They went up two flights of stairs and reached the 2nd level. Mark led the way and they eventually arrived at the office at the very end of the floor.
This time there was a name plate with Barry Hart written in simple text.
Mark opened the door and the reception greeted them. Ken cringed, it reminded him of a doctors clinic with the chairs set up and the old magazines on the table beside them. No one was present at the desk, but there was a bell.
Ken walked to the reception desk and saw a note, written in the same scribble as the sign downstairs. It read, "Ring bell for assistance."
He took another look at Mark who was still wearing a smile before ringing the bell.
DING
At first there was no response, so Ken rang it a second time.
"Alright alright, I'm coming." The sound of a grumpy man entered there ears. He appeared from the office at the rear, dressed in a blue suit. He was short, maybe 5'5 and wore a kippah on the top of his balding head.
Barry was clean shaven and had a long hooked nose, his eyebrows were thick and there was some grays mixed in, hinting at his age. He was grumbling under his breath, but Ken couldn't catch it.
"Barry my friend, it's good to see you." Mark said with a grin.
Barry looked up and saw Ken, his brown eyes lingering on his face before moving up and down Ken's tall frame, as if evaluating him.
"You must be Ken." He stated, completely ignoring Mark.
Ken frowned. He was not a fan of the man disrespecting his grandfather like this.
"Barry! Hello~ it's me!" Mark half-shouted, waving his arms trying to get the guys attention.
Only now did the smaller man seem to notice Mark. "Mark, my old friend!" Barry exclaimed, waddling forward and taking the man into an embrace. It looked rather comical with the foot in height difference, but Ken did not laugh. He was still confused at what was going on.
"Barry, this is my grandson Ken. I hear you two have already spoken a little." He said, his voice louder than usual.
"It's nice to meet you." Ken said, placing his hand out.
Barry took the hand, though his handshake was soft, making Ken feel a little uncomfortable. The man turned and made a waving motion, "Come into my office, let's have a chat."
Ken's eyes caught the sight of cochlear implants as he walked past. Things suddenly made sense. It seemed that the man was hard of hearing and Ken had just misunderstood something.
Mark brought his arm around Ken's shoulders and led him to follow Barry. "He's a bit of a character, but he's one of the best in the business." He assured him.
Ken nodded, he would trust his grandfather, he had no reason not to.
They arrived into the man's office, which thankfully did not look like a doctors clinic like the reception. There were two comfortable chairs in front of the mahogany desk, of which Barry gestured for them to sit.
Once they did, Barry's face turned into a frown right away.
"Ken, why did you not answer my calls the other day? The Pittsburgh GM was not happy. There's a good chance that you lost the opportunity of getting selected first in the draft." He said.
Ken's eyes widened for a moment and he got a little defensive. "I had a fever and slept for most of the day." He replied, feeling attacked.
"What?"
"He had a fever!" Mark repeated. "Are your ears on?"
"Hmm?" Barry was thoughtful for a moment before reaching up to his cochlear implant and fiddling with it for a moment.
"Say that again."
"I had a fever and slept most of the day." Ken repeated.
"Ah, wonderful. Looks like I forgot to turn them back on again." Barry said with a laugh.
He opened up his laptop and placed his glasses upon his face, "It is no matter. Although you'll miss out on the large signing bonus, it might be a blessing in disguise. The Pittsburgh GM is notorious for being a cheapskate."
Ken raised an eyebrow. The small man's demeanor had suddenly changed with his glasses on. No longer did he look like a tottering old man, but a shark.
"The Natives have the 2nd pick, but they're still light in the outfield, I doubt they'd be looking for another pitcher this year. Speaking of which, your son Santiago should be due to get called up after the all-star break." Barry turned to Mark and said.
"Oh, that's wonderful news."
Ken nodded too, happy for Santiago.
"Does that mean Detroit will likely pick me at 3rd?" Ken asked seriously. He did not want to get his hopes up, but playing under his grandfather would be like a dream come true.
Barry smiled softly, "It is looking that way, though the front office haven't exactly been transparent with me. Perhaps it was fate that you came down with a fever when it was time to workout with them."
Ken felt that might be the case. Inwardly he thought that the system itself might have been pulling the strings in the background. But if he was to be selected by the Detroit Ligers, it would all be worth it in the end.
"Of course, you'll miss out on a fair bit of money by dropping down to the 3rd pick." Barry continued, his expression a little annoyed.
"How much are we talking?" Ken asked. He had accrued quite a bit of money in this past year with Nikey, and could almost afford to pay back his grandfather for the loan.
"About $1.5 million USD."
"HUH!?"
Hearing such a sum, Ken's jaw almost landed in his lap. That almost 10 times more than the amount he'd made this year, all lost because of a damned fever.
Before tears could manifest, Mark placed his hand upon Ken's shoulder.
"Don't be too upset, the signing bonus will still be around $7.5 million for 3rd pick."
Ken blinked a few times, feeling faint.
'So much money…'