Liam Stones

**Liam Michael Stones II**, known as Liam but popularly nicknamed as Cap, is an overarching antagonist in the 2022 romantic drama book ***Darlin'***. He is an American businessman that serves as the head owner of the Beige V franchise & envisions a future league dominated by genetically-modified athletes as the prime core of marketing. Being a designer baby himself, Liam is described as a very formal, educated & respected teenager for his age by Ana Sophía due to his reputation of sheer professionalism & accomplished achievements from a young age.

## Biography

### Early Life

Liam Stones was born in Shanghai, China to Kimberley Roberts, an American primary school teacher and Liam Stones Sr, an American former footballer and businessman. Originally from Minnesota, Liam's family moved to Berkeley, California. While growing up, Liam was often encouraged and eventually trained by his father to compete in football tournaments. His appearances across middle school-aged tournaments gained the attention of sport scouts.

## Career

### Berkeley breakthrough

Following in the footsteps of his father, Liam Stones signed a 3-year contract with American Super League team ESPN Eagles that would earn him $20,000 USD per season at just age 14. He became one of the youngest ever league earners and immediately established himself as both the starting roster player for all competitions and team captain. After winning the 2014 Super League title with 20 appearances as a left-back, Liam began rising to power through his influence as an example of young teenagers profiting off systems that allow competitive sports for pay.

### Continued success

Liam continued to excel in his growth towards success in the league. In 2015, Liam lifted the ALP and Super League, helping the ESPN Eagles become the 4th team in Super League to win the league twice in a row. Partnerships with multiple private gambling organizations boosted his yearly income, becoming the 2nd highest earner in the league. A third consecutive Super League title in 2016 permanently established Liam as one of the greatest ever athletes to come through the system. He was the undisputed star of the league from his fast pace, quick feet and intelligent plays on the field that allowed him to quickly shift the momentum of the game, all while playing as a left-back.

### Darlin' appearance

As Liam began approaching the league age limit of 18, he entered the 2017 Super League season with a business approach. ESPN Eagles agreed to a 1-year contract extension, raising his salary to a league record $80,000 USD. It made him the highest ever earning defensive player. With his career earnings, Liam invested to kickoff his own nightclub experience for Super League players, known as **Beige V**. Ana Sophía introduces the integration of Liam's influence in her life by crossing paths in **Chapter 06: By Your Side**, a crossover in which Liam would express admiration for what Ana Sophía has done to represent the potential debuting female athletes have in the Super League system.

### Slow decline

Although Liam purchased a 10% stake in the Super League Federation and slowly began excelling profits in his business with the incorporation of status obsession, his career took a declining turn by the end of 2017. Liam lost the 2017 Decennary Super League Final to South City Wolves, making it his first ever loss. Having been born in the month of June, Liam was eligible to compete for one additional season but ESPN Eagles declined a contract extension, instead bringing in a new set of young players to rejuvenate the roster. In protest, Liam announced his retirement, citing a motivation to carry out projects outside of the field instead of inside. During his retirement, he makes one final appearance in **Chapter 13: Cross My Mind** from the morning of Ana Sophía's KOVO Champions Cup Hexagonal Qualifiers match in São Paulo, Brazil. We ultimately learn that Liam has been lying to Ana Sophía after Enzo taunts Ana Sophía during the post-match exchange of words, citing Liam's probabilities of lying to rising Brazilian star Matilda Brunet's vulnerability as a way to reveal Liam being behind the orchestration of the rigged match.

## Canon

### Backing Miggy

In canon, it is known that Liam was ultimately behind Ana Sophía's setup vs Porto Alanza, being one of Miggy's sponsors to help back the effort to prevent Ana Sophía from competing in the **2020 KOVO Champions Cup campaign**. Despite developing a respectable friendship with Ana Sophía, Liam always held the intention of halting her growth, viewing Ana Sophía as a threat to the controlled system due to her rapidly growing popularity & strong social media influence.