My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 91: Glass Box

Rio walked out of his bedroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His ribs still ached from Casemiro's "welcome gift" yesterday, but his heart felt light.

He found his mother, Maria, standing in the sleek, ultra-modern kitchen. She was struggling with the induction stove.

"This machine," she muttered, hitting a touch panel with a wooden spoon. "It has no buttons, Rio! How do I turn on the heat? Do I have to ask it nicely?"

"It's touch-sensitive, Mom," Rio laughed, walking over and kissing her cheek. "You press here."

"Touch-sensitive," she scoffed. "In my day, you turned a knob and fire came out. Simple."

Rio leaned against the marble island. His dad, Carlos, was sitting at the dining table, staring out at the Manchester skyline. He looked small against the vastness of the city. He was drinking coffee from a mug that said World's Okayest Golfer—a mug he'd brought from home because he didn't trust Rio's "tiny espresso cups."

"Morning, Dad," Rio said.

Carlos turned, his eyes crinkling. "Morning, Champion. The view... it is something, eh?"

"It's okay," Rio shrugged. "But it feels like a hotel. You can't open a window without a security code."

Leo Lance burst into the room from the hallway, tripping over a Louis Vuitton bag. He was wearing sunglasses indoors and holding three phones.

"Rio! We have a schedule!" Leo announced, grabbing a piece of chorizo straight from the pan. "Ow! Hot!"

"What schedule?" Rio asked. "Pep gave us the day off."

"The housing schedule!" Leo shouted, spraying crumbs. "You are Rio Lance! You cannot live in an apartment. What if you want to buy a tiger? Where do you put the tiger? On the balcony?"

"I don't want a tiger, Leo."

"But the option!" Leo stressed. "We are going to Cheshire. The Golden Triangle. I have set up viewings. Wilmslow. Hale Barns. Alderley Edge. Where the footballers live."

Rio looked at his parents. They looked out of place in the penthouse. They were treading softly on the carpets, afraid to break something.

"Yeah," Rio said softly. "Let's go house hunting. I need a garden."

The Drive to Cheshire

The convoy was ridiculous.

Rio drove the matte black McLaren 720S with his dad in the passenger seat.

Leo drove a rented Range Rover with Mom in the back, probably complaining about his driving.

Inside the McLaren, it was quiet. The engine purred like a sleeping cat.

"This car," Carlos whispered, running his hand over the leather dashboard. "It is terrifying, Rio. It sits so low. I feel like my bum is on the road."

"It grips the road, Dad. It's safe."

"Safe," Carlos chuckled. "You know, when you were born, I had a Ford Fiesta with a hole in the floor. You could see the asphalt moving underneath."

"I remember," Rio smiled. "It smelled like wet dog."

"It smelled like hard work," Carlos corrected him gently. He looked at Rio. "Sixty million pounds. Seventy-five million value. It is just numbers to me, son. But this..."

He gestured to the car, to the road, to the feeling of freedom.

"This scares me. Don't lose yourself, Rio. Don't forget the Fiesta."

"I won't," Rio promised, gripping the steering wheel. "That's why you're here, Dad. To remind me."

[System Notification]

[Hidden Stat: 'Grounding' Increased]

[Mental State: Stable]

House #1: The Glass Box

The first house in Alderley Edge was... aggressive.

It was essentially a giant glass cube. It had an indoor waterfall, a garage with a turntable, and a cinema room with neon lights that spelled out BALLER.

"This is it!" Leo screamed, his voice echoing in the empty, marble hallway. "Rio! Look! It has a shark tank in the wall! No sharks yet, but we can get them!"

Rio stood in the middle of the living room. It was cold. It felt like an Apple Store. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Mom?" Rio asked.

Maria was standing by the kitchen (which was black marble). She looked terrified.

"Rio," she whispered. "Who cleans this? If I drop a spoon, it will echo for three days. It is not a home. It is a... a museum for robots."

"Dad?"

Carlos looked at the garden. It was all artificial turf. "Plastic grass. No soul."

Rio looked at Leo, who was currently taking a selfie with the empty shark tank.

"Leo," Rio said. "It's a no."

"But... the shark tank!" Leo cried.

"No sharks. Let's go to the next one."

House #2: The Manor

The second house was in Hale Barns. It was different.

They drove through massive iron gates, up a gravel driveway lined with old oak trees.

The house wasn't modern. It was a renovated manor house. Red brick. Ivy growing on the walls. It looked warm. It looked like it had stories.

"Okay," Rio whispered. "This is better."

They got out. The air smelled of wet earth and leaves, not city smog.

The estate agent, a woman named Sarah who clearly knew exactly how much Rio earned, smiled. "Welcome to The Oaks. Six bedrooms. Four acres of land. A detached garage complex. And... a very private garden."

They walked inside.

It had high ceilings, but wood floors. It had fireplaces. The kitchen was massive, but it was cream-colored and welcoming, with a giant Aga stove.

"Oh," Mom breathed. She ran her hand over the wooden island. "This... this is a kitchen."

Rio walked through the house. He found a room at the back with huge windows looking out onto the garden.

The garden was real grass. It was huge.

"Dad," Rio said. "Look."

He pointed to the detached garage building.

"It holds four cars. And it has a workshop in the back."

Carlos's eyes lit up. "A workshop? For tools?"

"For whatever you want, Dad."

Rio walked out onto the patio. He looked at the lawn. It was flat. Perfect.

[System Active]

[Scanning Terrain...]

[Potential: High]

[Suggestion: Install a 5-a-side pitch with FIFA Quality Pro turf.]

He could see it. A pitch in the back. A BBQ area for the summer. A place where Archie and Grealish could come over, but also a place where his parents could just... be.

"Leo," Rio said.

Leo walked up, looking disappointed that there were no neon lights. "It is a bit... old, no? It smells like books."

"It smells like home," Rio said. "How much?"

"Four point five million," Leo winced. "It is expensive, Rio. The glass box was cheaper."

"I don't care."

Rio turned to his parents. They were standing by the fireplace, whispering.

"Mom, Dad."

They turned.

"I'm buying it," Rio said. "But on one condition."

"Rio, no," Mom started shaking her head. "We have the house in Leeds. It is fine."

"The house in Leeds has a leaky roof and thin walls," Rio interrupted. "I want you to live here."

Silence.

"Rio," Dad said, his voice stern. "You are a young man. You need your space. You don't want your old parents hanging around."

"There's a guest wing," Rio pointed. "It has its own kitchen, its own entrance. You guys can have your privacy. But... I want you close. I'm nineteen, Dad. I'm rich, and I'm famous, and frankly... it's fucking terrifying."

Rio took a step closer.

"I need to know that when I come home after a bad game, I can smell your cooking, Mom. I need to know that Dad is in the garage fixing something."

Maria started crying. Silent tears.

"We cannot accept this," she whispered.

"You're not accepting charity," Rio said firmly. "You're accepting a job. Mom, you're the head of nutrition. Dad, you're the head of... I don't know, security? Keeping Leo away from the tiger sellers?"

Leo laughed nervously. "I have stopped looking for tigers! I promise!"

Carlos looked at Maria. They had a silent conversation that only people married for thirty years could have.

Carlos sighed. He walked over to Rio and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We will stay," Carlos said. "For a while. Until you settle in. Until you find a nice girl who kicks us out."

Rio grinned. "Deal."

The Chat Room Consultation

While Leo argued with the estate agent about including the curtains in the price, Rio sat on the back porch steps.

He pulled out his phone.

[Chat Room Active]

Rio_7: I bought a house. It's big. Old school. My parents are moving in.

Zizou_5: A wise choice. A fortress of solitude is good, but a home with family is a fortress of strength. Just make sure the walls are thick. You will need to scream sometimes.

Total_Football_14: Does it have grass?

Rio_7: Four acres.

Total_Football_14: Excellent. Build a pitch. Small sided. Practice your touch in the garden. That is where the magic happens. Not at the training ground.

The_King: Parents moving in? Hah. Goodbye to your partying days. No more bringing girls back at 3 AM.

Rio_7: I have a girlfriend, Eric. Maya.

The_King: Ah, yes. The painter. Good. Then the parents are a good shield. They will keep the gold diggers away. Just buy a big dog. A Doberman. Call him Cantona.

Rio laughed.

Rio_7: I'll think about the dog.

The First Night

That night, they didn't sleep at the penthouse. They camped out in the empty manor house.

They ordered pizza. They sat on the floor of the massive living room, using coats as cushions. The fire was crackling in the hearth (Dad had figured it out immediately).

It was empty. It echoed. But it felt warm.

"To the new house," Leo toasted with a can of Coke. "To The Oaks!"

"To Rio," Mom said softly, raising her cup.

"To family," Rio finished.