Everyone had told him he was crazy—starting an agency with a failed academy prospect, no connections to the big clubs, just belief and determination—but Marco had learned early that success in this business came down to recognizing moments when talent met opportunity.

Demien had the talent even when Fiorentina couldn't see it, the timing was perfect with the viral debut creating maximum exposure, and now the visibility was translating into opportunities that validated every risk Marco had taken in believing when no one else would.

The kid who was completely broken two months ago, Marco thought, and something tightened in his throat because he remembered Isabella's phone call, the desperation in her voice when she'd said Demien hadn't left his room in three days after Fiorentina's rejection, the way she'd begged Marco to reach out because she didn't know how else to help her son.

And now this.

Now brands were competing for the chance to work with him.

Marco pulled out his phone and opened the message thread with Demien; his fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment because he needed to frame this properly, needed to make sure Demien understood what this meant without overwhelming him before Saturday's match against Milan.

But he also needed to move quickly because in this industry, hesitation meant losing opportunities to competitors who moved faster.

He typed carefully:

Marco: Demien, some news. Nike just reached out officially—they want to schedule a formal meeting to discuss partnership opportunities. They mentioned interest in you for their Next Gen program.

He paused, then added:

Marco: Adidas contacted me yesterday wanting to set up a meeting. They expressed serious interest after your debut. Asking when you'd be available to sit down with their team.

A third message followed immediately.

Marco: Puma reached out as well. Same situation—they want a meeting and asked about your schedule. All three major brands are interested. We need to discuss strategy.

His thumb hovered over send, then he deleted the last sentence and rewrote it:

Marco: All three want to meet after you play Milan. We'll discuss strategy before then, but wanted you to know the interest is real and it's significant.

He hit send, set the phone down, and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

The email from Nike still glowed on his laptop screen; Marco clicked reply and began typing his response.

Dear Ms. Kim,

Thank you for reaching out on behalf of Nike Football. I appreciate the interest in Demien and would be happy to discuss potential partnership opportunities.

I will speak with Demien regarding timing and availability for a meeting, and will follow up with you within 48 hours to coordinate schedules.

Best regards,

Marco Benetti

Benetti Sports Management

Short, professional, non-committal but positive—exactly the tone needed to keep doors open while maintaining negotiating leverage.

He hit send, then drafted similar responses to Adidas and Puma, keeping the language nearly identical to avoid showing preference before understanding what each brand was offering.

His phone buzzed with Demien's reply, but Marco left it unread for now; tomorrow would be soon enough to discuss strategy, tonight he needed to finish reviewing contracts and responding to the other thirty messages that had piled up since Sunday.

The espresso had gone cold, but Marco drank it anyway, grimacing at the bitter taste; his desk lamp flickered slightly, the office felt too warm, and outside the window Florence's evening lights stretched across the cityscape like stars reflecting on water.

One debut, Marco thought again, and he smiled despite the exhaustion pulling at his shoulders. One incredible debut, and everything changes.

He turned back to his laptop and opened the next contract that needed reviewing, but his mind kept returning to that email from Nike, to the professional language that barely concealed the urgency behind it, to the reality that his client—the kid he'd believed in when no one else would—was now becoming exactly what Marco had always hoped he could be.

Someone worth believing in.

Tuesday Afternoon, August 10th, 2022 - Demien's Apartment, Bergamo

Demien lay on his bed, the apartment quiet around him; training had finished two hours ago and he'd showered at the facility, eaten at the cafeteria with some of the squad, then caught the shuttle back to his residence while his muscles still hummed with post-training fatigue.

The system chimed softly, the familiar blue panel materializing in his vision.

「TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Daily Training Task: Complete tactical positioning drills + sprint work」

「Performance Rating: Excellent」

「Reward: 10 TP」

「Current Balance: 334 TP | 20 SP | 366 MP」

Demien stared at the numbers for a moment; the currency had been building steadily since his debut, training points accumulating through daily work, match points from Sunday's performance still sitting untouched, and special points from achievements the system deemed significant.

Three hundred thirty-four TP, he thought, and something shifted in his chest. That's enough for multiple pack openings. The match against Milan is Saturday—I need to pull now, get the upgrades, let them settle before the game.

His hand reached toward empty air where the system interface would materialize when he called it. Time to use the gacha again.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, the notification lighting up the screen.

Marco Benetti: Demien, some news. Nike, adidas and puma just reached out officially—they want to schedule a formal meeting to discuss partnership opportunities. They mentioned interest in you for their program.

Demien sat down slowly on the edge of his bed, the phone feeling heavier in his hand than it should.

Nike. Adidas. Puma.

The big three in sportswear companies in the world, all reaching out after a single debut performance, all wanting meetings, all seeing something in him that warranted official interest.

And in that moment, sitting in his apartment with his hair still damp from the shower and his legs still tired from training, Demien felt two lifetimes collide in his chest.

David Drinkwater had never signed with a boot brand, never had sponsors interested in partnership deals, never experienced the validation of companies believing he was worth investing in—thirty-seven years of professional football across England and Europe, playing for clubs that barely paid living wages, wearing whatever boots he could afford or whatever hand-me-downs teammates didn't want anymore.

He'd saved screenshots of cruel comments calling him a journeyman, a club whore, a player not good enough for anything better, and those words had burned themselves into his memory like scars that never healed properly.

And now, in Demien's eighteen-year-old body with one Serie A match behind him and everything still ahead, those same major brands that had never looked twice at David were actively pursuing him, wanting meetings, offering opportunities that most players never saw in entire careers.

The irony wasn't lost on him, and neither was the significance.

This was huge—not just for the financial security or the career validation, but because it represented something David had never achieved despite decades of trying, something Demien's original self had believed impossible after Fiorentina's rejection.

Proof that second chances could lead to first opportunities.

He typed a reply, his fingers moving slowly across the screen:

Demien: That's incredible news. When do you think would be good to hold these meetings? Don't want to mess up the scheduling.

The response came within seconds, like Marco had been waiting for him to ask.

Marco: Honestly? I think we should set up meetings with all three after the Milan match on Saturday. Schedule them for the same day if possible—morning, afternoon, evening—so we can compare offers side by side and make the best decision without rushing.

Demien read the message twice, considering the strategy; having all three meetings on the same day made sense from a negotiation standpoint, prevented any brand from feeling like they had preferential treatment, and allowed for direct comparison of terms without the pressure of accepting the first offer that sounded good.

Demien: That makes sense. Same day, back to back meetings. Let's do it.

Marco: Perfect. I'll coordinate with all three brands and lock in times. Focus on Milan for now—we'll handle the business side after you perform.

Demien set his phone down on the nightstand and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling; exhaustion pulled at his limbs, but his mind felt too active to rest properly.

Then he said UG i am ready.

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