THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary returned to Turin the following morning. He immediately headed straight to the Vinovo and joined in on Juventus' preparations for the weekend game against Atalanta BC. And as usual, he got into a consistent exercising rhythm in almost no time and immersed himself in the team drills under the strict supervision of the coaches.

As for his situation with Camilla, he had already resolved to handle it like a responsible man. Before he parted with her early that morning, he had apologized for his insensitive behavior right after he learned about her pregnancy. He had attributed all his callous actions to the shock he'd received the previous night, especially after finding himself in a situation he hadn't expected. Then, he ended their talk by assuring her he would be there for her throughout her pregnancy. He even promised to do his best to become an exemplary dad and care for the child when 'she' or 'he' finally arrived in the world. However, he didn't mention anything about the prospect of marriage. He would obviously go all out to care for her and the unborn child, but he wouldn't take that significant step forward to legalize their relationship. He just wasn't ready, especially with all that was going on in his life.

Camilla, being her usual understanding self, had listened to him attentively as he spoke. She had at times nodded, as if in agreement, when he said something nice. But most of the other times, she remained quiet and reserved as she took in his words. Then, when the time for parting finally arrived, she kissed him goodbye and wished him a safe journey. She even urged him to call her when he arrived in Turin. After listening to Zachary's assurances that morning, it was as if she had totally forgotten about his behavior from the previous night.

"Zachary!" Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach in charge of Juventus' first team, yelled when the Juventus players lined up to go through a speed and agility ladder drill on the training turf at the Vinovo. "You're up. Go first and lead the rest through the footwork drill."

"Aye, coach," Zachary answered while pushing all the distracting thoughts out of his mind. He immediately took off like the wind and started stepping through the ladders. His S+ agility worked like a charm, and he completed the drill without committing any mistakes.

"Bonucci! Sei il prossimo." Coach Trombetta shouted again while pointing at the center-back.

"Sì, allenatore!" Leonardo Bonucci answered with a loud shout. He also followed Zachary's example and started going through the ladder drill.

After the center-back, the remaining Juventus players did the same and commenced the agility training. They stepped through the various ladders arranged on one side of the training ground before moving on to another exercise routine.

The rest of the day's schedule was basically full of more intense training regimens. The team covered all aspects required to prepare adequately for the following day's away game against Atalanta. They performed passing exercises and honed their ball work and movements off-the-ball through tactical drills without raising a complaint. They ended their day with a pre-game tactical meeting chaired by Coach Allegri before dragging their tired bodies away from the Vinovo at dusk.

Zachary was also exhausted, especially after going all out to impress the coaches during that day's training. He desperately needed some sleep to recharge his energy and stamina reserves.

He feared he would fail to perform at his best during the following day's game against Atalanta if he didn't get ample rest that night. So, he quickly jumped in Angelo's Citroën and returned to the J Hotel, which had been his place of residence since he arrived in Turin.

After he returned to his hotel room that evening, he only gave Camilla a brief call before quickly washing up to refresh himself. Then, without losing any minute, he jumped into bed, ready to sink into the welcoming embrace of a sweet and deep slumber.

But just then, his phone started vibrating from a nearby table, its annoying sound shocking his mind back to full attention. He begrudgingly got up from the bed and scooped the phone up before accepting the call.

"Hello, Zachary," a familiar and vibrant voice sounded from the other end of the line when the call connected. "This is Emily. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Zachary responded, sitting back on the bed. "And what of you? How are you doing?"

"I'm also okay," Emily responded. "Actually, I'm back in Turin. And I come bearing good news."

"Is that so?" Zachary's ears perked up as he became more attentive. He was even no longer feeling sleepy. "What good news? Go ahead and tell me. I'm all ears."

"First and foremost," Emily said, "My contacts in Turin investigated the circumstances of that mansion for sale in Pinerolo, Piedmont. They didn't find any issues with its ownership. So, you can go ahead and purchase it. That's if you still like it."

"Of course, I still like it," Zachary replied. "I have looked at a few more villas over the past week, but none of them can compare to that one in Pinerolo. I still want to purchase it."

"Then, you have the go-ahead from me," Emily said. "Do you need some help with the property transfer procedures?"

"I think I do. I need someone to handle the legal process of the property purchase. Can you help me out?"

Emily chuckled from the other end of the line. "You seem desperate. But I still have to disappoint you. I have no expertise or experience handling real estate deals, especially in Italy. The best I can do is recommend a suitable solicitor to help you out."

"Oh!" Zachary said, feeling a bit disappointed. He trusted Emily the most and would have liked for her to handle the legal process of the deal.

"You don't need to be worried," Emily said as if reading his mind. "The person I'm recommending is a solicitor and friend, skilled in handling real estate deals. His name is Matteo Tavano, and he operates in Turin. I think he's the ideal solicitor to help you complete that property purchase."

"Okay," Zachary said. "I guess I'll go with that one. How can I get in touch with him?"

"You don't need to contact him," Emily said. "I'll tell him to contact you. When do you plan to start the legal process of purchasing the villa?"

"Sunday afternoon would be fine. That will be the day after our game with Atalanta. I'll be free."

"Okay, then. I'll tell Matteo to contact you on Sunday morning. You can plan out the rest of the details with him. But remember to keep me in the loop so I can be ready to help you when a need arises."

"I'll do that," Zachary promised. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. House deals aside: there's a new big endorsement offer from a new company. It's called Vector X, an upcoming sports goods manufacturer from India. They have sent me a very lucrative offer, hoping to get you on board as their brand ambassador."

Zachary was a bit confused upon hearing that. "Don't we still have about two years on our deal with Nike? They have already increased the money they pay me annually to 1.5 million Euros. Why should we consider another footwear manufacturer when there are them?"

Emily chuckled from the other end of the line. "Before you say anything else, can you first guess the amount Vector X is offering to steal you away from Nike?"

"I'm not good at guessing," Zachary admitted. "Just tell me."

Emily chuckled again. "We're talking about a base income of six million Euros per year if you become a brand ambassador for Vector X. They also hinted at offering you more than 50 percent of profits from your own branded Vector X merchandise."

Zachary's mind went blank on hearing such offers. He was starting to get tempted by the promise of such a lucrative deal. "But we're still under contract with Nike," he reminded after thinking things through for a moment. "We can't just walk away from an endorsement contract after receiving another. Nike would sue us for breach of the contract terms."

"You don't have to worry about that," Emily assured. "There are always ways to walk away from a contract penalty-free. Just give me the go-ahead, and I'll handle the procedures for you."

"I see." Zachary took in a breath of air to calm himself down. As a professional footballer, he understood that he had only a small time window to make big money. He had to utilize all the opportunities to rake in ample savings so that he would be beyond financially stable and never have to face any hardships after his retirement. And as far as he was concerned, the Vector X deal was a chance to add more zeros to his bank account balance. He already knew he couldn't miss it.

"So, what's your decision, Zachary?" Emily asked from the other end of the line. "Should we consider the offer from Vector X? Or should we ignore them? It's your call."

"I think we should first look at the details of what they are offering," Zachary responded. "If their offer is one we cannot refuse, we can consider terminating our relationship with Nike."

"Good call," Emily praised. "Those are exactly my thoughts. I'll first meet the Vector X representatives and hear out the terms of their offer in detail. If the terms are lucrative enough and hard to refuse, I'll notify you, and we can start the process of ending our business relationship with Nike."

"Are you sure that walking away from Nike won't have any backlash on us?" Zachary asked worriedly.

"Nope," Emily replied, her voice filled with confidence. "The worst that might happen is we pay a reasonable penalty fee for terminating the contract. But even then, it won't be us paying that penalty. I'll make sure that the bill falls on Vector X. They will have to pay your breach of contract penalty fee if they wish to steal you away from Nike."

"You're evil." Zachary chuckled. "But I like it."

Emily laughed and said, "I guess we should end our conversation for today. I wish you all the best in the match tomorrow. By the way, I forgot to ask: Did you make the starting eleven again?"

"Yes, I did," Zachary replied proudly. "I'm once again in the starting eleven."

"It's your fourth successive start for Juventus. Congratulations. Your new coaches are starting to trust you more and more."

"That seems like it," Zachary said. "Emily. I need to go to bed now. So, let's continue our discussion some other day."

"Okay, have a good night."

"Good night to you, too," Zachary said before ending the call. He placed his phone on the nearby bedside table and jumped into bed. Before long, he was already fast asleep, dreaming about scoring goals during the following day's game against Atalanta.