Wednesday July 2, 2025 – Day 17
The morning sun filtered through the windows of Officina22, golden and urgent. Leo stood in front of his laptop with singular focus. Today wasn't just another day—it was a decisive step. Alvani Meccanica had to be convinced. Every slide in the deck, every financial projection, every component supply route had to scream reliability and opportunity.
At exactly 8:47 a.m., after a final check of every document and file name, Leo hit "Send." The proposal shot through cyberspace, landing in Marco Alvani's inbox like a coded missile of hope. He exhaled deeply.
"Hey Sofia," he said, turning around, "can you split your time today? Help Giulia wrap up her ProtoForma work, and also screen candidates for the engineering role?"
"You're welcome in advance," she said with a cheeky smile and mock salute, already typing.
As Sofia sifted through LinkedIn profiles, Leo headed toward the bathroom. But something on her screen made him pause. A name.
Mohamed "Momo" El Maktoub.
He froze. Was that really... Momo?
Floodgates opened. Dusty schoolyards. Running races. Paper airplanes. And then her—Morena, the girl with braces and green eyes.
"She's my science partner," Leo had claimed back in fourth grade.
"Not anymore," Momo had said, puffing out his chest.
They fought under the fig tree behind the school until a teacher separated them. But it wasn't all rivalry. Bike races through suburban streets. Trading comic books in secret. Building a failed treehouse together, complete with bent nails and splinters. Momo had been his closest friend before adolescence and pride took their toll.
Now he was reading Kronos Parts' job post from a Bocconi library, and Leo decided not to say a word. No special treatment. If Momo wanted in, he'd earn it.
In the bathroom, Leo nearly collided with a man slipping on the wet floor. Reflexively, he reached out and caught him by the elbow.
"Whoa—thanks!" the man laughed. "Almost took a dive. Can I buy you a coffee?"
Leo shrugged. "Not saying no to caffeine today. Let me finish up first."
The man smiled. "I'll be at the bar. Name's Francesco."
They met ten minutes later and shared espresso over casual conversation. Francesco told stories of a sustainable packaging startup that failed after twelve months. He'd sold bikes in Lisbon, freelanced in Tallinn, and dabbled in 3D modeling.
"I keep failing better," Francesco said, sipping with a grin.
Leo laughed. "That's more than most people ever dare to do. It is as Edison said' 'show me a man that never failed and I show you a man that never tried' "
Then Sofia came by, stretching from hours behind her screen. She caught the tail end of Francesco's tale and was immediately intrigued.
"You've got a great background. Interested in working with us? No pay for now though."
Francesco blinked. Did they know? He had planned to send his CV the next morning. His heart pounded.
But Leo interjected quickly, "Not totally unpaid. There'll be a small living stipend once we get funding, and after two years, the option to buy up to 2% equity. Salary grows with us."
Francesco hid his relief well. "Count me in. When do I start?"
"Monday," Sofia said with a grin.
Unbeknownst to them, Luca was at the bar counter, mixing espresso for a regular and eavesdropping. His eyes narrowed slightly. Everything about Francesco felt… convenient. He made a silent note: no signed agreement, no binding equity. Let's see how this unfolds.
Back upstairs, Leo and Sofia broke the news to Giulia.
"We're getting bigger," Giulia said, excited.
"He starts Monday," Leo added, leaving out one key detail: Francesco was the man who'd saved Giulia just two nights earlier.
"We should also get a part-time guy to help," Sofia suggested.
"You just want to finish the job hunt you started," Giulia teased.
"Admit it," Leo said, nudging her with a smile.
"Guys!" Sofia laughed, pretending to be scandalized.
They agreed to post for a second position. If things kept scaling like this, they'd need all the help they could get.
Leo dove into final prep for Thursday's pitch to Alvani and hoped for that elusive verbal confirmation. If they secured Alvani, Baldini would almost certainly follow. If not... he didn't even want to think about that scenario.
That evening, the city glowed beneath a gentle twilight as Lorenzo and Luca met atop a rooftop bar in the heart of Milan. Jazz hummed through hidden speakers. Negronis in hand, the two old friends leaned back in heavy chairs.
"I'm in trouble," Lorenzo said after his second drink.
"Financial?"
"No. Worse. Shareholding. Gianluca controls 38% of Venturi Holding Spa. Now my wife wants 20% in the divorce. Not a single car, apartment, or euro—just shares."
Luca nearly choked. "Christ."
"I'll be left with 31%. Even with your 13%, we're at 44%. Not majority. Not anymore."
"Can she be trusted?" Luca asked.
"I thought so," Lorenzo murmured, swirling his drink. "But now, I'm not sure."
Luca leaned in. "Then don't give her unrestricted shares. Wrap them in voting conditions. Have your people start buying minority voting blocks—quietly. Influence is planted, not demanded."
Lorenzo stared into his glass. "And Leo?"
"When the time is right, have Venturi Holding acquire Kronos Parts. Buy it with shares, not cash. Grow Leo as your successor. Groom him. The only question is—does he want it?"
Lorenzo nodded slowly. "He's smart. Smarter than me at his age."
"That's why I said the only question is what he wants."
They both drank in silence, watching the city breathe below.
"You know," Lorenzo said finally, "the strangest part of all this?"
"What?"
"She never cared about the company before. Never asked a thing. Until now."
Luca didn't respond right away. He just looked out at the skyline—glass towers blinking like constellations, unaware of the battles playing out below.
"What is love, eh?" Luca murmured, mostly to himself. He'd seen fortunes built and lost, companies rise and implode. But love? That one remained unsolved.
He had no children. No wife. But he had Leo, Sarah, Lorenzo—his mentees, his legacy. Maybe that was enough. Maybe it wasn't.
The night deepened. The air cooled. Somewhere in the city, plans were already in motion.