Hearing Jeff speak, Julius’s mother looked at him anxiously.

Julius knew that his mother didn’t understand the intricacies of the situation. Jeff had always kept their disagreement private. But now, he was enticing his ignorant mother in a bid to force him to sign an extended contract.

This disgusted Julius a bit. He looked at his mother, gestured for her to remain calm, and spoke in a harsh tone.

“Don't worry Jeff, I am clear on what I need. You can negotiate everything apart from the extension of years. That is my bottom line.”

Julius stood firm on his stance.

“But…”

Julius’s hard stare shut Jeff’s mouth completely. The cold stare was a specialty of Julius’s. He had developed it while playing street games. Whenever someone touched his bottom line, Julius would never waste words with them. He would look at them coldly. The indifference and contempt that Julius exuded with his cold stare had driven many streetball players nuts.

Caesar’s Death Stare - that was the nickname that streetball players gave to that stare.

It was often the prelude to being massacred without mercy while playing ball on the street courts. And it was also an indicator that something the other party did had crossed Julius’s bottom line

Caesar was the nickname Julius had earned during the time he played on the street courts.

During his childhood, he always had a quick temper. Being reborn and living a second life isn’t a walk in the park. The frustrations from previous life, the irritation with having to play around with children, the annoyance of having to be the responsible one, and all the other million things that vex him on a daily basis contributed to him developing a hair-trigger temper.

In a way, it helped him out in the chaotic neighborhood of Brooklyn slums. He was someone not to be messed with. Especially on the basketball court. Whenever someone touched his bottom line while playing streetball with their trash talk or rough moves, Julius wouldn’t waste words with them.

Rather, he would become extremely driven to defeat them using the ball. He would humiliate them like they had never experienced before. He would become flashy, domineering, aggressive, and sometimes entirely unhinged. In short, he would enter a special state in which his concentration and willpower would drastically increase.

In that state, he would often perform stuff that he usually couldn’t do. Like jumping high, stealing the ball in a flash, performing flashy dunks, and whatnot. That state was a nightmare to streetball players in his community. In that state, he would be like a conquering general who would counter anything thrown at him.

In time, in lieu of his first name, his nickname on the streets became Caesar. And Caesar’s Death Stare was the prelude that would eventually drive him into such a state. So, it is well known among his community to prepare to be slaughtered whenever his cold stare comes out.

However, after joining college, his quick temper mellowed out a bit and he learned to control himself most of the time. Coming from a black neighborhood, he wasn’t a popular person among the staff in the college. They always viewed him as a troublemaker. So, to avoid more hassles, Julius learned to control his temper and not react strongly to most things.

However, Jeff had crossed his bottom line just now.

He was fine with Jeff not having confidence in him. He was fine with Jeff seeking advantages. He was even fine with the condescending attitude in which Jeff talked to him occasionally. But, he wasn’t cool with Jeff trying to strongarm him by taking advantage of his ignorant mother.

Thus the Caesar Death Look broke out.

As someone who was selected to play in the NBA, Julius’s physique could be quite imposing when he wanted it to be. Combined with his cold stare, not many could stand their ground after receiving it. Jeff was understandably flabbergasted by how sudden Julius’s mood shift was.

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Luckily for him, the phone in their hotel room rang. Jeff loosened his tie a bit and hurried to answer it. He spoke briefly on the phone and cut the call.

“It's the 76ers. This is a good sign. They called you immediately after the draft. That means they have high hopes for you. This way, negotiation will be easy. We can squeeze them out more. What do you say!?” Jeff tried once again.

“Still the same, you can negotiate to the best of your ability. The bottom line is the standard rookie years. That's it,” Julius replied coldly.

“Sigh, won't you reconsider? This is a good opportunity,” Jeff’s tone was a little desperate by now..

Julius didn’t reply. He once again stared at Jeff coldly.

“Tch, alright,” Jeff replied grumpily and walked out of the room.

With Jeff’s exit, the tension in the room evaporated immediately. Everyone relaxed as the heavy atmosphere was lifted.

“Yo Jules, why not sign for more years? At least, this way you have a guarantee for a few more years, right?” Dave asked softly not wanting to trigger Julius again.

Julius’s mother also looked at him expectantly wanting to hear his explanation.

Julius smirked at Dave. This is what he liked about Dave. He would never question Julius in front of others. He would be a silent supporter of Julius when facing others. However, once they are alone he would express his opinion or ask his doubts. This sense of proportion was rare among the black guys.

And Dave was one of those loyal guys. No matter the reason, he would stand firmly behind Julius. Knowing Dave, Julius understood that Dave must have realized that Jeff had touched his bottom line by bringing up the topic of extended contract in front of his mother. However, being ignorant himself, Dave wouldn’t know what triggered him.

“Heh, he wishes that I sign extra years. It would make him good money. But, why should I? I have confidence that I can make it in the NBA. So, I have to look at the future,” Julius snorted.

“Once a contract is signed, the income is fixed. No matter how your performance improves, you have already signed. The owner wouldn't be selfless enough to give me more money because of my improvement,” Julius tried to explain to his mother in simpler terms.

“That's right, no one is a fool. Especially those rich bastards. They would only squeeze us further,” Dave nodded in agreement.

“So, the shorter the contract, the better it is for me,” Julius said looking at his mother. “I can become a free agent sooner and get a good payday when I sign my next contract.”

“Isn't this good for Jeff as well? Then, why is Jeff asking you to sign for more years?” his mother asked in confusion.

“He doesn't think I can make it,” Julius snorted. “He is right in a way. If you aren't talented enough, signing extra years is a good way to maximize your value. It will also give you more benefits in the short term and a stable place to develop for the long term.”

“For example, rookies aren't typically ready to play at the NBA level in their first year. So, the teams will give them some time to hone their skills in the first year. Then, they will exploit their values in the next few years. Signing an extended contract will make the team give me some extra time to hone my skills. It is beneficial in a way.”

“But, if I could hone my skills fast, then I wouldn't need that extra time. It all depends on my talent. Jeff thinks I need more time as I didn't hone my skills more in college. This will also give him more commission. So, he thought of it as a win-win.”

Julius didn’t denounce Jeff directly. He laid out Jeff’s motives and stance clearly to his mother. He also gave a short summary of the difference in opinion between Jeff and him.

“Are you sure about this? Maybe, you should listen to Jeff,” Julius’s mother said softly.

“Ha, don't worry, since I know this, I naturally have a plan,” Julius chuckled, waving away her concern. “In short, Jeff doesn’t think I could make it in the NBA. He wants a bigger contract to cash out. But, I have confidence in myself, ma. So, don’t worry about it.”

Julius’s mother nodded to indicate that she was fine. Julius knew that his mother was worried about his future. This was a life-changing opportunity for their family. She didn’t want him to be impulsive and make a wrong decision.

However, after hearing him speak, she didn’t pressure him to agree with Jeff’s arrangement. Julius and his mother had a good understanding of each other. Unless it was very important, his mother would never force him to do something. She knew he wasn’t someone to act without thinking when it came to important matters. So, she trusted him to make the decision.

“Whatever, I support you,” Dave said simply causing Julius to smile.

“Geez, thanks for your support. Without it, I would be heartbroken,” Julius teased him causing Dave to chuck a pillow at him.