Chapter 86: Recruit People

Richard was working late at Maine Road, accompanied by the radio as usual, listening to reports about how Mexico had secured a spot in the quarterfinals after their victory over Bulgaria in the Round of 16.

[...In reward for forcing Argentina to reach the knockout rounds as the top-ranked third-place side, Bulgaria met Mexico in the last 16. Stoichkov would again prove to be the architect of their efforts in East Rutherford with the opening goal inside six minutes at Giants Stadium...]

[...The striker unleashed an incredible effort to break the deadlock from the edge of the area. Yet a penalty from Alberto Garcia Aspe drew El Tri level and as no side could find a second, the tie headed for a shoot-out. This time, it was Borislav Mihaylov stealing the headlines...]

RING!

His phone vibrated. This time, he picked it up immediately.

"Why did you take so long to answer?!" Fay shouted, making Richard instinctively pull the phone away from his ear.

"Shit... can you talk quietly?" Richard snapped back, rubbing his ear in annoyance.

Fay let out an exasperated sigh. "How do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"Bulgaria! Bulgaria!!!" he blurted out, his voice rising with excitement. "Holy shit, is this real? Are they actually through?"

"Of course, they got through," Richard said casually. "And they’ll go through again—straight to the semifinals."

"Hah! You’re crazy," Fay scoffed. "You know the reigning champions are waiting for them now. There’s no way they’ll get past them."

Indeed, in the quarterfinals, Bulgaria’s next opponent was Die Mannschaft—Germany, the reigning world champions, who had claimed their third title at Italia ’90.

"That’s on you if you don’t believe me," Richard said with a shrug. Then, after a brief pause, he asked, "By the way, how much did I make from their last three matches?"

"£1,8 million"

"Then good. Bet half of it on Bulgaria. The other half—please transfer it to my account."

Fay was surprised. Usually, Richard went all in—that’s how he earned the nickname

Richard Roller

at every World Cup. People loved watching him lose, like when Bulgaria was shockingly beaten by Nigeria.

"Why not all of it?" Fay asked, confused.

"Because I need the money."

"Oh, the Rover," Fay said knowingly. "I must say, trying to outbid BMW and throwing in billions... I’m impressed, you know."

It could be said that he had been there since the beginning, back when Richard wasn’t rich—just another gambler chasing the next big win.

"But none of it matters if I can’t hold on to it. That’s why I’m busy," Richard sighed. Then, as he mentioned Rover Group, something clicked in his mind.

"Hey, Fay," Richard called.

"What?"

"How is it at Paddy Power?"

"It’s fine here. Why?"

"No, I mean—what’s it like working there? How’s the salary? The commission? Is it good? Is the pressure high? Anything you can tell me?"

"What are you getting at?"

Richard coughed. "Nothing, just curious. Forget it if you don’t want to share."

"No, it’s fine," Fay said after a moment. "Most of the time, it’s pretty idle—except when there’s a World Cup, the Euros, or another big event."

"Aren’t you bored?"

"What? Why do you suddenly care?" Fay narrowed his eyes. "Don’t tell me—"

"Hey... what if you helped me?" Richard cut him off before he could finish.

"Helped you? What do you mean?"

"Yeah. You know—Rover, Manchester City—"

Fay frowned. "You know I never learned anything about that kind of stuff, right?"

"But you can learn," Richard countered. "People can learn. Moreover, it’s been years since you became manager at Paddy Power. You’ve been there long enough—why not shake things up a bit? Don’t you want to try something new?"

"Which one are you talking about? The car or football?"

"Football, of course."

Fay shook his head, audible on the other end. "Still... this is way out of my league."

"What do you mean, ’out of your league’?" Richard shot back. "You think everyone just knows everything from the start? I didn’t. Hell, I still don’t. Take Rover Group, for example—do you think I knew anything about cars? I didn’t. I just went for it, and boom, now I own it. I’m willing to figure it out. Besides, you’ve been managing things at a betting company for years. You’ve got more experience than me. You’ve got the skills. Why not take the next step?"

"..."

Seeing no response, Richard leaned in. "Hey, what about Chief Operations? Chief Marketing? So, who’s it going to be, huh?"

When the word "Chief" was mentioned, who wouldn’t be intrigued?

Of course, Fay was tempted. "You serious?"

"I’m dead serious."

Fay wanted to say yes, but as he thought about his personal relationship with Richard and his own background, he hesitated.

Working at Paddy Power had taught him many things—things that were very different from his time at William Hall, where everything was tightly controlled by bureaucracy. Here, because the company was still in its early stages, there were many personal factors to consider. It wasn’t just about business decisions—it was about taking risks and dealing with the "what ifs."

This made it harder for Fay, who was used to thinking in scenarios and following a clear structure.

[...Bulgaria returned to New Jersey and Giants Stadium for their quarter-final tie at the 1994 World Cup. This time, the reigning champions awaited Penev’s squad after Germany came through a 3-2 affair with Belgium..]

The silence on the other end, mixed with the background noise of the radio, made Richard sigh. "Fine... how about this..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "What if you oversee Maddox Capital for me?"

"Maddox Capital? Your investment company?"

"Yeah, that’s right..." Richard thought for a second before continuing, "The work isn’t too demanding. It’s mostly just overseeing things. You’d monitor the stocks, keep an eye on the good companies in the portfolio, and make sure the investments are performing well. You’d report back to me regularly. If there’s any issue or something urgent, you’d bring it to my attention."

Fay paused, processing the offer. "So, just making sure everything’s on track? Keeping an eye on the numbers, but no real decision-making?"

"Exactly," Richard confirmed. "I’ll make the big calls, but besides overseeing things, you’d also need to learn. You said you hesitated because of your background and skills, right? So why not take some courses or certifications

"That..." Fay was stunned. "That sounds feasible, I think."

"Great, it’s settled then. When can you start working?"

With that, one weight was lifted off Richard’s shoulders.

Still, when he thought about Maddox Capital, most of its assets were in property—hotels and land.

Richard paused for a moment, deep in thought, before his eyes lit up. He remembered the guy from Islington when he was purchasing the all the houses there.

"Who was it again? Stuart? Yes, that’s right—Stuart! He was the one who handled my purchase and managed everything. He took care of all the details."

This was Richard’s first real plunge into the property game, and the complexities of bulk purchases, paperwork, and negotiations were proving challenging.

Stuart had streamlined everything—vetting properties, handling legalities—especially since he had managed to buy dozens of houses from the government all at once, which had made things more complicated. But Stuart had a talent for making it all look easy, and that was exactly what Richard needed.

"Maybe I should give him a call," Richard muttered to himself, already thinking ahead. "He’d be perfect for managing the hotels and land. A real godsend for overseeing all the properties under Maddox Capital."

He reached for his phone and dialed the number he had saved years ago, hoping Stuart was still available.

"Come on, pick up..." Richard murmured under his breath, tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk.

CLICK!

"Hello, Islington Council. How can I help you?"

"Yes, I’m—" Richard began, now searching for someone to help build his company’s future.

In the background, the radio continued to play, but no one was really listening.

[...Bulgaria started as the better of the two teams, twice striking the post in their search for a breakthrough... Letchkov’s aggressiveness showed early in the second half, his rash challenge bringing Jürgen Klinsmann to the ground. But Bulgaria refused to be beaten. With just fifteen minutes left, Stoichkov—’The Dagger’—rose to the occasion and pulled his squad level...]

[...GOAL!!! Stoichkov drew Andreas Möller into committing a foul 25 yards from the German net. His swerving free-kick flew past Bodo Illgner at the near post! And just minutes later, Bulgaria struck again! Letchkov’s diving header completed the turnaround, sending the small Balkan nation into the semi-finals...]

The result was a shock to the system for Germany, who had not returned home before the semi-finals since the 1962 World Cup. Die Mannschaft were far from their best in the USA. Yet few expected anything but Germany and their winning machine to overawe Bulgaria.

The deal with Stuart was swift. Working in government had its downsides—too many rules, slow pay, and limited career growth compared to the private sector. The position Richard offered was far more lucrative, making Stuart’s decision an easy one. Without much hesitation, he accepted.

Satisfied with how things were falling into place, Richard leaned back in his chair—only to be interrupted by another call from Fay.

"You lucky bastard! Your £1.8 million just turned into £7.4 million!" Fay’s voice was filled with excitement. "So, what’s next? Do you want to bet on Italy in the semi-final?"

Richard exhaled, shaking his head. "No. That’s enough for this World Cup. Transfer the money to my account now."

Fay was surprised. "Wait—you’re not betting on the semi-finals or the final?"

"Not just that," Richard said, his tone firm. "I’m quitting betting for good."

Fay was stunned into silence. "You? Quitting?"

Richard sighed. "Think about it—what do you think the FA will say if a club owner gets caught betting? Right now, I’m lucky. City isn’t in the Premier League yet, and none of my players are involved with Bulgaria or their past opponents. But once we get there? I’ll be in serious trouble."

"Premier League? Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?"

Richard clicked his tongue in annoyance. Why did everyone keep underestimating his City? It seemed like he needed to show them next season just how terrifying Manchester City could be.

Shaking his head, he refocused. "The important thing is—I’m done with betting. World Cup, Euros, whatever it is, I’m out. That’s why you’d better get over here quick and help me. Your ATM machine is gone for good now, hahahaha!" Richard burst into laughter.

It was no secret that every World Cup or Euros, Fay made a killing in commissions from his insane bets.

To be honest, Richard had a strong feeling Brazil would win this World Cup. But with players like Ronaldo, Cafu, and Roberto Carlos in the squad, he wasn’t willing to take any chances. One wrong move, and it could turn into a scandal. He didn’t want to hand his enemies the bullet they could use to shoot him in the future.

"That’s why," Richard continued, leaning back, "since I’m quitting betting, why don’t you get your ass over here quickly?"

Fay went silent for a moment.

"Well...You’ve got a point."