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Hannah zipped her suitcase shut, the sound sharp in her quiet apartment. She was off on her travels again, something that was a feature of her life now, although this trip felt different, more speculative, more uncertain. She hadn't even told Steiner she was coming to see him, as it might have prompted him to start discussions or negotiations beforehand, and communicating by phone or email wasn't her plan. She intended to keep her powder dry until they were face-to-face and then use her powers of personal persuasion to try and get what she wanted.

As she was about to leave her apartment, her phone buzzed. It was her sister, proposing a get-together at the weekend. "I'm just leaving for Zurich," said Hannah. "Even if I'm back by Saturday, I'll be jet lagged. I'll call you next week and we can arrange something then."

"Zurich? Didn't you just come back from there?"

"That was six weeks ago," said Hannah. "Now I've got another matter to attend to. I'll call you next week, I promise."

"Make sure you do. You can't spend your whole life globe-trotting and staring at spreadsheets."

Hannah smiled, her sister's call a comforting tether to a world that wasn't all equities, patents, and boardroom tactics. She would contact her next week, as promised, but now she had an airport to get to and a flight to catch. She was focused on her mission and full of resolve.

She couldn't help thinking that the rights transfer to Luxembourg had been a step too far, a capitulation rather than a strategic business decision, but it was no doubt reflective of Eridios's desperation at the time. Thinking further, she didn't see Vermeil's rejection of the equity conversion - demanding ten percent plus a board seat - as a negotiation tactic. It was a demand, plain and simple, a signature Steiner move. Dominance. Exploitation of his asset. But she was sure that Shirley would've seen this not as a blockade, but as an invitation.

Hannah had chosen the same hotel she'd stayed at during her previous visit to Zurich. It was late when she checked in, but she still had work on her mind. It occurred to her that she hadn't heard anything on Bolivia recently and emailed Rossi asking if there were any further progress.

His reply came early the following day. He informed her that matters were proceeding as planned. The DLE supplier had been chosen and the contract with that company agreed. Every effort was being made to fast track the pilot installation and he would keep her posted.

Satisfied with that news, she turned her attention to the matter at hand. She called Steiner's bank and asked to speak to him, but was told he was in a meeting. "This concerns Vermeil Holdings in Luxembourg," she said. "Tell him Hannah Hartwell would like to arrange a meeting to discuss that company." She left her number, confident that he would see her soon.

Her phone buzzed an hour later, the same person calling her back. She was told that Steiner would see her at the bank late that afternoon. That suited her perfectly, knowing that the bank would be closed then and she would have his undivided attention.

When she arrived, Steiner led her along a corridor and up some stairs to the conference room she remembered from her last visit. At that time of year it was quite dark already, which limited the view of Lake Zurich, despite it filling the room's panoramic window.

"I must say I'm surprised to see you, Hannah." Steiner closed the door behind them. "Your clever little proposal was presented. Alessandro's work no doubt. But Vermeil declined your offer. It's an open and shut case. Why come?" He produced two bottles of wine.

Hannah stepped forward, across the room's plush carpet. Her gaze swept the room - gleaming steel sculptures, floor to ceiling glass, the lake's expanse beyond. Power distilled into space. "Because Vermeil's rejection wasn't an end," she said calmly. "It was an invitation." She placed her briefcase on his desk but didn't open it. "Shirley Lewisohn

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