THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"You're leaving Trondheim!" Zachary exclaimed, his voice coming out slightly higher than intended. "What happened? What about your music school? Didn't you say you still had a few more years to complete your studies there? Don't tell me it was me—" He stopped mid-sentence, inclining his head slightly to hold Marta's gaze for a brief moment.

"Oh, come on, Zach!" Marta said, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. "You're not such an Adonis to make me lose myself and escape from Trondheim because of you. At least not for the moment." She added, her tone filled with honesty.

"Oh," Zachary said, raising a brow.

"You seem to doubt me," she said, pouting. "I only wished for us to get together since we were both single and seemed to get along well at the time." She paused for a moment as if she was trying to recall past fond memories. "But when you showed no interest in me, I stopped bothering you," she continued. "Isn't that so, Zach?" She held Zachary's gaze.

"That's true," Zachary agreed, nodding. For the past few months, he didn't get any odd messages from Marta. So, maybe, what she'd said was true. "But why are you leaving Trondheim, then?"

"That's actually thanks to you," Marta replied, smiling.

Zachary frowned, wondering what she was getting at. She was moving in circles, saying that it was not his fault she was moving away—then a while later, she said the opposite. Zachary was in a state of emotional disarray.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Marta hurriedly said. "I'm just leaving to chase my true dreams in Italy once again. That's because I saw how you were performing and playing in Rosenborg. Do you remember when I told you that I used to play football?"

"Yes." Zachary nodded. He recalled that at one time, Marta had mentioned something about being a fan of AC Milan and playing football when she was younger. But she had lost the love of the sport due to some setbacks.

"Well, I've finally resolved to head back to Milan and restart my career as a youth league football player," Marta said, smiling slightly.

"Oh," Zachary said, feeling a burden off his heart. If she was heading back home to chase her dreams, that could be a good thing. "What about your music?" He asked after a moment of deliberation.

"Music was never my dream," Marta replied, her tone firm. "That was my sister's dream. I only followed her here because of the circumstances at the time. Sorry, I don't want to talk about those now. They're a bit too personal. My childhood dream, though, was always to turn professional and maybe represent Italy one day." Her voice was brimming with hope and confidence.

"Then go for it," Zachary said, smiling. "But are you going to be able to catch up with the rest? You know that football is the sort of sport where you have to train daily to maintain and improve your skill."

Marta smiled. "I'm not sure about that," she said, "but I'll try anyway. When I saw you scoring those two goals, I couldn't resist my passion for the sport any longer. So, I'll give it my all and try to succeed."

"Okay, then," Zachary replied. "I wish you luck and will miss you."

"Oh, that warms my heart," Marta said jokingly. "But will you really miss me? Milan is just five hours away from here. You can come and visit at any time."

"We'll see," Zachary said perfunctorily. "Is your sister going with you?"

"No, she will remain here in Trondheim chasing her dream," Marta replied, shaking her head. "I tried to get her to leave with me back to Milan, but she refused. She has long fallen in love with the lifestyle here."

The two of them continued making small talk for a few more minutes until it was finally time to say their goodbyes. Zachary wished her good luck and a safe journey while hugging her. Marta, on the other hand, requested him to keep in touch while returning the hug. After that, they parted their ways on a good note.

**** ****

As Marta Romano was leaving City Syd, she received a call from Grant Anderson. She frowned, cursing inwardly as that was the umpteenth time he was calling her that day. But she decided to halt first on the sidewalk, pick up the call, and clear up the issues with him for once. Otherwise, her troubles would fall onto her sister when she left Trondheim the following day.

"Hello, Grant," she spoke into the phone after accepting the call. "What else do you want? Haven't we already cleared everything?" She asked, making sure to keep her voice calm and steady.

"Oh, my little Marta," the voice at the other end said, taking on a cryptic tone. "I already said that no one escapes from me. It doesn't matter whether you already repaid your debt. What you did wrong was that you didn't fulfill one of your promises to me? And I'll have you meet the end of your promise in any way I can. That includes using your sister." He added, seemingly amused.

Marta did not seem surprised by the caller's threat but instead smiled. "I knew you might say that. So, I left you a present in your mailbox. When you see it, I'm sure you'll have a change of heart."

"What present?"

"You'll know when you open your mailbox," Marta replied in a cheerful voice, ending the call afterward. She then hummed an Italian song as she recommenced her trekking towards the bus stop.

Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!

Her phone vibrated once more when she was about to make it to the bus stop. She picked up the call without looking at the screen because she already knew who was calling. "Yes, Grant," she said.

"Damn, bitch," the voice at the other end yelled to the point that she'd to move the phone away from her ear. "Where did you get that ledger? We're not playing games here. Where's the original?"

"The original is somewhere away very safe," Marta replied, halting mid-step and smiling. "If you keep out of my way, it'll remain that way. But if you mess with me again, I'll let all that's in the ledger blow up in your face."

"I could just kidnap your sister and easily get the ledger from you."

"But if you do that, you'll attract the attention of your old man and the others," Marta said, struggling to keep her voice firm and steady. "I believe I don't need to tell you what will follow if that happens."

"Believe me when I say that I'll get you back for this one day," the voice at the other end said. "Mark my words."

"But until then, you can do nothing to me," Marta intoned, "Goodbye," she ended the call, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Talking to grant had robbed her of all her energy.

"Let's hope things remain calm until I can get a better solution," she mumbled, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She continued to the bus stop. She had to prepare to leave Trondheim with the first flight the following day.

**** ****