BILLION DOLLAR SHOT

Chapter 9 – The Shadow Play

Underground Vault Office – Titania Black Division Clive typed rapidly at the encrypted terminal. Andre stood behind him, scanning a map of connections on a digital wall. Dots linked faces, companies, news outlets, and bank transfers all tied to Viktor Lorne.

Clive turned. “We have a crack. A whistleblower inside Lorne’s camp. Codename: Sparrow.”

Andre’s voice was razor sharp. “How do we get to him?”

“He’ll contact you directly. Through something only you’ll recognize.” Later – Abandoned Court Where Andre Used to Train

The place was falling apart, the hoop rusty, the pavement cracked. Andre walked alone, hoodie up. A single envelope was stuck to the rim.

Inside: a photo of Viktor at a private gala. And a post-it note: “Look beneath the champagne. They’re all drunk on lies. Sparrow.” Andre turned the photo over. Time stamped. Dated. Cross referenced. It matched the night before his fake scandal dropped.

Clive’s team ran facial recognition. Of the 42 guests, 16 had direct links to sports regulatory agencies and five “independent” reporters. Andre looked up. “Let’s give them a headline they didn’t write.”

The Next Day – Andre’s “Leaked” Audio Call (Planned by Him) Online chaos exploded again, but this time Andre was in control.

A recording was “accidentally” posted on a burner account. It featured Andre saying: “Funny how they faked my drug test the same night Viktor Lorne hosted that ‘clean sport’ gala. Wonder how many of those guests knew about it…”

Within minutes, T*****r (X), Reddit, and sports forums ignited.

#JusticeForCorbin

#ExposeViktor

#TheSystemIsRotten

Lorne’s PR machine scrambled. But Andre wasn’t done.

Two Days Later – An Anonymous Email Hits 12 Major News Outlets The file was massive. Video footage. Transaction records. Confidential texts between Viktor and a well-known referee.

Most damning: a voice memo of Viktor saying: “If we don’t bury Corbin, he’ll burn the whole table down.”

One anchor on live TV whispered, “He might already be doing just that.” Meanwhile – Inside Lorne’s Penthouse Viktor hurled a glass against the marble wall.

“WHO is Sparrow?!” Reznov sat in a corner, eyes low. He didn’t speak. Teanna tried to calm Viktor. “Let me handle it. Let me talk to him.”

Viktor snarled. “He’s already seen through you.” Teanna looked down. Then Reznov stood.

“There’s another problem,” he said. “One of your men in the federation? He’s flipped. And Corbin’s camp has proof of contract-rigging.”

Viktor stared. “This was supposed to be clean.” Reznov smiled bitterly. “You forgot. He’s not from our world. He never needed it to be clean.”

Back at Titania – War Room Andre stood in front of a whiteboard. “We can’t just defend,” he said. “We strike. On three fronts.” Clive raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“First legal. We sue for defamation. And I demand my suspension be lifted pending independent investigation.”

“Second, we drop a documentary. Unfiltered. My story. My proof. My truth.” Clive nodded slowly. “And third?” Andre’s voice dropped.

“Third, I take the game back. I return to the pitch. Not just to win. But to humiliate them.”

Final Scene – A Locked Room, Late Night A man sat alone, watching security footage on a projector. He wore a gray hoodie and gloves. It was Sparrow. He paused the video a young Andre, years ago, mopping floors in a training facility.

He whispered: “You earned everything. Now take it all.” Then sent one last encrypted file to Andre.

Label: "THE CORE FILE – Viktor’s Personal Blacklist"