Wednesday, May 8, 2013.
**** ****
Zachary glanced at his watch and realized it was already 8:30 AM. So, he made quick work of his breakfast, brushed his teeth, and exited his apartnt with all the haste he could muster. The previous night, Emily, his agent, had inford him over the phone that two companies were interested in entering endorsent contracts with him. He was on his way to et with her and discuss the way forward.
However, he'd just realized he was almost running late since he had first taken the ti to go through a stretching routine.
Despite his excitent over the prospect of winning an endorsent deal, his football career was still his priority. He needed to keep his muscles warm and ready for the ga later that evening. He couldn't break his pre-match conditioning routine just for an appointnt. So, he had only managed to leave his apartnt with only thirty minutes left to the scheduled ti of the eting.
He descended the stairs of his apartnt like the wind—and was out into the city's fresh air in a matter of seconds. He noticed that the just-risen sun, shining softly on the streets, had already brought with it a flurry of early-morning activity to Trondheim. Traffic was busy that morning as if the roads were a playset that ca with many automobiles and pedestrians.
Zachary didn't continue to the bus stop, as usual. Instead, he stopped by the roadside, waiting for his taxi to arrive.
He had already called the taxi service before leaving his apartnt. He couldn't wait for the bus since he was already running late.
He didn't have to wait long since the taxi companies in Norway were very efficient. Only two minutes later, a black Audi pulled up beside him. Without any delay, he boarded and paid the fee. A while later, he was on his way to Trondheim Square—to et up with Emily.
The taxi driver used several shortcuts, evading the streets with bustling traffic that morning. Zachary managed to reach his destination in only twenty-five minutes. He strengthened his resolve to buy a car as soon as possible after experiencing the convenience of a private vehicle in Trondheim firsthand. He had long started feeling that using the bus was troubleso due to his busy schedule.
When he got out of the taxi, he hurried on, pushing past the other pedestrians on the streets. He was—headed to the cafe, where he was supposed to et Emily. After rounding a few corners, he ascended so stairs and reached his destination on the second floor of a mall near Trondheim Square.
"You're late" was the first sentence that ca out of Emily's mouth as Zachary settled into a seat opposite her.
"But, only a few minutes," Zachary replied, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot about the passage of ti when I was going through my stretching routine. It usually happens to when I'm focused on exercise. Sorry about that."
"No worries," Emily replied, her expression softening a little. "But it wouldn't look good if we were eting a company representative and you arrived late. Do take note of that in the future." Her intelligent blue eyes searched Zachary's face, waiting for a response.
"I'll do that," Zachary replied solemnly, leaning back into his seat. He felt his emotions calm down as the hoy ambiance of the cafe drew his soul into its cocoon for a few blessed monts. He smiled at Emily and said: "Good morning! How was your journey, by the way?"
"I'm good, and the journey was as fine as it could be," Emily said in a flat voice.
"About the endorsent offers: you said there are two companies that would like to enter endorsent deals with !" He said, getting straight to the point of the eting. He wanted to be done with the endorsent deal business as fast as possible—so that he could head to Lerkendal to continue his pre-match conditioning.
"Yes, that's right," Emily replied, sipping on her coffee. "But first, would you like to order anything. I'll be buying today."
"Just orange juice will do," Zachary replied, grinning. "I already had a heavy breakfast back at my apartnt. I don't want to perform poorly this evening just because I failed to regulate my food consumption. Imagine missing a match due to heartburn or a bloated stomach. That would be embarrassing."
Emily chuckled at that. "Okay, then," she said, beaming. "Let's get you so orange juice then." She then called over a waitress and made the order before focusing on Zachary once again.
"We have two offers," she began, her voice taking on a formal tone. "It seems your performance last weekend caused quite a stir in Norway. It seems you managed to raise your fan base, especially here in Trondheim. That should be the reason so companies here are intent on getting your signature and betting on your future. But don't expect a lot since you've only just started playing."
Zachary nodded, indicating that he'd gotten the point as he waited for his agent to continue.
"One of the offers is from Red Bull, the company with the highest market share of any energy drink in the world today," Emily continued. "They're offering 300,000 NOK per year, for five years, to get your signature as one of the athletes on their endorsent marketing roster for Norway. The money seems small, but they promised that they would improve the terms if you continue performing well in the Tippeligaen."
"Three hundred thousand," Zachary mumbled, frowning on hearing Red Bull's offer. "That's 25,000 per month. Isn't that offer insincere?"
He knew well that so of the biggest sporting stars earned the majority of their money without having to kick, bounce or throw a ball at all. That all ca down to one magical word. Endorsents. Athletes could even receive tens of millions of dollars per year from endorsent contracts alone. Even the not-so-popular athletes had deals worth tens of thousands of dollars from the popular brands in their respective countries. Yet, Red Bull, the world's largest energy drink supplier, had made him an offer in Kroners, not even dollars or Euros. Zachary knew that they were not committed to securing his signature.
"Yes, the annual pay they're offering is quite dismal," Emily replied, nodding. "But there are good points to the deal. For instance, if you manage to beco the top scorer in the Tippeligaen within the years under contract, the money you receive will multiply sixfold. And, in case you manage to beco the best player in the Tippeligaen, the money would be multiplied twelve tis. There are even more provisions for further achievents. But, I don't think those are important at the mont."
"So, it's a good deal, then?" Zachary queried, inclining his head to lock eyes with Emily.
"According to , it's a good deal in the long run. What Red Bull is betting on is your potential to beco popular. They hope to ride that wave to increase their energy drink sales here in Norway. If you work well with them, they could turn into long-term partners."
"Would you like to read through their offer now?" Emily inquired after seeing Zachary's hesitation.
"Not now," Zachary said, shaking his head. "I don't want to add too much into my head right now. I have to play a ga later today. What about the other offer?"
"Oh," Emily said, sighing. "The other offer is kind of weird. It is from a betting company called BetNet International. They serve most of Europe—including England, Italy, Cyprus, and Austria. They are now expanding into Scandinavia." She paused for a few monts as the waitress had finally brought Zachary's juice.
Zachary mouthed a thank you to the waitress as he picked up his juice. He then sipped on it as he waited eagerly for his agent to continue.
"They are offering 6 million Kroner per year as the start-up salary for you to beco their ambassador," she said after the waitress was out of earshot. "I don't know the reason, but my lawyer instincts are warning not to consider the offer."
"Oh," Zachary said, raising a brow. "Why is that? They seem to be more serious than the Red Bull people."
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