Emily narrowed her eyes and asked, “Are you sure that we should be having a confidential business discussion in such a cafe? Aren’t we supposed to hold our meeting somewhere more private?”

”Don’t worry, my dear lady,” Mr. Stefano said amiably with a smile. “Our team has already considered all those factors. Go ahead and step into the cafe. You’ll understand what I mean.” Without waiting for Emily to say anything else, he held the door open for her and Zachary.

”Interesting,” Zachary said, exchanging a glance with Emily. They reached a tacit understanding and immediately entered the cafe.

Zachary’s eyes lit up on stepping inside. Through the large glass window that welcomed the passage of the light, the almost empty cafe was alive with the vibrant hues of the afternoon. Its interior was homely and colorful, with various paintings and unique ornaments adorning the walls. Zachary even spotted a toy car and a tiny scooter among the decorations on the walls.

”Nice,” Emily remarked as she glanced around. “You booked the entire place for our meeting.”

”Of course, we had to,” Mr. Stefano said matter-of-factly. He closed the door to shut out the noise from the streets as his smile glowed even brighter. “Now, we have some privacy. Come; I will introduce you to the rest of my colleagues.”

With that said, they started moving, and a few more strides brought them to a table at the far corner of the almost empty cafe. At that table sat two silent gentlemen, who had remained quiet and composed even after laying their eyes on Zachary and Emily.

”Mr. Zachary Bemba!” The ever-smiling Mr. Stefano said to break the ice. “Unlike Emily, it’s your first time meeting any of us. So, let me do the honors and introduce you to my colleagues.”

He walked around the table and patted the shoulder of a stern-looking gentleman with sharp eyes and a prominent beard. “This one here is Fabio Paratici, our sporting director. Don’t get intimidated by how fierce he looks. He is quite a friendly guy. If you get to know him, you’ll notice that he’s pretty much an easy-going person.”

Fabio Paratici chuckled after hearing the way his colleague had introduced him. His stern countenance somehow softened as he stood up and extended his arm from across the table. “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zachary Bemba,” he said. “I hope this meeting marks the beginning of a long-term friendship between our parties.”

Zachary smiled and took his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Fabio Paratici,” he said. “Thanks for having us, and I look forward to the negotiations between our parties.”

”What did I say?” Mr. Stefano chimed in with a smile. He glanced at Zachary and asked, “Don’t you already find him a friendly fella?”

Zachary just smiled in response. He was at a loss for how to keep up with the eccentric Italian.

”Okay, okay,” Stefano said and stepped towards the other older gentleman at the table. “This guy here is our attorney. He goes by the name Federico Delfini. You don’t have to worry too much about him. He’s only here to help us through the complicated contract mumbo-jumbo.”

The older gentleman laughed in response. He also stood up with grace and extended his hand to Zachary. “It’s nice to meet you, Zachary.”

”Nice to meet you too, Mr. Delfini,” Zachary replied, taking the attorney’s hand for a firm handshake.

”I guess we are all acquainted with the lovely Miss Emily,” Mr. Stefano intoned. “So, there’s no need for me to introduce her? Isn’t that right, Miss Emily?”

Emily nodded and took the ball in her hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Paratici and Mr. Delfini,” she said, extending her hand to the two gentlemen. “Let’s have a pleasant discussion.”

”Indeed,” Fabio said, smiling and shaking her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Miss Emily Anderson. I have heard a lot of good things about you. Let’s have a pleasurable discussion.” The sporting director then stepped back and allowed his club’s attorney to exchange handshakes with Emily.

”Now that the necessary introductions are over,” Mr. Stefano chipped in again after the others took their seats, “Let me also take this rare opportunity to introduce myself. I go by the name Stefano Morganti. I’m a professional football agent based mainly in Italy. I’m now representing Juventus to negotiate a deal between our two parties.”

”Mr. Stefano Morganti,” Emily suddenly said, her tone brisk. “You asked for fifteen minutes. Four minutes have already elapsed.”

”Damn my big mouth,” Mr. Stefano said, grinning and turning towards his colleagues from Turin. “Fabio! Mr. Delfini! The floor is now yours. Let’s convince our guests here in less than ten minutes.”

Fabio Paratici, the sporting director of Juventus, nodded and faced Zachary. “Zachary,” he said. “We’re very short on time. So, we’re not going to overcomplicate these negotiations with lengthy presentations.”

”All I can assure you is that my club needs you,” he continued, his exotic accent heavily coloring his words. “We really hope that you sign with us. I’m a hundred percent confident that I speak for everyone at Juventus, including our new head coach, Massimiliano Allegri, our president, Andrea Agnelli, and all our fans, when I say that Juventus needs you. As long as you sign with us, we’ll do our best to accommodate all your requirements. That’s a promise, and that’s all I have to say for now.”

Mr. Stefano Morganti smiled and turned toward the quiet older attorney. “Mr. Delfini,” he said, “Can you pass two copies of the contract draft to our two guests?”

”Sure,” Federico Delfini, the attorney, readily agreed. Without losing a second, he opened his briefcase and fished out two documents. Then, he smiled and passed them over to Emily and Zachary.

”Excellent!” Mr. Stefano Morganti’s eyes flickered with joy as he glanced at his watch. “I still have about ten minutes. That should be enough.”

”No, you only have eight minutes,” Emily corrected, leaning forward and picking up the copy of the contract draft before her.

”Can’t you even let that pass?” Mr. Stefano asked.

”You now have seven minutes,” Emily stated, tuning her gaze onto the contract in her hands.

”Damn!” Mr. Stefano cursed. But his smile was still as bright as the noon sun as he turned towards Zachary. “Mr. Zachary Bemba! I’ll summarize all the terms Juventus can offer to convince you to choose our side. Please, listen carefully.”

Zachary leaned back in his seat and nodded to give him the go-ahead.