Chapter 18 · Iron Arena - Chapter 18: Ticket With Teeth

Victor's contract sat on the table like a loaded gun.

Lila didn't touch it. She just stared at the header—CITY LEAGUE QUALIFIER ENTRY—and the dense paragraphs underneath. Her jaw was tight. Cole could see the muscle working.

Victor leaned back in his chair, hands folded across his stomach. "Clean ticket. No debt rollover. You place top eight, we're square. Simple."

"Nothing you do is simple," Cole said.

Victor smiled. "Fair."

The room smelled like old cigarettes and floor wax. They were in the back office of Victor's main arena, the one he actually owned on paper. The walls were corrugated steel. A single bulb hung overhead. Outside, the crowd was roaring for the night's undercard matches.

Lila finally picked up the contract. Her fingers left prints on the cheap plastic sleeve. She flipped to page two. Page three. Her eyes moved fast.

Cole watched her. He knew what she was looking for. The same clauses he'd signed when he was nineteen.

"Medical liability waiver," Lila said. Her voice was flat. "Neural scan consent. Post-match data share with league sponsors."

Victor nodded. "Standard."

"Data share means they own my sync readings."

"Means they can analyze them. For safety.