Chapter 6 – The Verona Gambit

Friday, June 20, 2025 – Day 5

Milan woke late on Fridays, but Leonardo Venturi was already two espressos in by 6:50 a.m., hunched over his laptop like a wartime cryptographer. Officina22 was still dark except for the glow of his screen and the muted hum of the espresso machine powering up.

He was parsing buyer submissions, matching SKUs manually, and silently praying the quote converter tool wouldn't crash again.

Behind him, Sofia arrived with two almond croissants balanced on a folder labeled "Sales Engineering v0.2."

"Eat. You're metabolizing stress," she said, handing him one.

"I already had breakfast," Leonardo said without looking up.

Sofia narrowed her eyes. "Was it coffee and guilt?"

He gave a sheepish nod.

She dropped into the beanbag and opened her laptop. "We need to talk about PartBridge."

Leonardo groaned. "Do we have to? Can't we just manifest their failure through good UX and strategic snacking?"

Sofia spun her screen around. "They're demoing in Verona this afternoon. There's a LinkedIn post—look."

The post showed three smiling founders, clean logos, and an announcement:

"Excited to share our first buyer-supplier pilot starts today. Thanks to Studio MechVerona and Vitale Group for supporting our vision."

Leonardo blinked. "Vitale Group?"

"That's Lorenzo's holding company," Sofia said grimly. "He's hedging his bets."

Leonardo slumped in his chair. "He said just win. And then he backs them, too?"

"He didn't say only win." Sofia sighed. "He's doing what investors do—diversifying. He gives you pressure. Them? Leverage."

Leonardo stared at the screen, something sharp and acidic crawling up his chest.

Then he stood up.

"No."

"No?"

"We're going to Verona."

Sofia blinked. "What, now?"

"Yes. They're presenting to MechVerona. I know that firm—they're old-school. They'll respect technical depth. If we get there first, maybe we can flip the narrative."

"You want to crash a competitor's demo?"

"Not crash," Leonardo corrected. "Preempt."

Sofia leaned back. "You do thrive on panic, huh?"

"No. I just hate losing."

11:14 AM – Train to Verona

They sat side-by-side, surrounded by the soft hum of regional rail and the rhythmic tap of keys. Sofia was prepping a "Why Us" comparison sheet. Leonardo was updating a sandbox demo with new mock buyer requests.

Halfway through the ride, Leonardo paused.

"What if we don't win?" he asked quietly.

Sofia looked up. "Then we learn. And then we try again."

Leonardo nodded. "But what if they're actually better?"

"Then we steal their ideas, make them better, and out-execute them by Day 30 or even earlier, Lorenzo gave us 30 days, why not finish earlier and crush PartBridge "

He smiled. "You'd make a great pirate."

Sofia smirked. "Only if I get to name the ship. I was thinking of naming it Thousand Sunny, what do you think?"

Leonardo looked at her with a little bit of excitement. " Are you also a fan of One Piece?"

Sophia said with a cuckle, " Master Oda is a genius, so of course I am a super fan"

Leonardo laughed, " Well, well, I think we are going to do well"

1:46 PM – Outside MechVerona HQ

The building was all glass and brushed aluminum, with a logo etched onto the stone wall that looked like it hadn't changed since the early '90s.

Leonardo straightened his collar and turned to Sofia.

"Okay. No interruptions. No aggression. We're not attacking. We're suggesting a better fit."

"Got it."

They walked inside.

At the reception desk, Leonardo cleared his throat. "Buongiorno. We're here for a quick presentation. Industrial sourcing pilot. We believe our platform might align with MechVerona's goals."

The receptionist looked confused, then typed something into her screen.

After a pause, she said, "You're not PartBridge?."

"We're… a late addition" Sofia said, stepping in. "We were just with Lorenzo Vitale this week. He mentioned MechVerona might be looking at new platforms."

There was another pause. The receptionist made a call, murmured into the phone, then nodded toward the hallway.

"Conference Room C. You've got 20 minutes."

2:03 PM – Conference Room C

They entered the sleek, sterile room. Inside sat four people—two in suits, two in branded polos. None of them looked particularly amused.

One man, older, with silver hair and a scar across his left knuckle, tapped his watch.

"You have ten minutes."

Leonardo stepped forward. "We're not here to interrupt your day. We're here to show you a different approach to part sourcing—one that's transparent, demand-driven, and built by people who understand your pain points."

He tapped his laptop. The demo loaded.

"Twenty-five buyers submitted quotes yesterday. Within 48 hours. No marketing spend. Just pure need. Our system matches by SKU similarity, delivery windows, and urgency clustering. This isn't a marketplace—it's a procurement lens."

Sofia joined in. "We don't just digitize catalogs. We build relationships. And our system helps you prioritize bulk orders, predict surges, and maintain lead time buffers."

The room was quiet. The man with the scar leaned back. "And why are you here now?"

Leonardo didn't flinch. "Because we believe MechVerona doesn't want the second-best solution. And we're the first to focus on human-centered procurement. The tech matters—but so does the team behind it."

The room stayed silent. Then the man nodded.

"You get one follow-up call. Monday, 10 a.m."

Sofia blinked. "Seriously?"

"You earned it. Now go. Your rivals are in Conference B."

2:27 PM – Outside MechVerona HQ

They walked into the Verona sun like they'd just robbed a bank.

"I can't believe that worked," Sofia said.

Leonardo looked stunned. "We just outmaneuvered them. With no invite."

"That was insane. I'm so proud of us, and also terrified of karma."

Leonardo grinned, then paused.

"You know what this means?"

Sofia looked over. "You're going to say something dramatic, aren't you?"

"We're not just racing a clock anymore," he said. "We're racing a ghost version of ourselves—one that ships slower, pitches weaker, and waits for permission."

Sofia nodded. "And that version has already lost."

4:11 PM – Train Back to Milan

As the countryside blurred past their window, Sofia leaned against the seat divider.

"You know, five days ago, you didn't even have a name for this thing."

Leonardo nodded. "Now we've got two suppliers, sixty-three buyers, and one rival who doesn't know we just stole their thunder."

She sipped from a lukewarm espresso can. "You know what we need?"

"More sleep?"

"A designer."

Leonardo laughed. "Let me guess—you have someone in mind?"

Sofia held up her phone. A contact card:

Giulia Romano – UI/UX, ex-PoliMi, cursed in Figma, fluent in sarcasm.

"She owes me a favor."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "Fluent in sarcasm?"

Sofia smirked. "She'll fit right in."

11:47 PM – Officina22

Back at basecamp, Leonardo erased and rewrote the whiteboard.

Leads: 10Confirmed: 2Demo Pending: 2Buyers: 1 Competitor: 1Designer: Incoming Funding: €115.70

Beneath it, Sofia scribbled a new line:

Mood: Legally unstoppable, Morally unshakeable 

Leonardo looked around at the mess they left, post-its, crumpled wrappers, and cold espresso cups. He wasn't ashamed or rather he didn't notice that this was a students bar not his office.

"I think," he said slowly, "we might actually pull this off."

Sofia smiled.

"Let's make it happen."

Day 5 complete.25 days to go.