Monday morning, at the ProfiCamp.
At 9 a.m., the conference room on the second floor of the administrative building was already alive with the low hum of discussion. Outside, Frankfurt was still waking up, a pale sunlight filtering through the glass walls, but inside the room the atmosphere was sharp, focused.
At the long rectangular table sat Markus Hardung, impeccably organized as always, a neat stack of documents arranged in front of him. Beside him, two of his assistants typed quietly on laptops, ready to pull up figures when needed. Across from them sat Marco, leaning back in his chair with the exact posture of a man determined not to be pushed around.
The tension in the room wasn't hostile — just the natural electricity of high-stakes negotiation.
Hardung opened the meeting with the standard formalities, but Marco wasted no time.
