The Acquisition (Neymar Jr. Fan fiction)

6. Between Blancs

-Neymar POV-

It was raining in the morning when I woke up. Last night's team dinner had exhausted me enough to sleep in. Well, at least that was the official reason. The real reason I was so tired was that after I'd dropped Amelia back at her hotel, I spent the rest of the night sexting Carmen. She was determined to prove to me that she wanted me and only me and let's just say, I didn't wake up doubting that. Phone sex had always bored me but that was before I knew Carmen. I closed my eyes and replayed the conversation we had and the pictures she'd sent me over Snapchat.

My fantasy was rudely interrupted by the incessant vibrations of my phone on my bedside table. I groaned and reached for it. I opened my eyes and saw nearly a hundred messages from my teammates. I furrowed my eyebrows as I scrolled. My teammates were angry with me. I hoped I could count on Kylian but when I found his message, all hope was lost. Kylian's message said, 'Don't bother coming to training today. You're a liar and you fucked us all over.'

I started to panic and I needed context. I rummaged my bedding until I found the TV remote. I clicked on the sports channel and I saw the anchors talking about PSG. My eye's widened when I caught a glimpse of the headline. I turned up the volume and listened to the news anchors speaking.

'Key PSG players finding themselves in jeopardizing positions amidst massive contract debacle. One day after Spencer Blanc's controversial acquisition of the club, PSG players are seemingly hung out to dry. Salary cuts and new restrictions are being imposed on the players. Sources close to players say they are scrambling to recoup losses from what the acquisition team calls a total brand restructure. Rumors suggest the new team owner is pooling his funds to hit the transfer market hard and acquire new talent for his Dream Team. More on this at the top of the hour.'

I felt a deep pit in my stomach. This couldn't be right. I went back to my phone and reread my teammates' texts.

'You said we could trust him. Were you in on it?'

'Did he give you a bonus for keeping his secret?!'

'Way to be a team player...'

I felt awful, but it wasn't my fault. Sure, I didn't tell them anything but Spencer had assured me he would notify the team of any contract issues. How could something be wrong with the contracts?! Rafa just told me yesterday that my contract was normal. In fact, I was expecting to receive it by email today to sign it once my legal team reviewed it. I pushed myself up out of bed and found my laptop on top of the dresser nearby.

I logged into my email and sure enough, I received the email from my lawyers already. They were always prompt when it came to my renewal contracts. I opened the email and my attorney mentioned the contract included a significant increase in annual pay along with some of the usual perks, like the right to additional game passes for friends and family and no restrictions on endorsement deals.  My attorney advised me to proceed with renewal.

I opened the electronic signature link and reviewed the first few pages. It looked like any other contract I'd signed before yet, something about it made me uneasy. I closed the tab and made a mental note to revisit it later to complete the signatures. I turned my attention back to the TV that was still on in the background. The news anchors were now talking about the transfer window, a timeframe when clubs made offers to players from other leagues. I hadn't heard any rumors about PSG looking to acquire new talent. After all, they had just signed Leo Messi, what more talent could we need?!

I furrowed my eyebrows at the email in front of me again. Spencer did assure me that I had nothing to worry about but was that only because I was the only player he cared about on the team? My stats were up this season for sure, but we were closing in on a Champion's League title and I couldn't win that by myself. Jeopardizing players' contracts was just about the worst thing he could do to us right now. He had nothing to gain from creating chaos. A new team owner would only want us to win... right? It had to be something out of his control. There had to be an explanation.