Page 54 of A Shot at Love
Daniel takes on that devil’s advocate perspective again. “Maybe he’s in it purely for the business. Maybe basketball isn’t the part of ownership he enjoys.” He gestures at a new screen that pops up next to his head. “Oh, he’s in it for the business, alright.” Daniel’s voice grows dark.
The graphic is a tweet from Malika Andrews.BREAKING: Jadea Jones announces she will no longer be performing her dunk show before Arrows’ home games. She includes in her statement that this was a performative measure forced on her by Arrows’ owner, Trenton Smith, in order to sell tickets. Interesting that Trenton didn’t ask any Archers’ players to put on the same show before NBA games, isn’t it?
I choke up a little then, the tears forming and glimmering in my lashes. Jadea did her part. She stood up for herself, and it’s a signal that I still can, too. Even when we feel like we’re letting some people down, we have to stand up for ourselves and what we deserve.
Daniel is growing more passionate in his speech, as though this story is building to some incredible climax. I wish I could be there with him, cheering him on. He can’t compete anymore, but this feels like his comeback.
“Jadea Jones, the league MVP who you’ve seen in Gatorade advertisements and State Farm commercials,reduced to jumping on a trampoline before games because Trenton Smith tells her the team will suffer without her. Jadea Jones!” Daniel slams a hand on the table, and a few of his audience members cheer.
“So, we’ve established that Trenton Smith probably doesn’t have a passion for women’s sports. That he doesn’t pay that much attention to the Arrows, unless he’s demoralizing them in order to increase sales. For which, I’ll challenge you out there, don’t let him be right. You better show up to watch Jadea do her thing, with or without that trampoline.” A tear wiggles down my cheek because isn’t it any girl’s dream to see her boyfriend hyping up her best friend? Defending her. Cheering her on.
I love Daniel. I fucking love him.
I think I always have.
Daniel shuffles his papers, and it reminds me of when he used to round the track, knowing he was steps from the finish, from the win. I’d be screaming, voice hoarse, praying he’d succeed. Now, I do the same, silently crying and smiling. “Now, let’s get to the good stuff. The scandal itself. The emails. Jack and Annie.” I swear my heart skips a beat when he says my name. “The original accusation leveled a few weeks ago was that Jack Smith had possibly manipulated the draft, demanding his biological daughter, Annie Larger, be drafted to his team. There were also accusations that he paid reporters to write about her at Stanford. Annie Larger was famously ambushed after a game with that news, as well as her father’s identity.”
There’s a clip of me getting red-faced and choked up as Misty holds the mic towards me. I can barely get any words out before Coach Rembert and Jadea break up the interview.
There’s silence after the clip, and Daniel taps his chin. “If Annie knew about her father, if she sent those emails, that means she’s anincredibleactress.”
Again a few titters and Daniel holds up his hands in appeasement. “But let’s put that aside for a bit. After hearing this, the WNBA had no choice but to open an investigation based on the unknown source’s accusations. And even without the anonymous source, Jack’s mismanagement was corroborated by a wave of ashamed colleagues, including former GMs and other board members. Annie, after talking with her mother, is not denying that Jack is her biological father. And yes, it’s plausible that some misguided parental guilt caused him to demand she play for his team. Or maybe some egotistical pride that he had a daughter in the league. Either way, both Annie and Jack are being investigated.”
I’m rapt, even though I already know everything he’s saying. Daniel grins. “But, because of Annie’s incredible play and an increased social media presence, things don’t go too badly for her initially. People seemed to think that Jack would get suspended or pushed out of his ownership, whereas Annie was a bystander, a victim of Jack’s.”
Daniel grows serious again, huffing out a breath. “But then came Trenton’s video. He claims he just wants to play fair, but I want to be fair to Annie by giving thisstory its due diligence. So that’s what I did.” He lifts a finger. “First issue: timing. Why now? And how? Trenton claims that he found these emails helping his father on a personal computer, but I guarantee that the WNBA would have claimed any devices in their investigation. And even if this device was truly so personal that the WNBA had no claim on it, why would Trenton betray his father by making the situation worse? Jack had already given his son control of day-to-day operations. He likely would be suspended or forced to sell his shares. So, who exactly did Trenton make this worse for? Annie.”
There’s no response from the audience. I wipe my eyes, trying to figure out where Daniel is going with this. “It looked like Jack had acted alone when he demanded Annie be drafted, so she would be allowed to play and not suffer any consequences other than being related to a scumbag. Now, with these new emails, Annie looks to be just as complicit as Jack in the scheme, maybe more so.”
Daniel’s not wrong. If I felt some tension between Trenton and his father, he really turned that tension and hatred towards me. “And wouldn’t it make sense if Trenton had it out for his younger half-sister? After all, he just found out his father betrayed him and his mother, and that his inheritance could be lessened quite severely. It would be in his best interest if Annie could never even get close to his family. Specifically, that she had no real claim to the family business or money.”
Daniel waves a hand. “Let’s take a look at one of these emails Trenton claims to have uncovered, shall we?” An email appears on the screen. It reads:
Dear Jack,
My mom recently informed me that you are my biological father. I couldn’t be happier. With your connections to the league, I’m a sure thing. I can even play for my hometown team, assuming you can make that happen? I know you will, since you owe me so much.
Thanks,
Annie Larger Smith
I hadn’t read the emails yet, and I’m astounded at how ridiculous it is. I sound like a fifteen-year-old with a hare-brained scheme and spoiled princess tone.
Daniel raises his hands as if to say,see. His audience laughs again. “Shy, and sometimes surly, Annie Larger is going to write ‘Hey Daddy, I’m so happy to meet you. Can you please, pretty please, put me on the Arrows?’” There’s more laughter from the audience, and I have to smile. It feels good on my face. “It’s ridiculous! Obviously!”
Daniel has his audience now, and he can feel it. Trenton is turning into a joke in front of my very eyes. “Let’s compare it to a quote from Annie’s honors dissertation about sustainable fashion trends in a capitalist society.” There’s laughter even before hequotes, “Ultimately, the capitalist economic system doggedly beats down every business’ attempt at sustainable practices. This laissez-faire economic model ensures businesses cannot deviate from their profit-pushing schemes and billionaire building schematics.”
The studio dissolves into laughter. “That email wasclearlynot written by Annie Larger!” Daniel grins, and I want to swoon. “But, again, it’s hard to prove. Trenton seems extremely confident that the WNBA investigative team will never discover that the emails are fake. I suspect he might feel that way because the outside investigator they hired a few weeks ago is someone he went to Dartmouth with.” A few hisses emit from the audience, but Daniel is just pulling back for the knockout punch. “The investigator also occasionally works for the same law firm that Trenton Smith used when he created an NDA for Annie to sign saying she could never speak on their family business. The same law firm that handles Jack Smith’s will and trusts.”
The roar from the crowd is huge. I’m numb, eyes wide.
“These are the facts: the WNBA has hired an investigator, hopefully unknowingly, who is beholden to Trenton and Jack Smith. Trenton coerced Annie into signing an NDA a few days after the scandal broke, ensuring it would be very difficult for her to defend herself. And, before Trenton’s bogus investigator plant could report back to the WNBA that the clearly fake emails are real, I sent them out to the very best in the business.” There is an intake of breath from all of us.“The New York Timeswill be breaking the story as we speak. According to three different analysts, one being a cybersecurity expert, these emails are fake. We even procured Annie’s laptop and verified that they couldn’t have come from her account or IP address.”
Fake, fake, fake. It’s been verified that they’re not real. I’m crying again, really blubbering now. Daniel is the best competitor I’ve ever seen, and Trenton is falling behind in this race. He’s been beaten.
Daniel speaks over the passionate murmuring of his audience. He sounds deceptively casual, leaning back in his chair. “And if that isn’t the nail in Trenton’s coffin, here’s Misty Haverford, local reporter for the St. Louis Arrows.”
My brow furrows when I see Misty pop up on the screen. “Hello, everyone.” She sounds strangely shy. “Hello, Daniel!”
