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it
    customary for a venture capitalist such as yourself to arrange to inherit half of the
    client's company in the event the client dies?"
    "Venture capitalism is just what the name implies. Capital for high-risk projects.
    People come to us when they can't get funding from mainstream banks and lending
    institutions. Loan repayment arrangements vary. I try to be creative."
    She raised her brows. "Your arrangement with my uncle was certainly creative.
    You wound up owning half the company."
    "I should probably point out that I did not inherit half of the company," he said
    very evenly. "I inherited fifty-one percent. Controlling interest. For all practical
    purposes, I own Glow."
    "So Winchmore said." She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. Her jaw
    tightened. Her cool smile, however, did not waver. "Well, partner , you'll need a
    quick rundown on the status of the situation at Glow, Inc."
    He was amused by the new attempt to establish herself in the driver's seat.
    "Thanks, but that won't be necessary. I stopped by the Glow offices before I came
    here today. I told all of my managers that I'll want an initial status report by
    tomorrow morning."
    "I see." She studied the toes of her stylish silver-gray oxfords. "I realize you'll
    want to cash out as quickly as possible. No problem. I've already talked to Melwood
    Gill, the chief financial officer at Glow. He says we can put together a generous offer
    to repurchase your shares in Glow."
    "I've already spoken to Gill. I told him that it won't be necessary to waste any
    more time structuring a buyout offer."
    She went very still. "I beg your pardon?"
    "I'm not open to an offer," he said gently. "I don't want to sell my fifty-one
    percent of Glow to you or anyone else. I intend to take Rollie's place as president
    and CEO of the company."
    Her mouth opened, but no words came forth. She closed it again. Briskly she
    removed her oxford-shod feet from the desk and sat up straight in her chair. She
    folded her hands in front of her. "I naturally assumed you'd want to be bought out"
    "You assumed wrong. Naturally. Don't worry about it. A lot of people make that
    mistake with me."
    "But you can't possibly be interested in running a company like Glow."
    "Why not?"
    "Well, because—" She unclasped her hands and spread them wide. "Because it's
    not what you do. You're a venture capitalist. You don't run businesses, you arrange
    financing for them."
    "I've been doing venture capital for over a decade. I'm bored with it. I'm selling
    my company, Sloan & Associates, to my vice-president. I'm ready for something
    different."
    She stared at him. "You're telling me you want to take an active role in running
    Glow?"
    "I'm telling you that I own controlling interest in Glow, and I will be calling the
    shots," he said very patiently. "Is that clear enough for you?"
    "But that doesn't make any sense."
    "It does to me."
    She glared at him. "Venture capitalists are all gamblers at heart. You get your
    kicks from taking risks on wild-card investments."
    "I'm ready for a change. On the plane trip back here to Seattle I had the
    opportunity to give the problem of Glow's future a lot of serious thought."
    She gave him a thin smile. "How nice for you."
    He ignored the sarcasm. "The company is at a very vulnerable stage. It's in a
    different position now than it was two years ago because of the R&D commitment.
    But it has not yet carved out a new, stable market niche."
    "Glow is poised to do extremely well."
    "One misstep during the next two years and the company will implode. If that
    happens, you and I won't be sitting around discussing who's going to be in charge.
    We'll be hiring bankruptcy lawyers."
    She stiffened. "Things aren't that precarious. You're trying to scare me into
    agreeing to give you full control."
    "I'm not asking you for permission to take charge of Glow," he said. "I'm telling
    you that I have already taken control of it."
    "Glow has been a family-held business for nearly