chuckled. "How are you doing? And how far with preparations to return to Europe?"

"I've finally finished organizing everything here in Congo," Zachary said. "I'm even about to depart for Europe. In fact, I have already booked a ticket on an Air France flight departing from Kinshasa at 8:55 PM. I should arrive at Heathrow, London, at around eight tomorrow morning."

"You're traveling today!" Emily exclaimed. "I thought you mentioned that you would travel on Friday evening!?"

"Sorry," Zachary said, his tone apologetic. "There was a change in plans. Since I've already organized everything here, I wish to focus on my football career. So, I figured that traveling back to Europe as soon as possible was the right thing to do."

"That's quite true," Emily concurred. "The only challenge is that I had already arranged the meeting with the Tottenham representatives for Saturday. Now, I need to call them and reschedule."

"Will they agree to reschedule?" Zachary asked a bit hesitantly.

"Of course, they will agree," Emily replied confidently. "They're impatient and eager to progress the transfer deal negotiations, especially after waiting two months. So, they will eagerly jump at any chance to meet you. That's your charm as a young footballer who has just helped a team from a low-tier league win the Europa League."

"Then, that's a relief," Zachary said. "You can reschedule the meeting with them and move it to tomorrow, Thursday afternoon."

"Don't worry," Emily guaranteed. "I'll call them immediately after hanging up the phone and reschedule the meeting. How long do you plan to stay in London?"

"If all goes well, two days, at most."

"Do you wish to visit me and stay at my place?" Emily inquired. "Or should I book a hotel for you?"

"I think it's best that I stay in a hotel," Zachary replied.

"Come on, Zachary," Emily intoned, sounding annoyed. "I live in a large apartment by myself. I have an empty room, which is, by the way, quite comfy. So, why should you stay in a hotel?"

Zachary was at a loss for words on hearing that. He was about to reply that there was a need to maintain professional boundaries but stopped after deliberating for a moment.

Emily had been there for him as a friend during all his hardships. She had even traveled to DR Congo and Zurich, Switzerland, to arrange treatment for his grandma months prior. So, it sounded unfair and illogical to insist on professional boundaries when he had already crossed them with her ages ago.

"Okay, then," Zachary replied in a resigned tone. "If you don't mind, I'll stay at your place."

"Yeah!" Emily's voice rose up a notch at the other end of the line. "I'll pick you up at the airport when you arrive."

"Thank you," Zachary said. "By the way, what's up with the rumors strongly linking me to Chelsea? I thought we were disregarding all clubs aside from Juventus and Tottenham!"

"Oh, that!" Emily sighed. "Those rumors are a result of Mourinho's antics. Even after rejecting to meet him several times, he has dismissed my words and hasn't given up on acquiring your signature. He has even leaked some hints to the media houses that his club is ready to splash the best deal money can offer to bring you to Stamford Bridge. He's really a stubborn man."

"I see," Zachary said.

"But you shouldn't worry about the rumors," Emily continued. "We shouldn't even discredit them as they'll benefit us when negotiating personal terms. The rumors will apply more pressure on the representatives of Juventus and Tottenham and, in so doing, force them to offer you favorable personal terms."

"Then, I'll follow your advice as always," Zachary said. "Let's ignore the rumors. I now have to say my goodbyes and start preparing for my trip. See you at Heathrow Airport tomorrow morning at eight."

"Don't worry," Emily replied. "I'll be waiting for you at the exit. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks."

—–

After ending the call, Zachary perused the details of his e-ticket and realized that he still had about four hours to kill before his flight's check-in time. So, without any worries, he spent a few minutes organizing the contents of his suitcase before jumping into bed for an afternoon nap.

He slept deeply and only woke up to the sound of his alarm at six o'clock in the evening. He quickly took a shower before dressing up and zipping his suitcase. Finally, he looked at himself in the mirror to check if everything was in place before donning his cap and exiting his room.

After checking out of the hotel, he took a taxi to the airport. The cab driver was an expert at navigating the congested roads of Kinshasa. So, he shortened the duration of the journey by a considerable margin, and in only about an hour, they made it to the gates of N'Djili Airport.

Zachary paid the cab fare before exiting the vehicle. He then pulled his suitcase and marched into the airport, ready to check in for his flight. But after taking a few more steps through the hallways, he couldn't help but do a double take as his sharp eyes landed on an exquisite figure that was all too familiar in the deep confines of his mind.

It was a youthful African lady walking toward Zachary from the other side of the airport hallway. Her face was pretty, her smile endearing, and her figure full and hot like blazing fire. Her tight and trendy pair of denim jeans accentuated her body curves as she moved forward gracefully with a slight sway of her hips. She was beautiful even by global standards, and wherever she passed, the gazes of several men would reflexively follow her lovely and sexy silhouette.

"It's her!" Zachary's heartbeat quickened, but only slightly. His feelings were complex as he finally set his eyes on Anita, the lady who was about to become his wife during his previous life.

A few years ago, he would have probably rushed forward to please her and catch her attention. He would have even groveled at her feet to create a chance to make her his again. But after spending years experiencing the baptism of passion, devotion, and care from Camilla, he now felt like she no longer had considerable sway over his emotions. Even though she still made his heart race, it wasn't to the extent of making him head over heels crazy. He could ignore his feelings for her — and he truly believed he could forget her with time.

"Why is she stopping?" Zachary wondered, his eyes widening the next moment. "She shouldn't know me at this point in time! Or could she have noticed my lingering gaze?" He was both surprised and perplexed when he noticed the girl stopping only a few steps away and glancing at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Excuse me, sir," she said, taking another step forward. "You look a bit familiar. Have we met before?"

Zachary shook his head. "No, we haven't. You got the wrong person." He pulled his suitcase past the lady and continued on along the hallway without looking back.

As the saying goes, intelligent people should endeavor to let sleeping dogs lie. Zachary wasn't about to allow any spark to ignite the toxic passion between him and Anita in his new life. He wasn't about to let himself fall for a lady, no matter how beautiful, when he clearly knew that she had abandoned him in another lifetime. How sure was he that history, or rather the future, wouldn't repeat itself and she would leave him again? It was a risk Zachary wasn't willing to take. So, he forced himself to walk away from the woman he loved the most during his previous life without looking back.

A few seconds later, a few fans tried to approach Zachary for autographs. But he avoided them immediately and once again looked for an airport official to help him through the airport procedures.

With the aid of the official, Zachary avoided most of the troubles, including the fans. He checked in and received his boarding pass in only a few minutes. Then, a bit later, at around 8:15 PM, the terminal gates opened, and he followed the rest of the passengers onto the airport tarmac to board the plane that would ferry him to London.

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Chapter 416 In London

The following morning, around nine o'clock, Zachary finally arrived in London after a good eleven hours of traveling. Heathrow Airport was as busy as he had heard in the rumors. It also had strict inspection practices, especially for those who had traveled from areas outside Europe. Thus, Zachary spent roughly forty minutes going through the rigorous airport checks and procedures before exiting the arrivals hall.

His eyes darted around, searching the crowd waiting outside the arrivals hall. The next second, his countenance lit up after he noticed Emily standing in a far corner. She was holding a sizeable light green poster depicting smiling cartoons and the words, "Welcome to London, Zachary!" It was very eye-catching within the crowd.

The corners of Zachary's lips lifted, and he beamed while holding Emily's gaze from a distance. Then, he pulled along his suitcase while slowly pushing through the crowd towards her position.

"Ta-daaaah! Welcome to London!" She said, smiling as soon as he stepped before her. She was as stunning as ever, even after donning a casual t-shirt on top of a pair of baggy jeans that morning. She pulled Zachary away from the crowd and asked, "How was your journey?"

"Very enjoyable," Zachary replied. "I slept the entire time and only woke up when the plane was touching down on the runway."

"That's very good," Emily said, glancing around and narrowing her eyes. "This isn't a good place to talk. It's very crowded. There are even some journalists mixed in with the crowd. We better head to the car immediately."

"Then, let's go." Zachary agreed.

"Do you want some help with one of those bags?" Emily asked just as they were about to set off.

"Nope. I'm good. Don't forget that I'm a professional athlete. These bags are as light as feathers within my arms."

Emily chuckled. "Then, suit yourself and continue carrying them. Okay, let's go."

Zachary smiled and followed Emily into the short-stay car park just a short distance from the arrivals hall. In less than a minute, they located Emily's ride, which was surprisingly an enormous Toyota Land Cruiser. Then, without wasting time, they loaded the luggage into the boot before taking their seats in the vehicle.

"Vroom!"

Emily started up the engine before slowly easing the Land Cruiser out of the parking space. With expert grace, she guided it out of the relatively crowded car park, and off they went, exiting the airport and joining the busy streets of London.

Zachary's eyes soon glittered with excitement and sheer curiosity as they feasted upon the sights flashing by the vehicle's window. Since it was his first time in London, he was like an ancient explorer who had just chanced upon a new land.

In silence, he admired the broad and neat avenues, the wide pavements containing the rivers of humanity, the buildings that stretched towards the blue sky, and even the roadside greenery that was a testament to the English summer. He couldn't help but sigh as everything outside the car window induced a trace of wonder within him.

"So," Emily said after a few more minutes of driving. "What's your first impression of London? Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful, and I'm impressed," Zachary replied. "But honestly, it's also not what I expected."

"Oh!" Emily said, stealing a brief glance at Zachary from her position in the driver's seat. "And what did you expect?"

"A lot of tall skyscrapers, piercing into the sky. But I have only seen a few since we started making our way through the city. I also didn't expect to see a lot of greenery beside the roads."

Emily chuckled as she continued guiding the vehicle forward. "Of course, there are areas in London with very tall skyscrapers. But we're now driving through sections of the city without them. That's why you've rarely seen any."

"Where are we heading, by the way?" Zachary asked, turning his gaze away from the window.

"We're on our way to an area called Islington," Emily replied. "That's where my apartment is, and that's where I call home."

"Islington!" Zachary mumbled. "This is my first time hearing about the place."

"If you're not a local or someone who has lived in London for some time, it would be a surprise to know all the names of the areas around the city," Emily remarked.

"True," Zachary agreed. "So, what's the plan today? When is the meeting with the Tottenham representatives?"

Emily stepped on the brakes and slowed down as the car approached a junction. "The time of the meeting is at midday," she said. "The Tottenham representatives insisted that it would be best to meet you before lunchtime. And since I knew you would already be in London, I agreed to their proposal."

"Midday!" Zachary mumbled, glancing at his watch. "That gives us roughly two hours to prepare."

"That's not correct," Emily said. "It's now 10:12 AM. By the time we reach my apartment in Islington, it'll already be 10:30 AM. So that will only give us about forty to fifty minutes to prepare. Remember, we need to account for the time to travel to the meeting venue."

"That's quite a small time window to prepare," Zachary remarked.

"Don't worry," Emily said. "We'll make it. I have already made all the arrangements on my side. After reaching my apartment, you only need to clean up and put on something presentable. Then, we'll eat breakfast and set off for the meeting venue."

"You're my guide today," Zachary said, smiling. "I'll follow all your arrangements."

Emily beamed. "You're in capable hands while in London. Nothing will go wrong."

—–

Emily's apartment was a very comfy and neat living space on the fifth floor of a high-end building in Islington. When Zachary stepped into the place, he immediately judged that it was much more spacious than his apartment in Trondheim. It had a big living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large balcony. It was obviously a pricey place to rent, especially in an expensive-to-live-in city like London.

"You live here alone?" Zachary asked as they enjoyed breakfast at a table in the kitchen. He had already settled down as a visitor in Emily's guest room and taken a quick shower. And to prepare for his meeting with the Tottenham representatives, he had donned some of his best clothes, including a white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of presentable fitting trousers, and sleek black shoes.

"Yes, I live here alone," Emily replied. She was also already in her suit and ready to head out for the meeting. "Sometimes, my younger sister can visit and stay over," she continued, punctuating her words with a sip of tea. "But that's only for a few days in a year."

"What about your boyfriend or fiancée?" Zachary asked. "Doesn't he ever come over to keep you company?"

Emily raised a brow and looked up from her breakfast. A teasing smile outlined her face as she said, "Are you trying to probe me and find out whether I'm in a relationship?"

Zachary returned her smile. "I'm just making conversation," he said, sounding defensive. "Moreover, have you realized that you know almost everything about me? But I only know a few things about you. I don't even know whether you're married or whether you have kids attending a private school somewhere. I didn't even know you had a sister until today! Isn't that weird?"

Emily chuckled softly, a sparkle in her eyes. "I've been your agent since more than three years ago. And you're just trying to get to know me better now?"

"Better late than never," Zachary replied after taking another sip of his tea. "Isn't that how the saying goes?"

"True," Emily said, smiling. "But, I'm not going to tell you anything more about myself, especially at this moment, when we're almost late for the meeting. We can visit the topic some other time."

"A reasonable proposition," Zachary agreed and took another sip of his tea. "By the way, how far is White Hart Lane Stadium from here?"

"The stadium is roughly five miles away from here," Emily responded. "But, of course, we won't meet the Tottenham representatives at the stadium. We will instead meet them at a neutral ground in one of the conference rooms of the Hilton London Angel Hotel. It's only about a mile from here. So, we only need twenty minutes to get there on foot."

"I see." Zachary nodded.

"Have you finished your breakfast," Emily asked.

"I'm almost done," Zachary said after swallowing down the last piece of the bread on his plate. "I only need two more minutes to finish my tea. Then, we can set off."

"Good." Emily nodded. "I need to warn you about a few things before we head out for the meeting. One: No matter how good the other party's offer is, don't show that you're excited until I give the go-ahead. That'll keep our position strong during the negotiations for personal terms. And two: If you come to a decision, maybe you decide to join Tottenham, run it by me first so that we can review it together."

"Noted," Zachary said.

Emily nodded and smiled. "I'm sure the negotiations for personal terms, such as a lucrative salary, more playing bonuses, a commitment to have you play consistently, and possibly a good signing bonus, will go quite well. The problems will only emerge when we begin negotiating the buy-out and release clauses in the contract."

"For instance, the other party might suggest you sign a five-year contract with their club, which includes a 120 million Euro buy-out clause. They will entice you with a high weekly wage to make you sell five years of your future to one single club. That's when you'll need to put your foot down and dismiss them. You must understand that no matter what they offer, we can't allow any club to tie you down for five years with an unreasonable buy-out clause. Otherwise, you'll face big challenges if things don't work out and you wish to leave the club. Okay?"

"Okay, I understand." Zachary nodded.

"Excellent." Emily beamed. "And remember, this is just a meeting for you to assess the sincerity of the club interested in your signature. If it so happens that you don't like the terms offered by the other party, we can always dismiss them until they raise their offers. Okay?"

"Understood."

"Good," Emily said. "Since you've finished breakfast, let's set off for the meeting. We don't want to be late."

"Okay, let's go."

—–

Chapter 417 Negotiations

As planned, Zachary and Emily met up with the Tottenham representatives at midday in one of the conference rooms of the Hilton London Angel Hotel.

The representatives were a team of three, including Mick Brown, a club scout, Vicky Sanders, an attorney, and Ledley King, a former Tottenham player, serving as the club's official spokesperson. They were very polite and enthusiastic as they welcomed Zachary to the meeting before slowly easing into the negotiations.

Ledley King, the club's official representative, immediately took center stage and presented what Tottenham could offer Zachary if he signed with them. In a few words, he conveyed that his club was willing to offer Zachary a lucrative weekly salary of 101,000 British Pounds, equating to roughly 123,000 Euros per week. The club would also reward him with a signing bonus of 5 million British pounds immediately after he signed his name on the contract. Finally, Ledley King talked about the terms concerning player welfare, like playing bonuses and handling of player agency fees, before handing the floor to Vicky Sanders, the attorney.

Vicky Sanders was more professional than Ledley King while representing her party during the negotiations. She utilized roughly fifteen minutes to explain the breakdown of all the contract terms Tottenham was willing to offer Zachary to acquire his signature. Then, she fished two documents from a file folder placed before her and handed them to Zachary and Emily.

"Those are copies of the contract draft summarizing all the terms we've already mentioned," Vicky said, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "We really hope that you can sign a four-year contract with Tottenham. You won't regret it. I can assure you that." She smiled amiably at Zachary.

Zachary flashed her a smile in response and picked up the document. He then exchanged a glance with Emily before starting to peruse through the terms of the contract draft.

His recently-enhanced intelligence worked like a charm, and he finished reading the nineteen-page document in about ten minutes. And surprisingly, he could remember everything, including the small details like the player's health insurance benefits. But that was not all. He had also digested the contents to some extent, even though he didn't have the required background knowledge in sports and contract law. His mind was that impressive after gaining a boost from the effects of the S-grade mental conditioning elixir.

"As Emily predicted," Zachary thought, "the buy-out clause is really a problem within the contract."

Tottenham wanted him to sign a four-year contract, tying him to the London-based club with a buy-out clause of 110 million British Pounds. In other words, any club wishing to sign him before his contract period ended would have to pay that hefty amount to Tottenham to kick-start the transfer negotiations. Or he would have to pay the amount himself — to buy himself out of a contract with Tottenham and become a free agent without having a just cause to do so. As far as he was concerned, the clause was like a strong chain fastening him to Tottenham for four years.

"Zachary!" Emily said from beside him after a few more minutes. She leaned over and pointed at the buy-out clause on her copy of the contract document. "What did I say? The buy-out clause is indeed unreasonable." She spoke in an audible voice, clearly not wishing to hide her words from the people at the other end of the table.

"Indeed, 120 million Pounds is unreasonable," Zachary took her cue and agreed, without bothering to lower his voice. "What is our way forward?"

Emily sighed in response. She shook her head before glancing at the Tottenham representatives seated at the other end of the table.

"Miss Vicky and the gentlemen," she said, adjusting her posture to sit upright. "Thank you for preparing this contract. Most of the terms in the document are almost to our liking. We only need to make a few amendments to those terms, and we'll be good to go. But there is also one clause we find totally unreasonable. That is the buy-out clause. Imposing a buy-out clause amounting to 110 million British Pounds on my client is unfair and absurd simply because it will leave him at the mercy of the club."

"Let me present a scenario to clarify," Emily continued. "For instance, if you are unfair to him while he is still under contract, he won't be in a position to negotiate for better treatment. The 110 million-shackle will always chain him to the club no matter how unfairly you treat him. For that reason, we will halt all talks until your side makes considerable amendments to this buy-out clause."

Vicky Sanders, the attorney, exchanged glances with Ledley King after hearing that. They seemed to reach some tacit understanding, and she said, "Miss Emily! Mr. Zachary! We included the 110 million buy-out clause in the contract terms to look out for ourselves as a club. We only wish to discourage other clubs from trying to poach him while he's under contract. That's our only intent."

"I understand your position," Emily said, leaning back in her chair. "But still, 110 million pounds is unreasonable."

"Let's do this," Mick Brown, the scout who had remained silent the entire time, chimed in. "We'll take a step back and lower the buy-out clause fee to 98 million British Pounds. How's that, Miss Emily?"

Emily shook her head. "Still too high."

"95 million," the scout said, narrowing his eyes. "This is the least we can do. Otherwise, we would have to discuss the clause with our board members before getting back to you."

"Then, go ahead and forward the issue to your board," Emily said calmly. "The highest figure we can consider is 60 million British Pounds. Otherwise, further negotiations are off."

Mick Brown sighed, his eyes flickering with a sense of helplessness. But the next moment, he smiled and said, "Give us a day. We'll get back to you after discussing this with our board. Okay?"

"Okay," Emily readily agreed. "We can wait for a day."

Suddenly, Ledley King, the former Tottenham player, turned towards Zachary and said, "I don't understand this. If you're willing to join a club like Tottenham, why is it hard for you to show commitment to the team by agreeing to the buy-out clause? Buy-out clauses and whatnot are just some lawyer jibber-jabber. They won't affect your performance on the pitch. As long as your coach, teammates, and fans admire you, you'll be comfortable in the club. So, why are you hesitating when I'm sure you'll do great at Tottenham? Why aren't you accepting the offer when I'm sure that our coach and fans will treasure you like the rarest of gems on the team?"

Zachary was at a loss for words. He smiled awkwardly before turning to Emily for help.

"Mr. King," Emily said, taking the cue from Zachary. "Contracts are there to provide clarity in business relationships between two parties. They serve as a record of commitments for both parties. So, we can't just take them lightly or dismiss them as lawyer jibber-jabber. Otherwise, we'll find ourselves in the middle of conflicts in the future."

Ledley King shook his head in response and said nothing else.

"So, I guess that marks the end of our meeting today," Emily said, her tone conclusive. "We'll continue discussions after you finish discussing the buy-out clause issue with your board."

"That's right," Vicky said, nodding. "Give us one day. We'll get back to you."

"Okay, then," Emily intoned, smiling and standing up. "It was a pleasure meeting you all, although we didn't agree on some issues. Let's hope that we'll have more productive negotiations tomorrow."

"I'm sure we will," Vicky Sanders said, mirroring Emily and standing up. "After discussing with our board, negotiations will move forward quickly."

With that said, the two parties shook hands before exchanging some small talk and ending the meeting. They then went their own ways after exchanging contacts.

—–

Zachary followed Emily out of the hotel and onto the wide streets of London after the meeting. He immediately donned his shades to protect his eyes from the rays of the blazing afternoon sun.

"So," he said, matching Emily's step on the sidewalk. "Do you think they'll agree to lower the buy-out clause fee to sixty million?"

"I think they will," Emily said confidently. "They shouldn't be that dumb to let a player of your caliber slip through their fingers just for a single unreasonable clause. That's the source of my confidence during these negotiations for personal terms."

"I see," Zachary said, slowing down his steps as they approached a junction. "But aside from the buy-out clause, all the other terms were favorable. They are even willing to make me their second highest player on their roster."

"But we have got to push for more," Emily said as they halted before a junction. "We can't allow them—"

She stopped midsentence as a man appeared like a specter and stood before them. His smile was warm, and he looked like the perfect gentleman in his sleek blue suit. Zachary immediately judged that he shouldn't be a petty thief or criminal.

"Miss Emily! What a very nice coincidence!" The stranger exclaimed, his words colored by a heavy accent.

"Mr. Stefano Morganti!" Emily exclaimed back. "What are you doing here? And don't give me the 'it's a coincidence' bullshit."

"Honestly, I chased after you guys when you left the hotel," the man admitted, a polite smile never leaving his face. He then turned to Zachary. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Zachary. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," Zachary replied, smiling back. He was finding the whole situation before him a bit funny. He turned to Emily and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Hahaha!" Emily let out a sarcastic laugh. "How can this dork be my boyfriend? He's a professional football agent working for Juventus."

"An agent working for Juventus!" Zachary's eyes widened. "Was he following us the entire time?"

"Most probably," Emily answered.

"Guys," the stranger said, still smiling. "Don't talk about me as if I'm not here. I'm only here to request fifteen minutes of your time. Just give us fifteen minutes of your time. If we fail to convince you to choose Juventus over Tottenham, we'll never bother you again."

"We?" Emily narrowed her eyes. "Who's we? Are there others from Turin with you here?"

"Yes, they are waiting in a private booth of a nearby cafe," the man replied. "To show our sincerity, the director even came himself."

"The football director of Juventus is also here!" Emily's expression turned strange. "How crazy are you guys? Was he also stalking us?"

The man grinned. "We need only fifteen minutes. Give us a chance, and we'll offer you a deal you can't refuse in those fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes?" Emily glanced questioningly at Zachary.

Zachary nodded in response.

"Okay, fifteen minutes it is," Emily said.

The man's grin widened even further. "Excellent! Just follow me. I'll take you to meet my colleagues."

—–

Chapter 418 The Sincerity of Juventus

Zachary and Emily followed Mr. Stefano Morganti along the street until they arrived in front of a small Italian cafe with an exterior painted in green, red, and white colors. Its name was Cafe La Divina, and it just looked like a typical exotic food eatery, where you would often find many people, especially during lunch hours.

Emily narrowed her eyes and asked, "Are you sure that we should be having a confidential business discussion in such a cafe? Aren't we supposed to hold our meeting somewhere more private?"

"Don't worry, my dear lady," Mr. Stefano said amiably with a smile. "Our team has already considered all those factors. Go ahead and step into the cafe. You'll understand what I mean." Without waiting for Emily to say anything else, he held the door open for her and Zachary.

"Interesting," Zachary said, exchanging a glance with Emily. They reached a tacit understanding and immediately entered the cafe.

Zachary's eyes lit up on stepping inside. Through the large glass window that welcomed the passage of the light, the almost empty cafe was alive with the vibrant hues of the afternoon. Its interior was homely and colorful, with various paintings and unique ornaments adorning the walls. Zachary even spotted a toy car and a tiny scooter among the decorations on the walls.

"Nice," Emily remarked as she glanced around. "You booked the entire place for our meeting."

"Of course, we had to," Mr. Stefano said matter-of-factly. He closed the door to shut out the noise from the streets as his smile glowed even brighter. "Now, we have some privacy. Come; I will introduce you to the rest of my colleagues."

With that said, they started moving, and a few more strides brought them to a table at the far corner of the almost empty cafe. At that table sat two silent gentlemen, who had remained quiet and composed even after laying their eyes on Zachary and Emily.

"Mr. Zachary Bemba!" The ever-smiling Mr. Stefano said to break the ice. "Unlike Emily, it's your first time meeting any of us. So, let me do the honors and introduce you to my colleagues."

He walked around the table and patted the shoulder of a stern-looking gentleman with sharp eyes and a prominent beard. "This one here is Fabio Paratici, our sporting director. Don't get intimidated by how fierce he looks. He is quite a friendly guy. If you get to know him, you'll notice that he's pretty much an easy-going person."

Fabio Paratici chuckled after hearing the way his colleague had introduced him. His stern countenance somehow softened as he stood up and extended his arm from across the table. "It's a great pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zachary Bemba," he said. "I hope this meeting marks the beginning of a long-term friendship between our parties."

Zachary smiled and took his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Fabio Paratici," he said. "Thanks for having us, and I look forward to the negotiations between our parties."

"What did I say?" Mr. Stefano chimed in with a smile. He glanced at Zachary and asked, "Don't you already find him a friendly fella?"

Zachary just smiled in response. He was at a loss for how to keep up with the eccentric Italian.

"Okay, okay," Stefano said and stepped towards the other older gentleman at the table. "This guy here is our attorney. He goes by the name Federico Delfini. You don't have to worry too much about him. He's only here to help us through the complicated contract mumbo-jumbo."

The older gentleman laughed in response. He also stood up with grace and extended his hand to Zachary. "It's nice to meet you, Zachary."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Delfini," Zachary replied, taking the attorney's hand for a firm handshake.

"I guess we are all acquainted with the lovely Miss Emily," Mr. Stefano intoned. "So, there's no need for me to introduce her? Isn't that right, Miss Emily?"

Emily nodded and took the ball in her hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Paratici and Mr. Delfini," she said, extending her hand to the two gentlemen. "Let's have a pleasant discussion."

"Indeed," Fabio said, smiling and shaking her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Miss Emily Anderson. I have heard a lot of good things about you. Let's have a pleasurable discussion." The sporting director then stepped back and allowed his club's attorney to exchange handshakes with Emily.

"Now that the necessary introductions are over," Mr. Stefano chipped in again after the others took their seats, "Let me also take this rare opportunity to introduce myself. I go by the name Stefano Morganti. I'm a professional football agent based mainly in Italy. I'm now representing Juventus to negotiate a deal between our two parties."

"Mr. Stefano Morganti," Emily suddenly said, her tone brisk. "You asked for fifteen minutes. Four minutes have already elapsed."

"Damn my big mouth," Mr. Stefano said, grinning and turning towards his colleagues from Turin. "Fabio! Mr. Delfini! The floor is now yours. Let's convince our guests here in less than ten minutes."

Fabio Paratici, the sporting director of Juventus, nodded and faced Zachary. "Zachary," he said. "We're very short on time. So, we're not going to overcomplicate these negotiations with lengthy presentations."

"All I can assure you is that my club needs you," he continued, his exotic accent heavily coloring his words. "We really hope that you sign with us. I'm a hundred percent confident that I speak for everyone at Juventus, including our new head coach, Massimiliano Allegri, our president, Andrea Agnelli, and all our fans, when I say that Juventus needs you. As long as you sign with us, we'll do our best to accommodate all your requirements. That's a promise, and that's all I have to say for now."

Mr. Stefano Morganti smiled and turned toward the quiet older attorney. "Mr. Delfini," he said, "Can you pass two copies of the contract draft to our two guests?"

"Sure," Federico Delfini, the attorney, readily agreed. Without losing a second, he opened his briefcase and fished out two documents. Then, he smiled and passed them over to Emily and Zachary.

"Excellent!" Mr. Stefano Morganti's eyes flickered with joy as he glanced at his watch. "I still have about ten minutes. That should be enough."

"No, you only have eight minutes," Emily corrected, leaning forward and picking up the copy of the contract draft before her.

"Can't you even let that pass?" Mr. Stefano asked.

"You now have seven minutes," Emily stated, tuning her gaze onto the contract in her hands.

"Damn!" Mr. Stefano cursed. But his smile was still as bright as the noon sun as he turned towards Zachary. "Mr. Zachary Bemba! I'll summarize all the terms Juventus can offer to convince you to choose our side. Please, listen carefully."

Zachary leaned back in his seat and nodded to give him the go-ahead.

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Chapter 419 A Hard-to-Refuse Offer

"First of all," Mr. Stefano intoned, "Let's start with the salary. Juventus is willing to offer you a weekly wage of 159,000 Euros if you agree to sign a four-year contract with us. That means that you will potentially earn 636,000 Euros per month and roughly 7.63 million Euros per year if you join Juventus. You'll also become the highest-paid player on our roster next season."

"On top of the salary, Juventus will also pay you a sum of 69,000 Euros for every appearance you make for the club in an official competitive match. And if it so happens that you hit 40 goals and 30 assists in all competitions in a season, the club will award you an additional 2 million Euros. In brief, if you could meet all clauses, you could earn a lucrative wage of 13.5 million Euros per year. But that's not all we're offering."

"To ensure you feel at home at the club, we'll also settle your agent's fees that we've costed at 10% of your annual salary. And to show our sincerity, we've also pushed ourselves and decided to reward you with a signing bonus of 28 million Euros."

"If you sign with us, Juventus will pay you the signing bonus money in three batches. The first portion will be 15 million, and you'll receive it within two weeks after signing the contract to join Juventus. The second batch will be 10 million, and you'll receive it in your second year under contract. And finally, the third batch will be 3 million, and you'll receive it during your third year under contract. That is our sincerity."

Zachary's heart was already racing by then. He had already realized that all the terms offered by Juventus topped those of Tottenham. Be it the weekly wage, the signing bonus, and the playing bonuses — they were all much higher than those proposed by Tottenham in the meeting earlier. As a result, his heart was starting to waver and tilt toward the side of Juventus.

He wasn't a monk or a saint. With all the money Juventus had put on the table, he couldn't just continue treating Tottenham as his priority destination. But even then, he tried to maintain a poker face as he didn't wish to put Emily in a vulnerable position during the forthcoming negotiations.

"Thank you, Stefano, for the presentation," Emily said, smiling. "I've just skimmed through the contract, and it's tempting. But there are two clauses that we find not to our liking. We would like you to amend them before we progress into further talks."

Zachary's eyes were almost widening on hearing that. He only managed to control himself to maintain his poker face after exerting all his willpower. But on the inside, he was still thinking, "Which clauses did Emily find not to our liking? Why is it that I didn't find them when I skimmed through the contract document?" He was slightly puzzled.

"Miss Emily," Mr. Stefano said, his signature sunny smile outlining his face. "Go ahead and tell us which clauses you find not to your liking."

"First and foremost," Emily answered, "We won't sign a contract containing a buy-out clause of 80 million Euros. The most we can consider is 73 million Euros. That's probably the fee you'll pay Rosenborg to acquire my client. Secondly, we would like you to raise the signing bonus. My client has to settle down in a new country and a new city after joining your club. He'll need to buy a house and organize a few things. The 28 million Euros won't be enough. My recommendation would be 35 million Euros."

A brief silence descended on the table as the facial expressions of all the gentlemen on the other side turned strange. They were probably wondering how the woman before them could spout nonsense with a straight face.

"Miss Emily," the ever-smiling Stefano said, breaking the silence. "You're really putting us in a difficult position. We presented our best offers because we didn't want to waste your time negotiating. But now you're asking for more. And a hell lot more."

"I'm just looking out for my client," Emily said, a professional smile outlining her face. "I wish for him to settle down quickly in Turin. That way, he will be able to focus and play better football. Isn't that what you people hope to see? Don't you wish to see him comfortable in Turin, scoring goals week in, week out?"

"We do," Mr. Stefano said.

"Then, we're in agreement," Emily said. "So, please do the needful."

Mr. Stefano leaned forward and planted his elbows on the table. "We can agree to amend the buy-out clause and lower it to 75 million Euros. However, raising the signing bonus is difficult. Our financial position can't allow us to offer Zachary more than 28 million."

"Then, too bad," Emily said, her tone snappy. "If you can't raise the signing bonus to an appropriate amount, further negotiations are off the table. I'm sure Mourinho and his Chelsea is willing to fork out an even higher signing bonus."

"This…" The smile on Mr. Stefano's face disappeared for the first time that afternoon. He looked at Fabio Paratici, the Juventus sporting director, for help.

Fabio Paratici cleared his voice and locked gazes with Emily. "I know that you're looking out for your client. But you're also putting us in a difficult position. If we pay more money to Zachary, we'll not manage to meet the fair play rules. That's our difficulty. But to show our sincerity, we can still push ourselves and do all we can to take a step back. Let's meet in the middle and agree on a buy-out clause fee of 75 million and a signing bonus of 31 million. That is the highest we can offer."

"32 million," Emily said. "32 million as the signing bonus and 75 million as the buy-out clause fee. Then, we can reach an initial agreement here and now before we leave. We would only need to iron out some minor details in the contract before concluding negotiations quickly. It's your call."

Fabio leaned back into his seat and shook his head with helplessness. "Okay, 32 million it is," he said, seeming defeated. "But we have to put our initial agreement into writing right away. Additionally, Zachary has to communicate to the public through social media that he has reached a preliminary agreement with us. He has to tell relevant parties that he's about to become our player."

Emily tilted her head to face Zachary, her gaze questioning. "Honestly, what do you think?" She asked, softening her voice. "Is this a good deal? Do you agree to play for Juventus next season? Don't mind the gentlemen across the table and speak your mind. I'll support you even if you want to say no to this deal."

Zachary's thoughts were already crystal clear at that moment. He exhaled lightly and faced the gentlemen across the table. "I have seen your sincerity," he said, smiling. "So, I'm very willing to join your club next season. But that's, of course, after ironing out the minor details in the contract that Emily mentioned."

"Yeah!" Mr. Stefano Morganti was the first to jump up and celebrate. "Very nice choice, Zachary. Welcome to Juventus." He extended his hand from across the table.

Zachary stood up and took his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Stefano."

After that, Zachary and Emily shook hands with Fabio Paratici, the Juventus sporting director, and Federico Delfini, the attorney, to seal the deal. They then ordered lunch and drinks to celebrate the beginning of their business relationship.

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Chapter 420: The Wondrous Effects of an S-Grade Elixir

Zachary shivered and awoke with a start after an indeterminable period of time. He glanced around and noticed that it was already nighttime. Darkness had already enshrouded everything in the living room, and his eyes couldn't even see a meter ahead of him. He blinked to adjust to the lack of presence of light as he pushed himself up from the sofa.

"Ew!"

He let out a sound of disgust as he realized that his body and clothes were humid and sticky. There was even an unpleasant stench wafting about him, making him seem like a person that had slept in a garbage dump for days.

"This abnormality! The vitality-enhancing elixir must have helped me expel foul substances from my body again. It's like the washing of marrow in those Wuxia fiction masterpieces. I should be healthier and more fit."

A myriad of thoughts fleeted around Zachary's mind as he carefully made his way through the darkness, heading towards the direction of his bedroom.

A second later, he managed to switch on the lights, and the house came alive with brightness. Immediately, his eyes darted around the place, taking in everything until they settled on the clock hanging on the opposite wall.

"Eh! It's already 9:30 PM!"

Zachary's eyes widened with surprise. He had blacked out for roughly ten hours after consuming the elixir. Even though his mental ability was already at the S-grading, he still succumbed to the effects of the system potion and passed out for almost half a day. The system's elixirs were just that potent as they increased in grade.

"I better clean up first before anything else."

The fishy stench wafting about him was making him quite uncomfortable. He rushed to the bathroom and took a warm shower, making sure to scrub all the filth off his body. In just a short while, he was fresh and clean. He dried himself before exiting the bathroom.

As he was about to enter his bedroom, his eyes reflexively glanced at his reflection in the full-body mirror. Staring back at him was a stern-looking tall man with a head adorned by messy black hair and eyes as bright as gems. His body was like a divine artist's masterpiece, with glowing light brown skin and well-streamlined muscles that were not too pronounced to garner any attention if he was in casual clothes. But if he were to remove his shirt, people would be surprised by his prominent chest, shaped like a brick house, and his sleek six abs that stood out like tiles above his pelvis.

"It seems like the system's S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir has done a lot of wonders for my body again," he thought as he turned his gaze away from the mirror and walked into the bedroom. His skin was as smooth as silk, without any blemish after his body relied on the S-grade elixir to expel numerous hidden wastes. He could even give models a run for their money even though he had never used skin care products nor gone to a dermatologist for a consultation.

"System," Zachary called out in his mind after settling on his bed. "Bring up my fitness stats right away."

"Command received," the system AI replied in its apathetic voice. "Host's physical fitness attributes will be coming up on the interface shortly."

With that said, the glowing crystal-like display shimmered and appeared before Zachary. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation before starting to peruse the information portrayed on the system interface.

--

USER STATS

--

-Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: S)

Balance and Coordination: S-

Agility: S

Strength: S

Stamina: S

Endurance Points: 17,500/18,000 (S)

--

Zachary nodded to himself after reading through his updated physical fitness data. He felt contented after learning that all his fitness attributes, except Balance and Coordination, had climbed from the S- to the S grading. The S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir was truly miraculous, and it had helped push his physical fitness to a higher rank. His confidence was surging, and he was starting to eagerly look forward to the day he made his debut for Juventus in Italy.

"Now let me check out the side effects," Zachary thought and said, "System, please bring up my soccer technique attributes on the interface."

"Command received," the system AI intoned. "Soccer Technique stats coming up on the interface immediately."

--

-Soccer Technique: [Av. Rating: A (S)]

Ball Control: A (S)

Dribbling Skills: A (S-)

Passing Accuracy: S- (S)

Body Control: A (S-)

--

NB: The grades in the brackets represent the user's base stats or, in other words, the user's attributes before consuming the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir.

--

Zachary couldn't help but sigh after his eyes took in his soccer technique stats. As expected, his ball skills, such as ball control, dribbling, and passing accuracy, had temporarily fallen to the lower grades. Since his body had experienced an explosive growth of fitness attributes in a short period of time, he couldn't control it well yet -- thus the decline in grades of his core techniques. Zachary had to train like a maniac over the next few days to master his improved body and attributes. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to raise them back to the S-grading within a short time.

But even knowing all that, he wasn't that worried. He understood that the higher his fitness and game intelligence attributes, the faster he would master skills. With his S-graded stats, he would only need to train intensively for about three weeks to master his strengthened body. Then, when the Serie A commenced on August 30th, he would be able to shine in great splendor for Juventus.

"It's time I ate something."

Zachary quickly dismissed the system interface. He put on another set of casual clothes before heading to the kitchen and making himself some dinner.

Twenty minutes later, he finished enjoying a sumptuous homemade dinner and brushed his teeth. Then, he went through his evening yoga routine before taking another shower and jumping into bed for the night.

--

The following day, Zachary's schedule was tight. After completing his routine morning training, he started moving around to say his goodbyes to his acquaintances.

He started by visiting Coach Johansen in the morning, who was surprisingly quite supportive of his move to Juventus. Then, he linked up with his old friends, Kasongo and the Ottersons, who congratulated him upon landing a good deal in a top club. And lastly, he called upon his teammates, like Mikael Dorsin, Nicki Nielsen, and Eric Bailly, who were already back in Trondheim for the last half of the Norwegian football season.

By the time he finished saying his goodbyes to everyone, the clock hand had already pointed to six o'clock in the evening. He returned home and cleaned up before putting on an elegant pair of black trousers and a sleek blue shirt. Then, after donning his well-polished black shoes, he exited his apartment and descended the stairs. Before long, he sat snugly in his R8 GT and drove off to meet Camilla for dinner at her place.

His mood was a bit jumpy as he guided the car through the busy evening traffic. His heart started to race with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation since he was about to meet Camilla for the first time in a long time. He'd last talked to her physically at his grandma's funeral two months ago. He missed her.

Of course, they had communicated often by phone while he was still in DR Congo. Camilla would even video chat with him every once in a while. But that couldn't beat meeting her physically and enjoying her presence.

He arrived at her apartment in Lade about ten minutes later and parked his car. He stretched out his hand and carefully picked up the banquet of flowers he'd bought earlier in the day from the passenger seat before exiting the vehicle. After locking the doors, he slowly ascended the stairs leading to Camilla's apartment.

On reaching her door, he breathed in deeply and knocked a couple of times. Seconds passed, but to Zachary, it seemed like a week. Then, the door opened silently, and Camilla appeared in the doorway.

She was as beautiful and as titillating as ever. Her skin glowed under the dim lighting, and her emerald-green eyes shone like two bright stars in the night sky. Then, there was that casual top and the pair of tight denim shorts she had worn to emphasize her swells and dips in all the right places. She was basically a top diva hidden away in an apartment in Norway.

"You're really the most beautiful girl in the world," Zachary blurted out without thinking. Her beauty had already disarmed him, and he'd even forgotten to hand her the flowers.

Camilla didn't say anything in response. She just watched Zachary's face for a few seconds before stepping forward and jumping into his embrace.

They hugged there, in front of the door leading to her apartment, without caring for anything else.

No words were exchanged for seconds. Then, in some uncanny way, their lips naturally came together, and they kissed deeply. The passion escalated, and they found themselves backtracking into the apartment.

Zachary kicked the door closed with his foot and latched it with his free hand. He then placed the flowers on a nearby table before concentrating on Camilla, eager to continue progressing the R-action between them.

Everything was instinctual as the tenderness bloomed between them, and soon, they were on the sofa making wild love like a pair of rabbits in heat. They caressed and explored each other with undivided attention, throwing all caution to the wind and immersing themselves in the sweet and intense throes of passion. They didn't stop until about an hour later when the smell of burnt food assaulted their nasal senses.

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---

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Chapter 421: Back to Trondheim

When Zachary arrived in Trondheim that morning, the news about his decision to join Juventus had already spread far and wide. Even the busy airport workers were already privy to the information that he was about to become a player for the Italian giants. They kept stealing glances at him as he went through the airport procedures.

Zachary, of course, chose to ignore them. He picked up his luggage and quickly exited the airport. After avoiding a few reporters who wanted to interview him, he boarded a taxi and headed to his apartment in Stjørdalsveien.

Thirty-five minutes later, he paid the cab driver in front of his apartment building. Then, he pulled his luggage before making his way to the front entrance of the place he had called home for more than a year.

Complicated feelings rose within him as he ascended the stairs. He couldn't help but recall how happy he was when he had first paid the booking fee and rent for the apartment. At that time, he'd just graduated from the academy. His heart had been full of anticipation and excitement as he had been about to become a Rosenborg player. But now, just after about a year and seven months, he was about to say goodbye to Rosenborg, the same club he could only dream about joining during his previous life. The whole progress of events gave him a surreal feeling — but also caused him to swell with pride as he continued making his way up the stairs.

"Zachary!" A familiar voice exclaimed, breaking his thought process as he reached the fourth floor. "Welcome back to Trondheim. It has been long."

"Kristin!" Zachary exclaimed back, looking towards the entrance of the apartment on the fourth floor. He took a few steps toward the charming girl he had first met in Lubumbashi, DR Congo, four years ago. "Yes, it has been more than two months since we met. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," she replied with a smile. "Come inside. I will make you something to drink." She pushed the door open and pointed toward the inside of her apartment.

"Okay." Zachary nodded and pulled his suitcase through the doorway. He figured he could just conclude his talk with Kristin before ascending the stairs and going to his apartment.

"So, can I get you some coffee, or can I get you some milk and cereal?" Kristin asked, closing the door behind her. The natural lighting in the room cast a rosy hue upon her blonde hair and face, making her seem like a fairy who had just descended to Planet Earth.

"Only a coffee will do," Zachary replied, smiling at her. He positioned his suitcase by the door and settled on one of the sofas in her living room.

"Okay, I'll get you some coffee," Kristin said and went to the kitchen to prepare the hot drink. She returned five minutes later with a tray holding a cup and flask before gracefully placing it in front of Zachary.

"Thank you," Zachary said, nodding at her. Without further ado, he opened the flask and poured himself some coffee.

"So," Kristin intoned after settling on a sofa opposite Zachary, "I saw the news. You're going to Juventus!"

Zachary nodded, smiling awkwardly. "Sorry. It was an abrupt decision I made only yesterday. I couldn't inform you in advance."

"No problem," Kristin assured. "The only challenge is that you posted your decision on your official social media accounts without filling me in on the details. I could only reply vaguely to all your followers about your potential move to Juventus."

"I apologize," Zachary said. "I completely forgot about that. I'll fill you in on the details later. Speaking of which, are you ready to move to Turin with me? You previously mentioned that you wanted to continue working as my publicity secretary even after I left Trondheim. Do you still feel the same way?"

"Of course, I do," Kristin was quick to reply. "Yes, I wish to continue working as your publicity secretary. Otherwise, where would I find another lucrative job such as this?"

Zachary smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "Then, you should prepare and shift to Turin as soon as possible. You can also call Emily and remind her about renewing your contract before you move."

"Great, thank you," Kristin said, her amber-brown eyes glowing with excitement.

"You're welcome. But let me remind you that you'll have a hell-lot more responsibilities after you arrive in Turin. Now that my fame is growing, you won't just be managing my social media accounts. For instance, you'll also have to attend meetings with companies that endorse me to draft plans to advertise their products using my brand as a professional athlete. I may also require you to take care of a few other responsibilities, such as managing correspondence with my partners and top fans, scheduling appointments, and making travel arrangements. In other words, you won't just be my publicity secretary but also my personal assistant."

"I understand," she said. "I'll do my best to take up all those responsibilities."

"Then, excellent," Zachary said and sipped his coffee again. "How's your grandpa, by the way? How's he doing?"

"He's doing fine," Kristin replied, sighing. "He's also still waiting for you to make a decision about the issue he proposed. I hope you haven't forgotten yet."

"Of course not. The proposal to build a talent development center in Africa is still in my head. But I'm not ready yet. I need a few more years to prepare."

Kristin nodded, smiling. "As long as you remember, then all is fine. By the way, I'm sorry about your grandma. I couldn't be there in Congo for you. We had exams at the time, and I couldn't travel for the funeral."

"Don't worry about that. It's all in the past," Zachary said, feelings of bitterness rising within his heart. But he suppressed them the next instant and continued sipping his coffee.

An awkward silence descended upon the living room for a few seconds until Zachary spoke again. "So, when will you move to Turin?"

"At the end of next week," Kristin replied. "Is that okay?"

"That's a bit early. Why don't you consider moving around August 15th?"

"That's fine," Kristin answered. "I will move by the 15th then."

"Great." Zachary smiled and returned to sipping his coffee.

He had already researched Juventus' upcoming schedule the previous night. The Turin-based club wouldn't play any official matches before August 30th. They would only play pre-season friendlies during the rest of July and August, which Zachary wanted to miss because of some of his other plans. He wished to use the time before the start of the Serie A to train like mad and help his body acclimatize to the effects of the S-grade elixir he was about to consume. Only after that would he settle down in Turin and start to actively seek an opportunity to play a competitive game for his new club.

Thus, there was no need to push Kristin to travel to Italy when he wasn't planning to settle there until after a month. As long as she shifted before the start of the Serie A (before August 30th), everything would be fine. She would settle in her new role even before Zachary played his first official match.

—–

Zachary said his goodbyes to Kristin after finishing his coffee. He ascended the stairs and returned to his apartment on the sixth floor.

He felt at home when he stepped into his living room. A smile framed his face as he glanced around and noticed that the entire place was like he'd left it two months ago. It was relatively tidy, and there wasn't much dust on the exposed surfaces.

Most likely, Camilla, the only other person with a key to the place, had taken the time to clean it often while he was away. And that saved him the time to sweep and mop it himself.

He unpacked his luggage and quickly took a shower. After coming out of the bathroom, he dried himself and put on a fresh set of casual clothes. Then, he returned to the living room and settled on one of his sofas before deciding to summon the system.

Immediately, the all-familiar translucent crystal-like display that was the system interface shimmered to life before him. It glowed with a blue splendor within the dimly-lit living room.

"System," Zachary called out in his mind. "I would like to consume the S-graded vitality-enhancing elixir now."

"Command received," the system AI replied. "Confirming… The user has a single dose of the S-graded vitality enhancing elixir stored in the inventory."

"The user can select the respective card in the inventory to summon the elixir. As always, the user should ensure to consume the elixir within five seconds after its removal from the system inventory. Otherwise, its effects will expire if it spends more time out of the inventory."

"Understood," Zachary replied.

He tapped on the crystal-like display to summon the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir that looked like a miniature version of an apple. He swallowed it down in a single gulp before lying supine on the sofa. Then finally, he expelled a lungful of air to brace himself for the immediate agonizing effects of consuming the system potion.

A few seconds passed, and a refreshing sensation washed across his body, seemingly nourishing his muscles, bones, internal organs, and blood. Then, his temperature spiked abruptly, and a sore irritation assaulted his entire being. His body started trembling as more effects of the potion kicked in and strengthened his physique.

His eyes misted as he winced in agony. He felt like he was losing himself — like his body was being torn apart and put together thousands of times. But he still fought with all his willpower to maintain a clear state of mind. Then, just as he thought he could hold on until the end, the soul-tearing discomfort peaked, and a tremor jolted his body and consciousness. His eyes lost focus, and he blacked out.

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Chapter 422: The Wondrous Effects of an S-Grade Elixir

Zachary shivered and awoke with a start after an indeterminable period of time. He glanced around and noticed that it was already nighttime. Darkness had already enshrouded everything in the living room, and his eyes couldn't even see a meter ahead of him. He blinked to adjust to the lack of presence of light as he pushed himself up from the sofa.

"Ew!"

He let out a sound of disgust as he realized that his body and clothes were humid and sticky. There was even an unpleasant stench wafting about him, making him seem like a person that had slept in a garbage dump for days.

"This abnormality! The vitality-enhancing elixir must have helped me expel foul substances from my body again. It's like the washing of marrow in those Wuxia fiction masterpieces. I should be healthier and more fit."

A myriad of thoughts fleeted around Zachary's mind as he carefully made his way through the darkness, heading towards the direction of his bedroom.

A second later, he managed to switch on the lights, and the house came alive with brightness. Immediately, his eyes darted around the place, taking in everything until they settled on the clock hanging on the opposite wall.

"Eh! It's already 9:30 PM!"

Zachary's eyes widened with surprise. He had blacked out for roughly ten hours after consuming the elixir. Even though his mental ability was already at the S - grading, he still succumbed to the effects of the system potion and passed out for almost half a day. The system's elixirs were just that potent as they increased in grade.

"I better clean up first before anything else."

The fishy stench wafting about him was making him quite uncomfortable. He rushed to the bathroom and took a warm shower, making sure to scrub all the filth off his body. In just a short while, he was fresh and clean. He dried himself before exiting the bathroom.

As he was about to enter his bedroom, his eyes reflexively glanced at his reflection in the full-body mirror. Staring back at him was a stern-looking tall man with a head adorned by messy black hair and eyes as bright as gems. His body was like a divine artist's masterpiece, with glowing light brown skin and well-streamlined muscles that were not too pronounced to gamer any attention if he was in casual clothes. But if he were to remove his shirt, people would be surprised by his prominent chest, shaped like a brick house, and his sleek six abs that stood out like tiles above his pelvis.

"It seems like the system's S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir has done a lot of wonders for my body again," he thought as he turned his gaze away from the mirror and walked into the bedroom. His skin was as smooth as silk, without any blemish after his body relied on the S-grade elixir to expel numerous hidden wastes. He could even give models a run for their money even though he had never used skin care products nor gone to a dermatologist for a consultation.

"System," Zachary called out in his mind after settling on his bed. "Bring up my fitness stats right away."

"Command received," the system Al replied in its apathetic voice. "Hoses physical fitness attributes will be coming up on the interface shortly."

With that said, the glowing crystal-like display shimmered and appeared before Zachary. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation before starting to peruse the information portrayed on the system interface.

--

USER STATS

--Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: S)

Balance and Coordination: S-

Agility: S

Strength: S

Stamina: 5

Endurance Points: 17,500/18,000 (S)

--

Zachary nodded to himself after reading through his updated physical fitness data. He felt contented after learning that all his fitness attributes, except Balance and Coordination, had climbed from the S- to the S grading. The S -grade vitality-enhancing elixir was truly miraculous, and it had helped push his physical fitness to a higher rank. His confidence was surging, and he was starting to eagerly look forward to the day he made his debut for Juventus in Italy.

"Now let me check out the side effects," Zachary thought and said, "System, please bring up my soccer technique attributes on the interface."

"Command received," the system Al intoned. "Soccer Technique slats coming up on the interface immediately."

--Soccer Technique: [Av. Rating: A (S)]

Ball Control: A (S)

Dribbling Skills: A (S-)

Passing Accuracy: S- (S)

Body Control: A (S-)

--

NB: The grades in the brackets represent the user's base stats or, in other words, the user's attributes before consuming the 5-grade vitality-enhancing elixir.

--

Zachary couldn't help but sigh after his eyes took in his soccer technique stats. As expected, his ball skills, such as ball control, dribbling, and passing accuracy, had temporarily fallen to the lower grades. Since his body had experienced an explosive growth of fitness attributes in a short period of time, he couldn't control it well yet — thus the decline in grades of his core techniques. Zachary had to train like a maniac over the next few days to master his improved body and attributes. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to raise them back to the S-grading within a short time.

But even knowing all that, he wasn't that worried. He understood that the higher his fitness and game intelligence attributes, the faster he would master skills. With his S- graded stats, he would only need to train intensively for about three weeks to master his strengthened body. Then, when the Serie A commenced on August 30th, he would be able to shine in great splendor for Juventus.

"It's time I ate something*

Zachary quickly dismissed the system interface. He put on another set of casual clothes before heading to the kitchen and making himself some dinner.

Twenty minutes later, he finished enjoying a sumptuous homemade dinner and brushed his teeth. Then, he went through his evening yoga routine before taking another shower and jumping into bed for the night.

--

The following day, Zachary's schedule was tight. After completing his routine morning training, he started moving around to say his goodbyes to his acquaintances.

He started by visiting Coach Johansen in the morning, who was surprisingly quite supportive of his move to Juventus. Then, he linked up with his old friends, Kasongo and the Ottersons, who congratulated him upon landing a good deal in a top club. And lastly, he called upon his teammates, like Nlikael Dorsin, Nicki Nielsen, and Eric Bailly, who were already back in Trondheim for the last half of the Norwegian football season.

By the time he finished saying his goodbyes to everyone, the clock hand had already pointed to six o'clock in the evening. He returned home and cleaned up before putting on an elegant pair of black trousers and a sleek blue shirt. Then, after donning his well-polished black shoes, he exited his apartment and descended the stairs. Before long, he sat snugly in his R8 GT and drove off to meet Camilla for dinner at her place.

His mood was a bit jumpy as he guided the car through the busy evening traffic. His heart started to race with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation since he was about to meet Camilla for the first time in a long time. He'd last talked to her physically at his grandma's funeral two months ago. He missed her.

Of course, they had communicated often by phone while he was still in DR Congo. Camilla would even video chat with him every once in a while. But that couldn't beat meeting her physically and enjoying her presence.

He arrived at her apartment in Lade about ten minutes later and parked his car. He stretched out his hand and carefully picked up the banquet of flowers he'd bought earlier in the day from the passenger seat before exiting the vehicle. After locking the doors, he slowly ascended the stairs leading to Camilla's apartment.

On reaching her door, he breathed in deeply and knocked a couple of times. Seconds passed, but to Zachary, it seemed like a week Then, the door opened silently, and Camilla appeared in the doorway.

She was as beautiful and as titillating as ever. Her skin glowed under the dim lighting, and her emerald-green eyes shone like two bright stars in the night sky. Then, there was that casual top and the pair of tight denim shorts she had worn to emphasize her swells and dips in all the right places. She was basically a top diva hidden away in an apartment in Norway.

"You're really the most beautiful girl in the world," Zachary blurted out without thinking. Her beauty had already disarmed him, and heft even forgotten to hand her the flowers.

Camilla didn't say anything in response. She just watched Zachary's face for a few seconds before stepping forward and jumping into his embrace.

They hugged there, in front of the door leading to her apartment, without caring for anything else.

No words were exchanged for seconds. Then, in some uncanny way, their lips naturally came together, and they kissed deeply. The passion escalated, and they found themselves backtracking into the apartment.

Zachary kicked the door closed with his foot and latched it with his free hand. He then placed the flowers on a nearby table before concentrating on Camilla, eager to continue progressing the R-action between them.

Everything was instinctual as the tenderness bloomed between them, and soon, they were on the sofa making wild love like a pair of rabbits in heat. They caressed and explored each other with undivided attention, throwing all caution to the wind and immersing themselves in the sweet and intense throes of passion. They didn't stop until about an hour later when the smell of burnt food assaulted their nasal senses.

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Chapter 423: Camilla's Considerations

"Damn!" Camilla surprisingly let out an expletive. "That's my lasagna getting burnt." She freed herself from Zachary's entanglement and ran off to the kitchen with a sense of urgency. She didn't even bother to put on a single piece of clothing.

Zachary's eyes naturally followed her departing figure, his eyes drawn to the tantalizing swaying of her hips. His heart raced, and his throat seemed to go dry. He was drawn in by the 'optical nutrition' presented before him.

Then, Camilla disappeared through the kitchen door, and Zachary caught himself. He smiled awkwardly and pushed himself off the sofa. In a matter of seconds, he put on his boxers before following after her.

"Damn it! I spent hours preparing this dinner. Damn!"

The first thing Zachary's ears picked up when he stepped into the kitchen was unexpectedly a string of more curses. Camilla was in the middle of pulling out a tray of charcoal — no — a tray of what was supposed to be lasagna from the oven.

Her countenance at that moment was a tremendous contrast to how happy and sensual she had been only a minute ago. She looked totally dejected as she carefully placed the tray atop the granite kitchen counter.

Zachary's heart winced slightly. He quickly opened the kitchen window to let out the smoke and smell of burnt food before stepping toward Camilla and patting her shoulder. "Sorry," he said in a soothing tone. "Don't mind the food. We can make same more dinner later." "Okay," Camilla said, nodding and seeming to calm down. Then, she pointed at the mess of burnt food before her and continued, "I'm sorry about all this. I really wanted to make you same good dinner. But, I messed up greatly."

"No, we messed up greatly," Zachary corrected, smiling at her. "Don't forget that it takes two to tango. And don't forget that I have already feasted on the most delicious dinner in the world." He winked and eyed her unclothed silhouette suggestively.

The corners of Camilla's full lips curled into a smile. A sparkle appeared in her emerald-green eyes, and she stepped forward and hugged Zachary. "You, had boy!" She purred, caressing his bare back.

The sensual way she had said those three words ignited Zachary's bestial nature. In one swift motion, he swept her into his arms and rushed off to her bedroom.

In a matter of seconds, the two of them were atop Camilla's enormous bed, engaging in nature's most primal and intimate ritual. Their passion was burning hot and urgent, and they explored each other for another thirty minutes before taking a shower together. Then, they dried themselves and put on casual clothes before returning to the kitchen to think about dinner.

"We're really sloppy and negligent," Camilla said, eyeing the tray of burnt lasagna they had left sitting on the kitchen counter minutes ago. "What will we do about dinner now?"

Zachary grinned. "No need to worry. We can order home-delivered dinner online through Foodora or They have efficient and fast delivery services. For instance, we can order pizza. It will arrive in less than fifteen minutes."

"Then, pizza it is," Camilla agreed. "You can go make the order online. Meanwhile, I'll pour out the burnt food, clean the tray, and prepare some fruits for us to enjoy with the pizza.

"Okay, I'll go make the orders," Zachary readily agreed. He then smiled at Camilla encouragingly before stepping out of the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, Zachary and Camilla sat at the table in the kitchen, enjoying their home-delivered dinner. The artificial lighting of the place cast rosy glows upon their faces as they swallowed down chunks and chunks of Italian pizza. Their smiles were bright, their eyes glittering, and their pastures relaxed as they ate with relish. They were obviously enjoying their meal and each other's company.

"So," Zachary said after wolfing down another piece of pizza. "I'll be joining Juventus for the next season." He finally breached the topic that had mainly brought him to Camilla's place.

"I'm aware," Camilla replied, sighing. "I heard in the news. Congratulations. I'm really happy for you."

The way she responded made Zachary think she wasn't happy, but he didn't deliberate much about the issue. "Thanks," he replied as he locked gazes with her. "Now that I'm moving to Italy, how do we maintain our relationship? Turin is thousands of kilometers from Trondheim!"

Camilla raised a brow and planted her elbows on the table. "What exactly are you implying?"

"Is there a possibility of you moving to Turin with me?" He asked, meeting her gaze. 'We could also move in together after arriving there."

During the two months Zachary spent in Bukavu, he had done some introspection. He had constantly asked himself whether it would be easy to find another incredibly gorgeous, caring, and understanding girl like Camilla. The answer was that the prospect was extremely difficult. After having had experiences dating all kinds of 'slay queens' during his previous life, Zachary knew deep in his heart that women who were bath beautiful and down-to-earth like Camilla were as rare as four-leaved clovers. You could search through dozens of cities for years without finding one. That was why Zachary had resolved to ask Camilla to follow him to Turin.

Camilla glanced at Zachary with widened eyes. She was clearly surprised and caught off guard. She breathed in deeply — as if to calm herself down and said, "But I have a jab here in Trondheim_ I'm under contract with Audi to work here in Norway. I can't get up one day and decide to leave. That would be unprofessional."

"Oh!" It was Zachary's turn to get caught unprepared, and his mind blanked out for a moment. He recovered a second later and was about to argue that she could work around the contract or find a way to allow her to move to Turin. But just then, a jolt went through his mind, and he stopped suddenly.

He had just realized that if Camilla really wanted to move to Turin with him, she would have jumped at the chance. If she really wanted to more in with him, she would have at least tried to think of the loopholes in her contract with Audi. That was because there was always a way where there was a will to make things happen. That was the simple and harsh truth.

"Oh, Zachary!" Camilla said from across the table. "Don't put on that sad expression. We can still continue our relationship, even if I don't move to Turin".

"Really?" Zachary was a bit skeptical. The only way they could continue their relationship was over a long distance. And from what he had heard, agreeing to a long-distance relationship was like welcoming a pot of troubles. You might even go six months without seeing your partner, and in the end, she might cheat on you with another nearby and convenient guy.

"First listen," Camilla hurriedly said. "I know you might think that long-distance relationships usually fail. But that doesn't have to be the case on our part. We can be the exception and make things work For instance, I could visit you often to ensure we don't fall apart. On top of chatting regularly by phone, I could also came to your matches every weekend. You won't even feel that I'm not living in Turin. I'll always be there when you need me. That's even how it has been between us here in Trondheim. I only come to your place for one or two days each week But our relationship has stood strong for about a year. Isn't that so?"

Thinking about the issue carefully, Zachary immediately came to a realization that their relationship was as Camilla had described. While he was busy training, they could go even weeks without a meeting, but they hadn't faced any serious problems in their relationship.

"You do have a point," Zachary agreed after deliberating for a moment "Then, if you're okay with it, we can continue our relationship over a long distance."

"Of course, I'm okay with it," Camilla said, beaming. "I'm the one who brought up the idea. Let's continue with dinner and forget the sad stuff."

"Okay."* * The following morning, just as the day dawned crisp and clear, Camilla said goodbye to Zachary. She kissed him, then escorted him down the stairs before watching him drive away in his Audi Ft8 GT.

Just then, memories of their previous night's conversation played within her mind, causing her expression to flicker with a trace of regret She sighed and shook her head as she watched Zachary's car disappear around a corner in the distance.

Honestly, she had been tempted to accept his offer. A large part of her had wanted to throw all caution to the wind and fallow him to Turin. But after considering a few issues, she had exerted all her will to say no to him.

First, there was the issue of him never showing too much attachment to her. If she didn't try to call him more often, he might even spend weeks without talking to her. That begged the question of whether he was really into her.

Then, there was also the matter of Zachary never telling her about his plans or hardships. He would always first talk to his beautiful agent before informing her of anything important And that begged the question of whether he really saw her as his potential life partner or just a trial-and-error girlfriend.

After considering all that and a few more issues, Camilla had hardened herself and politely rejected his invitation to Turin. She had decided to remain cautious and see how their relationship could persevere through the test of a long distance. Then, she would confirm whether they were meant to be before encouraging the next step of their relationship.

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Chapter 424: Directives from the New Club

Zachary returned to his apartment in Stjørdalsveien after leaving Camilla's place. He wasn't in the best of moods as he changed into a fresh set of training clothes and settled into his morning yoga routine.

He couldn't seem to focus as thoughts of his conversation with Camilla continued revolving within his mind. He even mistimed the execution of his yoga poses a couple of times due to his recurring episodes of absentmindedness.

While driving back from Camilla's place, he had done some introspection and realized that he'd handled the whole conversation with her in an amateurish way. He did not ask her about her work with Audi or if she liked the prospect of living in Italy. He just went ahead and dived in to invite her to move to Turin with him. Moreover, that was after not informing her beforehand about his decision to join Juventus. What the hell was up with that?

Zachary felt—like banging his head on the nearby table as he carefully thought things through. Was she supposed to drop everything and follow after him, the certain someone who was only offering her an uncertain future? Who was he to her? She was not even his official wife. How sure could she be that he wouldn't leave her for some bimbo after a few months? Zachary slowly came to see her side of things as he calmed down. He sighed and continued going through his yoga practice, albeit with more intensity.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Suddenly, his phone started vibrating from a nearby table. He paused his yoga practice and stepped forward to pick it up. On glancing at the screen, his heart started racing with anticipation. He accepted the call and placed the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Zachary," Emily's bubbly voice sounded from the other end of the line the next instant. "Good morning?"

"Good morning to you too," Zachary answered, his mood immediately improving. "As always, it's a pleasure to hear from you. What's new? Could it be that the contract is ready for signing?"

Emily chuckled. "You guessed right. Together with the attorneys representing Juventus, we worked almost round the clock since yesterday morning. We polished the contract and produced a final draft just today. It's ready for signing."

A smile outlined Zachary's face as he sat cross-legged on the yoga mat. He switched the phone to his other ear and said, "Thanks for the hard work."

"You're welcome," Emily replied.

"When am I needed to sign the contract?"

"Tomorrow," Emily intoned. "Have you forgotten that it will be a Monday? It's the day we agreed that you would travel to Turin for the official signing ceremony."

"Of course, I remember," Zachary said. "I was merely confirming."

"There's an issue you should know before tomorrow," Emily said, her tone suddenly turning solemn.

"Speak away. I'm all ears."

"Yesterday," Emily said, "I spoke with Mr. Fabio Paratici about your wish to officially report for duty at Juventus at the end of August. First, I explained to him that you wanted to use the month before the start of the Serie A to shift and settle down in Turin. Then, I elaborated on how you needed time to train individually to regain your fitness, especially after spending two months out of action. I was quite persuasive as I wanted Juventus to exempt you from playing the pre-season friendlies. Guess what his response was."

Zachary's heart skipped a beat. "Did he refuse?"

"Exactly," Emily confirmed. "Fabio is a tough man. He totally refused to hear me out. First, the man quoted how Juventus would start paying you a weekly wage of roughly 160,000 Euros per week after you signed the contract. Then, he went on and on about how it would be unfair to the club if you couldn't report for duty as soon as possible. His words: you would be pocketing money without doing any work, which was unacceptable at a top European Club like Juventus."

"Mr. Fabio also hinted about the attitude of the new coach – Massimiliano Allegri," Emily continued. "Coach Allegri wants all his players, including those that participated in the World Cup, to feature in Juventus' pre-season program. He wants to use the pre-season friendlies to foster chemistry within the team before the commencement of the Serie A season. So, as you can see, he won't tolerate any player missing the pre-season tour. That is unless a player is injured or has another significant reason that prevents him from playing in an intensive official match."

Zachary's mood sank on hearing all that. He had just consumed the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir and needed about a month to train intensively and escape its side effects. So, if he participated in the pre-season tour, he might perform below par and disappoint his new club and bosses.

"So, when does Juventus want me to report for duty in Turin?" He asked after taking in a deep breath.

"The sporting director said the maximum they can allow is ten days for you to shift and settle down in Turin," Emily replied. "That means you don't have to feature in Juventus' first two friendlies against A.C.D. Lucento and Cesena. But come 1st August, you'll have to head out with the rest of the Juventus team for the pre-season tour of Asia and Australia. That's a must for all Juventus players that aren't on injury spells."

"And, of course, we can't claim that you are injured so that you can miss the pre-season tour," Emily warned. "That's because the club will conduct a thorough medical examination before the signing ceremony tomorrow. The physicians will be able to ascertain the condition of your body with almost a hundred percent accuracy. You can't get away with the excuse of being injured."

"I see," Zachary said, expelling another lungful of air. "In that case, I'll go along with what they want and join their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia. I don't want my absence to put me at loggerheads with my soon-to-be bosses."

"Excellent choice, Zachary," Emily yelled from the other end of the line. "Before making the call, I was fretting over the fact that you might continue insisting on missing the pre-season tour. But now, it seems that I was worried for nothing."

"Of course, I wouldn't go against the directives of my new coach," Zachary said matter-of-factly. "That would be a gateway to hell, especially at a new club. I have a feeling that the coach would even choose to bench me for weeks or months if I insisted on missing the pre-season tour."

Although Zachary said that, he had already thought things through. He had realized that Juventus' pre-season tour would consist of matches against very low-tier teams in Asia and Australia. As a Juventus player, he would only face off against footballers less skilled than even those playing for the teams at the bottom of the Norwegian League. Thus, Zachary didn't need to fear the pre-season matches. That was because he could still put up modest displays against such players, even with his recently-declined technique attributes.

"I'm glad that you understand the importance of making a good first impression," Emily said after a moment. "If you maintain that attitude, you won't face any major problems while trying to fit into the Juventus team."

"Hopefully," Zachary intoned. "So, at what time should I arrive in Turin tomorrow?"

"As early as possible," Emily replied immediately. "It's best that you set off from Trondheim before five in the morning. That will allow you to arrive in Turin before 11:00 AM. I can even wait for you at the airport if you plan on following that exact schedule."

"You speak as if you're already in Turin," Zachary remarked. "Could that be the case?"

"Of course, I'm already in Turin," Emily answered. "I arrived here yesterday morning. That aside, can you manage to set off from Trondheim before 5:00 AM tomorrow?"

"Fine," Zachary confirmed. "I will wake up early and set off before five in the morning."

"That's perfect, then," Emily said. "I'll book a 4:30 AM flight for you. You only need to prepare and, at the latest, be at the airport by 4:00 AM."

"Don't worry," Zachary assured. "I'll be there on time."

"One more thing," Emily hurriedly said. "I'm going to e-mail you a copy of the final draft of the contract. Please read through it and note down all the terms that might be confusing or not to your liking. We can go through them tomorrow before we head to the Juventus grounds for the medical and the signing ceremony."

"Understood," Zachary replied. "I'll read through it before the end of today."

"Excellent," Emily cheered from the other end of the line. "I have to go now. Goodbye. See you in Turin tomorrow."

"See you in Turin tomorrow," Zachary replied and ended the call.

He placed the phone on the table and glanced at the wall absentmindedly. Then, his expression flickered a couple of times before blossoming into a smile.

He was both anxious and excited. Although he was yet to regain his peak fitness, he was still eagerly looking forward to commencing his life at his new club.

He hungered for the thrill of competing against other phenomenal talents playing for top teams partaking in the Serie A and the Champions League. He yearned to impress and leave his mark on the world football scene. And from the bottom of his heart, he desired to make his grandma in heaven proud of his future performances so that she would sing happily together with the angels whenever she saw him play.

Of course, he was a bit nervous since he had to learn a new language and compete against world-class teammates before settling down and cementing his place at Juventus. But that couldn't dampen his mood.

With his recently improved fitness, he was sure that he would shine as long as he dealt with the side effects of the vitality-enhancing elixir in a proper manner. He just had to bide his time and train intensively while getting through the tricky period of the pre-season. Then, his time would come when he regained his peak fitness. His time would come just when the Serie A was about to commence at the end of August. That was the source of his confidence.

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Chapter 425: On the Eve of the Journey to Turin

Zachary completed his routine morning yoga practice soon after ending his call with Emily. He took a shower and went about the task of packing his luggage as quickly as possible.

He was meticulous while loading and arranging all his vital necessities, including his clothes, shoes, and documents, into his suitcases. He didn't forget anything important as he wanted to move once and for all to Turin.

He didn't wish to continue journeying back and forth between Trondheim and Turin in order to move more of his stuff. That would waste a lot of time, which he could better utilize to train and elevate his ball skills back to the peak before the commencement of the Serie A.

As for his other bulky belongings like furniture, electrical gadgets, and kitchenware, he could not move them all the way to Italy. He had already resolved to either discard them or give them away. He would seek the help of Ryan Bellmore, Emily's short friend, who would distribute them to people or green shops that needed them. And, of course, when he arrived in Turin, he would buy new items.

Minutes quickly turned into hours as Zachary worked with haste to organize his luggage. He finished packing everything at around 2:30 PM and then arranged his four suitcases by the door. Then he took another shower before settling on his kitchen table to enjoy some home-delivered lunch.

After eating, he tossed the dirty dishes into the dishwasher before exiting his apartment and driving off to the NF Academy grounds. He was heading to the youth football training center to complete two tasks.

Firstly, he wanted to meet Coach Bjørn Peters. He planned to request him to move to Italy with him so that he could continue being his fitness trainer. Secondly, he wished to fulfill a promise by delivering the jersey he had worn during the Europa League final to a young man called Joshua Simonsen at the academy.

Traffic was light on the roads that Sunday afternoon, allowing Zachary to travel from his apartment to the academy in only twenty minutes. He parked his car in one of the parking spaces and headed to the fitness trainer's office.

On arriving and entering the cramped office, he found Coach Bjørn Peters seated behind his desk, working on who knows what. His muscular physique was hunched over his laptop as he typed away at an impressive speed.

"Zachary," the fitness coach exclaimed, glancing up after a few seconds. "You're finally here! I thought that we had agreed to meet at 2:00 PM. It's now coming to 3:30 PM. What happened?"

"Sorry, coach," Zachary said, smiling. "The packing of my bags was a harder task than I expected. Even though I worked with haste, I could only manage to finish cramming everything into my suitcases at around 2:30 PM."

"Oh!" Coach Bjørn Peters nodded. "So, everything is ready. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow, early in the morning," Zachary replied, settling down in one of the seats in front of the coach's desk. "I should be setting off before five in the morning."

"This is really happening," Coach Bjørn Peters said with a grin. "You're about to start playing for Juventus, one of the biggest clubs in Europe. How do you feel?"

"Honestly," Zachary replied, "I'm a bit anxious."

"You don't have to be," the fitness trainer assured. "Life at any club is the same. As long as you're talented and hardworking, you'll find it easy to fit into any team, including Juventus."

"Thanks for your encouragement, coach," Zachary said humbly. "Coach! I'm here to talk to you about something else."

The coach leaned back into his chair and said, "Go on. I'm listening."

Zachary nodded and asked, "Coach! How do you feel about living in Italy? How do you feel about moving to Turin?"

Coach Bjørn Peters raised a brow. "Is this an invitation? Are you inviting me to Italy to continue working as your fitness trainer?"

"Yes, it is an invitation," Zachary confirmed, nodding. "I sincerely wish to invite you to Italy so that you can continue working as my fitness trainer. We could even negotiate a new salary structure if you are to agree to my proposition."

Coach Bjørn Peters smiled. "Honestly, I wish to continue working as your fitness trainer," he said. "However, one tiny issue is holding me back from immediately accepting your invite."

Zachary's eyes narrowed slightly. "What is it?"

Coach Bjørn Peters sighed in response and fired back a question. "Zachary! Is there a possibility of you hiring a professional chef before moving to Turin?"

Zachary was stunned by the question. He didn't immediately respond as he tried to figure out why Coach Bjørn Peters had suddenly switched the topic.

"Well?" The fitness trainer pressed before Zachary could come up with an answer. "Do you wish to hire a professional chef to help you arrange your meals? Now that you're joining a top European club like Juventus, you'll have to maintain a strict diet. A professional chef would do wonders and help you achieve that."

"I think the idea is good," Zachary finally replied. "I would like to hire a professional chef or, better yet, a nutritionist to arrange my diet. That will be good for my training. But why are you asking me this? Do you have a candidate in mind?"

"Excellent guess," the fitness trainer intoned, a grin outlining his face. "My wife is both a professional chef and a certified dietitian. If you could employ her, she would do a good job organizing your diet. Trust me; she's good at what she does. She is currently working as the head chef at the Clarion Hotel."

Zachary chuckled. "You sound like an insurance salesman. But that aside, you want me to employ her so she can move with you to Italy?"

"That's my wish," the fitness trainer said, nodding.

"That's easy then," Zachary said, smiling. "If she's as good as you say, I'll surely hire her. I will tell Emily to contact you with details of the terms of her employment contract."

"Excellent! Thank you, Zachary," the fitness trainer gave a small cheer. "I'm very excited to continue working as your fitness trainer even after you move to Turin. Thanks for giving my wife and me this opportunity."

"You're welcome," Zachary said, a bit taken aback by the coach's enthusiasm. He had previously thought he would need to push a bit more to convince the fitness trainer to follow him to Turin. But surprisingly, the coach had jumped at the chance after he promised to hire the wife, who was surprisingly a skilled chef and certified dietitian.

Zachary couldn't stop smiling on the inside. He felt like he had hit the jackpot since he had only invited one professional but obtained two without the need to negotiate the terms defining their employment first. It was like the classic case of buy one but get two. What a good bargain that was.

"When do you want us in Turin?" Coach Bjørn Peters asked.

"As soon as possible," Zachary said. "As soon as Emily contacts you, you can begin negotiating the contract terms concerning your employment. Then, as soon as you come to an understanding with our party, you move to Turin without further delay. I really hope that you'll be available to help me regain my top match fitness before the start of the Serie A season."

"Then, I'll be eagerly waiting for Emily's call," the coach said. "Immediately after receiving our contracts from her, we'll work with haste to read through them and understand them. And if everything is to our liking, we'll sign them to seal our business relationship. I can then travel to Turin and start helping you regain peak match fitness.

"Excellent," Zachary intoned, standing up. "This marks the extension of our relationship as coach and player. Thanks for agreeing to my offer, coach." He extended his arm from across the table.

"You're welcome." Coach Bjørn Peters stood up and took his hand for a firm handshake. And that marked the start of a solid business relationship that would take them places in the future.

—–

After leaving Coach Bjørn Peters' office, Zachary linked up with Joshua Simonsen, the young fan he'd promised his jersey. They met in a concealed location near the academy's parking lot, where Zachary offered the young footballer the jersey he'd worn during the Europa League final.

"As promised," Zachary said, handing him the black jersey, "Here is the signed jersey. It's the exact one I put on during the Europa League final."

"Thanks a lot," Joshua Simonsen mumbled incoherently, his expression constantly flickering with various emotions. Then, before Zachary could respond, he yelled at the top of his lungs like a mad man, "Oh, my God. I have obtained Zachary's Europa-League-winning jersey. Who can match my awesomeness from now on?" His yelling was so loud, and it immediately attracted a crowd of academy players.

Those academy players soon swarmed around Zachary, asking him this and that with glittering eyes. And since he couldn't simply ignore them, he spent roughly an hour answering their endless questions before leaving the academy in his R8 GT.

Thirty minutes later, he met Camilla at a cafe in City Syd. The two of them had an early dinner together at a corner table as Zachary informed her about his intent to leave Trondheim and head to Turin the following morning.

Camilla, of course, was as understanding as ever. She wished him the best of luck in the new city of Turin and made him promise to call her often. Then, after the meal, she sent him off with a goodbye kiss before turning and walking away towards her car.

Zachary continued watching her all the time until she entered her car and waved him goodbye. He sighed as she drove off into the distance, his mind recalling all their intimate moments together. At that moment, he understood that he adored her greatly and really hoped their relationship could continue going strong even after he moved to Turin.

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Chapter 426: Language Barrier and Signing Ceremony

Monday, July 21, 2014.

As planned, Zachary arrived in Turin at around ten in the morning on that Monday. After settling down and placing his luggage in a hotel room, he got busy by first meeting Emily to discuss the details of the contract. Then, after the meeting, the two of them traveled together to the Juventus Training Center, colloquially known as "the Vinovo" by the Turin football community.

There, at the Vinovo, proceedings moved forward fast, and Zachary underwent a rigorous medical conducted by the highly skilled and experienced physicians of Juventus' physiotherapy center. Without any surprises popping up, he passed with flying colors, thus overcoming the final hurdle that could have barred his way from becoming a Juventus player.

"I will go meet the Juventus attorneys to sort out the final contract issues that we discussed," Emily said after they left the physiotherapy center. "We must polish the document before the signing ceremony at 3:00 PM. In the meantime, you can head to the canteen for lunch. Do you remember where it is? I showed it to you right after we entered the training center."

"I think I remember," Zachary replied, sounding totally not confident. Inwardly, he was ashamed as he had ignored most of Emily's introductory explanation about the facilities in the training facility due to his excitement. He had only managed to engrave the locations of the training turfs and the gyms into his mind while reflexively choosing to ignore everything else.

Emily raised a brow and tilted her head to glance up at him. "You think, or you know? Which one is it?"

Zachary smiled awkwardly in response.

Emily shook her head and exclaimed, "Footballers! How can they easily forget directions when they can make snap decisions and find their teammates at a moment's notice during intensive matches? Truly baffling!" She sighed before saying, "Come; follow me. I'll take you to the canteen before heading off to the meeting with the attorneys. I don't want you losing your way, especially since you don't speak Italian."

"Thanks," Zachary mumbled.

With Emily leading the way, they arrived at the entrance of the canteen within five minutes. Zachary said his goodbyes to her and immediately walked through the doorway.

On entering the spacious and fancy canteen, Zachary surprisingly ran into two familiar club officials, who were also about to have lunch. One was Fabio Paratici, the sporting director he had met in London. The other was his soon-to-be coach, Massimiliano Allegri, the man he'd seen several times on television during his previous life.

"Zachary!" Mr. Fabio Paratici was the first to call out to him in English. "It's great to see you again, my young friend. We're excited to have you here. Welcome to Juventus." He extended his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Paratici," Zachary replied, taking the hand for a firm handshake. "It's really a pleasure to arrive here in Turin. I'm looking forward to life at this club."

Mr. Paratici chuckled and turned to the recently appointed Juventus coach beside him. "Let me take the opportunity to introduce you to this gentleman here. He's Massimiliano Allegri, and hopefully, he'll be your coach for many years."

Zachary immediately inclined his head to observe the famous coach he had heard so much about during his previous life. The first impression that the coach gave to Zachary was that he was an easy-going and friendly person. There seemed to be a warm air swirling around him as he smiled and enthusiastically extended his hand to Zachary.

"Welcome to Juventus," the coach said, his speech sounding strained. He had struggled to pronounce the three words — a tell-tale sign that he had little or almost no English language knowledge. But that didn't dampen his presence as he waited for Zachary to take his hand. He was obviously a confident man who couldn't allow a few shortcomings to affect his bearing.

"Thank you, Coach Allegri," Zachary replied in English, taking the gentleman's hand. "It's a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to working with you."

Zachary then stepped back and waited for Mr. Paratici to translate his English words for the benefit of the Italian coach. In the meantime, his mind quickly formed an impression of Massimiliano Allegri – the famous coach from his previous life who replaced Antonio Conte and guided Juventus to win many Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana titles.

Although it was their first meeting, Zachary felt that Massimiliano Allegri was a coach he could work with to elevate his career to incredible heights. Allegri seemed like an empathetic and spirited man on the first impression. He even repeatedly tried to strike up a friendly conversation with Zachary after their group of three settled at one of the tables to enjoy their meals.

But alas, Zachary couldn't understand whatever he was saying since he was totally ignorant as far as the Italian language was concerned. And, of course, Fabio Paratici couldn't keep functioning as his translator as he soon got busy on the phone, doing whatever sporting directors usually did. As a result, the two men who couldn't understand each other could only halt their sorry efforts to hold a meaningful conversation. They continued enjoying their meals quietly while waiting for Mr. Paratici to end his phone call.

In the meantime, Zachary started making some resolutions within his mind as he enjoyed his last lunch before signing the contract to seal his move to Juventus. After settling in Turin, he vowed to spare time and join a language school that could allow him to learn Italian as soon as possible. Secondly, Zachary resolved to purchase a good house with spacious floor space immediately after receiving the first 15 million Euros of his signing bonus money. He wanted a place of his own as he didn't wish to continue residing in a hotel room.

"You guys are very quiet," Mr. Paratici remarked, interrupting Zachary's thought process. He had just completed his phone conversation. "It seems the language barrier issue is hindering you from communicating."

"That's the case," Zachary confirmed.

"You should learn Italian as soon as possible," Mr. Paratici advised. "Otherwise, you'll find it a challenging task to settle down and live comfortably here. You won't even be able to communicate to most of your teammates and even your coach."

"I know," Zachary said. "I'll join the language school as soon as possible."

Mr. Paratici nodded and switched the topic. "So, I looked at the results of your medical. They are quite impressive. It seems you are ready to head out with the rest of the team on the tour of Asia and Australia."

"I'm not yet at a hundred percent match-fitness condition, especially since I've been out of action for two months," Zachary confessed. "But I'll work extra hard over the next few days to prepare for the tour."

"Good," Mr. Paratici said, nodding. "Playing the pre-season matches will help you regain your peak fitness faster. You should look forward to the tour."

"I understand. I'll be ready for the tour," Zachary said and returned his focus to his food.

A period of silence soon descended at the table as the three men concentrated on wolfing down their Italian dishes. They completed their meal in minutes and exchanged pleasantries before parting and going their own ways.

—–

By 3:00 PM on that sunny Monday afternoon in Turin, Zachary was already in one of the conference rooms of the Juventus headquarters in Corso Galileo Ferraris, ready to sign the contract to join the Italian club. He was all smiles as he settled in the seat of honor positioned in-between the spots occupied by Fabio Paratici and Massimiliano Allegri, his soon-to-be bosses.

Behind Zachary's seat stood Emily, his agent acting as his interpreter for the signing ceremony. She had donned an ocean blue lady's suit that emphasized her lithe figure and brought out the color of her eyes. She looked all professional with her hair tied in a ponytail at the top of her head.

Zachary felt more confident with her by his side. As always, Emily was the ever-caring agent and had volunteered to take up the interpreter role since she was fluent in Italian, French, and English. That allowed Zachary to calm down as Emily could always chip in to inform him about the crucial points of all the discussions around him during the signing ceremony. Moreover, by staying close to Zachary, she could also watch out for any pitfalls that the attorneys of Juventus could add to the contract during the last minutes before the signing ceremony.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," the lady, acting as the master of ceremonies, said to break the low murmuring around the conference room. "For Zachary Bemba's benefit, we will hold this ceremony in mostly English. But you can rely on your translation software to continue following the proceedings. Now to the main event. It's a good day for Juventus as we welcome Zachary Bemba, the 19-year-old football phenomenon, to this glorious club of Turin…"

"Clap! Clap! Clap…"

No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than a round of applause resounded around the conference room. The club officials in attendance clapped their hands for about a minute to welcome Zachary to the club without caring about procedures or etiquette. Some even whistled and yelled at the top of their voices, clearly forgetting the fact they were in a meeting chaired by their bosses.

Zachary was quite stunned by their enthusiasm as he watched on from the seat of honor. But he maintained his composure and continued smiling while waiting for the master of ceremonies to resume her speech.

"Well, it seems everyone here is excited and eagerly waiting to see Zachary Bemba in the Juventus colors," the lady master of ceremonies smiled and continued after the clapping had died down. "So, without further ado, let the contract signing begin."

With that said, the club attorneys brought the contract documents forward. They placed a copy each before Zachary, Massimiliano Allegri, and Fabio Paratici and motioned for them to go ahead and sign the papers.

Of course, the signing was without issues. Zachary put pen on paper on each page to confirm his move to Juventus. Then, he shook hands with Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, and Massimiliano Allegri, his new coach, to monumentalize the deal. Meanwhile, the cameras clicked and flashed to record the memorable moment in football history when Zachary joined Juventus.

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Chapter 427: The Excitement of the Juventus Fans

Paolo Favero was a staunch fan of Juventus from the inside out. He had supported the Turin-based club since childhood when players like Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero were in their prime. He had also witnessed the fall of Juventus in 2006 due to the Calciopoli Scandal.

During the investigations, the Juventus managing director at the time was found guilty of having an exclusive relationship with referee designations, which allowed the director to exert his influence while handpicking referees for the matches. The Juventus club director also faced accusations of wielding his power over players and other clubs. And that was what specifically sealed the club's relegation to the lower Serie B division in 2006.

At that time, Paolo's mood had been at the lowest it had ever been due to the fall of Juventus. The sorrow had been too much for him, and he had been about to retire from supporting football. But luckily for him, the club had turned over a new leaf and quickly made many crucial reshuffles before he could follow through with the decision.

Those reshuffles worked wonders in a short time, and the club managed to rise from the ashes in a short period. Juventus returned to the top Serie A league after a single season before claiming the 3rd spot and qualifying for the Champions League. Things worked out well starting from then, and Juventus began dominating Italian football again for the next couple of seasons.

But all that couldn't excite Paolo. His belief in his club was not as firm as before, as he feared the scandal would happen again. But in 2010, Juventus put his heart at ease again by appointing the revolutionary Andrea Agnelli as the chairman and his far-sighted right-hand man, Fabio Paratici, as the sporting director.

The two men worked their magic in a short period. They hired the tactical and passionate coach, Antonio Conte, and also brought in a fresh stock of talented players, like Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba — who helped the club to reclaim its position at the top of the Scudetto. But that was not the end of the pleasant surprises they could bring to the passionate Juventus fans.

On that Monday in July 2014, they had again executed their magic and finalized the signing of Zachary Bemba, the phenomenal 19-year-old playmaker who had destroyed Juventus the previous season. They had announced the news on the Juventus website, causing staunch Juventus fanatics like Paolo Favero to experience waves of unforgettable bliss. It was as if they had experienced the most enjoyable wet dream.

"Oh, my God, Jesus on a wooden bicycle!" Paolo Favero exclaimed as he saw the headline about Zachary Bemba. "At long last, the club has finalized this move. What a pleasant surprise!"

As a staunch fan of the Old Lady, Paolo Favero couldn't keep a lead on the excitement bubbling in his heart while reading through the article on his computer. He leaned back in his comfy chair and pinched his arm to confirm that he wasn't dreaming. Then, he focused back on his laptop's screen and re-read the piece again to ascertain that it was indeed the truth.

"What has got you grinning from ear to ear, dear?" His wife, who had settled on a nearby sofa to watch a soap opera, asked suddenly. "Look at yourself. Your smile resembles that of a dead cow! You're even almost jumping up from that chair! Did you win the lottery?"

After hearing the question, Paolo's grin widened even further, and he couldn't help but let out a hearty chuckle the next second. He laughed so hard that his shoulders quivered and trembled. His eyes misted as his mood shot through his apartment's roof and soared into the night skies of Turin.

"Well, dear!" his wife pressed again, her eyes filled with worry. "What's up? Why are you so happy today?"

Paolo exerted all his willpower to calm himself down before turning to face his beautiful wife. He breathed in deeply before saying, "He has finally arrived."

Paolo's wife's eyes blanked out for a moment in confusion. "He has arrived!" She mumbled, glancing at her husband with a strange expression. "Who has arrived? The Messiah? Jesus or his mother?"

"Eh!" It was Paolo's turn to blank out for the moment. Then, his expression also turned strange, and he asked, "Dear! Why is it that you're always thinking about religion and so on? Don't you ever think about anything else?"

"Well, I thought that only the return of the Messiah could make you that excited," the wife remarked. "But it seems I'm wrong. So, tell me what has made you that excited. Stop being mysterious."

Paolo grinned again and locked eyes with his wife. "The man himself has arrived in Turin today. He has already gone through the medical and signed the contract. The club will unveil him tomorrow at the Juventus stadium. Oh, my god! Don't wake me up if I'm dreaming." He spoke at the pace of a machine gun. He could even give the speedy rapper – Busta Rhymes a run for his money with his fast flow in the Italian language.

"Oh, so this is about football!" His wife sighed, clearly losing interest. "Dear! You should focus less on football and concentrate on…"

Paolo's wife stopped mid-sentence as her two teenage twin sons came rushing into the living room. They seemed out of breath as they raced past the sofas toward their dad. "Boys!" She yelled. "What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the study working on your holiday assignments?"

"Ah, mom!" One of the twins said, pausing in his step and smiling awkwardly. "We'll finish the assignments later. Let's first confirm something with dad." Without waiting for their mom to respond, they rushed forward and surrounded their sorry example of a father.

"Dad!" One of the twins shouted, his eyes glittering. "Has he really arrived? Has he really signed the contract?"

Their father nodded, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "He completed the medical today morning and signed the contract in the afternoon. As we speak, he's officially already a Juventus player. He will play for us next season."

"Oh, my God! He's finally here." The twin boys gave a small cheer as their expressions turned into mirror images of that outlining their father's face.

Paolo's wife creased a brow and suddenly chipped in, "Congratulations to you all. You've piqued my curiosity. Who are you guys talking about?"

"Who else?" The twins fired back in unison, sounding impatient. "Of course, it's the one and only Zachary Bemba. He's the ball wizard Juventus has been chasing for the past three months."

"Damn!" Their mother exclaimed. "How are you two so in sync when replying? You guys must have practiced that a couple of times."

The boys shrugged in response and ignored their mother. They once again returned their focus to their dad. "What's his shirt number?" One of the twins hurriedly asked.

"Well," the dad said, "They haven't announced the shirt number yet. The club officials said they would reveal it during the unveiling ceremony at the Juventus stadium tomorrow."

"The unveiling ceremony is tomorrow?" Another twin asked, his eyes flickering with anticipation.

"Yes, it is."

"Can we go?" The twins asked in unison that time around. "Please, can we go?"

"That's a big NO," their mother was the first to reply. "You're not going anywhere before completing your holiday assignments."

"Dad!" The boys ignored their mother and glanced at their father with puppy eyes.

Paolo Favero sighed and glanced at his wife. "Dear!" He said, his tone meek. "Tomorrow is a big occasion for the football team they support. Let's allow them to go and watch Zachary Bemba's unveiling ceremony. It'll be over in only a couple of hours, and they can return and focus on their holiday assignments with renewed intensity. Isn't that right, boys?" He turned toward his sons with a fierce glare.

"Yes, yes," the two boys replied, nodding like hens pecking grain. "We promise to focus only on our holiday assignments when we return from the unveiling ceremony."

"Paolo!" The wife sighed, shaking her head. "You're spoiling them again."

"Dear," Paolo said in a pleading tone. "All young boys in Turin love football and support Juventus. If our two boys miss the unveiling ceremony tomorrow, they will be like outsiders when they return to school. They won't be able to talk to their friends about the biggest event of Juventus' transfer window…"

Paolo continued spewing out meaningless rubbish to convince his wife. And after a couple of minutes, his wife relented and allowed the boys to attend the unveiling ceremony the following day. But that was after making them promise to spend the entire week focusing on their holiday assignments.

"Ole, ole, ole, ole…" The boys began cheering excitedly after hearing their mother's verdict. There was even a swagger in their steps as they rushed back to their bedroom.

—–

Unbeknownst to the Favero family, similar scenes were happening in homesteads all over Turin that evening. Kids begged their mothers to allow them to attend Zachary's unveiling ceremony, while fathers called their bosses and gave excuses of sickness since they didn't want to miss the event. Even wives and working young ladies threw caution to the wind and decided to attend the unveiling ceremony. That was the magnitude of the excitement caused by Juventus' sudden announcement of Zachary's official arrival in Turin.

Chapter 428: Shirt Number Argument

Zachary was busy again the following day. Early in the morning, after going through his mandatory yoga routine, he headed to the Juventus Stadium to tour its facilities for the first time as a Juventus player. Under the lead of his guide, who was also his interpreter, he trekked through the magnificent pitch side, the glittering changing rooms, the press room, and many more facilities.

Then lastly, he entered the museum and experienced Juventus' glorious history with his very own eyes. He felt slightly overwhelmed after witnessing the collection of memorabilia, photos of the Juventus legends, institutional documents, football equipment used by historical club players, and the trophies accumulated by Juventus over the years.

And when his gaze finally landed on the large portrait of Zinedine Zidane, standing upright in all its majesty, he couldn't help but pause in his step for a few seconds. He gazed at the life-like image with pure admiration while recalling some of the notable performances of the Frenchman.

The man was the most graceful footballer Zachary had ever witnessed. Fans could get lost in Zinedine's elegance while watching him handle the ball like a magician, and they could only sigh in wonderment as they observed him executing killer passes like the best of Maestros. Due to all those factors, Zachary had adored Zinedine greatly as a child. The Frenchman's performances were thus a crucial factor that pushed Zachary to fall so very in love with football.

"Are you a fan of Zinedine Zidane?" Angelo Mattiello, his freshly-hired guide and interpreter, asked from beside him after noticing his gaze. He was a man of short stature, with a mean face, dreadlocks, and a prominent beard that gave him a thuggish look. But contrary to his fierce bearing, he was quite the warm person when you spent time with him. And that was why both Emily and the Juventus officials had urged Zachary to hire him the previous evening. To assure Zachary of his professionalism, the man had even signed a contract, which included a confidentiality clause with severe consequences if broken.

Zachary smiled on hearing the question from his interpreter. "Of course, I'm a big fan of Zinedine Zidane," he said. "The Frenchman was like an artist on the pitch. So, I don't think there are souls within the football community today that are not his fans, at least to some extent."

"True," Angelo Mattiello said, also nodding. "He was a true talent in the history of football. But do you know you possess a flair similar to his when you're on the pitch? Your style of handling and passing the ball and that Marseille turn of yours—" The man sighed. "All those skills of yours are as elegant and brutal as when Zidane performed during his prime."

"Is that so?" Zachary asked, smiling mysteriously. "If they are, I'm flattered."

Of course, Zachary understood that he possessed some of Zidane's flair on the pitch. That was because he had mastered three of the legendary Frenchman's skills. Zachary would replicate the Frenchman's style to a certain extent by utilizing moves like the Zinedine Touch Magic or the Marseille turn. But naturally, he would never admit that.

Angelo Mattiello suddenly glanced at his watch and said, "It's already coming to 9:00 AM. We should head to the meeting room. Otherwise, we'll be late for your meeting with your bosses."

"Okay," Zachary naturally agreed. "Lead the way."

With that said, Zachary followed after his guide as they exited the museum. They quickly walked through the spotless clean hallways of the stadium before arriving at the slightly ajar door of the meeting room. Without knocking, they entered and found Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, Massimiliano Allegri, the head coach, and Antonella Busso, a secretary, waiting for them. And without wasting time, their parties exchanged greetings and then eased into the theme of the meeting.

"So, Zachary," Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, said after leaning back into his seat. "This is our first official meeting after you became a Juventus player. How do you feel?"

Zachary smiled. "As I said yesterday, I'm excited and looking forward to life at this great club. I wish to succeed at this club. So, I'll always give my best whenever I'm on the pitch."

"Excellent," Fabio said, his stern countenance easing into a grin. "It seems like our intents are aligned. Actually, we were discussing the matter of your shirt number before you arrived. And we all feel that our historical number 10 could suit you the most. What do you think?"

Zachary raised a brow, glancing back and forth at the two men and the one woman seated on the other side of the table. "Isn't that Carlos Tévez's number? Why are you offering it to me?"

Fabio exchanged a meaningful glance with Coach Allegri before answering, "Obviously, it's mostly for publicity purposes. But we have also been searching for a player who can reignite the true glory of the number 10 shirt. We have been looking for a player who could become a phenomenal legend like previous bearers such as Alessandro Del Piero, Michel Platini, and Roberto Baggio. And now, we feel like we have finally found that player. That player is you."

"Oh," Zachary said, feeling a wave of complicated emotions wash over him. "I'm flattered by your offer to have me wear the number 10 shirt with such a glorious history. But, I have to refuse. I will choose another number that doesn't belong to any of the players active on the team."

Zachary's tone left no room for negotiation since he was totally against the proposal made by his new bosses. While playing for TP Mazembe during his previous life, a talented new signing had come into the team and taken over his favorite number 6 since he'd been underperforming. He obviously didn't complain since he couldn't go against his bosses at the time. But that didn't mean that he wasn't hurt on the inside. After the incident, Zachary lost his confidence and even put up worse performances for TP Mazembe the following season.

That was the happening that had made him understand that the act of robbing a shirt from an active player was disrespectful and demeaning. Thus, he would never do it to someone, especially if that someone was about to become his teammate.

"Do you have anything against the number 10 shirt?" Fabio asked, creasing his brows. "What's your reason for refusing it in such a manner?"

"There is really no deep meaning behind refusing the shirt number," Zachary replied. "It's just that I don't want to start my tenure at Juventus on a bad note with some of my teammates."

"I see," Fabio said, smiling and nodding. He then faced Coach Massimiliano Allegri, and they started exchanging rapid Italian sentences that Zachary couldn't understand. They talked for about a minute, seemingly arguing about something.

Zachary couldn't take it anymore. He whispered to his interpreter, "What are they talking about?"

Angelo, the interpreter, leaned towards Zachary and whispered back, "Coach Allegri is insisting that you're right. He says they shouldn't force the number 10 on you, especially since it already has an owner. On the other hand, Fabio claims to be helpless. He mentioned something about the club chairman and many of their staunch fans insisting on handing the number 10 shirt to you. That almost summarizes their entire argument."

Zachary's heart skipped a beat on hearing the interpreter's translation. He creased his brows, fearing that the worst could occur. Probably, the club management would force the number 10 shirt on him, and then he would offend Carlos Tévez and a few of his close friends even before he started training with his new teammates.

"Damn! What a bad way to start off in a new club," Zachary mused, exhaling and leaning back in his chair. He already regretted not telling Emily to include a clause about his shirt number in his contract with Juventus.

"Zachary!" Suddenly, Fabio Paratici's voice resounded around the room again. "We have really considered all angles concerning the matter of your shirt number. But we still wish you can accept the number 10 for the club's good. Even our fans want to see you in the number 10 shirt next season. So, you can see how our hands are tied."

"You're forgetting one point," Zachary said, leaning forward. "How does Carlos Tévez feel about the entire situation? Do you think he is okay with a nineteen-year-old newbie coming into the club and taking over his number? If you were in his place, how would you feel?"

Fabio sighed and shook his head. "My young friend," he said, "You should be aware that football is ruthless and with no guarantees as a sport. Someone will always have to give way when a more talented player comes along and joins the team. That's the competitive nature of football. It's always the same for shirt numbers or when fighting for spots on the starting line-up."

"Let me ask you this, Zachary," the sporting director continued. "With your talent, you'll eventually join the starting line-up sooner rather than later. Will you reject the spot on the first team simply because you feel pity for a teammate? Will you tell Coach Allegri not to include you in the match squad simply because you don't want to offend your teammate?"

"That's different," Zachary argued. "We're not talking about a player who has lost his form. We're talking about Carlos Tévez, the man who was your top scorer last season. He was likely your best player."

"I'm sorry," Fabio said, shaking his head. "We don't see it that way, and the fans don't see it that way. Why would we drop out of the Champions League during the group stages if we had good players in all positions? Then, in the Europa League, why did we lose to your Rosenborg, a team clearly much weaker than us?"

Zachary could only remain silent as he had no answer for that. He just sighed helplessly and leaned back in his seat.

"Zachary," Fabio continued. "I'm aware of your considerations. They are truly commendable. But you must understand that we are trying to build something incredible here. We want to put together a team that can compete with teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern. That's why we are doing a major rebuilding, starting with you wearing the historical number 10 shirt."

"Okay, I understand. It seems that I must agree to the number 10 shirt." Zachary said with another sigh. Since his bosses had already decided, it was unwise to keep arguing with them. He would have to swallow his frustration and wear the shirt. And hopefully, Carlos Tévez would be a dear and not mind him taking over his shirt number.

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Chapter 429: Initiation and Unveiling I

"Don't look so down," Fabio consoled after witnessing Zachary's reaction. "When you settle into the team, you'll realize how fortunate you're to wear the number 10 shirt. You'll learn that most of your teammates would kill to have that number."

"I understand," Zachary said, nodding. He didn't want to waste more time arguing with his bosses about the shirt number issue.

"It's good that you understand," Fabio said, standing up. "Now that I've settled the matter of your shirt number, it's time for me to go and have it printed. We must have it ready for the unveiling ceremony in the afternoon."

"Oh!" Zachary said, totally not believing the sporting director's words. He suspected that the club's top dogs had decided on his shirt number and printed it out long before he arrived in Turin. As for the meeting to inquire about his opinion that morning, they could have just held it out of formality.

While not knowing what was on Zachary's mind, Fabio smiled and continued speaking. "Zachary! Once again, I welcome you to Juventus. I have a good feeling about you. You have a unique halo of success surrounding your entire persona, and you're most likely to excel and achieve great things at Juventus. Of course, that's if you remain focused." He extended his hand from across the table.

"Thank you, director, for your high praise and encouragement," Zachary replied, taking Fabio's hand for a firm handshake. "I'll work hard to live up to your expectations. That, I promise you."

"Good," Fabio said with a smile. "It's about time for me to go. Since your interpreter is present, you can utilize the time before the unveiling ceremony to chat with your coach. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."

Without waiting for Zachary to respond, Fabio turned toward Coach Allegri and talked to him in Italian for a few more seconds. Then, he waved Zachary goodbye before walking away and disappearing through the meeting room doorway.

"Dannazione!" Coach Allegri intoned after his colleague had stepped out of the room. "Tutta la nostra conversazione è stata stressante…"

The coach continued spitting out more Italian words that Zachary couldn't understand. And, of course, Zachary soon had to turn to Angelo Mattiello, his interpreter, for help. "What did he just say?" He asked after the coach had paused in his speech.

"He's talking about how the discussion with the sporting director was a bit stressful," Angelo translated. "He sincerely pleads with you not to take offense simply because the club has forced the number 10 shirt on you. And he also hopes you can work well together during the upcoming few seasons."

"Oh, I see," Zachary said, smiling and locking eyes with his new coach. "Coach Allegri! The shirt number issue is only a small matter. It wouldn't affect my attitude and dedication toward the club. I was only against the idea because I didn't want to offend a teammate who currently owns the shirt."

After saying all that, Zachary again turned to his interpreter for help. Angelo smiled and nodded at him before starting to translate his words to Italian for the coach's benefit. And in such a weird manner, the first meaningful conversation between Zachary and his new coach transpired.

The two men discussed many issues, including Zachary's objectives at the club, his favorite players in football history, the results of his medical, his match fitness issues, and whether he would be ready for the pre-season tour. And finally, the coach asked Zachary about the position he wanted to play on the Juventus team.

Zachary naturally replied that he wished to play in the central midfield as he had done during his tenure at Rosenborg. He explained to the coach that he was always more creative and at the top of his game when he was in the middle of the pitch, executing passes or breaking forward to catch the opponents off guard. And he repeatedly emphasized his passing abilities and high spatial awareness to ensure that the coach understood that only in the midfield would his skills bloom in great splendor.

After hearing his lengthy response, Coach Allegri nodded to indicate that he had gotten the message. Then, he warned Zachary through the interpreter to be ready for a fierce battle for spots on the starting line-up due to Juventus' incredible line-up of midfielders, which included the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, and Arturo Vidal. Finally, he urged Zachary to continue working hard and utilize every chance he got to impress the coaching staff if he wanted to cement his place on the Juventus team.

Zachary nodded and took his advice to heart. As for the matter of the intensive competition for spots on the starting line-up, he wasn't worried. With his recently enhanced attributes and skills, he believed he would dazzle everyone when he finally stepped on the pitch during an official match. But first, Zachary had to deal with the side effects of the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir before thinking about achieving all that. Otherwise, he might become a joke if he committed the weirdest of amateur mistakes during the heat of the game.

"The coach is saying that you two have already discussed all the crucial issues concerning your arrival at Juventus," Angelo translated more of the coach's words. "So, he suggests that you end your conversation at this point. But he has also cautioned that he wants to see you start attending training within eight days. That way, you will have a bit of preparation before the pre-season tour."

"You can tell the coach I've gotten his message," Zachary responded with a smile. "I'll try to complete all immigration procedures and settle down in Turin as quickly as possible. Then, I can start attending Juventus' official training sessions."

Angelo nodded and immediately translated the words to Coach Allegri. The latter also nodded and exchanged a few more words with Zachary through the interpreter before ending their first meeting as coach and player.

—–

"I really have to learn Italian as soon as possible," Zachary made the resolution within his heart for the umpteenth time after arriving in Turin. The language barrier problem was too aggravating for him. Without the help of an interpreter, he couldn't even have a meaningful conversation with his coach or go shopping on his own. That was a shame and an inconvenience as far as he was concerned.

"Angelo!" Zachary suddenly called out to his interpreter as they walked out of the meeting room. "Can you recommend any language schools to me?"

Angelo thought for a few seconds before replying, "I would recommend a school called L'Italiano Porticando. The school has several language programs, including private lessons for those who want to learn Italian at their convenience. As a professional footballer, it could be the best option for you."

"Are they still enrolling students?" Zachary queried again.

"They enroll students all year round," Angelo replied. "So, you can apply and register at any time."

"Then, I'll just enroll tomorrow," Zachary said. "I'll be relying on you to guide me there."

"Of course," Angelo said. "Feel free to call me when you're ready to register."

"Excellent," Zachary said, smiling. "Let's grab something to eat before I start preparing for the unveiling ceremony."

"Okay."

By 2:00 PM that afternoon, the Juventus stadium was almost fully-occupied. The staunch fans dressed in Juventus' black and white colors had occupied most of the seats in the stands. Some were already cheering and dancing as if awaiting the start of an official game. They were obviously excited as they waited for Zachary's unveiling ceremony with bated breaths.

"Dad!" One of Paolo Favero's sons called out in a raised voice to make himself heard over the din within the stadium. "Why is Zachary not coming out of the tunnel? Didn't they announce that he would appear before us at 2:00 PM?"

"Marco! Please relax," Paolo answered, patting his son's head. "He should be stepping onto the pitch soon. Let's continue waiting."

"Has the club announced Zachary's shirt number yet?" His other son hurriedly asked.

"Not yet," Paolo answered. "This time around, the club is doing things in a mysterious manner. No club official has stepped forward to make any announcement concerning Zachary's shirt number. It's as if they are hiding the entire thing from us."

"But what do you think his shirt number will be?" His son asked again. "Could it be the famous number 10?"

"I don't think so," Paolo was quick to reply. "The number 10 shirt belongs to Carlos Tévez, our leading goal-scorer last season. The club would surely not take the shirt away from him unless they're planning on selling him. But I don't see that happening soon. So, Zachary is most likely to choose another number."

"Makes sense," his son agreed. "I also don't think the club will sell Carlos Tévez. His aggressiveness and speed will allow him to link up well with Zachary when we're attacking…"

Just then, while the Faveros were still discussing the matter of Zachary's shirt number, the cheers around the stadium hit a thunderous crescendo. In a flash, Paolo turned his gaze towards the tunnel portal and noticed that Zachary had just stepped onto the pitch.

The young playmaker looked majestic in Juventus' black and white striped jersey as he waved at the fans. His aura was overbearing but contained, his walking gait kingly but also pleasing to the eye, and his smile warm but with a sternness about it. It was as if he was making a tour of his backyard as he made rounds around the pitch to greet the fans.

"This is the aura of an emperor entering his territory for the first time," Paolo mumbled, his eyes misting slightly. He was ecstatic after witnessing Zachary's majesty within Juventus' colors. He had a feeling that for the first time after Zinedine's time, he might get to experience the glory of a phenomenal ball wizard that could compete with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo playing for his club.

"Dad! Dad!" One of his sons shouted, interrupting his train of thought. "What did I say? Zachary is in the number 10 shirt. They gave him the number 10 shirt."

"Oh! They gave him the number 10 shirt!" Paolo exclaimed after finally noticing Zachary's shirt number. "Does that mean that they're about to sell Tévez? What is the club thinking?"

"Who knows, and who cares?" His other son said in a dismissive tone. "The only thing that matters is that we have Zachary on the team. For now, let's enjoy the unveiling ceremony. Zachary is about to start showcasing his skills."

"True," Paolo agreed. "What matters is that Zachary is already a Juventus player. Let's enjoy the unveiling ceremony indeed."

Chapter 430: Initiation and Unveiling II

Zachary was surprised by the turn up for his unveiling ceremony that afternoon. While walking around the pitch, he could easily judge that more than 40,000 fans were in the Juventus stadium to welcome him. Most were even yelling his name in chorus while waving excitedly at him. As far as he was concerned, they had given him the warmest welcome a club could show to a new player. He couldn't contain the feelings of joy and pride bubbling within him.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer yelled after Zachary had finished making his rounds around the pitch. "Let's put our hands together for Zachary Bemba, the new number 10, the future phenomenon for the most glorious club in Italy. Zachary Bemba! We welcome you to Juventus."

Without losing composure, Zachary smiled and stepped onto the stage positioned in the middle of the pitch. After taking a few steps, he stood before the familiar Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, who shook his hands enthusiastically and hugged him.

After a few seconds, the sporting director stepped back and grinned. "As I said, everyone at Juventus, including the fans, the top management, and the coaching staff, can't wait to see you playing for the club. Do you believe me now?"

Zachary nodded and smiled. "It's really an honor to have these many fans welcome me to the club. Thanks for organizing everything."

"You're welcome," Fabio said with a grin. "Come; I'll introduce you to the club chairman."

Without waiting for Zachary to respond, the sporting director led him by the hand toward another gentleman with a bushy beard and slightly overgrown eyebrows. "Andrea!" He said, his voice exuding a sense of pride. "This is Zachary in the flesh. He is finally here at the club."

The other gentlemen chuckled and extended his hand to Zachary, "Nice to finally meet you, Zachary Bemba," he said in English. "Thank you for choosing to join the most glorious club in Italy. On behalf of all the fans, the management, and club officials, I welcome you to Juventus."

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman," Zachary said, taking Andrea's hand. "I'm also happy to be here at the club. Thank you for signing me."

Andrea chuckled and released his hand. "Let's not make the fans wait any longer," he said. "We can discuss more after the ceremony. But for now, I'll first give a speech welcoming you to the club. Then, you can also follow my lead and say a few words to the fans. You can speak English and Fabio will be your interpreter. By the way, did you prepare a short speech for today?"

"Nope," Zachary replied honestly. "But don't worry. I can easily compose the speech within my head."

"Good," Andrea said. "Since you're ready, let's move on with the program."

With that said, the president stepped before the microphones positioned at the center of the podium and started speaking rapidly in Italian. His speech clearly excited the fans, and they kept on yelling after every sentence of his. And finally, he gave a few concluding remarks before welcoming Zachary to take center stage.

Zachary nodded and walked forward towards the microphones. Every step he took across the stage elicited a wave of thunderous cheers from the fans. But all that didn't affect his composure, and he finally stood before the microphones.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He said, glancing around and towards the sea of fans in the stands. "Dear fans of Juventus! It's an honor to be here. Thanks a lot for taking the time to come and welcome me to this great club. And thank you for giving me the warmest of welcomes to Turin."

He paused and waited for Fabio to translate his words into Italian. The latter wasted no time completing the task, thus eliciting another wave of cheers from the fans in attendance.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Zachary continued after getting the signal to resume from Fabio. "Please bear with me for not speaking Italian. I'll do my best to learn the language in a few months."

Fabio translated that, causing many fans to whistle and burst into laughter. They seemed to be quite the understanding crowd and didn't mind Zachary's lack of knowledge of the Italian language. The only issue they probably cared about was what Zachary could do for their club on the pitch.

"I only wish to say a few words to all of you that have come to welcome me to Juventus," Zachary continued while Fabio translated. "It's really a great honor to be at this great club. It's a dream come true for me to be at such a club with glorious history. As such, I promise that I'll do my best and work hard to make all of you proud when I finally step on the pitch. I'll try my utmost to meet all your expectations as a Juventus player. I thank you all again for coming. JUVENTUS, OYE!" He pumped his fist and ended his short speech with a small cheer.

That got the fans going, and they responded to Zachary's cheer with zest. Then, a bit later, when he began showcasing his skills by juggling the ball on the podium, their voices rose up several notches and shook the entire stadium. They sang the famous chants of Juventus in Italian while occasionally mixing in his name for the next few minutes. They only stopped cheering when the unveiling ceremony ended with Zachary's return to the dressing room.

—–

Later that day, at five in the evening, Zachary attended his first press conference as a Juventus player. He spent an hour answering questions from many famous journalists working for popular media houses like ESPN, BBC, Sky Sports, and many others. And to respond to their queries, he talked about his aspirations at Juventus and why he chose to join Juventus, among other things.

Of course, Zachary couldn't say that he'd chosen Juventus because of the money the club offered him. That was publicity suicide. Instead, he repeatedly emphasized how Juventus was a great football club at the top of Europe and how he desired to succeed there.

Zachary honeyed his words and often mentioned how he wished to contribute to Juventus' glory by helping them win more trophies throughout the press session. His responses were very engaging to the extent that Fabio even mentioned that he could make a good politician after they exited the press room.

"So, Zachary," Fabio said as they made their way through the stadium's spotless hallways. "The press conference has marked the end of your official unveiling and initiation as a Juventus player. What remains is for you to settle down in Turin and start training with the team."

"I know," Zachary said, nodding. "I'll try to settle down as soon as possible."

"Excellent," Fabio said. "So, when do you think you can attend your first training? Before you reply, I hope you consider that you need to meet your teammates as soon as possible. You can't wait to get acquainted with them just before a game."

Zachary thought a bit and said, "If that's the case, then I won't try to look for a house before the pre-season tour. I'll instead settle down in a hotel near the training center. Then, I can work on my fitness for a few days before starting to train with the team on Monday, the 28th."

Fabio grinned and paused in his steps. "That's six days from now. Excellent choice. If you don't mind, we can arrange a hotel for you as a club. It would be very comfy and at no cost. What do you think?"

"Of course, I don't mind," Zachary hurriedly replied. "I would greatly appreciate it if the club organizes a secure hotel room for me. That would save me a lot of trouble."

"Then, let's do this," Fabio said, "I'll instruct my secretary to book for you an executive room at the J Hotel. Since the hotel belongs to the club, you can stay there until you find your own house in Turin. But I must warn you not to get too comfortable and stay there for a long time. One to six months is okay. But beyond that, the hotel management will start billing your stay at the hotel."

Zachary chuckled. "And why would I wish to stay for all that time in a hotel? I'll get myself a house after we return from the pre-season tour."

"Then, excellent," Fabio said. "We must part ways now, as I'm heading for another meeting. We'll meet again when you turn up for training on Monday. I'm looking forward to that."

"Don't worry," Zachary assured. "I'll be there."

—–

The next six days were like a roller coaster ride for Zachary, especially since he was busy. After settling down in a comfy executive room of the J Hotel, he spent most of his time training in the gym or on the turfs to deal with the side effects of the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir.

Under the guidance of Coach Bjørn Peters, the fitness coach who had surprisingly already arrived in Turin, Zachary was like a maniac as he exercised like never before. Sometimes, he would even beg his fitness trainer to add more load to his training due to his urgency. He was that serious as he wanted to attain top match fitness before the start of the Serie A season on August 30th.

But that was not all there was to Zachary's schedule. Aside from the training, he also enrolled in a language school and took his first step towards his immediate goal of learning Italian. Every evening, he would head to the L'Italiano Porticando and spend about three hours pronouncing Italian words that he couldn't yet understand.

Of course, the classes were boring to Zachary since they were unrelated to sports. But for his future as a Juventus player, he soon became focused and even tasked his interpreter with the task of purchasing for him several Italian textbooks. As a result, trying to read the seemingly alien Italian books became another additional task he had to complete on a daily basis.

With such a hectic schedule tying him down, Zachary didn't feel the passing of time. One morning he woke up and was about to start going through his yoga routine before 'reading' his Italian textbook. Then suddenly, his phone started vibrating from a nearby table in the hotel room.

Zachary stepped forward and immediately scooped it up from the table. After glancing at the screen, he learned that the call was from Antonella Busso, Fabio Paratici's secretary. She was the charming lady who had helped arrange his executive room at the J Hotel.

"Hello, Miss Antonella," he spoke after pressing the accept button and holding the phone against his ear. "Nice to hear from you again."

"Hello, Mr. Bemba," The lady at the other end of the line said, her voice professional. "How's your morning? Are you enjoying your stay at the J Hotel?"

"My morning is perfect," Zachary responded. "And the hotel has everything I need. As you said, it's a very comfy place."

"I'm glad you like it," she said. "Now to the main point of why I'm calling you early in the morning. Mr. Paratici, the sporting director, has just instructed me to inform you that it's already Monday, the 28th. He hopes you can attend the team training at the Vinovo as you had promised. The training begins at 9:00 AM."

"Okay," Zachary said. "I got the message, and thanks for reminding me. I'll be at the training ground on time. You can tell the sporting director that."

"Great," the lady on the other side said. "I wish you all the best during your first training as a Juventus player. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll try to the best of my abilities to assist you, especially since the sporting director has tasked me with helping you settle into the club."

"I'll remember that," Zachary said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the lady at the other end said before ending the call.

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Chapter 431: Italian Football Culture

The rising sun in the east of Turin was as glorious as ever. Its golden and shimmering rays immediately enveloped Zachary in a shawl of warmth after he exited his hotel that morning. He donned his cap and squinted his eyes to adjust to the natural illumination while looking around.

"Now, where is this guy?" He mumbled to himself and glanced at his brand new Rolex watch. The stylish dauphine hands had already pointed to the 8:20 AM mark, meaning he only had approximately forty minutes to get to the Vinovo. If he didn't start moving soon, he would be late for his first official training with Juventus and possibly annoy his new coaches. And that made his heart race with anxiety.

"Zachary!" Suddenly, a shout drew his attention. He inclined his head and immediately noticed Angelo Mattiello, his guide and interpreter, jogging towards him from the other end of the hotel building. He seemed out of breath as if he'd been running a marathon.

"What happened?" Zachary questioned when the Italian man finally stood before him. "You're late, and you're out of breath! Did something go wrong?"

Angelo breathed in deeply before saying, "Sorry, Zachary. I had a mechanical failure on the way. That's why I couldn't get here on time. But, I have now resolved the issue, and we can be on our way."

"I see," Zachary said, nodding. "I need to get to the Vinovo in about twenty minutes. Or else I'll be late for my first training."

"Don't worry," Angelo assured, smiling assuredly. "I'll get you there on time. Come; follow me. Let's head to the car and set off immediately."

"Okay," Zachary nodded and followed after his guide. Before long, they arrived at the hotel's parking lot and easily located Angelo's car. It was a white Citroen C3 in the shape of a sub-compact SUV. They quickly got into the car, and off they went, easing into the main street and driving off towards the Vinovo, Juventus' training center.

Over the past six days, Zachary had been busy. He hadn't gotten an opportunity to tour Turin since he had spent all his time training or reading Italian textbooks. That was why his eyes remained glued to the scenery flashing outside the car's window while taking in the refreshing cityscape of Turin.

He felt like he was in a dream, watching the grand boulevards and the beautiful historical architecture spread beside and beyond the streets. Gradually, his mood became complicated, and he sighed. He couldn't help but recall how he'd only been able to enjoy such magnificent scenes through television or photos on the web during his previous life.

Due to his previous incarnation's pauper status, he could never have foreseen that he would ever visit a famous European city such as Turin. But surprisingly, he obtained a new life that eclipsed all his expectations. He'd already made it big and obtained legal status to live in the renowned Italian city. Moreover, that was as a Juventus player, earning millions of Euros per year and able to choose any famous neighborhood as his place of residence. If that wasn't a dream come true, then what was it? He was obviously proud of his achievements.

Zachary's only regret was that he couldn't share such a happy life with his grandma, his sole guardian, who had looked after him since childhood. Even in a new life, he couldn't prevent her death. It was as if the unfortunate incident was destined, and she had passed away before she could witness him joining one of the top European clubs. That caused Zachary to occasionally experience a turmoil of painful emotions bubbling up within his core. Fortunately, he had learned to suppress them through exercising or busying himself with other things.

"We're here," Angelo said as he steered the car around a roundabout and approached the fenced expanse of fields and buildings that made up the Juventus training center. A few seconds later, he went through security without any trouble and then spoke again, "As I promised, It only took us nineteen minutes to arrive here. You should be able to get to the training turf before nine."

"Great! Thank you," Zachary said, glancing at his watch. It was already 8:42 AM, implying that he still had more than fifteen minutes to prepare and head to the training ground. He would surely make it if he utilized his time well.

"I also want to alert you that the club doesn't allow people who aren't staff members or players on the training grounds, especially during official training sessions," Angelo said, steering the car onwards and towards the front structures of the training center. "So, I'll have to wait for you outside while you train. But that shouldn't worry you. Most members of the coaching staff, except Allegri, speak English. They'll be able to guide you through the training sessions without any problems."

"I understand. Thank you," Zachary said, glancing outside the car window. The next moment, his eyes widened as he took in the surprising spectacle composed of the crowd of fans and journalists waiting outside the training center. The excitement about them was already shooting into the azure morning sky as they observed Angelo's moving Citroen with glittering eyes.

"This is unbelievable," Zachary mumbled. He had a feeling that if it wasn't for the fence and security personnel keeping the supporters at bay, they might have even rushed towards the car to check which Juventus player had just arrived.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Angelo said, seemingly catching on to Zachary's thoughts. "The size of the crowd will be even more stunning as the big matches approach. For instance, if Juventus is about to face off against AC Milan, you'll always find hundreds of fans crowding around the entrance. The excitement around football is that crazy in Italy."

"Oh!" Zachary exclaimed. At that moment, he again comprehended the difference between the football cultures of Turin and Trondheim. The stark contrast was quite clear to him after he arrived in Italy.

While he was still a Rosenborg player, it was rare to find fans crowding around the training ground on a Monday morning. There was always a laid-back attitude about the fanbase since the Norwegians in Trondheim would only gain a bit of interest in Rosenborg's circumstances when a big match was approaching. Of course, that's aside from a few exceptions.

But in Turin, circumstances were totally different. After interacting with his guide for seven days, Zachary learned that football was everything for most Italian men. Their love for the sport could border on the fringes of insanity as it was their hobby, their passion, and a big part of their culture.

Before doing anything else in the morning, they would read the La Gazzetta Dello Sport or Il Corriere Dello Sport print or online to get updates on which player did this and that, who was sold to another team, who declared he was happy, mad, or sad. Plus, they would have apps and alerts on their smartphones so as to avoid the prospect of even missing one tiny detail concerning the sport they loved. Thus, it was natural for them to stalk their favorite football stars to the training grounds. It wouldn't even be a surprise if a few supporters followed a footballer to his home to get an autograph. That was how much they adored the footballers playing for their clubs.

"I hope you already know the way to the locker rooms and training grounds," Angelo said after parking the car. "If not, I can ask one of the security guys to guide you there."

"Don't worry," Zachary said. "I'll find it myself. See you later." He said before picking up his gym bag and exiting the car.

The next moment, his appearance elicited a peak wave of excitement among the crowd of fans.

"Dio mio! It's Zachary in the flesh…"

"Zachary, an autograph!"

"Zaccaria! Ti vogliamo bene…"

The supporters all went crazy and started yelling in both Italian and English as they waved at him. Zachary, of course, maintained a smile and responded to their enthusiastic shouts with a wave of his hand. But since he only had about fifteen minutes to prepare for training, he couldn't waste time fulfilling their requests for autographs. He politely excused himself before jogging towards the locker rooms of the famous training center.

A minute later, he arrived before the door of the dressing room. He breathed in deeply before pushing it open and stepping inside. A wave of relaxation swept over him after noticing that there wasn't even a single soul in the spotlessly clean room. Most likely, all the other players were already on the turfs about to commence training. As a result, he could prepare without interruptions from his new teammates.

"But this is also not a good sign," he mused, walking towards the locker with his name and the number 'ten' printed on it. "I might be the last one to arrive for training. I better hurry."

The fact that he, a new player, was still in the dressing room, even when less than fifteen minutes remained before the designated time for the training session, jolted his heart, sending it into a whirlpool of unease. He hurriedly changed into his brand new training garments, which he'd received from Juventus six days prior. Then, in a matter of seconds, he stepped into his glittering brand new green pair of Nike Mercurial Superfly boots before throwing the rest of his stuff into his locker. After locking it, he finally breathed a sigh of relief since he still had about ten minutes to spare before the training commenced. He'd finally achieved a total state of relaxation as he no longer feared that he would be late on the first day of his official tenure at Juventus.

But just then, as he was about to turn away from his locker and step out of the locker room, his sharp ears picked up the rhythmic tapping of boot studs on the floor. His heart skipped a bit, and he naturally turned to face the source of the sound.

"Eh!" Zachary exclaimed as the silhouette of a familiar footballer he'd seen countless times on the screens during his previous life appeared before his vision. The player in question looked fierce and with a no-nonsense aura about him. His sturdy physique, protruding chest, and strong arms gave him the appearance of a miniaturized version of King Kong crammed into a human body. And although his height was a bit on the short end, just at about 5'7 feet, he seemed like a person who could easily take down a pro-wrestler if given a chance.

"Hello, Carlos Tévez!" Zachary spoke first, attempting to break the ice in the most polite tone he could muster. "I'm Zachary Bemba, your new teammate. It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand towards the Argentine striker.

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Chapter 432: First Meeting with New Teammates

Tévez raised both eyebrows and tilted his head to glance at Zachary. He regarded him for a few seconds with intense scrutiny before nodding and saying, "Nice to meet you, too, Zachary Bemba. I have heard many incredible things about you. Welcome to Turin." He took his hand for a very firm handshake.

"Thank you, Carlos," Zachary said, smiling. He was both delighted and relieved after the striker had accepted his gesture of goodwill. "Let's work well together as teammates in the future."

"Just a moment before you get ahead of yourself," Tévez said in very fluent English. "Let's get one thing straight. You're not my teammate or a teammate of anyone on the Juventus squad until you go through the traditional initiation ceremony for all new players. Got it?"

Zachary's eyes narrowed as a flicker of doubt arose within his mind. "There's an initiation ceremony! Didn't I go through it when the management unveiled me in front of the fans and the press six days ago?"

Tévez let out a soft chuckle on hearing that. "One thing you should understand is that the management is management and the team is the team. They are two different entities making up the club. Even after going through the initiation by management, you'll still have to go through the one for the team. Otherwise, you'll remain an outsider."

"I see," Zachary said, holding the Argentine's gaze. "Carlos! I also wish to clarify one fact with you before we speak about anything else. About the number ten shirt…"

"No, no, no," Tévez interrupted before Zachary could finish the sentence. "You don't need to explain. I have played professional football for more than a decade. I understand how the industry works. A person has to step aside when a talented player joins a team. That's the ruthless and competitive nature of football. And I won't hold any grudge against you for such an insignificant matter. That would be very immature of me."

"Thank you for your understanding," Zachary said, breathing another sigh of relief. "I'm really starting to feel that we can become good teammates."

"That's a possibility," Carlos concurred in a somehow vague manner. "But, don't forget that the number ten shirt is iconic among the Juventus fans, players, and coaching staff. So, remember to work hard and play your best football during your next few seasons at Juventus. Otherwise, many people in Turin will always be on your case for disgracing that glorious number."

"Thanks for the reminder," Zachary said. "I'll take it to heart. But Carlos! We better head to the training ground. We're almost running late for training."

Tévez eyed Zachary with a strange expression. "Didn't I clarify that you won't be teammates with anyone before your initiation? Just follow me. I'll take you to meet the rest of the squad and the coaches. They are currently in the room for technical meetings." Without waiting for Zachary to respond, he turned around and started walking away. His pace was quite fast, and within seconds, he was already stepping out of the dressing room.

"Wait!" Zachary said, chasing after the Argentine forward after a few seconds. "What about the training? Wasn't it supposed to commence at 9:00 AM?"

"Don't worry," Carlos said without turning back. "The training will start after the meeting."

"Really?" Zachary was skeptical since he'd gotten the message about the training session from Fabio, the one and only sporting director.

"I'm not trying to trick you," Carlos said, finally stopping in his tracks and turning to face Zachary. "I was already in the tactics room with the others. But Coach Allegri sent me to fetch you after he got word that you had arrived at the training center. Moreover, you have to understand that there's always a mandatory team meeting before every first training session of the week."

"Oh, okay." Zachary smiled awkwardly. "Then, let's go. Thanks for helping me out."

Carlos nodded and immediately turned around to resume his journey through the hallways of the training center. Zachary naturally matched his steps, and before long, they arrived before a closed door that was the entrance to the tactics room.

"We're here," Carlos announced and knocked on the door. Without waiting for a response, he pushed it ajar and motioned for Zachary to follow him inside with a hand gesture.

Zachary naturally followed after him and stepped into the room. The next moment, he was slightly intimidated as his eyes took in the many famous faces he had seen countless times on television during his previous life. With a single glance around the room, he spotted celebrated players like Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Patrice Evra, Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Álvaro Morata, among others. They were all quietly seated at various tables arranged around the room. But what unnerved Zachary the most was that they had all turned to glance his way when he stepped through the doorway.

"Damn, this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't late," Zachary screamed inwardly. At that moment, he felt like he'd turned into a walking tourist attraction due to all the eyes on him. He inwardly vowed never to put himself in such an awkward situation again.

"Zachary! You're finally here!" Suddenly, a voice exclaimed, drawing his attention. He tilted his head and noticed that it was a balding middle-aged man with a prominent aquiline nose who had spoken. He was Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach, specifically in charge of the first team of Juventus.

"Welcome, welcome," the coach continued speaking in English while standing up from his seat to greet Zachary. "Please, feel at home as this is your club. And allow me to introduce you to the rest of the coaching staff and your new teammates…"

With Coach Trombetta taking the lead, the awkward silence in the room naturally dissolved, and the atmosphere turned harmonious. The other coaches and players stood up to greet Zachary, and in a few words, they welcomed him to the club in a friendly manner. It was as if they had forgotten the four goals he'd scored against them during the previous campaign of the Europa League. But, of course, there was always an exception to every case scenario. And that day was no different.

When Zachary finally greeted Gianluigi Buffon, an unexpected incident transpired. The famous goalkeeper's countenance turned stony, and he held on to Zachary's hand much longer than was necessary. Without caring for the atmosphere around him, he narrowed his eyes and said in strained English, "Zachary! Tell me honestly. Was it your sole intention to draw the last man foul from me during our Europa League match last season? Or did you genuinely wish to bypass me and score?"

"Eh!" Zachary was taken aback by the question. He hadn't expected an experienced keeper like Buffon to ask him about a minor issue from last season.

"Well?" Buffon pressed for an answer while still holding on to Zachary's hand. Since he was a keeper, his grip was quite powerful, and naturally, Zachary couldn't wriggle out of it.

Zachary smiled awkwardly, finding the whole situation a bit absurd. He turned to the rest of his new teammates, hoping they would resolve his plight peacefully. However, his heart couldn't help but sink into an abyss of worry, especially when he realized that all the previous cordial players in the room were staring at him with ice-cold expressions. They were no longer smiling but looked like they couldn't wait to beat him up.

"Ragazzi! Penso che sia abbastanza!"

Just then, the familiar voice of Coach Allegri reverberated across the otherwise silent room, causing Zachary to breathe a sigh of relief. On cue, as if all the players had gotten a signal, they started laughing and grinning as if they had just heard the funniest joke. In just seconds, their expressions turned cordial again as if they were the friendliest humans on Earth.

"Hahaha," Buffon chuckled, drawing Zachary into a hug. "I got you on that one. Did you think that I was about to beat you up?"

Zachary was, of course, at a loss of how to respond to the circumstances. He remained silent as he hugged his new captain.

After a moment, Buffon released Zachary and stepped back. "On behalf of the entire Juventus squad," he said with a smile, "And in my capacity as captain, I welcome you to Juventus. Let's work well together as teammates from now on." He extended his hand to Zachary.

Zachary smiled and took the hand. "Thanks a lot, captain, for giving me that unique welcome," he said. "I also hope that we work well together."

"Cough! Cough!" Suddenly, someone coughed, interrupting the harmonious atmosphere. It was Paul Pogba, who was standing a few meters away. "I think you guys are forgetting something," the Frenchman said with his trademark grin. "Isn't it customary for all new players to go through initiation before the captain welcomes them to the club?"

"Oh!" Buffon exclaimed. "There, I go with my rashness again. Zachary!" The goalie turned towards him with a smile. "I'll have to withdraw my welcoming remarks until you go through the ritual to initiate you into the squad."

"Initiation!?" Zachary was at a loss again. He was confused, especially since he hadn't followed most of Juventus' matters for long. So, he hardened his resolve and decided to inquire. "What's this initiation ritual that everyone is talking about?"

"Of course, you'll have to entertain your senior teammates by singing a song of your own choosing," Pogba chimed in before Buffon could reply. "All new players must go through the ritual before the commencement of training today."

"Really?" Zachary was again a bit skeptical. He glanced toward the coaches, who were quietly watching the proceedings at a table positioned at the front of the tactics room. "Is this really necessary?" He asked again.

Coach Maurizio Trombetta nodded and said, "This is an age-old tradition at Juventus. Every new player has to go through it to become part of the Old Lady family of Turin. There's no escaping the ritual, no matter how big a player you were before arriving at Juventus."

"This is crazy!" Zachary sighed.

"You don't have to worry," Pogba consoled with his signature wide grin. "Aside from you, we have four other new teammates going through the ritual. That should give you confidence and allow you to put up a wonderful performance."

"Is that so?" Zachary said. "And who are these four players?"

"Kingsley Coman, Morata, Patrice Evra, and Roberto Pereyra," Pogba replied, rubbing his hands together as if in anticipation. "You five should be able to give us the concert of the year today."

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Chapter 433: Pre-Season Schedule

Kingsley Coman, Juventus' 19-year-old recruit from PSG, was the first to step on the hilarious excuse of a stage that was a chair positioned in the middle of the room. The young French footballer outdid himself by performing P. Diddy's classic hit – Bad Boys for Life. His lyrical flow was spot on — as if he had practiced the rap song several times beforehand. He even elicited a wave of thunderous applause from his new teammates when he left the stage.

Then, it was Patrice Evra's turn to sing. The other Frenchman stepped on stage and introduced himself before getting into the groove. He sang Marvin Gaye's Let's Get it on and strained his voice to hit all the high notes. Naturally, his sorry excuse of an attempt to sing elicited frenzied waves of laughter from the other Juventus players.

After Patrice Evra, it was Roberto Pereyra's turn to perform. The man freshly signed by Juventus from Udinese sang a Spanish song that sounded uninteresting and totally alien to Zachary. But surprisingly, the other Juventus players seemed impressed by the song. They applauded the player as he stepped off the stage and returned to his seat.

The next on stage was Morata, who produced a somewhat acceptable performance of another Spanish hit single before returning to his seat. And then finally, it was Zachary's turn to step on stage. It was the time for Juventus' most expensive signing that summer to go through the initiation ceremony.

"Can I really sing anything?" Zachary asked after standing atop the stage that was the chair positioned in the middle of the room. He had already come to terms with his circumstances and wasn't nervous.

"You can sing any song of your own choosing," Pogba replied in English. "Just do your best."

"Okay, here we go." Zachary smiled and breathed in deeply to prepare himself, and a tune from his childhood slowly emerged from the deep confines of his mind. Without delay, he faced the crowd of his new teammates and started singing, "Baa Baa black sheep! Have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for the master, one for the dame, and one for the little boy, who lives down the lane…"

His deep voice reverberated across the room, grating and scratching upon the ears of his new teammates. He repeated the catchy rhyme, not once or twice but a dozen times, and only stopped when he realized that the rest of the Juventus players were looking at him with strange expressions.

"That was the only song I could remember," he said, smiling and stepping off the stage. "Thank you all for listening."

In response, all the players remained silent while continuing to gaze at him with weird expressions. A few seconds passed, and suddenly, someone within the crowd started laughing. Then another followed — and soon, all the players in the room were doubling over with laughter. They laughed so hard and didn't stop even when Zachary settled back in his seat.

"Seriously, Zachary!" Pogba finally spoke after the waves of laughter died down. "What was that? Was it a song? We can't allow this."

"But, you all agreed that I can sing any song of my own choosing," Zachary argued, glancing at the Frenchman. "Are you trying to go back on your words by declaring that I haven't completed the ritual?"

"Don't mind Pogba," Buffon chimed in to save the situation. "He's just making trouble. Since you have already sung for your teammates, you're now fully initiated as a Juventus player. Welcome to Juventus, once again."

"Thanks," Zachary said, letting out a breath. He didn't wish to ever step on stage to sing again. Otherwise, he might become the joke of the entire footballing community in Europe with his poor excuse of a singing voice.

With the matter settled, Buffon said a few more welcoming remarks to Zachary and the other new signings before allowing the coaches to take center stage. Finally, after going through all the foolery, the time to discuss the main themes of the meeting had arrived. And, of course, Zachary was excited as he was about to attend his first tactical gathering at his new club.

"On behalf of the coaching staff, I would also like to welcome all the new players to this great club," Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant head coach in charge of the first team, spoke in English after stepping forward. "We'll do everything possible to ensure that we make you feel at home during your tenure at Juventus. But I also wish to remind you that we only utilize Italian during meetings at this club. As you should have realized, the coaches and most of your teammates speak only Italian. So, I urge you to start learning the Italian language as soon as possible if you wish to fit into this football community. Is that clear, my friends who have just arrived in Turin and don't speak Italian?" He swept his gaze over Zachary, Patrice Evra, Kingsley Coman, and Álvaro Morata, the new Juventus recruits.

"We understand, coach," Zachary and the other three responded, more or less in unison.

"Excellent," Coach Trombetta said. "For today's meeting, we'll still utilize Italian. But afterward, you four can approach me, and I'll explain the entire content of the meeting to you. Okay?"

"Okay," Zachary and the other three responded.

"Good." Coach Trombetta smiled and turned his gaze away. He then faced Coach Allegri and started spitting out rapid Italian words that Zachary couldn't understand. He spoke for about three minutes before stepping back and taking his seat.

It was then that Massimiliano Allegri stepped forward. The newly appointed head coach of Juventus didn't voice any English words like his counterpart. Instead, he began vocalizing rapid Italian sentences while pacing back and forth around the room. He only completed his 'alien' speech about thirty minutes later when Zachary was almost dying of boredom. And without further ado, he dismissed his players to the training ground to commence practice.

At that moment, while most players were exiting the room, Zachary and the other three new signings who couldn't speak Italian hurriedly stood up and approached Coach Trombetta. Naturally, they wanted the trainer to explain the content of the meeting to them.

"You guys are quick to get here!" Coach Trombetta said after noticing them. "That's excellent. Let's sit in the corner and begin right away."

Without saying more needless words, the coach led the way to a table in the far corner of the tactics room. The four players, including Zachary, matched his step and soon settled on the seats opposite his.

"How is your first day at Juventus so far?" The coach asked after leaning back in his seat.

"A bit vexing as we can't understand anything," Patrice Evra was the first to respond.

"Everything at the club is interesting," Kingsley Coman was the next to reply. "The language barrier is the only issue."

"I also find everything refreshing except the language barrier issue," Zachary took the cue and responded.

"What about you, Álvaro?" Coach Trombetta chimed in again while looking at the only Spaniard in the group.

"Well," Morata said, "I'm only waiting for the training and the matches. All the rest of the activities, including the meetings, don't really interest me much."

"You've spoken like a true footballer." The assistant coach laughed. "But meetings are also important, especially if we want to get our tactics right on the field of play."

"True," Morata agreed before going silent again.

Coach Trombetta smiled and planted his elbows on the table. "Let's move on to the content of the meeting. In brief, there were three points that Coach Allegri talked about today. First, he introduced his vision for the club. He said he wanted all his players to be flexible, disciplined, and hard-working, whether on or off the field. He mentioned how he wished to win many domestic trophies and hopefully the Champions League during his tenure as the Juventus coach. He also urged all players to do their best and work with him to realize those lofty goals."

"Secondly, Coach Allegri explained the objectives of the upcoming pre-season tour of Asia and Australia. He repeatedly mentioned how he wanted to use the pre-season matches to straighten out his tactics and help his players attain top match fitness. He also advised the players to utilize the tour to build great team chemistry with teammates. And that way, they would find it easy to play matchless football and destroy all the other opponents when the Serie A season commenced."

"Thirdly," Coach Trombetta continued, "Allegri also described the team's training objectives for the next four days. He wants all players to concentrate on honing their physical fitness before the pre-season tour. Thus, all players will have to put a hundred percent effort into the gym sessions while also taking the time to go through drills, like agilities and cone work, with the intent to build fitness. And, of course, that means there will be limited or no ball work over the next four days. That summarizes the entire content of the meeting."

"Thanks for translating, coach," Evra immediately said. "But one thing I didn't get is the pre-season schedule. When are we departing for Asia and Australia? And which teams will we be facing during the tour? Can you shed some light on that?"

"Sure." Coach Trombetta nodded and fished a piece of paper from his shirt's pocket. "We plan to set off from Turin on Saturday. That's five days from now, on August 2nd. As for the schedule of the pre-season matches, you can take a look at it yourselves." He passed the paper to Patrice Evra, who perused its contents for a few seconds before passing it over to Zachary.

Zachary received the paper and focused on the contents. Without delay, his eyes started taking in the entire pre-season schedule of Juventus.

Scheduled Friendlies During the Pre-season Tour:

- August 6th, 2014: Indonesia Super League All-Stars vs. Juventus (Match Venue: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia)

- August 10th, 2014: Australia New Zealand A-League All-Stars vs. Juventus (Match Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia)

- August 13th, 2014: Newcastle Jets vs. Juventus (Match Venue: Princes Park Stadium, Carlton, Australia)

- August 16th, 2014: LionsXII S-League Internationals Select vs. Juventus (Match Venue: Singapore National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore)

—–

TIM Trophy (Round-Robin, three teams) Pre-season Matches:

- August 23rd, 2014: Juventus vs. AC Milan (Match Venue: Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia, Italy)

- August 23rd, 2014: Juventus vs. Sassuolo (Match Venue: Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia, Italy)

Chapter 434: Big Money, Plans, and Concerns

After memorizing Juventus' pre-season schedule, Zachary passed the paper on to Álvaro Morata, his new Spanish teammate. He then glanced at Coach Trombetta and asked, "Coach! How come there are two games scheduled on August 23rd? Could there be a mistake in the scheduling?"

Coach Trombetta smiled knowingly and said, "Don't worry. There's no mistake. We're simply following the unusual scheduling of the TIM Trophy. It has always featured three teams competing against each other in a single-day round-robin battle. The fortunate thing is that the matches last only forty-five minutes. So, you don't have to worry about over-exhausting yourself even if you play two consecutive games."

"Oh, I see," Zachary said, finally seeing the light. "Thanks for the clarification."

"You're welcome," Coach Trombetta said and turned his gaze away from Zachary. "Are there any more questions?"

All four players remained silent. They clearly didn't require any more clarifications about the content of the just-concluded meeting or the pre-season tour.

"Well, then," Coach Trombetta intoned, standing up. "Since there are no more questions, it's time for you to head to the pitch and join the rest of your teammates for training. But please don't forget that the theme for the next four days is achieving top physical fitness. You have to work hard in that area to impress the coaches. Understood?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"Okay, let's hurry and head to the pitch," the assistant coach said. "Otherwise, Coach Allegri will start fuming if we spend more time than necessary here. And believe me; you wouldn't want to face an angry Allegri at the beginning of the season."

The four players laughed after hearing that. They quickly followed the assistant coach out of the almost empty tactics room and walked towards the training turfs. They were obviously ready to commence the first training with their new club.

—–

Over the next few days, Zachary didn't dare squander any time, especially since the start of the season was fast approaching. Aside from his language classes, he ignored almost everything and got busy training with his new teammates. He worked harder than ever and went through all the team drills like his life depended on it.

When his coaches signaled him to run, he would run like a good boy. When they would tell him to lift weights or execute abdominal crutches in the gym, he would get into action and perform all the exercises without complaint. He was the true-blue portrayal of an obedient and hardworking character, especially since he wanted to impress his new bosses. And nothing, including the language barrier, could distract him from achieving his goals.

As the days passed, Zachary realized that one's knowledge of the Italian language didn't matter that much on the training ground. Without even understanding what the coaches were saying, he could still follow the examples of his teammates and perform all exercises without committing mistakes. And if he really needed anything translated, he would seek out Coach Trombetta or international teammates, like Paul Pogba, who had a good command of Italian, to help him out.

As if in a flash, the four days elapsed, and August 1st finally arrived. It was finally the eve of the day when the entire Juventus team would set off for the pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.

The atmosphere around the team was teeming with enthusiasm when the training ended that day. Most players talked excitedly with their colleagues as they left the training ground in the evening. They were obviously looking forward to the trip to Asia and Australia after spending four days training intensively.

"Zachary!"

Suddenly, Zachary, who was in the middle of a conversation with Patrice Evra while traversing the hallways of the training center, heard a shout from behind him. He immediately turned around and realized that Coach Trombetta was waving at him from a distance.

"Excuse me," Zachary said to Evra in French. "I guess I have to go. Coach Trombetta wants to meet me."

"Okay, good luck," Evra said, smiling. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Zachary responded and then retraced his steps to meet with Coach Trombetta.

"I'm glad I managed to catch you before you left," the coach said after Zachary stood before him.

"What's up?" Zachary immediately asked, glancing at the coach. Since he had grown familiar with the trainer, he no longer addressed him with honorifics.

"Well," Coach Trombetta said, "The head coach tasked me with asking you about your match fitness. How do you feel after training with us for four days? Do you think you're back to the top of your game?"

"Not yet," Zachary replied with a sigh. "I have done everything possible to regain my match fitness over the past four days, but I'm yet to achieve the desired results. I need about three to four weeks to get back into tip-top shape."

"Okay, then." Coach Trombetta nodded. "But you don't need to worry about the match fitness problem before the start of the season. The matches won't be that demanding. Moreover, playing matches during the pre-season tour will help to get you back into top condition as soon as possible."

"I hope so," Zachary said as thoughts about his current football technique stats flashed through his mind. The previous night, he'd checked the system interface and realized that only his ball control was back to the S grading. As for the rest of the technique stats, including dribbling skills, passing accuracy, and body control, they were all still a grade below what was supposed to be their peak due to him consuming the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir a few days ago.

"Okay, then, Zachary," Coach Trombetta said, still smiling. "Remember that we're departing tomorrow at nine in the morning. So, you must at least be here by 8:30 AM. Don't be late."

"I understand, coach," Zachary said. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, and enjoy your evening," the coach responded with a smile before turning and walking away.

Zachary also didn't drag his feet. He whirled around and continued walking through the hallways. In about a minute, he exited the building and headed toward the parking lot, where he found Angelo Mattiello, his interpreter/guide/driver, waiting for him.

"You're here," Angelo said, stepping out of his Citroën. "How was your day?"

"As hectic as usual," Zachary replied.

"That's understandable since the team is preparing for the new season," Angelo said. "What's next on your schedule? Should I drive you to your hotel now, or do you wish to pass by the language school first?"

"Let's head to the hotel," Zachary said and threw his gym bag into the vehicle's back seat. "We're setting off for the pre-season tour tomorrow early in the morning. So, I have a lot of things to prepare."

"Okay, then," Angelo naturally concurred. "Enter the car, and let's go."

Zachary nodded and settled in the back seat of Angelo's Citroën before closing the door. Just then, as he was still in the middle of making himself comfortable, he felt his phone vibrate for a brief moment within his trouser pocket. By reflex, he fished it out, then unlocked it before glancing at the screen.

"Eh!" Zachary couldn't believe his eyes the next moment. His heartbeat quickened, and he decided to read the text message he'd just received once again.

—–

INTESA SANPAOLO

Dear Customer, Your account ending 5432 has been credited with EUR 15,000,000. Your new account balance is EUR 15,403,000. Thank you for banking with us.

—–

After rereading the text message, Zachary finally confirmed that he had just received the first 15 million Euros promised to him by Juventus. After spending ten days in Turin, he had finally received the first portion of his 32 million signing bonus money. He couldn't contain his excitement, especially since it was the first time receiving such a colossal amount of cash in his two lives.

"Is anything wrong?" Angelo asked from the driving seat while glancing at him through the rearview mirror. It seemed like the guide had already noticed his agitation.

"No, no," Zachary replied, grinning. "Everything is just fine. Let's set off and head to the hotel."

"Okay, fasten your seat belt," Angelo agreed and started the car. Before long, he eased it out of the parking lot and exited the training center before joining the main streets of Turin.

As for Zachary, who was in the back seat, he was still basking in the excitement of receiving his first 15 million from Juventus. But that wasn't for long. He breathed in and forced himself to calm down by watching the passing scenery outside the car window. Soon, his mind entered overdrive mode and started formulating plans of how best to utilize his newfound fortune.

Firstly, he wanted to buy a good house in a good neighborhood in Turin. Secondly, he also wished to make a few more investments in the stock market by relying on his knowledge of the future and the guidance of his financial adviser. He planned to invest a million or two in companies that were sure to multiply his money in the years to come.

Lastly, he also wanted to jump on the cryptocurrency bandwagon. After returning from the pre-season tour, he intended to make a calculated risk and splash about 10 million Euros on coin. Then, when he received another big check from Juventus and his endorsers, he would also invest in Ethereum, which would be launched the following year in 2015. What would follow would be him waiting a few years before harvesting hundreds of millions or even billions of Euros at the start of the next decade. That was his master plan to get rich while continuing his career as a football player.

Meanwhile, Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach, who had just talked to Zachary, stepped into Coach Allegri's spacious office. He settled down in one of the chairs and waited for the head coach to finish what he was doing on his laptop.

"You talked to him?" Allegri finally looked up from his laptop and asked in Italian after a few seconds.

"Yes, I did," Maurizio replied.

"So, what was his response?"

"He still claims that he's not yet back to a hundred percent condition," Maurizio said. "He hinted about needing between three to four weeks to attain full match fitness."

"Oh!" Allegri nodded. He remained silent for a few seconds as if considering something before asking again, "After spending four days observing him, what is your impression of him?"

"Very hard working and very serious about his career," Maurizio replied immediately. "I've only seen a few players as intense and passionate as him during training. I don't think a player with his attitude can lie about his match fitness."

"I also feel the same way," Coach Allegri said, nodding. "Players know their bodies best. They are even better than the best medicals at understanding the condition of their bodies. So, I'm quite inclined to believe him and consider the fact that he's still struggling with his fitness."

"True." Maurizio leaned back into his seat. "So, do we wait for him to attain full fitness before putting him on the pitch? Or do we utilize him during the pre-season matches?"

"We will utilize him," Coach Allegri said, "But only sparingly. We can give him 10 to 15 minutes of playing time for every match during the pre-season tour. That will allow him to get into shape quicker."

"True," Maurizio concurred. "That will also safeguard him from getting strained and injured before the start of the Serie A season. But how do we deal with the board and the chairman? They have warned us that they want to see their 70-plus million investment playing as many games as possible during the pre-season. They claim that that will allow him to build a large fanbase as soon as possible."

"Just ignore the board," Coach Allegri said in a dismissive manner. "It's always good to listen to the player's concerns instead. Since he says he's not back to full fitness, we give him a little time to recover. That way, we can make him feel more at home at the club, and he will be able to put all his heart out on the pitch when he finally makes his full debut."

"I understand," Maurizio said.

Chapter 435: Pre-Season Tour Starts

As planned, the Juventus team, including the players, coaches, and technical staff, boarded a chartered plane the following morning and set off on their journey to Jakarta, Indonesia, to kick-start their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia. Their flight was without mishaps, and they arrived in the Indonesian capital fifteen and a half hours later, just past midnight.

After greeting their Indonesian fans, who had eagerly been waiting for them at the airport gates even that late in the night, they took a bus to the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Hotel. They checked into the hotel forty minutes later and had a late dinner together as a team before heading to their rooms to rest for the night.

The following day, they were up by nine o'clock and had their breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. Then, they held a brief team tactical meeting before boarding the team bus and heading to the Patriot Bekasi Stadium. Under the escort of the local police, they got there without any mishaps and spent the entire day training there.

For the first time as a Juventus player, Zachary finally experienced the profoundness of Juventus' training. And within three days, he comprehended how brilliantly the Italians conducted their team drills to prepare for matches.

Of course, the players would start off their training with dynamic warm-up sessions like they had done back in Turin. Then, based on the pre-arranged schedule, they would go through gym sessions or technique and agility field exercises later in the morning. Finally, in the afternoon, they would undergo tactical drills, like various competitive possession rondos, react-and-defend drills, or attacking and passing pattern exercises to master the football aspects related to game strategy.

Over the three days of training at the Patriot Bekasi Stadium, Zachary realized that the Juventus coaches always emphasized the tactical side of the game. They were always earnest and intense during those sessions and didn't allow players to slack off. As a result, even experienced players, like Pirlo and Tévez, had to be good boys and go through the exercises without complaint. Otherwise, they could find themselves in the head coach's bad books and miss out on the chance of making the starting line-up for the first few games of the upcoming Serie A season.

While experiencing the refreshing feeling of training in an Asian city for the first time, the passing of time was swift for most Juventus players, including Zachary. Before long, August 6th, the day when they would play their first pre-season friendly during their tour of Asia and Australia, arrived. And even though most of them were yet to attain full match fitness, they put their training on hold. They turned their focus to their match against the Indonesian Super League All-Stars, scheduled for later that day at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Of course, as a new player claiming to be dealing with fitness issues, Zachary didn't make Coach Massimiliano Allegri's starting line-up. Instead, he watched a large part of the game from the dugout and witnessed his new teammates destroying the all-stars select team of the Indonesian Super League.

After getting stunned by an early opening goal for the hosts, Juventus reacted within two minutes. Carlos Tévez, the Argentine striker, broke through the defense and forced a penalty out of the opposing center-back. And without any surprise, Andrea Pirlo, the experienced Maestro of Juventus, stepped forward and converted the spot kick to bring proceedings to level terms.

After the goal, the game became more one-sided as Juventus pressured the Indonesian Super League all-star team with an ever-increasing intensity. The Old Lady dominated the game in all areas and soon started creating clear chances. In a short while, the Italian giants built more and more momentum and forced the floodgates open. And soon, it began raining goals in the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

First, Fernando Llorente scored a hat-trick in the next half-hour of the game. Then, Sebastian Giovinco added another long-range shocker to ensure that the score was 5:1 in favor of Juventus by halftime. All the fans in the stadium couldn't hide their shock as it had taken only 40 minutes to decimate an all-star Indonesian Super League team. The visitors had clearly showcased the superiority of the Italian league over football competitions in other parts of the world in just a single half.

But could that have marked the end of Juventus' obliteration of the hosts? The answer was obviously a big NO.

After a slow start during the second half, Coach Allegri decided to shake up his team by subbing in a few big guns his club had just acquired. The Italian coach introduced Patrice Evra, the French defender, Kingsley Coman, a striker freshly signed from PSG, Álvaro Morata, the Spanish forward, and Zachary Bemba, his most expensive signing for the summer. He brought the four players into the game during the 75th minute and then sat down to relax without any worries weighing upon his mind.

The game restarted after the substitutes stepped onto the pitch, and as expected, Juventus immediately started dominating proceedings again. Without showing mercy, the Italian giants outplayed the Indonesian Super League all-star team and hoarded all the possession during the next few minutes.

Zachary, on his part, chose to play as a reliable teammate instead of going for startling and risky plays within the midfield. He just focused on the basics of receiving the ball and passing within the midfield to dominate possession.

Naturally, he wasn't the impressive Zachary from last season. But he still functioned as a solid, dependable central midfielder who wouldn't lose the ball due to his quick thinking and excellent passing. As a result, he elicited a sense of trust from his teammates in a short while. They started passing more and more to him, thus making him the control pivot in the absence of the substituted Andrea Pirlo.

But Zachary still didn't let all that get to his head. Since he was aware that he wasn't yet at his best, he avoided dribbling and continued passing the ball like a Maestro. And before long, during the 79th minute, his high spatial awareness worked wonders, and he managed to find Kingsley Coman with an outside-of-the-boot stunning and lofted pass over the defense. And that was all it took for him to create a scoring chance after spending only four minutes on the field.

Kingsley Coman was quite brilliant on that occasion. He expertly beat the opponent's defensive trap before meeting Zachary's overhead pass with an outstretched boot. Then, within a single motion, he smashed the ball past the keeper's outstretched hands to score Juventus' sixth goal for the night.

But that wasn't the end of Juventus' thrashing of the Indonesian all-star team that evening. Simone Pepe and Álvaro Morata, the Old Lady's other forwards, added a goal each in the 86th and 91st minute, respectively. Their late goals were the final nails in the coffin that sealed the Indonesian all-star team's fate of losing to Juventus by eight goals to one.

After the match, Emilia Vasquez, the ESPN presenter, invited a few pundits to her Sports Daily show to analyze Juventus' first game of their pre-season tour. Among the pundits was Charles Adams, a reputable journalist who had predicted that Zachary would flop at Juventus.

"Welcome back, viewers," Emilia Vasquez said, smiling at the cameras. "We've just watched Juventus' incredible performance against the Indonesian Super League all-star team. The Old Lady players scored eight goals against their first opponents of their pre-season tour. Charles! Let's start with you. What do you make of Juventus' performance today?"

"Well," Charles Adams said, "As a team, Juventus was as impressive as usual. Players like Andrea Pirlo, Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tévez, and Simone Pepe played incredibly well today. Their decision-making on the pitch was world-class, and that's why Juventus managed to destroy the Indonesian Super League all-star team within the first half."

"Let's talk about Juventus' new signings, especially the 19-year-old Zachary Bemba and the 19-year-old Kingsley Coman," Emilia Vasquez chimed in with a smile. "They linked up well within the 79th minute to score Juventus' sixth goal."

"Yeah, yeah," Charles Adams replied. "I have to admit that the two young men were quite impressive. In particular, Zachary performed beyond my expectations. His performance during his quarter an hour of game time was solid, and he even provided an assist. But even after all that, I'm sure most Juventus fans are not impressed by his display today."

"Please clarify," Emilia pressed.

"Well, let's first consider the fact that Juventus coughed out roughly 80 million Euros to sign Zachary Bemba," Charles Adams said. "I'm sure they were not trying to sign another midfielder that could pass the ball well. They already had Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, and even Paul Pogba in the midfield to play that role. Instead, they spent all that money to sign Zachary Bemba to acquire their own version of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. In the worst circumstances, they expected to acquire their own Neymar or Luis Suárez."

"But what did we see during this game? We saw their roughly 80 million investment, playing like any other midfielder on the team. I admit that his performance was solid. But that was all there was to it. I didn't see him take risks by taking on defenders to create goal-scoring chances. He didn't even try to test the keeper once. Even Kingsley Coman, the much cheaper signing for Juventus, was more creative than him today. I really don't see how he'll handle the more competitive Italian league if he continues performing at such a level."

"Can I remind you that this is his first game for Juventus," Joshua Morales, another pundit, chipped in. "He has been out of the action for two months. Don't you think you're being too harsh on him by expecting him to perform at his best during his first game?"

"He was playing against much weaker opponents," Charles Adams stated. "He should have at least tried to dribble past an opponent or to take a shot at goal."

Joshua Morales sighed and shook his head in response. "There are many more pre-season matches to come," he said. "Let's wait and see. I'm sure that he will dazzle us with his skills before long. Mark my words."

"Okay, okay," Charles Adams said, his tone a bit aggressive. "Let's wait and see if he will live up to his roughly 80 million price tag."

Chapter 436: Busy and Intense Schedule

Zachary saw the football pundits' critical comments about him in the news the following morning. He even watched the replay of Emilia Vasquez's Sports Daily show and heard all the negative remarks that Charles Adams, the sports journalist, had made about him.

He was obviously a bit surprised by the harsh appraisal of his previous day's performance by the journalist. But that was it. He neither lost his head nor felt discouraged, especially since he understood how to solve his match fitness issues and return to his peak in the shortest time possible.

He was sure that as long as he finished dealing with the side effects of the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir, he would be able to shut the blubber mouths criticizing him with his prowess on the pitch. And knowing that fact allowed him to remain focused on his efforts to realize his short to mid-term goals without really minding the comments of a journalist who was probably trying to gain some attention on television.

His priority for the pre-season was still to try his best to fit into the new team. He hoped to continue putting up concrete and stable performances for Juventus by relying on his solid basics, such as passing and ball control skills.

Rather than rushing to gain some quick popularity among the fans and journalists by executing risky plays, he would aim to remain a reliable teammate who couldn't easily commit mistakes or lose the ball. Then, when he dealt with the side effects of the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir, he would take his game to a higher level and start playing like a ball wizard. That was his plan to cement his place within the Juventus team.

With the right frame of mind, Zachary had no problems focusing on preparing for the upcoming pre-season friendlies. He joined Juventus' last training in Jakarta, Indonesia, and continued working as hard as ever on his fitness. And as usual, he forgot everything else and focused only on training until the team sessions ended late in the evening that Thursday.

—–

The following day, on Friday, August 8th, all the Juventus players and staff boarded their chattered plane and traveled to Sydney, Australia, to kick-start the next phase of their pre-season tour.

They arrived in Sydney at ten in the evening, and with the help of some dedicated tour guides, they completed all procedures at the airport within minutes. Then, after greeting their fans waiting outside the airport, they took the prearranged team bus to the trendy neighborhood of Sydney Olympic Park and checked into the Ibis Hotel, which was strategically located less than a kilometer from the ANZ Stadium.

The hotel's facilities were at a five-star rating, allowing the players to relax and rest before delving back into preparations for their next pre-season friendly. As a result, they were all fresh and energetic when they trained at one of the football grounds near the ANZ stadium in Sydney the following day.

Under the supervision of Coach Allegri and his team of assistants, the Juventus squad covered all aspects of competitive football training, including fitness, ball handling, and team tactics, within three sessions spread over a brief period of a single day.

By the time they finished all the exercises, the sun was just about to sink below the horizon in the eastern skies of Sydney. They returned to the hotel and had a sumptuous dinner before heading to their respective rooms for the night.

Zachary, on his part, was ready to take a shower and enter bed after he returned to his hotel room. But right after he connected his phone to the hotel's Wi-Fi, he immediately received a WhatsApp video call from Camilla, his girlfriend in the other hemisphere, in Trondheim, Norway. Without any hesitation, he decided to put everything on hold and first accept the call.

Camilla's gorgeous face immediately appeared on the phone's screen when he pressed the accept button. She smiled and said, "Hello, dear! I haven't heard from you in four days! How are you, and how's everything?"

"Hello, Camilla," Zachary said, feeling guilty for ignoring his girlfriend for all those days. "Sorry about not calling you for the past four days. The pre-season tour is quite hectic. Aside from training with the team, I usually don't get time to do anything else. But I promise to do better from now on. I'll call you more often."

"That would be for the best," Camilla said, sighing. "You know that we're now thousands of miles apart. Communication is crucial if we want to keep our relationship going strong. We can't spend four days without talking to each other. Otherwise, we'll gradually grow apart as the months flash by."

"I understand," he said in an apologetic tone. "I'll do better from now on." He was aware that Camilla couldn't easily reach him through his phone during the pre-season tour. She would probably always find his number off due to challenges arising from the difference in network service providers from country to country. So, it was up to him to always call her and ensure they kept a connection, at least, until he returned to Italy.

Camilla's bright emerald-green eyes crinkled slightly at the corners as she smiled. "Let's push the irritating stuff to the side," she said. "How's your pre-season tour with Juventus? Are you enjoying your first trip to Asia and Australia?"

Zachary sighed, glancing straight into Camilla's eyes through the screen. "All I can say is that the tour is quite intense. Aside from match days, we train from morning to evening and even hold tactical meetings at the breakfast and dinner table. By the time we go to bed, we're already like tired dogs, only thinking about resting and preparing for the next day's training. It's that intense."

"Really?" Camilla's eyes widened. "Even you, a training madman, find the training schedule intense? Are you sure you're with a football team or did you unknowingly join some Special Forces military unit?"

Zachary chuckled at her efforts to make a joke. "My new teammates tell me that the schedule is only that hectic partly because a new coach has just taken the job. The other reason is that it's close to the beginning of the Serie A season. So, the club is doing everything possible to raise our fitness as quickly as possible. That's why we're playing matches every three days in different cities and countries while also finding the time to continue training together as a team."

"Oh, I see," Camilla said. "Does that mean that you didn't get a chance to tour the capital city of Indonesia?"

"There was no time for that," Zachary admitted. "We just trained and played a match in Jakarta before setting off for Australia. The coaches were strict and didn't allow us to move around."

"That quite a tough life," Camilla said, sighing. "So, you won't even take a few hours off and look at the sights in Sydney?"

"That's indeed the case," Zachary said, walking across the hotel room and settling on his bed. "Our schedule will remain intense until the end of August. For instance, we have to play three matches within the upcoming week. First, we play the Australia New Zealand A-League All-Stars team tomorrow on Sunday. Then, on Wednesday, August 13th, we'll travel to Carlton, in the far south of Australia, and play against the Newcastle Jets. Finally, on Saturday, August 16th, we'll have to be in Kallang, Singapore, for our game against LionsXII S-League Internationals Select. Those are three games within a short seven-day window. Factor in the time for training and traveling, and you can see how busy we are over the next week."

"But you must be having a blast since you like football," Camilla pressed. "How can that schedule faze the Zachary I know? I have a feeling that you're even fixing in a few more private training sessions within your already busy schedule. Isn't that so?"

Zachary laughed, choosing to ignore the question. "Enough about me," he said. "How're you doing? And how's life in Trondheim?"

"Everything is as before," she replied. "Just waking up, eating, working, and sleeping. Nothing interesting. I'm also already missing you."

"Oh," Zachary said, "I miss you too."

"Liar," Camilla replied jokingly. "If you miss me, why don't you call or text me more often?"

"Ahh…" Zachary was at a loss for what to say. He couldn't give the same old excuse of "I've been busy" since that would prove her point. He only sighed and shook his head in defeat.

Camilla chuckled on seeing his reaction. "By the way," she said, "All my friends and co-workers have been going on about Rosenborg's UEFA Super Cup game against Real Madrid. The ones aware that we're dating are always asking me why I didn't convince you to stay in Norway, at least until after the Super Cup. They fear their team will lose miserably to Real Madrid, especially without you to hold the reins in the midfield."

Zachary sighed, recalling that Rosenborg's game against Real Madrid was on Tuesday night. His former teammates would face off against one of the strongest football clubs filled with incredible players, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Luka Modrić, and Toni Kroos. As far as he was concerned, Rosenborg would have to pull off something akin to a miracle to defeat such an assemblage of talent and class and win the game.

"Will you watch the game?" Zachary asked Camilla.

"Nope," Camilla readily replied. "I can't sleep late that day as I have a busy schedule on Wednesday."

"Eh!" Zachary was surprised. "I thought you were a fan of Rosenborg? How can you miss such an important match?"

"You dummy," Camilla said humorously. "I was only supporting Rosenborg simply because you were playing for them. Now that you have joined Juventus, I have already become a staunch supporter of Juventus. It's as simple as that."

Zachary smiled, finding her whole reasoning amusing. But he chose not to comment about her shaky support of football clubs and said his goodbyes to her. A bit later, they exchanged some sweet nothings and "I love you" phrases for minutes before repeatedly expressing their heartfelt goodbyes once again. And that was how the two love birds ended their call that night.

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Chapter 437: Friendly against A-League All-Stars

The Juventus squad was back in action, playing a pre-season friendly the following day, on a rainy Sunday evening. In the ANZ Stadium filled to the brim with passionate Australian fans, they faced off against the Australia New Zealand A-League All-Stars select team captained by Juventus' former star and legend – Alessandro Del Piero.

Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus' head coach, chose to go with a midfield of Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio, and Andrea Pirlo that day. As for Zachary and Vidal, his other star midfielders, he left them on the bench due to their match fitness issues.

Once again, Juventus started the friendly on the back foot after conceding an early goal in the 9th minute. Most Old Lady players on the pitch, including star midfielders like Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio, struggled to find their rhythm during the entire first half. Their performance was not the best, and on several occasions, they lost the ball in the defensive midfield zones and almost gifted the opponents with another goal.

It was only when the game proceeded to the second half that a change transpired. Fernando Llorente showed his brilliance again by scoring Juventus' 1st goal in the 58th minute. Then, as if the Juventus players had gotten a wake-up call, they started playing some presentable football for the first time that evening.

Slowly but steadily, they began showing their prowess on the pitch and even created a couple of decent half-chances as they searched for opportunities to score and put the game to bed. But before they could build up any momentum, another stunning goal from the all-star team during the 76th minute sent all their previous efforts down the drain. Once again, they were in dire straits since they were trailing by a goal with less than 15 minutes of gameplay remaining on the clock. As a result, everyone in the stadium could deduce that they would most likely lose the game if nothing changed during the next few minutes.

On the sidelines, Coach Allegri was, of course, incensed by the sorry performance of his starting players. He couldn't stomach the fact that a team filled with international players, who had just won the Italian Serie A only months ago, was struggling against a side from Australia and New Zealand. Even though it was the pre-season, such a situation was unacceptable, and he could not allow the status quo on the pitch to remain the same.

He immediately turned to the bench and summoned Simone Pepe, a winger, Kwadwo Asamoah, a left midfielder, and Zachary Bemba, his newly signed attacking midfielder. He gave them brief instructions concerning positioning and playing patterns before requesting the fourth official to substitute them into the game.

When the ball went out of play for a throw-in during the 78th minute, the three substitutes stepped onto the pitch in place of the seemingly exhausted Andrea Pirlo, the underperforming Patrice Evra, and the uncreative Claudio Marchisio. They took up their positions on the field of play, and the referee blew the whistle to restart the game with a Juventus throw-in.

Kwadwo Asamoah, the freshly introduced left-midfielder, was the man to take the throw-in for Juventus. He made a short run towards the field and then planted his feet before the touchline on the left before throwing the ball towards Leonardo Bonucci, the center-back in the back line.

Leonardo Bonucci calmly controlled the ball without any pressure. He brought it to the ground with his chest and kicked it towards Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus' right wing-back. The latter didn't dawdle with the ball for long but immediately squared a pass to Zachary, who had just opened himself up in the middle of the pitch.

Zachary was excited after noticing the ball approach his position. But he forced himself to remain calm as he connected with the pass and whirled around to step beyond the reach of an opposing midfielder who was fast closing him down. And just at the right moment, before any other opponents could react, he unleashed a grounded pass towards Kwadwo Asamoah on the left flank.

Kwadwo Asamoah took one touch on the ball before lopping it over an opponent to find Carlos Tévez, the Argentine striker, at the left edge of the box. The latter was as creative as ever, and he immediately chested the ball first time to Paul Pogba, the Frenchman who had been running in sync with him.

Paul Pogba assessed the situation around him while receiving the ball. He danced and performed a few flashy moves to confuse the opposing defenders. Then, when the angle opened up, he placed a perfect pass for Zachary, who was just about to arrive before the arc of the 18-yard-box.

"Perfect Chance!"

Adrenaline started pumping rapidly and abnormally through Zachary's entire body as he approached the ball from a forty-five-degree angle. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he focused solely on the ball rolling towards his sprinting path at a seemingly slow pace. Then, when he judged that the moment was right, he immediately decided to go into action and pull the trigger.

Breathing in, he took the last jump-step and planted his non-kicking foot next to the ball. Then, he swung his left leg all the way back before whipping it down hard and fast to smack the ball that had just appeared before him.

"BAM!"

His new Missile-Launcher skill worked like a charm as he took the shot, and the ball rose from the ground like a surface-to-surface missile out of its launcher. It tore through the air like a lightning bolt, whooshing and whizzing through the gaps between the opposing defenders. Then, at the final moment, it zigzagged left and right unpredictably before cracking off the post and homing into the back of the net. Due to the incredible velocity of the shot, the keeper couldn't even react.

—–

A-League All-Stars 2 : Juventus 2

—–

There were a brief few seconds of silence after the ball homed into the back of the net. Then, a moment later, the fans within the stands seemed to overcome their shock and started applauding the goal. They happily cheered at the top of their voices as Zachary ran toward his teammates to celebrate his first goal for Juventus.

"Who's this Zachary Bemba? How come I've never heard about him?" One Australian fan asked his friend after the cheering started dying down.

"Mate! You're out of touch with the current happenings on the football scene," his friend replied with a sigh. "Zachary Bemba is Juventus' newest and most expensive signing this year. He was the star who helped a small Norwegian team called Rosenborg to win the Europa League last season. He scored over 20 goals and broke the tournament goal-scoring record in a single season. How can you not know about him?"

It was his friend's turn to get surprised. He was like most Australians, who had a habit of focusing only on the very big European football clubs and competitions. He would watch the Champions League, yes. But he would never waste his time following an inconsequential tournament like the Europa League. So, how could he have known about Zachary?

"Is he really a great player?" The fan asked his friend again.

"Yes, he is," his friend replied matter-of-factly. "He can dribble, pass with machine-like precision, and score goals like a football demon. He even scored four goals against Juventus, and that's why they signed him for a club-record transfer fee. Then, there are his abnormal free kicks. Mate! He has never missed a set piece during his entire professional career. As long as the set piece is within the final third, he'll convert. So, tell me! Do you think he is impressive or not?"

"You make him sound like another Messi or a CR7," the fan sounded skeptical. "Is he as good as them?"

His friend thought for a moment before saying, "That, I can't tell at the moment. I'll need to watch him in the Serie A first. Then, I'll be able to judge if he is as good as those two."

—–

Unbeknownst to Zachary, many Australian fans in the stadium were starting to research his history. Due to his incredible goal that put Juventus back to level terms, they became interested in him and asked their friends about his past deeds. Others even pulled up his information from the internet and watched a few videos of his past highlights. What happened next was pretty obvious. In a few minutes, they comprehended the extent of his skills and couldn't stop exclaiming in wonderment. They immediately decided to follow him on social media so as to get more updates about him. And that was how Zachary started attracting bunches of more Instagram and Twitter followers while he was with his new team on tour in Australia. But all that didn't matter to him as he was still on the field of play, facing off against the A-League All-Stars.

It was the 85th minute, but the game was still at a deadlock of 2:2. Naturally, Juventus was dominating the proceedings and creating more chances on the field of play. All the field players, especially the just-introduced substitutes, played like they were hungry predators chasing after prey. They outran their opponents by more than five kilometers as they searched for that one winning goal to put the game to bed. And finally, during the 93rd minute, the chance they had been looking for appeared.

After making an intelligent and abrupt run to escape from an opponent, Zachary met up with a pass from Leonardo Bonucci, the center-back, close to the boundary of the defensive third. His high spatial awareness worked wonders — and he assessed the situation on the field in a flash. Before the opponents could close him down, he angled his body and unleashed a hell-of-a-long-range-pass towards the other end of the pitch. And that was all it took for Zachary to take the entire opposing defense out of the equation.

Whoosh!

The ball zoomed through midair, darting in and out of the spaces between the opponents like a remote-controlled drone. In a matter of seconds, it landed before Paul Pogba, who had coincidentally just beaten the offside trap as he ran towards the opponent's goal. Without losing composure, the Frenchman chested it down the ground on a half-turn. Then, with a deft touch, he looped it past the approaching keeper to score Juventus' third goal for the night.

—–

A-League All-Stars 2 : Juventus 3

—–

It was a good night for Zachary. He had managed to change the game's trajectory by scoring a goal and creating an assist after spending less than thirteen minutes on the pitch. As a result, his new teammates couldn't stop complimenting him when the whole team grouped up to celebrate Pogba's last-minute winner.

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Chapter 438: Post-Match Interview

After four minutes of added time, the game ended while Juventus was still leading by three goals to two. The Juventus players immediately waved to their passionate Australian fans before stepping off the pitch and heading back to the dressing room.

On the way through the tunnel, most of Zachary's teammates congratulated him on his feat of scoring his first goal for Juventus. They were super happy for him and encouraged him to net more goals during the pre-season and when the new Serie A season commenced.

Zachary, of course, received their good wishes politely without revealing any excess emotions. But on the inside, he was super happy since he was gaining the trust of his new teammates at the speed of a rocket escaping earth's gravity.

He couldn't have imagined or dreamed of a better start to his journey as a Juventus player. He was on cloud nine, especially since he could feel his confidence and sharpness on the pitch returning to him much faster than he had anticipated. He reckoned that he might be able to fit into the Juventus team fully if he could continue putting up solid performances while scoring a few more goals during the pre-season.

As a footballer, who had experienced two lives, Zachary understood the importance of teamwork. He had long comprehended that on a football team, it was not the strength of the individual players but the unit's prowess and how they all functioned together as a whole that mattered. He knew that even the most talented players would find it difficult to realize their potential if they couldn't straighten their character and become team players. They would find it almost impossible to play at their peak if they couldn't gain the trust of their teammates and coaches.

For instance, Zachary succeeded at Rosenborg because all his former teammates trusted him. When they were on the pitch, they would never think twice before passing the ball to him during crucial moments. Even the coach would allow him plenty of freedom on the field due to his trust in his overflowing team spirit. And that permitted him to play incredibly well and showcase his skills without any hindrances, week in, week out.

Having learned all those lessons, Zachary was determined to follow the same model during his tenure at Juventus. First and foremost, he wanted to become a good colleague who had a good relationship with his teammates and understood them well. Then, he would be able to play football without worrying about other players or coaches hindering the progress of his career.

"Zachary! A moment please!" Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach in charge of the first team, called out to him before he could step into the dressing room.

Zachary immediately turned around and realized that the coach was chasing after him. He stopped in his tracks and waited for the man to catch up to him.

"You have one responsibility before heading into the dressing room," the assistant coach said after standing before him. "We need you to do the post-match press conference, especially since you scored your first goal for Juventus today."

Zachary raised a brow, glancing at the Italian coach. "But I don't speak Italian, and this is the pre-season. Is this really necessary?"

"Very," Coach Maurizio Trombetta replied. "There have been a few traces of negative publicity about you floating around in the news. Some football pundits predicted that you would become a flop at Juventus. Now that you've scored, we want you to get out there and assure the fans of how well you're settling in at Juventus."

"Again, I have to ask: Is this really necessary? If I continue performing well on the pitch, the negative publicity will go away!"

"That's not enough at a big club like Juventus," Coach Trombetta replied. "You have to remember that you're a public figure. Many football fans in Italy and other countries are interested in everything about you, including your lifestyle and match fitness. For instance, the publicity office reported that many fans have been asking why you're not starting for Juventus. Due to the predictions by the pundits, the fans have doubts about you and are constantly wondering whether you're finding it difficult to adapt to life at Juventus. They fear that you might become a flop at the club. And that impacts your shirt sales and, in turn, affects the club's income. So, we can't let this negative publicity continue floating around. We need you to do a press conference so that you can assure the fans of how you find life in Turin perfect and what goals you've set for yourself at the club."

"Okay, then," Zachary said, nodding. "Lead the way to the press area. Let's get this over with."

Coach Trombetta smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "We arranged a press conference in a way that one reporter interviews you. Just take the whole thing as a conversation with a beautiful reporter and talk about your goals and aspirations at the club. I'm sure you'll do okay, and before you know it, it'll be over."

"I understand," Zachary said. "Let's go."

Coach Trombetta nodded before leading the way. They traversed the sparkling hallways of the ANZ Stadium and arrived before a door in a matter of seconds. The coach pushed it open, and they stepped inside a relatively large room that was supposedly the press area of the famous stadium in Sydney.

Zachary immediately looked around after entering the room. There was a camera crew and a few other stadium officials organizing the room for the press conference. But what caught Zachary's eye and caused him to halt in his tracks for a moment was a familiar and beautiful blonde lady in a Juventus number 10 jersey.

"It's you!" Zachary exclaimed after setting his eyes on her gorgeous face. He immediately recalled that she was the reporter who had stealthily shoved her business card into his pocket while he was in France about to play against Lyon.

"It's nice to meet you again, Zachary," she said, smiling. "Congratulations upon your move to Juventus." She stood up from her seat and extended her hand.

Zachary's expression turned unnatural after recalling how her stunt of shoving her name card into his pocket had almost caused him trouble with Camilla. But he forced himself to remain calm as he took her hand for a firm handshake. "Thank you," he replied and immediately asked, "Are you a Juventus fan now?"

"You can say so," she replied. "I became a supporter about two weeks ago."

"Two weeks ago!" Zachary's expression turned more strange after comprehending that that was the time when he'd just joined Juventus. He couldn't help but wonder whether the beautiful reporter before him was one of those stalker types he'd once read about in celebrity magazines.

"Do you two know each other?" Coach Trombetta asked from the side after noticing Zachary's strange mannerisms.

"She once interviewed me," Zachary responded, not wishing to go into the details.

"Yes, indeed," the lady reporter confirmed with a smile. "I interviewed Zachary before Rosenborg's Europa League game against Lyon last season."

"Oh, okay," Coach Trombetta intoned. "This makes things easier since you two know each other. Let's get straight into the press conference. I'm sure Zachary wants to get this over with, so he can return to his hotel room to rest. He must be tired after playing the game."

The lady reporter nodded and instructed her crew to start up the cameras. They worked quickly, and all the machines came alive in seconds. Then, a minute later, Zachary and the reporter took their seats, and the press conference started.

"Hello, viewers," the lady reporter said, smiling and facing the cameras. "I'm Éléanor Bohen from ESPN. With me here is Zachary Bemba, the man of the hour, who scored his first goal for Juventus today. He also provided the incredible assist that resulted in Juventus' 3rd goal against the A-League all-stars during injury time."

She turned away from the camera and faced Zachary. "Zachary! Thank you for staying back to talk to us. How do you feel after scoring your first goal for Juventus?"

"I feel really great," Zachary replied. "I can now sleep at ease knowing I didn't disappoint my coaches and teammates when I got the opportunity to bury the ball into the back of the net."

Éléanor chuckled. "Your goal was incredible. The shot was powerful, and even the keeper couldn't react. How did you manage to strike the ball in such a perfect manner?"

Zachary smiled. "Luck and technique," he replied. "I was lucky to be in the right place and thus allowed Pogba to pass to me. Then, I relied on my technique to smash the ball into the back of the net without allowing any opponents to close me down. That's how I did it."

"You make the process sound so simple," Éléanor remarked.

"It's quite simple if you train," Zachary responded.

Éléanor laughed. "Let's talk about something other than the match. You have spent more than two weeks with Juventus. Are you settling in well?"

"I'm trying," Zachary replied. "I'm obviously working hard to fit into the team and also elevate my game to the next level. I spend nearly every waking hour training as I want to improve myself and succeed at this great club."

"Can we expect to see more phenomenal performances from you in a Juventus shirt?"

"Definitely," Zachary replied. "I have great belief in myself. I'm confident that if I continue working hard, I'll eventually cement my place on the starting line-up and play good and consistent football. But as you also know, I have only spent slightly over two weeks with Juventus. I still need a little more time to settle down and return to my peak."

"It's nice to hear that, Zachary," Éléanor said. "But what about the language barrier issue? Do you face any problems during training or matches because you can't speak Italian?"

"The language barrier is obviously a bit inconveniencing," Zachary said. "But it's not a big problem that can affect my training or performance on the pitch. Some coaches and teammates speak more than two languages. They always act as my translators when we're on the field of play or on the training ground."

"Do you plan on learning Italian?" Éléanor asked.

"Yes, I do plan on learning Italian," Zachary said. "I have already enrolled in a language school. If all goes well, I should be able to speak and understand Italian by the end of the year."

Éléanor smiled. "I'm sure the Italian fans will love that. Based on what you have said, you seem to be having an easy time settling down in Turin well. Is that right?"

"Indeed, I'm settling in well," Zachary agreed. "I'm starting to enjoy my time here at Juventus."

Éléanor nodded with a smile. "Then, I wish you luck. And hopefully, we'll be able to see you scoring more goals for Juventus soon."

"I certainly will," Zachary said. "I will try my best to succeed at this club. That, I promise."

"Excellent," Éléanor said, smiling. "Thanks again for taking the time to talk to us even after playing a game. We wish you all the best during your time at Juventus."

"Thanks," Zachary replied, and the interview ended.

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Chapter 439: A Shocking UEFA Super Cup Result

As Zachary was about to leave the room with Coach Trombetta after the interview, Éléanor Bohen, the ESPN reporter, called out to him. Her dazzling blue eyes crinkled at the edges, and the corners of her full lips turned upwards. She stepped forward and asked Zachary, "Can I talk to you alone for a moment?"

Coach Trombetta, who had been quietly watching on from the side, flashed Zachary a knowing smile. He reminded Zachary about the time of departure of the team bus before excusing himself and stepping out of the press room.

"So, what do you wish to talk about?" Zachary immediately asked Éléanor.

Éléanor smiled and said, "I was expecting your call after the Lyon game. But you didn't call!"

"I have a girlfriend," Zachary stated. "A beautiful and understanding girlfriend!"

"Oh!" Éléanor seemed surprised. "But does having a girlfriend stop us from being friends?"

"Yes, it does," Zachary stated. "One intelligent man once said that a wise man shouldn't become friends with other girls if he has a girlfriend. It's the surefire way to avoid trouble."

Éléanor chuckled, glancing at Zachary with an amused expression. "Your girlfriend is lucky to have you as her boyfriend," she said. "Is she with you here in Turin?"

Zachary raised a brow. "Please don't ask me such questions. I don't want to discuss my personal life with journalists. Have a good night."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and stepped away from the reporter. He was decisive as he didn't wish to associate himself with any lady drama that could potentially distract him before he achieved his career goals.

Éléanor's jaw dropped when she saw Zachary stepping away from her like she was the plague. She blanked out for a moment and watched him absentmindedly as he left the room. Then, when his back disappeared through the doorway, Éléanor did some introspection. She couldn't help but wonder whether her charms had fallen to the extent that she could even attract the attention of a 19-year-old who had just risen to fame.

"Our gorgeous Éléanor also has times like these," the voice of the only other lady within her camera crew interrupted her thought process. She mercilessly laughed at her friend's plight and continued, "He just gave you the cold shoulder without batting an eye. What an interesting lad!"

Éléanor's eyes narrowed as she glanced at Beatrice, her long-time friend. "He didn't reject me," she articulated. "He just said that he had a girlfriend. So, I still have a chance."

"Dream on!" Beatrice said with a chuckle. "If a guy says he has a girlfriend, it means he isn't interested in you. Otherwise, he would have hidden the fact that he was in a relationship. My conclusion: You have no chance. So, better stop."

Éléanor ignored her friend's advice and asked, "Do you know there was a slight jolt in his emotion when I inquired whether his girlfriend was in Turin with him? He turned all defensive and immediately left."

"Oh!" Beatrice's eyes widened.

Éléanor smiled, her eyes filled with glee. "As I said, I still have a chance since the relationship with the girlfriend seems unstable. They must be having problems. Otherwise, there's no sensible lady who would willingly let her rich and dashing boyfriend stay alone in a city like Turin."

"You're as sharp as ever," Beatrice said. "But I still believe that you have no chance. I was watching the entire time. He didn't even steal a single glance at your boobs during the interview. It was like he was talking to a robot the entire time."

"That will change," Éléanor said confidently. "I only need to create more opportunities to interact with him. When I show him my good side, things will work out."

"You're a lost cause." Beatrice chuckled and shook her head. "Let's pack up. We need to edit the content and send it to the station tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Éléanor agreed and pushed the thoughts about Zachary to the back of her head. Once again, she turned all professional and concentrated on doing her job.

Zachary didn't let his one good performance for Juventus inflate his ego. He continued working like a maniac and utilized all his day hours on Monday to polish up his ball skills. He was focused from morning to evening since he wished to elevate his fitness to the peak before the new Serie A season commenced on 30th August.

Monday quickly passed, and Tuesday arrived. He again woke up early and trained with his teammates for the whole day. And again, time passed quickly, and dusk arrived faster than expected. He had dinner with his teammates before returning to his hotel room and switching on the TV screen. Of course, he was about to watch Rosenborg's Super Cup game against Real Madrid that evening.

"Dear viewers," the commentator's voice reverberated across the room a few seconds later, right after the TV finished booting up. "Welcome to the live broadcast of today's UEFA Super Cup game. We are about to witness a historical battle between two champions of Europe. Rosenborg, a team from Norway that overcame all odds to win the Europa League, will be facing off against a star-studded Real Madrid side that won the Champions League last season."

"Who will emerge as the victor tonight?" The commentator continued. "Will Rosenborg overcome all odds and win again, even without Zachary Bemba, their young playmaker that has just joined Juventus? Or will it be Real Madrid? Let's look at the line-ups before we move on to the game."

Real Madrid's line-up came up first, and Zachary immediately noticed that all their stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Luka Modrić, and Iker Casillas, were on the squad. But when Rosenborg's line-up appeared, he realized that a few names that should be among the starting eleven were missing. He couldn't see Eric Bailly, Paul Kasongo, and Nicki Nielsen among the players on the squad. The three of them were not even on the substitute's bench.

"What happened?" Zachary wondered, recalling some rumors he had heard about his previous club. "Could the transfer speculation be true?"

Over the past two weeks, there was a lot of gossip about Rosenborg's situation in the transfer market. Many media houses and famous sports journalists reported that top clubs like Villarreal, Lyon, Atlético Madrid, and Manchester United, among others, had approached Rosenborg to sign some of the young players that won the Europa League. They even hinted that Rosenborg was taking a positive approach towards the potential deals due to the ample sums of money involved. And they predicted that if negotiations went well, the Norwegian giants might lose three or more of their young players before the transfer window's closing date.

Zachary found the entire situation a bit unsettling. Deep down, he still had favorable feelings for his first club. Zachary wanted them to continue dominating Norwegian football while also putting up incredible performances in European competitions. But it seemed that he couldn't realize his wish as the board of his former club seemed intent on selling most of the young players that had already shown potential.

"Most probably, Rosenborg is about to sell Eric Bailly, Paul Kasongo, and Nicki Nielsen," Zachary mused. "That should be the reason they are not on the squad."

During Zachary's previous life, both Kasongo and Nicki hadn't gotten a chance to play for well-known European clubs. Kasongo had passed away before he could kick-start his football career, while Nicki had only played for small-time clubs like Esbjerg FB and Lech Poznań after leaving Rosenborg.

But in Zachary's new life, circumstances were totally different due to his influence. The two players had already garnered interest from famous clubs like Southampton, Tottenham, and Lyon due to their incredible performances in the previous Europa League. They were already on their way to stardom due to their association with Zachary, causing him to sigh in wonderment about how small things could change entire trajectories of fates of various people.

"I wonder how they will turn out in the future!" Zachary sighed and silently wished them luck on the journey to realize their full potential. He hoped to see them become top players that would dazzle the world with their skills.

After pushing all the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind, Zachary focused on the screen. He watched with bated breath as Real Madrid dominated his former team on the field of play from the very first minute. The team from Madrid outclassed Rosenborg in all areas of the pitch and utilized its fast forwards to break open the floodgates. Before long, there was a goal fest that caused misery to all the Rosenborg fans watching the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to find the back of the net with a long-range effort that caught the keeper napping during the 31st minute. Then, five minutes later, he stunned the Norwegian giants again by connecting with a long-range cross from Luka Modrić before heading the ball into the back of the net to score Real Madrid's second goal.

But that wasn't the end of the nightmare for Rosenborg that night. Five minutes into the second half, Karim Benzema added a third before Sergio Ramos multiplied Rosenborg's despair with a header after connecting with a corner ball during the 67th minute. It was a total thrashing.

Zachary watched for a few more minutes until he couldn't take it anymore. He sighed and switched off the TV before cleaning up and diving into bed. He pushed all thoughts about the game out of his head and soon descended into a deep slumber.

As usual, he woke up early, at around six the following morning. First thing, even before going through his morning yoga routine, he checked the score of the previous night's game using an app on his phone. The next moment, his eyes almost bulged from their sockets as he rechecked the score. He couldn't believe that Real Madrid had scored three more goals during the final twenty minutes and won the game by seven goals to one. They had mercilessly decimated his former club by seven goals to one before becoming the winners of the 2014 UEFA Super Cup.

Chapter 440: A Debate

As usual, Emilia Vasquez hosted ESPN's daily sports show on Wednesday morning. She was as composed as ever as she smiled at the cameras and said, "Viewers! Good morning. With me in the studio are four of our notable pundits – Shaka Hislop, Steve Nicol, Joshua Morales, and Charles Adams. They will help us review and analyze games played around all around Europe over the past few days. Let's get right into it and start with last night's UEFA Super Cup. It was one strange game as we saw Real Madrid wipe the floor with Rosenborg by scoring seven goals while only conceding one. Shaka! Let's start with you! What's your take on yesterday's game?"

"All I can say is that it was a one-sided demolishing of Rosenborg by Real Madrid," Shaka replied with a sigh. "Without Zachary Bemba's presence in the midfield, the Norwegian giants couldn't seem to find the rhythm and brilliance that allowed them to win the Europa League last season. They committed many mistakes and invited Real Madrid to decimate them. And that's what happened."

"You just mentioned Zachary Bemba," Emilia Vasquez pointed out as the cameras focused back on her. "Do you think there would have been a possibility of Rosenborg beating Real Madrid if he had been on the squad?"

Shaka smiled. "I'm sure the match would have been more interesting if Zachary had been on Rosenborg's squad yesterday. The boy is like a force of nature — like a Tsunami that sweeps away everything on the field of play. Had he been on the pitch, he would have gone at Real Madrid from the first minute and created many opportunities on goal. He wouldn't have allowed the Spanish giants to wipe the floor with his team. But too bad! He's already a Juventus player."

"That reminds me of something interesting," Joshua Morales, the pundit occupying the seat next to Shaka, chimed in with a smile. "During the 16th minute, Sergio Ramos committed that risky foul against Karl Toko Ekambi at the edge of the box. The referee awarded a free kick to Rosenborg, but Mike Jensen, Rosenborg's central midfielder, failed to convert. Just imagine if Zachary had been on the pitch. He would have taken the free kick and buried the ball into the back of the net to put Rosenborg ahead early in the game. That would have been a very crucial turning point in the match. And from that moment, we would have seen a different trajectory of the game, and just maybe, Rosenborg would have played counterattacking football and won the Super Cup."

"Those are many what ifs," Charles Adams, the journalist, remarked. "Let's not forget to merit the brilliance of the Real Madrid players. They played incredibly well yesterday night, took their chances well, and destroyed Rosenborg with their creativity and speed. And even if Zachary had been present, so what? Those energetic and tactical Real Madrid players would have still found a way to contain him. They would have been more careful while defending, and they wouldn't have allowed him a chance to convert any free kicks or take shots at goal near their box."

"Guys!" Emilia Vasquez chipped in. "Let's return our focus to the UEFA Super Cup game. Cristiano Ronaldo was quite impressive during the match. He bagged two goals within a five-minute window to kick-start the goal fest that saw Rosenborg lose the game by seven goals to one."

"I'm not surprised," Charles Adams said. "Cristiano Ronaldo has always been an incredible player. Last season, he clearly outdid himself by scoring 51 goals in all competitions and helping his team win the UEFA Champions League. Yesternight, he was on form again and scored twice to help Real Madrid win the Super Cup. Honestly, I'll really be disappointed if he doesn't win the next Ballon d'Or."

"Where does that leave Messi, Arjen Robben, and Zachary?" Emilia asked. "They all scored over forty goals for their clubs last season. Don't you think they have the potential to win the Ballon d'Or?"

Charles Adams chuckled and shook his head. "Please do us a favor and don't bring Zachary into this debate. We're talking about players with the highest probability of winning the Ballon d'Or. How does Zachary's name come into this discussion when he didn't even play the World Cup?"

"He helped his club overcome all odds and win the Europa League for the first time in history," Joshua Morales pointed out. "Such a feat surely deserves an award."

Shaka Hislop smiled and said, "I know that Charles is quite an annoying guy. But I'm with him on this one. We can't bring Zachary Bemba into the debate of the players likely to win the Ballon d'Or at this moment. He's far from that level, as he hasn't played in highly competitive leagues. And I know he won the Europa League, but that isn't enough to compare him with this year's Ballon d'Or top candidates. He still falls short."

"Thank you, Shaka," Charles Adams hurriedly said. "I have been telling people the exact same thing. Winning the Europa League doesn't warrant that Zachary is one of the best players in the world. He hasn't reached the level where he can touch the shoes of incredible talents like CR7, Neymar, or Messi."

Shaka nodded in agreement. "But before we move on, I still have to point out one thing," he said. "Zachary Bemba is an incredible player who has the potential to create miracles on the pitch. But he's still a diamond in the rough as he's only nineteen years. Only if he keeps progressing will we see him joining the ranks of top players in three to five years. But for now, we can only rate him as a young player with immense potential and the highest probability of winning the Golden Boy award. That's my honest rating of him."

"Indeed, he can win the Golden Boy award," Steve Nicol agreed. "The only other young lads that could potentially give him some competition include Kurt Zouma, Raheem Sterling, and Adrien Rabiot. But with his achievements last season, he should be able to beat them and win the award this year."

"Speaking of Zachary," Emilia said, "He was honest in his interview with Éléanor after Juventus' game against the A-League all-stars on Sunday night. He mentioned that he's working hard to progress his career to another level. He also emphasized that he's driven and deeply yearns to succeed at Juventus. Steve! Do you think he will be able to realize his goals at Juventus? Can he elevate his game and become one of those greats in football within a couple of years?"

"Honestly," Steve Nicol said, "I can't answer that question at the moment. I don't have all the data to analyze the possible trajectory of his growth over the next few years."

Emilia nodded. "I understand your reservations. But can you tell us what Zachary has to do to become one of the top players in the world?"

"Of course, he has to continue working hard," Steve Nicol said matter-of-factly. "Remember, all footballers who have managed to achieve greatness in football are consistent. They can put up spectacular performances all season round for many years. That also applies to Zachary. He needs to remain consistent on and off the pitch. He needs to play spectacular football week in, week out, and score many goals for Juventus before joining the ranks of the top world-class footballers."

"Thank you, Nicol." Emilia nodded and turned to another pundit. "Charles! You have been very open about how Zachary will likely become a flop at Juventus. Do you still think the same after watching his performance against the A-League all-stars on Sunday night?"

"Well," Charles Adams said a bit hesitantly. "If you are to factor in Zachary's signing fee, which amounts to roughly 80 million Euros, there's a chance he'll become a flop at Juventus this season. He might fail to quickly mature into the playmaker Juventus wished to acquire when they coughed out all that money. Of course, I understand that Zachary scored his first goal for Juventus on Sunday, but that's still not enough. I want to see him playing as he did at Rosenborg last season. I want to see him tearing defenses apart and scoring week in, week out. Only then will I label him a successful signing for Juventus. And only then will I acknowledge that he's worth the 80 million that Juventus splashed out to acquire him from Rosenborg."

"You're out of your mind," Joshua Morales couldn't help but comment from beside Charles. "And clearly, you don't know the meaning of the word flop."

Charles raised a brow. "Say that again."

"I said that you're out of your mind and you don't know the meaning of the word flop," Joshua Morales reiterated, not mincing words with the journalist. "Let's not forget that it was only a few weeks ago when you stated with great conviction in front of the cameras that Zachary would become a flop at Juventus. But now, after watching the guy improve after each game he plays for Juventus, you're trying to dig your way out of a grave you created for yourself. You're using wordplay to distance yourself from your remarks instead of owning up to them. Shame upon you."

"Viewers!" Emilia chimed in before Charles could respond. "We'll be heading into a short commercial break. Thanks for watching, and please don't touch that dial."

She said all that in a single breath while secretly signaling the camera crew to cut the live feed. Then, after the cameras went offline, she spent minutes calming the tempers around her as she didn't wish to see a scenario where pundits started a brawl within her studio due to differing opinions.

---

Read The Greatest of all Time Chapter 441: Another Solid Performance online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 441: Another Solid Performance

Juventus' pre-season tour of Asia and Australia proceeded forward as planned. The Italian giants boarded their chartered plane and traveled to Carlton, Australia, on Wednesday morning. On arriving, they spent a couple of hours resting and relaxing in a hotel before heading to a nearby football pitch to continue their intense pre-season training program. Then, when evening arrived, they took the arranged team bus to the Princes Park Stadium to face off against Newcastle United Jets Football Club.

For that game, Coach Massimiliano Allegri fielded a surprising squad. He benched most of his creative players like Zachary Bemba, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, and Fernando Llorente with the excuse of wanting to rest them. As a result, Juventus put up a not-so-impressive performance and only scored a goal late in the 71st minute.

Fortunately, the Juventus defenders were as hard-working as ever. They helped the team keep a clean sheet and win the game with a score of 1:0 after five minutes of added time.

After the game, the Juventus squad stayed in Carlton for only one more day to relax and recover from the post-match fatigue. Then, on the morning of Friday, they boarded their chartered plane and traveled to Kallang, Singapore, to kick-start the final phase of their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.

They were back in action two days later, on a rainy Sunday evening. They faced off against the LionsXII S-League Internationals Select team and put up an incredible performance that wowed the fully packed Singapore National Stadium.

Zachary, who had started his first game for Juventus, played incredibly well. He quickly linked up well with Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio to dominate the midfield and bring the opponents to their knees. His solid passing and remarkable spatial awareness worked like magical charms as he created chances that almost resulted in goals during the opening fifteen minutes.

But alas, the opponents held on for dear life by defending like maniacs. They put their bodies on the line to keep the ball out of the net and prevent Juventus from scoring an opening goal. As a result, the score remained deadlocked at 0:0 until the 32nd minute, when Andrea Pirlo managed to create something out of nothing by relying on his incredible passing range.

The Italian Maestro reacted with all the haste he could muster after the opponents failed to convert a corner kick. With his signature long-range pass, he unleashed Carlos Tévez, the Argentine striker who had been lurking on the right flank, and in so doing, initiated the counterattack.

Carlos quickly connected with the ball and brought it to the ground with his chest. Before the nearby opponents could close him down, he whirled around and took off towards the other half like a raging hurricane.

Whoosh!

Tévez's short strides ate up yards of space in a matter of seconds as he tried to outrun the opponents who had stayed back to defend during the corner. But when he stepped into the final third and was about to reach the box, he met a no-nonsense defender, who swept him off the ground with a sliding tackle.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee blew the whistle immediately. He rushed to the scene and straight away awarded a free kick to Juventus in front of the arc of the 18-yard box. He then spent a few seconds trying to calm Carlos, who was already fuming, before showing a red card to the opposing player who had made the dangerous tackle.

"Do you wish to take it?" Andrea Pirlo asked Zachary as they stood before the ball and prepared to take the free kick a few seconds later. The Italian Maestro was stuttering a little due to his not-so-expert command of English.

"Yes, I wish to take the free kick," Zachary replied. Of course, he wouldn't pass up such a rare opportunity to impress the coaches, especially at that late stage of the pre-season tour. He wanted to quickly show his good points to his teammates and coaches and cement his place on the Juventus squad in the shortest time possible.

The edges of Andre Pirlo's mustache rose up slightly as he smiled. He assessed the situation in the opposing box before saying, "There are about 32 yards to the goal. What do you think is the best strategy for the set piece? Should we take it directly on goal, or do we try to find our teammates with a lofted ball over the defensive line?"

"I'll go directly for goal if I'm to take it," Zachary responded, his tone exuding confidence. "I'm certain I'll be able to test the keeper with the power behind my shot."

Andrea inclined his head to glance at Zachary with a surprised expression. "Although this is the pre-season, we still wish to score and win the game. Are you confident?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm confident," Zachary responded. He had never halted his free-kick training within the system simulator or on the physical training grounds. He was sure that he would be able to give the keeper a hard time as long as he utilized his Bend-it-like-Beckham Juju and his newly acquired Missile Launcher skills while taking the free-kick.

"If you're that confident, take the free kick," Andrea Pirlo said, stepping back from the ball. "Please do your best."

"Okay," Zachary replied, smiling. "Thanks for allowing me this opportunity."

"There's no need for thanks," Andrea said. "Your skills are what allowed you the opportunity to stand before this free-kick. All the Juventus players, including me, know about you from last season. We don't need to worry that you'll mess up since we're all aware that you have an impressive a hundred percent record when converting free-kicks in the final third. Which one is your prominent leg, by the way?"

"I can use both legs with ease," Zachary answered. "Previously, my right leg was a bit weaker. But after undergoing targeted training regimes over the years, I overcame that shortcoming."

"Eh!" Andrea Pirlo's eyes widened for a moment. "You're a monster. I now understand why you scored all those goals against us last season."

Zachary laughed at that and immediately placed the ball on the free-kick spot. Then, he took a deep breath and assessed the situation in the opponent's box before stepping back from the ball.

As usual, he had already activated the Dead Ball Specialist Juju. His mind was already working in overdrive, trying to deduce the best way to take the free kick and score. He was a hundred percent focused, and not even the loud cheers of the fans in the stands could interrupt his concentration at that moment.

FWEEEEEEE*

The referee's whistle sounded a few seconds later, and Zachary reacted immediately. He made an angled run towards the ball before taking the last jump step and pulling the trigger. At that moment, his set-piece skills, including the Bend-it-like-Beckham Juju, the Missile Launcher, and Dead Ball Specialist Juju, all worked in sync. He swung his leg down like a whip to smack the ball and send it rocketing towards the top right corner.

The LionsXII S-League Internationals goalkeeper quickly reacted with a despairing dive. But the ball's incredible velocity and the immense power behind the shot rendered all his efforts fruitless. He could only watch on helplessly as the ball flashed past his outstretched fingertips and homed into the back of the net.

—–

LionsXII S-League Internationals 0 : Juventus 1

—–

"Nicely taken," Andrea Pirlo complemented Zachary as they celebrated Juventus' first goal for the night close to the corner flag. "But don't think that I'll willingly surrender my position as the main set-piece taker of the team. I'll continue training and retake my position when you start missing."

Zachary chuckled. "If I ever start missing, be my guest. But when will that be?"

"Someone is growing some big balls after only converting one set-piece," Pogba said with a grin while patting Zachary's back. "Beware! Andrea doesn't like losing to anyone."

The rest of the Juventus players laughed at that as they continued celebrating the goal. They were all smiles as they hugged Zachary and complimented his incredible set-piece skills.

Zachary's mood had already soared into the night skies of Singapore at that moment. He was filled with glee as he could feel that he had finally gained the full acknowledgment of most of his teammates after converting the free kick. Even quiet players like Carlos Tévez and Kwadwo Asamoah were joking around with him — a testament that they were growing closer to him with the passing of each week.

—–

The game continued after the goal celebrations. The Juventus players utilized their numerical advantage and pressurized the opponents during the remaining minutes of the game. They played spectacular passing football to tear up the opposing team's formation and open the floodgates. And before long, the balls started finding their way into the back of the net.

Carlos Tévez scored the 2nd and 3rd goals for Juventus during the 36th and the 42 minutes, respectively. Then, just two minutes into the second half, he added another to complete a hat trick for the night.

But that wasn't the end of the one-sided thrashing. During the 57th minute, Paul Pogba connected well with Zachary's well-timed through-pass to score Juventus 5th goal for the night. Then, Fernando Llorente, the Spanish forward, concluded the goal festival by heading home to net the 7th during the 72nd minute. The Juventus players were surely wiping the floor with Singapore's LionsXII S-League Internationals select team.

Coach Allegri watched the proceedings for a few more minutes before shaking his head and deciding to substitute ten of his starting players. He only left Gianluigi Buffon, the goalkeeper, on the pitch and brought on ten of his young players during the 75th minute. He was that merciful, especially since he was playing a pre-season friendly and didn't wish to continue embarrassing his hosts.

—–

Chapter 442: Coach Allegri's Considerations

After the substitutions, the game continued. The younger players of Juventus who had just stepped onto the pitch didn't take long to find their rhythm and sustain a substantial amount of attacking pressure against the opponents.

Over the next few minutes, they played genius counterattacking football to catch the team from Singapore off guard on several occasions. And finally, during the 88th minute, their hard work paid off, and Kingsley Coman, the French forward, completed a successful counter and scored Juventus' 8th and last goal for the night.

The remaining few minutes flashed by quickly, and the game concluded when the score was still 8:0 in favor of Juventus. The Old Lady had totally owned and demolished the team from Singapore, thus showcasing the power of Italian football.

On the sidelines, Coach Allegri was super excited after the referee blew the whistle. He was all smiles as he was finally starting to get a handle on how to manage his new club. He believed that he would be able to shape a new team identity and instill a winning mentality into his players' minds before the commencement of the Serie A season on 30th August.

Additionally, he was impressed by his new signing – Zachary Bemba. He was totally in love with the boy prodigy's free-kick-taking techniques that bordered on the fringes of being almost inhuman in the final third.

Over the past few weeks, he had watched Zachary in training and during matches. He had gradually concluded that the young playmaker could always find the back of the net whenever there was an opportunity to take a set-piece near the opposing team's box. His free kicks were like a force of nature that would sweep away all opposition with an indomitable impetus. Even the most experienced keepers in the world, like Gianluigi Buffon, wouldn't be able to stop a set-piece taken by him.

Having considered all that, Coach Allegri figured that he would be able to build a Juventus team that was almost unstoppable by relying on Zachary's free kicks. As long as he encouraged his other forwards to force fouls out of defenders during matches, everything would be straightforward. He would ask Zachary to try his best to convert the free kicks, and Juventus would be able to score more goals throughout the season.

And if it so happened that the opponents refused to foul due to their fear of Zachary's free kicks, he would still be able to win the game by taking advantage of their laxity and indecisiveness in defense. There were just that many tactical options for him on the striking line due to Zachary's presence on the team.

"I can't wait for the season to begin," Coach Allegri thought as he tried to contain his bubbly emotions. He took a few steps along the touchline and shook hands with the opposing coach before moving around the pitch and congratulating his players upon winning the game. Then a short while later, after waving to the enthusiastic Singaporean fans in the stands, he walked down the tunnel and returned to the dressing room.

He calmly waited a few minutes in a corner until all his players took their seats around the spacious room. Then, when they all quietened down and focused their eyes on him, he took center stage and started his post-match address in Italian.

"That was an incredible performance from you all," he said, sweeping his gaze across the room. "You had all the qualities of versatility, aerial dominance, creativity, and an indomitable spirit while on the pitch. You played incredible team football from the first minute and worked hard to decimate the opponents. I'm really proud of you. And I can say with a hundred percent conviction that you all deserve to be in a Juventus shirt after tonight's game. Please clap for yourselves."

The players laughed and clapped their hands after hearing the coach's praise. A few of them even let out a few whistles of jubilation before going silent again.

Coach Allegri smiled. "This game marks the end of our pre-season tour," he said. "I commend you all for working hard to make our tour of Asia and Australia a success. We managed to win all our games, which is quite an impressive feat. But that doesn't mean that we should grow complacent. We can't relax as our pre-season work is far from done."

"Tomorrow," he continued, "We'll return to Turin and start another intensive program to prepare for the new Serie A season. We'll train intensively at the training center for about three days to improve our in-game tactics before facing off against AC Milan and Sassuolo in the TIM Trophy. That's quite a busy schedule. But, I still expect you to continue working hard on your individual fitness as that will allow us to be ready as a team when 30th August arrives and the Serie A season commences. Clear?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"Great," the coach said, smiling and glancing at his watch. "I don't want to take up more of your time since it's almost clocking nine. Let's clean up quickly and return to the hotel as soon as possible. We should go to bed early and be ready to set off for Turin tomorrow morning at around ten. Is that clear to everyone?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

"Then, let's move quickly and prepare to head back to the hotel," Coach Allegri said, clapping his hands. "You only have fifteen minutes to clean up and be at the bus. Don't be late, or we'll leave you behind."

"But coach," Pogba chimed in with a grin as the other players got up from their seats with the intent to head to the bathrooms. "I don't think our friends, Zachary, Patrice, Morata, and Coman, understood what we discussed."

"Don't worry about them." Coach Allegri smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "There's Coach Trombetta to translate for them. Moreover, we shouldn't babysit them all the time as that will discourage them from learning Italian faster."

The rest of the players laughed at the coach's words as they walked off toward the door leading to the washrooms. They were in a rush as they retreated, as the coach had only given them fifteen minutes to wash up and head to the bus.

—–

Chapter 443: A Costly Mistake

Forty minutes later, the Juventus players returned to their hotel and headed straight to the restaurant to enjoy their late dinner. Zachary, who was quite exhausted after playing his first 90 minutes as a Juventus player, quickly ate his meal before saying his goodnight wishes to his teammates and coaches. He then exited the restaurant and returned to his room.

After cleaning up and brushing his teeth, he stepped onto his room's balcony and dialed Camilla's number using WhatsApp. She picked up almost immediately, and they wasted no time immersing themselves in a deep conversation that touched upon all topics, big and small. They even talked about all the irrelevant things, like what they had had for dinner, before exchanging intimate sweet nothings and saying their goodbyes.

After ending the call, Zachary immediately stepped away from the balcony and returned to the spacious interior of his hotel room. The artificial lighting lit up his face as he settled on his bed and sank into a moment of contemplation.

A few seconds elapsed as he sat there, staring blankly at the wall — until he made a resolution and picked up his phone again. The corners of his lips rose into an arc as he navigated his phone book and dialed another number.

"Hello, Zachary," the voice of Angelo Mattiello, his guide and interpreter, sounded from the other end of the line after the international call connected. "I watched your game today. You were incredible on the pitch. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Zachary responded. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Angelo replied. "But just bored since my main client is away on tour in Asia."

Zachary laughed. "Don't worry! Your boredom will end soon since we're returning to Turin tomorrow. That aside, I need some help."

"Speak away. I'm all ears."

"Can you link me up with a reliable estate agent after I return to Turin tomorrow?" Zachary said. "I wish to buy a good house in a good neighborhood at a good price."

"Oh," Angelo intoned. "What's your budget?"

"One to two million," Zachary replied.

"You will get a luxurious Villa, not a house, at that price," Angelo reminded.

"That's my intent," Zachary said. "I want to purchase a spacious place that can easily accommodate most people working for me. It should also have amenities like a swimming pool, a sauna, an indoor gym, and expansive gardens, among other things."

"I get you, my man," Angelo said from the other end of the line. "I'll immediately get in touch with an estate agent I know. Then, when you arrive in Italy, you can link up with him, and he'll take you to see the houses available for sale in Turin. Does that work for you?"

"That's what I need," Zachary responded. "You can schedule the meeting with the real estate agent for Wednesday morning. By then, I should have already recovered from the jetlag."

"Okay, boss," Angelo said. "I will schedule the meeting for Wednesday at 10:00 AM."

"Excellent," Zachary intoned. "I have to go to bed now as it has already clocked eleven here in Singapore. See you tomorrow when I return to Turin."

"Okay," Angelo replied. "Have a good night, and see you tomorrow. Bye."

Zachary smiled and ended the call without any more needless words. Without further ado, he placed his phone on the bedside table before switching off the lights and jumping into bed. A short while later, he descended into slumberland and was soon dreaming about his would-be-mansion in one of the good neighborhoods of Turin.

—–

As planned, the Juventus team returned to Turin the following day and started the next phase of their intensive pre-season training program. After only a single day of rest, they were back on the turfs at the Juventus training center, going through fitness and tactical drills like exercising maniacs.

Under the supervision of the overly-strict coaches, they trained from early morning to late evening from Wednesday to Friday. In those three days, they covered all areas relevant to football players, including physical fitness, ball skills, and tactical ingenuity, during their team sessions to prepare for the upcoming season. Anyone watching from the sidelines could clearly see that they were men on a mission as they went about their training without ever voicing a complaint.

Zachary, on his part, was as busy as the rest of his teammates and barely had time to attend his language classes during those three days. He had even failed to turn up for his appointment with the real estate agent on Wednesday morning due to the intensive schedule placed upon his shoulders by his new team.

But he wasn't complaining as he enjoyed the process of training and improving himself to become a better footballer. He would rather delay other things, like purchasing a house, rather than offend his new bosses by missing a training session. That was how desperate he was to gain acceptance in his new team. And that was how much he was obsessed with football.

The three days quickly flashed by as the Juventus players trained themselves at the training center. And soon, Saturday, the day when Juventus would face off against AC Milan and Sassuolo in the TIM Trophy, arrived with regal ease. It was finally the time for the Old Lady players to test themselves against top Italian opponents before the commencement of the new season.

The first game that day was at 2:00 PM in the fully-packed Mapei Stadium of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The Juventus players played an intensive forty-five minutes of football against the highly tactical AC Milan side, which gave them a hard time.

Zachary, who had gotten his second start for Juventus in a row, was slow to grow into the game. He struggled in the midfield to cope with the highly intensive pressing tactics of the team from Milan and committed a couple of mistakes during the first ten minutes of gameplay. He was clearly not at his best — and on several occasions, Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio, the other two midfielders, had to cover for him so that Juventus would not concede an early goal.

But, of course, that couldn't help for long. The AC Milan players quickly noticed that he was the weak link in the team and started applying more pressure on him. Sulley Muntari and Nigel de Jong, the two opposing midfielders, harassed him and denied him even a few seconds to relax and grow into the game. And naturally, it wasn't long before they forced a costly mistake out of him.

It all began when Zachary drifted back into his half to collect the ball from Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus' center-back, during the 36th minute. After connecting with Bonucci's pass, he panicked and tried to dribble past Sulley Muntari, the AC Milan midfielder, who had been marking him the entire game. But since he was yet to return to his peak, he failed to beat the midfielder with his sub-par dribbling skills and lost the ball.

What followed was a nightmare for Zachary. Sulley Muntari quickly stepped away from him to initiate a counterattack against Juventus. The Ghanaian midfielder worked his magic to find Stephan El Shaarawy, his teammate, who had just run into a pocket of space at the edge of the box.

El Shaarawy controlled the ball well and stepped past Martín Cáceres, one of the Juventus center-backs, with a deft touch. And without losing his composure, he rounded Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus keeper, and riffled the ball into the back of the net to score AC Milan's 1st goal for the night.

"Damn it!" Zachary cursed as he watched the AC Milan players heading to the corner flag to celebrate the goal. A sense of guilt had already flooded his entire being, especially since he was the person that had committed the mistake that led to his team conceding the first goal. He couldn't even think straight as he couldn't understand what had given him the confidence to dribble when he was yet to return to his peak.

FWEEEEEEE*

After the goal celebrations, the referee blew the whistle and signaled the players to return to their positions. Like the rest of the players, Zachary began making his way to his midfield starting spot, just outside the center circle. But before he could even cover half the distance, a signal from the bench caused him to stop in his tracks.

Zachary looked towards the sidelines and realized that the fourth official had already raised the board to signal his substitution off the pitch. And by the official's side was Arturo Vidal, the other Juventus midfielder who seemed to have already warmed up in preparation to enter the game.

"Phew!"

Zachary expelled a lungful of air as he started walking towards the touchline. His shoulders slumped a little, and his heart sank into the abyss of frustration as the inevitable had finally happened. For the first time since he started his professional career in his second life, he wasn't being taken out of the game for tactical reasons but due to his horrible performance. And to make matters worse, there was a possibility that he wouldn't get an opportunity to make amends before the pre-season ended.

—–

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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Chapter 444: TIM Trophy Conclusion and Analysis

Zachary watched the rest of the game from the bench. He looked on with bated breath as his new teammates tried their best to create chances and score an equalizing goal against AC Milan. But it was as if the goddess of luck was against Juventus that evening. The players failed to find the back of the net and eventually lost the game to AC Milan after five minutes of added time.

After the referee blew the final whistle, Zachary couldn't help but bury his head in his hands. The guilt he was feeling multiplied a hundredfold as he was aware that he was the sole cause of his team's loss. His mind turned blank, and he sat there listlessly while replaying scenes from the just-concluded game within his mind. His poor display on the pitch had affected him that greatly.

—–

The TIM Trophy was one weird pre-season tournament. The three participating clubs had to play three round-robin 45-minute matches in a short period of a single afternoon. And there was almost no time for rest between the games.

The tournament match schedule was as follows. The organizers would decide which teams to play in the first match that lasted only forty-five minutes plus added time. Then, immediately after the first game, the third team would go into action and play against the losing team from the first match. And following that order, the third team would continue playing and end the tournament by facing off against the first-match winner.

Thus, the Juventus players were naturally back in action after a few minutes since they had lost the first game against AC Milan. They faced off against a tenacious Sassuolo side with their relatively strong squad that included star players like Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tévez, Arturo Vidal, and Paul Pogba. And as expected, Zachary, who had been deemed unfit by the coaching staff, wasn't on the squad. He wasn't even on the substitute's bench and only watched his teammates in action from the comfort of the seats in the technical area.

From the first minute, Juventus played superb passing football and dominated the proceedings on the field of play. They hoarded a large percentage of the possession and launched several waves of relentless attacks against Sassuolo's defense. Their hard work and uncompromising playing style finally paid off during the 29th minute, and they created a terrific chance on goal.

Arturo Vidal, the central midfielder who had replaced Zachary, worked his magic close to the center circle. He slid in wholesale and dispossessed Simone Missiroli, Sassuolo's midfielder. Then, with all the haste he could muster, he picked himself from the ground and fed the ball to Paul Pogba.

Paul Pogba was on fire that day. He controlled the ball like a Maestro and stepped past an opposing player with skillful footwork. When the angle opened up, he unleashed a grounded through-pass to find Álvaro Morata, the striker, who had been lurking in a pocket of space before the box.

Morata was quite composed as he connected with Pogba's pass. With only a single touch on the ball, he left his marker in the dust and was soon on an open highway towards the goal. Before the defenders could close him down, he rounded the goalkeeper and buried the ball into the back of the net to score Juventus' first goal.

That goal was all it took for Juventus to open the floodgates. The players in black and white continued sustaining an increasing amount of pressure against their opponents. And naturally, it didn't take long for Carlos Tévez, the often hungry striker, to beat the offside trap and score the 2nd goal. A few minutes later, in the 41st minute, Andrea Pirlo scored the third from a free kick to seal Juventus' overwhelming victory against Sassuolo.

In the third and final game of the TIM trophy, the sharp and brilliant AC Milan players faced off against Sassuolo. Once again, they dominated the game from the first minute and ended up winning by a score of 2:0. In so doing, they also won the short pre-season tournament as they had beaten all their opponents and accumulated six points. They were the true-blue champions of the TIM Trophy — an honor that would remain with them until the following year.

Zachary's disappointing performance against AC Milan became a hot topic in the news after the conclusion of the TIM Trophy. Various sports journalists and critics all over Europe were not shy to point out that an 80-million Euro signing had committed a basic mistake while playing against his first Italian opposition. Without considering the fact that Zachary had just joined Juventus, they outright criticized him on live television as if he was their enemy. It was total madness on the side of the press.

Emilia Vasquez, the ESPN reporter, also covered the topic on her late-night sports show. She spent a few seconds explaining how the TIM Trophy games had progressed earlier that day before smiling and turning towards the pundits present in the studio.

"Let's get right into the analysis of the games," she said. "Gentlemen! What was your take on the TIM Trophy games? Let's begin with you, Charles."

Charles Adams, the journalist who had once predicted that Zachary would become a flop at Juventus, smiled. "AC Milan was, of course, the better team among the three participants in the TIM Trophy. Their star players, like Sulley Muntari and Nigel de Jong, were at the top of their game. They played fantastic football and allowed AC Milan to overpower all their opponents."

"You just mentioned Sulley Muntari," Emilia Vasquez pointed out. "He was impressive in AC Milan's midfield, especially during the first game. He dispossessed Zachary Bemba before initiating that counter that led to AC Milan's goal against Juventus."

"Yes, Sulley Muntari's performance was outstanding," Charles agreed. "But we still can't credit that goal only to him. There was also Zachary Bemba, who committed that basic mistake and gifted the goal to AC Milan. I almost couldn't believe my eyes at that moment. The 80-million signing panicked like an amateur and lost the ball in the defensive third! What the hell was up with that?"

"It was just a bad day for him," Joshua Morales, the other pundit, pointed out. "Even the best players in the world get those sometimes."

"Or maybe, his skills are slowly declining, and he's no longer good enough to outmaneuver top European competition," Charles remarked. "If it were the Zachary from last season, he would have easily dribbled past Sulley Muntari. The Ghanaian midfielder would have stood no chance against that young prodigy that could wipe the floor with his opponents. But what did we see today? Zachary wasn't decisive enough and lost the ball in the defensive third. And that wasn't all. His performance during the rest of the game was a disgrace to that number 10 Juventus shirt he was wearing. He failed to control the ball most of the time. He didn't even create a single chance on goal for Juventus. As I have always insisted, his move to Juventus was a mistake. He would be doing better in any other team."

"Thanks for your analysis, Charles," Emilia Vasquez chimed in with a smile. "The TIM Trophy also marks the end of Juventus' pre-season schedule. Next Saturday, just seven days from now, the new Serie A season will commence, and the Juventus players will face off against Chievo in their opening game. Joshua! From what you have seen today, do you think those players will be ready for the challenge awaiting them next weekend?"

"I think they will be ready," Joshua Morales said. "Aside from today's games, they had a pretty good pre-season overall. They were incredible as a team and won all their games during their tour of Asia and Australia. If they can train strategically and build upon those performances over the next seven days, I can see them getting off to a flying start. They might even go on to win the Serie A title again."

"What about their new 80-million signing, Zachary Bemba?" Emilia asked. "Do you think he will be ready? Can he up his game and become the Zachary from last season within the next seven days?"

Joshua Morales smiled and said, "I think he will be ready. Let's not forget that Zachary is an incredibly talented and world-class player. Not even the top players from teams like Juventus and Lyon could stop him in the Europa League last season. Considering all that, do you really believe that he'll fail to adapt to Serie A football? Do you think he'll fail to score goals and win titles after joining a team with better players? The notion of him not succeeding at Juventus is absurd, especially if you're to consider what he has already achieved at the tender age of nineteen."

"Thank you for your profound analysis, Joshua," Emilia said. "But I have one more question for you. There were some shocking rumors on the internet today. A few reputable journalists in Turin reported that Paul Pogba, the incredibly talented young midfielder, might be on his way out of Juventus. They say he might return to Manchester United before the transfer window closes on September 1st. What do you make of this, Joshua? Could it be that he's under pressure after Zachary Bemba's arrival and has thus chosen to leave the club?"

"I think those are just baseless rumors," Joshua Morales said. "From what I have heard, both Zachary and Paul Pogba are crucial components of Coach Allegri's plans. He won't let Pogba go, especially at this late stage of the transfer window. Additionally, there are reports that Zachary already has a good relationship with Pogba. So, Zachary's presence on the team should not be a factor that pushes the Frenchman out of Juventus. That's my honest opinion."

Chapter 445: Eve of the New Italian Serie A Season

After completing the team practice on Friday afternoon, Zachary washed up

before heading to the player resting lounge at the far end of the training

center. He intended to spend some time unwinding and conversing with his

teammates before attending Coach Allegri's pre-match tactical briefing

scheduled to start an hour later.

He traversed the already familiar hallways of Juventus' training center before

arriving at the door of the resting lounge. He pushed it open and immediately

stepped forward to enter the room occupied by four familiar players. Patrice

Evra was lounging on a couch at the far end of the room while Claudio

Marchisio, Giorgio Chiellini, and Simone Pepe were seated in front of the big

screen, watching a football match.

"Zachary, my man!" Patrice Evra, the Frenchman, was the first to call out to

him in French. "Don't just stand there. Come over and sit beside me." He patted

"Okay," Zachary readily agreed. He first said hi to the other three in the room

before taking a few steps and settling on a couch near Evra's.

Evra gave him a once over before saying, "You were brilliant in today's tactical

training session and even dribbled past Chiellini with expert ease on several

occasions! What were you on, my man? Care to share?"

Zachary chuckled. "If you wish to know what I ate for breakfast or lunch, I'll

humor you. I had milk, bread, cereal, and fruits in the morning. As for lunch,

you don't need to ask since we ate the same food at the canteen."

"You're such a bore," Evra said, grinning and shaking his head. A few seconds

passed, and he seemed to remember something. He glanced at Zachary again

and said, "By the way, did you hear the news of Pogba leaving Juventus?"

"He left?" Zachary's eyes widened. "I thought he was absent from training due

to the knock he received the other day!"

"Your information is outdated," Evra said with an audible sigh. "A couple of

United for a reported approximate fee of 83 million Euros. Man! He's even

more expensive than you. What the hell are the guys in Manchester thinking?"

Zachary almost couldn't believe his ears when he heard the news. Two days

ago, Pogba had excused himself from Juventus' training sessions by claiming

that he had received a knock on his thigh muscle. But Zachary was now hearing

that he was leaving the club. It was a shocking piece of news.

But there was also something else that intrigued Zachary. During his previous

life, Manchester United had only managed to re-sign Pogba in the 2016

summer transfer window. But during his second life, there was a slight change.

The French midfielder had completed the move out of Juventus two years in

advance, meaning that his future at Manchester might take a different

trajectory from that in Zachary's previous life. The Frenchman could just

escape his fate and do wonders at the club since he was going to be under the

management of Louis van Gaal — a coach with a knack for shaping young and

talented midfielders.

"Where's Pogba now?" Zachary asked Evra. "Is he still in Turin?"

"Nah," Evra said, shaking his head. "He is already on his way to undergo a

medical in Manchester."

"He's fast!" Zachary was shocked again.

"He has to be as the transfer window closes i

three days," Evra remarked and

closed his eyes to rest.

Zachary smiled and adjusted his body to lay supine on the couch. In only a few

minutes, he regulated his breathing and pushed the thoughts about Pogba's

move to the back of his mind. Then, he closed his eyes and started

contemplating his status at Juventus.

Over the past six days, he had relied on his peak match fitness to work hard

and impress the coaches during training. He had followed all their instructions

to the letter while also trying to stand out from his teammates. As a result, he

was confident that he had done his best to at least make it to the squad for the

starting line-up or remain on the bench was still a mystery to him. He could

only wait for Coach Allegri's tactical meeting before knowing the final verdict.

Various thoughts continued going through Zachary's mind until he dozed off a

few minutes later. He sank into a deep slumber and only managed to wake up

after Patrice Evra tapped his shoulder and reminded him about the pre-match

tactical meeting.

When he checked the time on his phone and realized that only a few minutes

remained until four o'clock, he reacted with all the haste he could muster. He

got up with a start from the couch and hurriedly made his way out of the

resting lounge. He entered a washroom a few minutes later and splashed water

on his face. Then, without losing a second, he dried himself with the available

paper towels before rushing out into the hallways and heading to the tactics

room.

He arrived a few minutes later and realized that most of his teammates had

already taken .theicseats A few of. them. were even liddled together. baldine

Zachary tried his best to calm his racing heart and settled on a seat at the back

of the room. Of course, he was a bit nervous since he was about to attend the

tactical meeting to kick-start the new Serie A season with Juventus. He was

also tense since he couldn't be sure that he would make Coach Allegri starting

eleven Cen)

"Posso avere la tua attenzione, per favore?" Coach Allegri said when he took

center stage a minute later. He started delivering his speech and spent the next

thirty minutes explaining tactics in Italian to his players. He was intense as he

paced the entire room while spewing out words that sounded alien to Zachary's

ears,

The coach was obviously doing his best to explain the game strategy to his

players. However, Zachary couldn't understand what he was saying since he

had yet to learn the Italian language. Zachary would have to wait for Coach

Trombetta to translate the content for him at the end of the session.

briefing. Zachary was almost dozing off on several occasions since he found

the entire session boring. He only prevented his mind from descending into

slumberland by focusing all his willpower.

More minutes that seemed like weeks to Zachary passed, and finally, the coach

ended his speech and got to the exciting part of the pre-match briefing. It was

finally time for the coach to announce the squad for the following day's game

against Chievo Verona. As a result, a numbing silence descended upon the

entire room as the players waited for the next part of the coach's presentation

with bated breaths.

Coach Allegri took a few seconds to observe all the players in the tactics room.

He could tell that some of his new signings, like Zachary Bemba, Patrice Evra,

Alvaro Morata, and Kingsley Coman, couldn't understand what he was saying

due to their zero knowledge of Italian. But even then, he wasn't about to

prolong the tactical meeting by having someone else translate his words for

for them after the meeting had ended. That way, he would remain efficient and

avoid wasting the precious time of his other players.

"Let's begin with the starting eleven," he said as the big screen behind him lit

up and displayed the names of the players who had made his squad. "Gianluigi

Buffon will be in goal. Then, we'll use three defenders, namely: Martin Céceres,

Leonardo Bonucci, and Angelo Ogbonna, to complete our back-three defense."

"Further up the pitch, Claudio Marchisio, Andre Pirlo, and Arturo Vidal will

play as our central midfielders. Then, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Kwadwo

Asamoah will play on the flanks to complete our midfield of five. And finally,

Carlos Tévez and Kingsley Coman will be the men to lead our attack on the

striking line of our 3-5-2 formation. That's it for the starting eleven. Any

questions?" The coach glanced around.

In response, all the players around the room remained silent.

"Okay, okay," Coach Allegri said after a few seconds. "Let's move on. On the

bench, we have Rubinho, Marco Storari, Luca Marrone, Patrice Evra, Federico

Mattiello, Rémulo, Simone Padoin, Roberto Pereyra, Zachary Bemba, Simone

Pepe, Sebastian Giovinco, and Fernando Llorente. And that's all concerning our

match squad. Any questions?"

Once again, the players remained silent. They obviously had no questions for

the coach.

Coach Allegri smiled and nodded. "Since there are no questions, let's conclude

the tactical meeting here. The match against Chievo is at 6:00 PM tomorrow,

and we'll be playing at an away ground. You all need to head back to your

homes and have some ample rest tonight. That way, you will be sharp and at

the top of your game during the match tomorrow. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

Report chapter

Chapter 446: Returning to the Peak

"Okay, I understand," Zachary said. "Then, see you in Turin on Friday. I'll be eagerly awaiting your arrival."

Camilla chuckled. "Is that the truth? Are you sure you won't forget about me and focus only on training over the next few days?"

"Of course, I won't forget about you," Zachary conveyed. "I'll train, yes. But I'll also be eagerly waiting for you here in Turin. You'll constantly be on my mind."

Camilla chuckled again. "Okay. I guess I can only choose to trust you. What other choice do I have?"

"Please don't be so skeptical?" Zachary asked. "I'm even going to set a reminder on my phone. It'll keep notifying me about the countdown to your arrival in Turin."

Camilla sighed audibly and said, "That's an effective method for keeping your girlfriend on your mind. I'm really, really impressed."

Zachary had a feeling that there was something wrong with her tone. He suspected that she was a bit angry. But after contemplating for a few seconds and confirming that he hadn't done anything wrong to earn her ire, he pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

"Zach!" Camilla's voice sounded again to break the silence after a few seconds. "As always, it was nice talking to you. But I now have to hang up and start preparing for work. I love you."

"I love you too, and thanks for calling," Zachary responded. "Have a nice day."

"Have a nice day, too. Let's talk later." Camilla said from the other end of the line before ending the call.

Zachary smiled and felt a wave of relaxation washing across his entire being as he placed his phone back on the table. He could tell that his mood had improved after talking to his girlfriend.

He could also feel his energy levels and motivation rising and shooting into the skies. He even seemed to forget about his poor performance during the previous day's game, as the only thing on his mind was how to train efficiently and improve himself.

"I should start training before my muscles cool down," he thought. Without further ado, he settled back on his training mat and resumed his morning practice routine.

He went through the yoga poses, body strengthening workouts, and flexibility exercises with much more intensity since his mind was in the right place. His drive was as great as ever, and he only stopped his practice thirty minutes later when he was almost out of breath.

He got up from the training mat while sweating and struggling to take even a simple breath due to exhaustion. But a moment later, a rejuvenating sensation flooded his body before caressing his mind. He couldn't understand what had just happened to him, but his thoughts were clearer after those thirty minutes of intensive exercise. It was as if he'd just recalibrated his mind and also unloaded a heavy weight off his shoulders. His body was almost in a hyper state of unbounded excitement.

"DING"

Just then, the familiar system notification sound went off in his mind. It immediately roused Zachary from his state of bliss and brought him back to the present.

"Congratulations!" The system AI's apathetic voice followed. "After a sufficient period of targeted and efficient training, the user has finally overcome the side effects of the S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir. The user's ball skills have now all returned to their peak. Please check the system interface for further details."

"Finally, I'm back at my peak." Zachary thought and immediately summoned the system interface with a mental command. He navigated through the system's panel with familiar ease before arriving at the attribute menu. Without further ado, he rubbed his hands together and started perusing his updated stats.

—–

USER STATS

—–

-Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: S)

Balance and Coordination: S-

Agility: S

Strength: S

Stamina: S

Endurance Points: 17,500/18,000 (S)

—–

-Soccer Technique: [Av. Rating: S]

Ball Control: S

Dribbling Skills: S-

Passing Accuracy: S

Body Control: S-

—–

NB: The user is in peak condition.

—–

Zachary finally breathed a sigh of relief after he confirmed that he had overcome the side effects of the S-grade elixir from the system interface. At long last, he could start playing confidently again instead of constantly worrying about committing mistakes due to his lacking fitness. He couldn't contain his excitement as he could finally unleash all his skills without fear or favor on the pitch.

"Now that I have overcome this hurdle, I can finally focus on the team training sessions," he mused while trying to contain his bubbly emotions. "If I can do well during training over the next seven days, the coaches might consider me for the game against Chievo Verona. I have to do my best."

The knowledge of returning to his peak fitness had totally rejuvenated him. It was like the final piece of the puzzle that helped him overcome the setback of committing a costly mistake during the previous day's game against AC Milan. He was like a renewed man who was only thinking about doing his best during the team training sessions so as to cement his place at Juventus and make the squad for the game against Chievo Verona on 30th August.

—–

The next few days flashed by quickly as Zachary trained with the team. He didn't rest on his laurels after regaining his peak fitness but continued pushing his limits and trying his best to improve himself. His drive was commendable, and he didn't short-change himself as he constantly worked on refining his skills to prepare for the upcoming Serie A season.

Zachary's unwavering attitude and love for training soon impressed the coaches and teammates. In only a short while, they seemed to forget all about the mistake he had committed during Juventus' game against AC Milan, and they started treating him with cordiality again. Some players, like Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon, even gave him advice on ways to improve his game on several occasions. And that further filled Zachary with glee as he could tell that they were trying their best to help him fit into the team.

Two more days elapsed as Zachary and his new teammates prepared for the new season. And finally, Friday, 29th August, the eve of the day when Juventus would play their opening game against Chievo Verona, had arrived. The excitement was in the air all around the Juventus training center as the team was about to kick start its Serie A season.

But in the evening of that same day, something unexpected happened and cut the excitement short. Paul Pogba, the incredibly talented young Frenchman, had up and decided to leave Juventus and return to Manchester United. He had made his decision abruptly and stealthily — only after informing a few of his close friends at the club.

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Chapter 447: Eve of the New Italian Serie A Season

After completing the team practice on Friday afternoon, Zachary washed up before heading to the player resting lounge at the far end of the training center. He intended to spend some time unwinding and conversing with his teammates before attending Coach Allegri's pre-match tactical briefing scheduled to start an hour later.

He traversed the already familiar hallways of Juventus' training center before arriving at the door of the resting lounge. He pushed it open and immediately stepped forward to enter the room occupied by four familiar players. Patrice Evra was lounging on a couch at the far end of the room while Claudio Marchisio, Giorgio Chiellini, and Simone Pepe were seated in front of the big screen, watching a football match.

"Zachary, my man!" Patrice Evra, the Frenchman, was the first to call out to him in French. "Don't just stand there. Come over and sit beside me." He patted the couch next to him.

"Okay," Zachary readily agreed. He first said hi to the other three in the room before taking a few steps and settling on a couch near Evra's.

Evra gave him a once over before saying, "You were brilliant in today's tactical training session and even dribbled past Chiellini with expert ease on several occasions! What were you on, my man? Care to share?"

Zachary chuckled. "If you wish to know what I ate for breakfast or lunch, I'll humor you. I had milk, bread, cereal, and fruits in the morning. As for lunch, you don't need to ask since we ate the same food at the canteen."

"You're such a bore," Evra said, grinning and shaking his head. A few seconds passed, and he seemed to remember something. He glanced at Zachary again and said, "By the way, did you hear the news of Pogba leaving Juventus?"

"He left?" Zachary's eyes widened. "I thought he was absent from training due to the knock he received the other day!"

"Your information is outdated," Evra said with an audible sigh. "A couple of hours earlier, he completed a deadline transfer-move to return to Manchester United for a reported approximate fee of 83 million Euros. Man! He's even more expensive than you. What the hell are the guys in Manchester thinking?"

Zachary almost couldn't believe his ears when he heard the news. Two days ago, Pogba had excused himself from Juventus' training sessions by claiming that he had received a knock on his thigh muscle. But Zachary was now hearing that he was leaving the club. It was a shocking piece of news.

But there was also something else that intrigued Zachary. During his previous life, Manchester United had only managed to re-sign Pogba in the 2016 summer transfer window. But during his second life, there was a slight change. The French midfielder had completed the move out of Juventus two years in advance, meaning that his future at Manchester might take a different trajectory from that in Zachary's previous life. The Frenchman could just escape his fate and do wonders at the club since he was going to be under the management of Louis van Gaal — a coach with a knack for shaping young and talented midfielders.

"Where's Pogba now?" Zachary asked Evra. "Is he still in Turin?"

"Nah," Evra said, shaking his head. "He is already on his way to undergo a medical in Manchester."

"He's fast!" Zachary was shocked again.

"He has to be as the transfer window closes in three days," Evra remarked and closed his eyes to rest.

Zachary smiled and adjusted his body to lay supine on the couch. In only a few minutes, he regulated his breathing and pushed the thoughts about Pogba's move to the back of his mind. Then, he closed his eyes and started contemplating his status at Juventus.

Over the past six days, he had relied on his peak match fitness to work hard and impress the coaches during training. He had followed all their instructions to the letter while also trying to stand out from his teammates. As a result, he was confident that he had done his best to at least make it to the squad for the game against Chievo Verona the following day. But whether he could make the starting line-up or remain on the bench was still a mystery to him. He could only wait for Coach Allegri's tactical meeting before knowing the final verdict.

Various thoughts continued going through Zachary's mind until he dozed off a few minutes later. He sank into a deep slumber and only managed to wake up after Patrice Evra tapped his shoulder and reminded him about the pre-match tactical meeting.

When he checked the time on his phone and realized that only a few minutes remained until four o'clock, he reacted with all the haste he could muster. He got up with a start from the couch and hurriedly made his way out of the resting lounge. He entered a washroom a few minutes later and splashed water on his face. Then, without losing a second, he dried himself with the available paper towels before rushing out into the hallways and heading to the tactics room.

He arrived a few minutes later and realized that most of his teammates had already taken their seats. A few of them were even huddled together, holding hashed conversations as they waited for the coaches to start the meeting.

Zachary tried his best to calm his racing heart and settled on a seat at the back of the room. Of course, he was a bit nervous since he was about to attend the tactical meeting to kick-start the new Serie A season with Juventus. He was also tense since he couldn't be sure that he would make Coach Allegri starting eleven.

"Posso avere la tua attenzione, per favore?" Coach Allegri said when he took center stage a minute later. He started delivering his speech and spent the next thirty minutes explaining tactics in Italian to his players. He was intense as he paced the entire room while spewing out words that sounded alien to Zachary's ears.

The coach was obviously doing his best to explain the game strategy to his players. However, Zachary couldn't understand what he was saying since he had yet to learn the Italian language. Zachary would have to wait for Coach Trombetta to translate the content for him at the end of the session.

The minutes seemed to pass slowly as the coach delivered his pre-match briefing. Zachary was almost dozing off on several occasions since he found the entire session boring. He only prevented his mind from descending into slumberland by focusing all his willpower.

More minutes that seemed like weeks to Zachary passed, and finally, the coach ended his speech and got to the exciting part of the pre-match briefing. It was finally time for the coach to announce the squad for the following day's game against Chievo Verona. As a result, a numbing silence descended upon the entire room as the players waited for the next part of the coach's presentation with bated breaths.

—-

Coach Allegri took a few seconds to observe all the players in the tactics room. He could tell that some of his new signings, like Zachary Bemba, Patrice Evra, Álvaro Morata, and Kingsley Coman, couldn't understand what he was saying due to their zero knowledge of Italian. But even then, he wasn't about to prolong the tactical meeting by having someone else translate his words for them during the session. He would only instruct Coach Trombetta to translate for them after the meeting had ended. That way, he would remain efficient and avoid wasting the precious time of his other players.

"Let's begin with the starting eleven," he said as the big screen behind him lit up and displayed the names of the players who had made his squad. "Gianluigi Buffon will be in goal. Then, we'll use three defenders, namely: Martín Cáceres, Leonardo Bonucci, and Angelo Ogbonna, to complete our back-three defense."

"Further up the pitch, Claudio Marchisio, Andre Pirlo, and Arturo Vidal will play as our central midfielders. Then, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Kwadwo Asamoah will play on the flanks to complete our midfield of five. And finally, Carlos Tévez and Kingsley Coman will be the men to lead our attack on the striking line of our 3-5-2 formation. That's it for the starting eleven. Any questions?" The coach glanced around.

In response, all the players around the room remained silent.

"Okay, okay," Coach Allegri said after a few seconds. "Let's move on. On the bench, we have Rubinho, Marco Storari, Luca Marrone, Patrice Evra, Federico Mattiello, Rômulo, Simone Padoin, Roberto Pereyra, Zachary Bemba, Simone Pepe, Sebastian Giovinco, and Fernando Llorente. And that's all concerning our match squad. Any questions?"

Once again, the players remained silent. They obviously had no questions for the coach.

Coach Allegri smiled and nodded. "Since there are no questions, let's conclude the tactical meeting here. The match against Chievo is at 6:00 PM tomorrow, and we'll be playing at an away ground. You all need to head back to your homes and have some ample rest tonight. That way, you will be sharp and at the top of your game during the match tomorrow. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, coach," the players replied.

—–

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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Chapter 448: The 2014/15 Italian Serie A System Mission

After the meeting, Zachary approached Coach Trombetta, the assistant coach in charge of the first team, to request an English translation of Coach Allegri's pre-match tactical briefing. He would obviously not depart from the training center before understanding the game plan for the following day. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get a wink of sleep later that night.

Coach Trombetta's translation skills were as good as ever. He spent roughly a quarter an hour explaining the tactics for the following day's game in simple English. He spoke in detail and ensured that Zachary and his other colleagues who didn't understand the Italian language comprehended the game plan. After that, he wished the players a good night before sending them away from the tactics room.

Zachary got up, ready to follow his colleagues out of the tactics room. He was eager to return to his hotel room since Camilla was already waiting for him there. But before he could take even a single step towards the exit, Coach Trombetta called his name and instructed him to retake his seat.

"Zachary!" The assistant coach said, glancing at him with a smile. "How are you these days? Do you feel like you have regained your full match fitness?"

"I'm very okay," Zachary replied. "And I can assure you that I have already regained my full match fitness. I'm ready to step onto the pitch and play whenever the team needs me."

"Are you sure?" Coach Trombetta asked again. "And before you answer, remember that in a top team like Juventus, you can't commit basic mistakes that will cost your teammates an official game. You have to be at the top of your game during every match. Or else you'll lose your position on the squad."

"Don't worry," Zachary responded, his tone exuding confidence. "I know my body well. I feel good, and I'm sure that I have regained my peak. As long as you put me on the pitch, I won't disappoint."

"I like your confidence," Coach Trombetta remarked with a smile. "I was worried that you would lose your confidence after committing that mistake in the game against AC Milan. But from what I can see, my worries have been for naught. You seem to have recovered well."

"Yes, I have," Zachary said, nodding emphatically. "That mistake woke me up, and I pushed myself to train more effectively over the past seven days. That's why I have overcome my fitness issues in a short period of time."

Coach Trombetta nodded. "Try to get enough sleep today. You need to be in your best state if Coach Allegri decides to bring you on as a substitute in the game tomorrow. Okay?"

"I understand, coach," Zachary replied. "As long as the coach needs me, I'll be ready."

—–

Zachary departed from the training center later that evening. A soft smile constantly outlined his face as he sat in the backseat of Angelo's white Citroen, watching the scenery flash by outside the vehicle's window. His emotions were almost in a hyper state, and he couldn't wait for the following day to arrive so that he could play his first official game for Juventus.

"DING"

Suddenly, the system notification sound rang within his mind, jolting him back to full attention. He narrowed his eyes as he turned his gaze away from the scenery outside the vehicle's window.

"The system has detected that the user has been added to the Juventus squad playing in the 2014/15 Italian Serie A season," the system AI's apathetic voice followed. "The conditions required to initiate the long-term 2014/15 Italian Serie A Mission have been met."

"DING"

"The 2014/15 Italian Serie A Mission initiated successfully."

"Does the user wish to view the details of the mission right away?"

Zachary took a moment to observe Angelo, his driver, who was on the steering wheel. After noticing that the Italian man wasn't focusing on him, he breathed in and gave a mental command, "Please, bring up the details on the interface right away. Make sure they fit on a single screen. I don't wish to scroll and attract any unwanted attention."

"DING"

"Commands received," the system AI intoned. "Mission details have been displayed on the interface."

Zachary leaned back into the car seat and began perusing through the contents displayed on the crystal-like display that had appeared before him. He was eager to learn the details of his new mission.

G.O.A.T MISSIONS

—-

#NEW MISSION: 2014/15 Italian Serie A Challenge

-The system has detected that the user is part of the Juventus squad that will play the 2014/15 Italian Serie A season. The system has designed an associated mission for the event.

—-

-The user needs to accept the mission first to stand a chance of winning rewards after completing the milestones below.

—-

Milestone 1: Play 65% of the fixtures in the 2014/15 Serie A season. The user must be part of the starting eleven or a playing substitute in at least 25 of the total 38 Serie A matches.

Milestone 2: Help your teammates become the 2014/15 Italian Serie A Champions.

Milestone 3: Provide the most assists in the 2014/15 Italian Serie A season.

Milestone 4: Become the top scorer of the 2014/15 Italian Serie A season.

Milestone 5: Become the MVP of the 2014/15 Italian Serie A season.

Milestone 6: Score 40 or more goals during the 2014/15 Serie A Season.

Milestone 7: Help your teammates achieve an unbeaten run throughout the 2014/15 Italian Serie A. The user must work hard to ensure Juventus doesn't lose even a single match from the beginning to the end of the season.

—-

Rewards:

-Milestone 1 completion reward: 2000 Juju-points

-Milestone 2 completion reward: 2000 Juju-points

-Milestone 3 completion reward: 10,000 Juju-points

-Milestone 4 completion reward: 20,000 Juju-points

-Milestone 5 completion reward: 30,000 Juju-points

-Milestone 6 completion reward: 100,000 Juju-points

-Milestone 7 completion reward: A dosage of S-grade vitality-enhancing elixir.

—-

NB: There will be additional rewards if the user realizes any other milestones that can unlock hidden missions.

—-

-The user can choose not to accept the mission.

Accept *Reject

—-

Punishment if none of the milestones has been achieved after the stipulated time (In case the user accepts).

-Minus 120,000 Juju-points

The user has to complete at least one milestone before the tournament ends to escape the penalty.

—-

Remarks: Only by constantly breaking records can an individual move up the ranks of the greats of any field.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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Chapter 449: Camilla Visits

Zachary immediately tapped his finger on the translucent crystal-like display to accept the system mission. He didn't even need to contemplate since he was confident in his ability to realize at least one milestone of the 2014/15 Italian Serie A Challenge.

He could at least start by focusing on keeping himself fit and playing more than 65% of the Serie A matches for Juventus. Then, he would meet the conditions for the first milestone and escape the system penalty even if he failed the rest of the mission.

As for the milestones that required him to score forty goals or help Juventus achieve an unbeaten run, he wasn't even five percent sure that he would be able to realize them. He knew that the Italian Serie A was a top football league in Europe, with very intense competition. He would find it a difficult task if he wished to constantly beat opposing defenders and score goals, week in, week out, as he did during his time in the Norwegian League. He was better off focusing on winning individual games rather than setting unrealistic goals like creating history by scoring more than forty goals in a single Serie A season.

"We're here," Angelo said after a few more minutes as he pulled up into one of the parking spaces in from of the J Hotel.

"Finally," Zachary said. "Thanks for taking care of me again today. I really appreciate the help you have afforded me over the past few days."

"Don't mention it," Angelo said, turning his head to glance at Zachary from the driver's seat. "It's my job to help you, and I enjoy it. But that aside, what about your appointment with the real estate agent? Can you get time soon and look at the houses he has arranged for you?"

Zachary sighed and shook his head. "I'm still busy training and trying to fit into the team. So, tell him to give me a few more weeks. When I settle down and achieve stability on the team, we can contact him and look at the houses."

"Okay, I understand where you're coming from," Angelo said with a smile. "I'll cancel the appointment until you're ready. When do you wish for me to pick you up tomorrow?"

"Pick me up at 10:00 AM," Zachary said. "I must be at the training center by at least eleven tomorrow. I don't wish to miss the team bus to Verona."

"Okay, I'll pick you up at ten," Angelo said, nodding. "Otherwise, have a goodnight."

"Thanks, and have a good night, too," Zachary said and immediately stepped out of the vehicle. After watching Angelo steer the car away from the hotel, he took a moment to admire the sights around him. He breathed in the fresh and natural autumn fragrances as his eyes took in all the infrastructure and green trees lining up the street in front of the J Hotel.

The next moment, a smile slowly outlined his facial features as he felt he was in the most optimum state, especially on the eve of his possible debut in the Italian Serie A. He couldn't explain why, but for the first time since he lost his grandma, he felt like he was alive, driven, and ready to face any challenge that came his way. He was in a good mood, and even the sunset reigning supreme on the western horizon of Turin seemed more beautiful in his eyes.

"Let's head into the hotel."

Zachary ignored the nearby people glancing at him with sparkling eyes and immediately walked into the hotel. He greeted the receptionist before taking the stairs to the third floor. He traversed the spotless clean hallways and arrived at the door leading into his room.

"Knock! Knock…" He knocked a couple of times before waiting.

A second or two elapsed, and then the door silently opened to reveal Camilla's captivating figure in its full splendor. God! She was as gorgeous as ever. She was really a beauty that could cause the downfall of nations with just a smile.

"Hey, stranger!" She said after a few seconds. Her emerald-green eyes sparkled with warmth, and she immediately jumped into Zachary's arms. She was like a pretty bird that had just returned to its nest after a long journey across the world.

"Let's first enter the room," Zachary said, patting her back and glancing around. Since he was no longer in Norway, he was constantly on guard against the paparazzi. He didn't wish to see a picture of him being intimate with Camilla in the news the following day.

"Okay," Camilla readily agreed and led him by the arm into the room. What followed was only natural. After spending almost a month apart, the two love birds engaged in the age-old ritual of intimacy. There was a hunger in their actions as they embraced and immersed themselves in the sweet throes of passion on the giant bed in the hotel room. They forgot about everything else and didn't stop until they hit a couple of blissful and fulfilling zeniths in each other's arms.

"So, how was your day?" Camilla asked while resting in Zachary's arms an hour later.

"As good as it can be," Zachary responded, caressing her back. "I made the squad for the game tomorrow."

"Congratulations," Camilla said, smiling and shifting slightly within Zachary's embrace. "Are you among the starting eleven?"

"Unfortunately not," Zachary replied with a sigh. "I'm on the bench. But that's still a good start. As long as I get an opportunity to step on the pitch for a few minutes, I'm sure I'll be able to convince the coaches with my ability."

"I'm sure you will," Camilla agreed. "Continue working hard, and you'll eventually cement your rightful place in Juventus."

Zachary nodded. "Enough about me. When did you arrive?"

"At around three in the afternoon."

"Did the hotel staff give you a hard time?"

"Not at all," Camilla replied. "I was surprised when they readily allowed me into your room. They only asked for my ID, and that was it."

Zachary smiled. "I had given them your details and informed them to let you into the room. And before I forget, I'm really sorry about not picking you up from the airport."

"No problem," Camilla said. "I'm aware that you were busy preparing for the game tomorrow. Did you get me a ticket for the game?"

"Of course," Zachary responded. "How could I forget?"

"Thanks," Camilla said coyly and inched closer to Zachary. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you on the pitch tomorrow."

"Let's hope that the coach gives me an opportunity," Zachary intoned. "Have you eaten, by the way?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for you."

"You must be starving," Zachary said. "Let's head to the restaurant and eat something. Moreover, we need to go to bed early so that I can rest and be in optimum condition during tomorrow's game."

"Okay, let's clean up and head to the restaurant." Camilla readily agreed. "We'll talk about everything else later."

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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