Maddox pushed open the glass doors of the training facility. The smell of fresh paint and new equipment filled the air. Everything about Northcastle Rising Stars screamed professional. Clean floors, modern equipment, trophy cases lining the walls.
He checked his watch. 10:45 AM. Fifteen minutes early. Good.
The meeting room was on the second floor. Maddox climbed the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. His palms were sweaty. First impressions mattered. These people would be working with him every day.
The door read "Conference Room A" in gold lettering. Maddox knocked twice and entered.
Four people sat around a oval table. They looked up as he walked in. Maddox recognized some faces from the last training sessions, but others were new.
"Maddox!" A tall man with graying hair stood up. "Good to see you again."
"Mr. Markus," Maddox replied, shaking hands with the youth club's director.
