Free Web NovelChapter 267: Dark Clouds Over Blacklist
The green neon light right above their corner booth was dying. It kept flickering and making this annoying buzzing noise, like a mosquito stuck in your ear. The weird greenish glow it cast made Jinzo and Mac look kinda sickly under it. Both of them were staring up at Saya, who was standing right at the edge of their booth. She smelled like cherry lip balm, which was way better than the gross fried-food smell hanging in the air of the diner.
"Are you guys talking about Nash Blaze?" she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "The Breakball player?"
Jinzo’s jaw got all tight like he was biting down hard. He spun around in his seat fast, ready to snap at her.
"What’s it to you? Who even are you?" he growled out. But then his words kinda got stuck in his throat when he actually looked at her face. Like... damn... she was really pretty. Jinzo made this annoyed sound in his throat, rolled his eyes and slumped back against the sticky plastic booth.
"Great. Another annoying fan girl coming over to cry about how perfect the golden boy is. Get lost, we’re busy."
But Mac? Oh nope, Mac perked up like someone had just waved steak in front of a dog. His eyes immediately went to her legs and how her top fit. The guy was always thinking with his dick, and right now his brain had completely shut off because a total bombshell was standing right there. He reached out and smacked Jinzo’s arm hard to shut him up.
"Shut up for like two seconds, dude," Mac muttered, keeping his grip tight on Jinzo’s sleeve while giving Saya this big cheesy smile. "Just chill. Let’s hear what she’s gotta say."
Saya gave Mac a quick glance, saw how desperate his eyes looked, how he was totally checking her out, and immediately knew he was the weak link here.
She hunched her shoulders a little, looked down at her sneakers, and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, acting all shy and embarrassed.
"I’m really sorry for eavesdropping," she said in this soft, fragile voice. "I was just sitting in the next booth, and I couldn’t help hearing you say ’Nash Blaze’... it just made me react. I’ve got... history with him." She looked between them with this perfect sad face. "Can I sit down? Just for a minute? My legs are kinda shaky."
Mac didn’t even wait for Jinzo to answer. He immediately scooted over on the squeaky vinyl seat, making space like an eager puppy.
"Yeah, yeah, totally. Sit right here."
Jinzo made this face at Mac like, ’Are you seriously doing this right now?’ But honestly, Jinzo was both super bitter and kinda curious too, so he didn’t stop her. He just crossed his arms as Saya slid into the booth right next to Mac.
Suddenly, the whole booth smelled like her cherry lip balm. Mac started sweating immediately, his shoulder pressing right against hers because she didn’t leave any space between them. She leaned in just enough to keep his attention, and just like that, she had him wrapped around her finger. Then she turned to Jinzo, sizing up the pure hatred coming from him.
"I’m Saya," she said with this tired but sweet smile. "I play Breakball too, for the Dust Dogs." She took a slow breath, letting her shoulders slump like she was carrying something heavy. "I wanted to talk to you because... well, I couldn’t help hearing that you guys don’t like him either."
Jinzo raised one eyebrow at her.
"And how exactly do you know Nash?"
Mac, being the idiot he was, immediately started nodding like crazy.
"Yeah, yeah, take your time explaining. No rush." He patted the seat like that would make her more comfortable or something.
Saya’s voice got all quiet, like she was sharing a secret.
"I knew Nash way before he became this arrogant guy everyone worships now. Back then? He was just a shrimp. A pathetic little shrimp on our old team."
Jinzo and Mac looked at each other, totally confused. Like, was this the same Nash Blaze they knew? The huge superstar?
"He was a total joke on the court," Saya continued, acting like it hurt to remember. "Couldn’t score, couldn’t defend, only knew the most basic passes. People walked all over him. Literally."
She kept glancing at Jinzo carefully as she talked. Every time she mentioned how weak and useless Nash used to be, Jinzo leaned a little further across the table. His eyes were wide; this was exactly what his bitter, messed-up ego wanted to hear. That Nash was always a fraud.
"He was so bad," Saya went on, making a face like she was remembering something painful. "I was the one who had to cover for all his mistakes during games. Used up all my energy defending his spot because he couldn’t do it himself. I stuck by him when everyone else laughed at him. And you know how he thanked me? The second he started getting good, he treated me like garbage. Left our team right before the season started and went to chase fame with Blacklist."
Jinzo was loving every second of this. The idea that the great Nash Blaze was just some talentless nobody made him feel powerful again. A nasty grin spread across his face and he let out this low laugh.
"What the hell? What kind of story is that? You gotta be joking," he said, but you could tell he totally enjoyed it.
Saya’s sharp cat eyes narrowed a little. She looked down like it was hard to talk about, then added softly.
"That’s the truth. He was even called that, the shrimp."
She glanced up at Jinzo again, checking his reaction.
Jinzo looked like he’d just won the lottery. He turned to Mac, who looked confused but also weirdly happy about it.
"A shrimp, huh?" Jinzo muttered. "Knew it. Fucking knew he was just a lucky fake."
Got him.
"Oh, it gets better," Saya cut in, leaning closer now that she knew exactly how to get inside Jinzo’s head. "He was a total joke off the court too. In bed? Completely pathetic. Insecure, tiny dick, couldn’t even last thirty seconds. It was so embarrassing for him."
Jinzo and Mac both slammed their hands on the table so loud people turned to look. Jinzo quickly put a hand over his mouth, but his eyes were laughing. He let out this loud, mocking laugh, totally thrilled. This was the best thing he’d heard all year, especially after Nash stole his Jaz. He looked at Mac like this was the funniest thing ever.
"Hear that, Mac? The big hero was packing a micro-shrimp."
Mac nodded way too fast, but honestly, he was mostly noticing how Saya’s thigh was pressing against his under the table.
"Yeah, dude. Total loser."
Jinzo was having the time of his life, but there was still one thing bugging him. He started tapping his fingers hard against the table, his frown coming back.
"Okay, so he was a joke," Jinzo said, narrowing his eyes at Saya. "But that doesn’t explain how he changed. The guy’s huge now. And I swear he keeps getting bigger every day. How does some worthless shrimp turn into that in just weeks? Something’s not adding up."
Mac turned to Saya, trying to look all serious and protective.
"Yeah, Saya... how’d a guy like that suddenly become a monster?"
This was where Saya had to be smart. She was reaching something, but she still needed to plant the seed for her plan.
"Think about it," Saya whispered, leaning across the table so they both had to focus on her. "People don’t just change like that naturally. Back when we were together, he was always asking about... performance enhancers. Obsessed with black-market stuffs, always trying to find out what supplements worked or if league tests could catch them."
Jinzo’s eyes lit up.
"Enhancers? You’re saying the bastard’s doping?"
"I’m almost sure of it," Saya said, looking totally offended. "Probably got some black-market booster from shady people. And when he thought I knew his secret, the coward ran to Blacklist to hide it. Left us in the dirt just to save himself. It’s not fair. I want to see that cheating asshole crawl back into the gutter just as much as you do."
Jinzo and Mac were completely hooked. This explained everything Jinzo had been wondering about. Like how Nash got so good so fast. They started talking excitedly between themselves about it.
"Holy shit," Mac breathed, his eyes huge. "If it’s true... then it’s huge. That bastard is on drugs for real! If it’s real,the League would ban him for life, all his contracts would be gone."
"Let’s report his ass right now!" Jinzo growled, jumping up from the booth. "We can get him tested before the next match!"
"No! Wait," Saya said quickly, grabbing Jinzo’s wrist. Her grip was surprisingly strong, her eyes locking onto his with sudden seriousness. She had to stop this, like, good they hated Nash enough... Or maybe they were just dumb enough to swallow everything she poured, but if they went to the league with that, they’d find nothing obviously. She needed them to do something else entirely.
"If you go to the league with just rumors, he’ll use his money to bribe the testers," Saya explained smoothly, slowly letting go of Jinzo’s wrist and shifting closer to Mac. "Guys like him always buy their way out. If you really want to destroy him, you can’t fight his wallet. You gotta hit him where he can’t pay his way out. You need something personal. Something that ruins his reputation completely."
She turned to Mac with this sweet smile, reaching under the table to brush her nails against his arm. Mac froze completely, holding his breath as he got hard immediately.
"You guys are on his team," Saya murmured, sounding so sweet as she looked right at Mac. "You share his gym. You can access his training logs, his schedules... and the girls’ phones when they leave them around, right?"
Mac swallowed hard, his throat dry as he nodded way too fast.
"Yeah... yeah, we can get near their stuff during drills."
"Then that’s what we do," Saya whispered. "We find the weak spot in his team. We spy from the inside until we get the one secret that can ruin him. Once we have proof, we blast it everywhere and watch him burn."
Mac was completely sold, ready to do whatever she said. But Jinzo still had some caution left. He leaned back in the booth, narrowing his eyes at Saya.
"You’re real eager to help us, Saya," Jinzo said, his voice getting suspicious. "You just happened to be sitting behind us, now you’re handing us this perfect plan. What’s your angle? Why should we trust someone from Nash’s past with our revenge?"
Saya smiled. She knew exactly how to handle guys like him. She leaned back slowly, crossing her legs so her short skirt rode up higher, showing off her thighs confidently.
"Because right now," Saya said, suddenly dropping the sweet act and sounding sharp and real, "Nash is on top of the world while we’re stuck in this greasy restaurant. He treated me like trash. He benched you like some backup player. And he took your girls. We don’t need to be friends. We just need... to hate the same guy." She looked between them like she was challenging them. "If you wanna stay on that bench watching him screw every girl in town while you count your losses, fine. But if you want him to pay... you listen to me."
That hit them both hard. The reminder of Nash stealing Jinzo’s girl completely wiped away his hesitation. The image of Nash with her burned in his brain, yeah, it turned him on sometimes, good fap material, but mostly it filled him with pure hatred.
He looked at Mac, who was nodding like crazy, already agreeing to anything.
Jinzo let out a long breath, his face turning dark and serious. He leaned forward across the table and held out his hand.
"Fine," Jinzo hissed. "We’ll do it your way. Mac and I will dig through everything at the hangar. We’ll find his weak spot."
Saya smirked, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she picked up Mac’s water glass, making him shiver. The deal was made, and she had two perfect idiots ready to do her dirty work.
"Good," she whispered, clinking her glass against Jinzo’s. "Let’s see what your golden boy is hiding."
Leaving the bright neon lights of the diner behind, the difference between the underground world and the surface was like night and day.
High above the huge cave system that stretched for miles underground, a smooth elevator line cut straight up through layers and layers of rock, going all the way to the shiny cities of the upper world where the rich people lived.
The main lobby of the Apex Records skyscraper was like something out of a movie, all clean lines and stupidly expensive decorations. Fancy shuttles with velvet seats dropped off beautiful models and important political people one after another like they were on a conveyor belt.
And the boss’s office? Massive. Like, bigger than most apartments. The ceiling was so high you could fit a small house inside, the floor was polished white marble that probably cost more than most people in the underground, and maybe upperworld make in a lifetime, and the windows, huge, spotless windows, showed off the entire sunlit upper world like a painting.
And there he was, sitting behind a desk made from one single piece of old wood that had darkened over the years.
A guy you couldn’t help but stare at even if you tried. Good looking in that effortless way that made you kind of hate him. His blonde hair was perfectly styled like he had someone fixing it every five minutes, and his eyes, this unusual green color, like actual emeralds, were so bright you’d spot them in a packed stadium. He always wore this relaxed smile, but his eyes? Cold. Like a predator playing nice.
Right now, he was leaning back in his stupidly expensive chair, one finger tapping absently against the dark wood of the desk. His crisp white dress shirt probably cost more than a month’s rent, but he wore it like it was nothing, top buttons undone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows like he’d just finished some big deal without breaking a sweat.
Hector Perez, CEO of Apex Records, and Victoria’s half-brother.
The kind of guy who made decisions that ruined lives before lunch.
With a lazy wave of his hand, Hector dismissed a nervous assistant who looked like he might pass out from fear. Didn’t even glance at the million-credit paperwork the guy had been holding. Instead, he pulled a thick folder closer and tapped his finger against a fresh report, one that had a photo of Nash. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"Huh," Hector murmured. His cold green eyes read the page. "Didn’t think she’d actually find a way out this fast. Then again, she’s always been good at pulling useful things out of the dirt."
He looked up, his gaze landing on Monique de la Bite, who stood stiff and formal in front of his desk like a soldier at attention.
"How long have your girls been on this case, Monique?" Hector asked, spinning a fancy pen between his fingers.
"Almost a month, sir," Monique answered, her usual loud confidence completely gone around him. "Looks like Aiko’s getting close. Really close. But... his team’s shape right now is becoming a problem. Blacklist’s gaining speed way too fast. We should move before things get worse. If we wait too long, buying him out or pushing him aside won’t be an option anymore."
Hector nodded slowly, still spinning that stupid pen.
"You’re right. But you shouldn’t have given this job to Baby-Boom. Idols are for entertaining high rollers, not handling something like this."
He stood up, hands in his pockets as he walked toward the giant window, looking down at the city below like it was his personal chessboard.
"Rats are rats, Monique. And when two rats meet in the dark, they always end up speaking the same language. Blaze wants power. Wants to crawl out of the mud like everyone else. You shouldn’t let someone like that too close of our livestock."
Monique stepped forward. frёeωebɳovel.com
"We could speed things up. Leak her past, how she handled her old roster. If the logs show what she really did, her whole clean image falls apart. Sponsors would drop Blacklist in a day."
Hector stared at the skyline for a long moment before shaking his head.
"No. Not yet," he said flatly. "We don’t know the details of her deal with this player. With all the hype around him right now, dropping that file would backfire. It’s not about her anymore. Better to cut her legs out from under her first. Nash Blaze? Small problem. If my dear sister locked him down this fast, she paid with the only thing she’s got left."
A dark, mocking smile twisted his lips as he turned back toward the room, his eyes sliding past Monique to land on the figure sitting silently in the corner, a man hidden in the dimmest part of the office, quiet as a ghost.
"So, Harlan," Hector said, tilting his head slightly. "What do you think of the setup?"
