Chapter 90: The Weight of the Number
The number 90 had always meant something to Jota.
In football, ninety minutes defined truth. No excuses. No shortcuts. By the final whistle, everything was exposed—talent, mentality, endurance, and heart. You could hide for ten minutes, even thirty. But not for ninety.
As the bus rolled through the narrow road leading away from Penedono, Jota sat by the window, eyes fixed on the fading outline of the village. The stone houses, the small fields, the place where his second life had begun—it all felt distant now, like a chapter already sealed.
This wasn't just another day.
This was transition.
The academy's evaluation period had ended. Scouts had watched. Reports had been written. Decisions were already being discussed in rooms Jota would never see. What remained was uncertainty—the most dangerous opponent of all.
