Chapter 2

A week later, Quin Venizelos stood outside the Customs arrival gate for first-class passengers. Outwardly, she was an island of calm in a sea of noise and activity. Inwardly, she was seething with anger. Thirty thousand metric tonnes of cement would be poured in the next few weeks, and instead of being there to supervise, she was babysitting the boss's daughter.

When she received Kurt Vossler's e-mail, she considered rebelling and telling him to go to hell. Then, common sense had prevailed. Normally, Vossler gave her a pretty free hand in running the Pacific Rim division. He set the goals and she made sure that they met them. So for Vossler to send his daughter out and ask Quin to give her a tour of China, there had to be a good reason.

Quin knew that Kurt Vossler had suffered a mild heart attack over a month ago. Quin knew a good deal about the Vosslers and Vossler Engineering. She made it her business to know, hiring people to provide her with inside information. She didn't see this as spying. It happened all the time in the corporate world; information was power.

Quin worked on the other side of the world from the company's headquarters. As a woman and a stranger, she could easily be left out of the old boys' loop. She made sure that never happened by always having the information before anyone else. The other division heads came to her to find out what was going on, and that was the way Quin wanted it.

So she e-mailed Vossler that she'd be honoured to show his daughter China. It might be a waste of time, but it never hurt to have the president and owner owing you a favour. If Vossler was in serious shape, Petra Vossler would be the next owner. It was an ideal time to show the woman what she could do for the company and establish a working relationship with her.

Quin considered what she knew about Petra Vossler. She was the only child of Kurt Vossler and Sophie Mueller. Kurt had married late to n woman much younger than himself. In Petra's eighteenth year, Sophie had died of cancer. Kurt had never remarried, nor was he known to play the field. When a companion was needed for an event, he tended to bring his daughter.

Petra Vossler was twenty-nine, and had a doctorate in sociology. She had written a book on the formation and structure of immigrant communities within North American society that was well received by the academic community. She was a lesbian and had been in one long-term relationship. Her partner had died in a car accident three years ago, and Petra hadn't dated since. Like her father, Petra was a discrete and private person.

There were questions that Quin hoped to get answers to. Petra had worked in various positions in the company from when she was a young teen, yet she didn't hold a current position with the company. Instead, she taught at Waterloo University. She did sometimes draw a salary from the company as an occasional employee. Quin knew this because she had hacked into the company's accounting system. What she didn't know was what Petra did for the company. That worried her.

Petra waited for her luggage to arrive with the other five first-class passengers. She was looking forward to meeting Quin Venizelos at long last. The woman was a legend. Her father was a Greek sailor who married a Canadian missionary working in China. Her parents both died in a typhoon, and Quin was raised by her Chinese godparents in Toronto's Chinatown. She excelled at school, both in sports and academics, and went through university on scholarships, one of them provided by Vossler Engineering. During her summers, she worked for Vossler and took a junior administration position with them upon graduating with her engineering degree. Five years later, she headed their Far East division and was in charge of their largest contract, the designing and building of the dam at Mao Ping.

Her father was right. Quin Venizelos was a powerhouse. She had taken a successful Canadian company and made it a world contender. That Venizelos had remained with the company was a mystery, and one that Petra intended to solve.

An employee placed her suitcase next to her. Declining any further assistance, Petra wheeled her suitcase and laptop through the doorway into the arrival lobby of the new Hong Kong airport. She picked out Venizelos right away. She was tall and fit with short-cropped blonde hair. Her features were more strong than pretty, but she was still a beautiful woman. Petra had seen photos of her, but in real life there was a vibrant energy about the woman that turned heads. Her presence seemed to demand respect, and when the blue eyes turned and targeted Petra's, the force almost made her miss a step. Petra understood now why her father was very hesitant about handing any more power over to this woman until they knew her better.

"Ms. Petra Vossler?" Quin asked, coming up to stand in front of Petra. Petra took a step to the side so that she wouldn't be forced to look up at Quin. She was very careful not to step back. Already the power games had begun.

"Yes." She smiled. "You're Quin. A pleasure to meet you. Please, call me Petra," Petra said, neatly forcing Quin into a subordinate role.

Petra knew her message had been received when she saw Quin smile knowingly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Kurt Vossler's daughter had teeth and could use them. Round one to the Vosslers. It was going to be an interesting few weeks.

"Here, let me take your suitcase. The company plane is standing by, and we should be in Beijing in two hours. Did you have a good flight?"

"A long one," Petra said, "Six-and-a-half hours from Toronto to Anchorage, Alaska, an hour to refuel, and an eleven-and-a-half-hour flight to Hong Kong." She had hoped that they would be spending a night in Hong Kong before taking another flight on to Beijing. She would have to be careful; jet lag would mean she wasn't at her best in duelling with this competitive woman.

"That's about par for the course. I'm sorry to be rushing you, but we're well into the second phase of construction at the dam, and I can't spare too much time away from the site," Quin said.

"Of course," Petra said. She stayed at Quin's side while they manoeuvred through the wide causeways and shopping areas of the impressive new international airport. A smile curled the corner of Petra's mouth. Tired or not, she was enjoying this encounter with Quin. Petra could hold her own in the game of manoeuvring for a power position. She was not Kurt Vossler's daughter in name only.

The Dash 8 owned by Vossler Engineering was basic but functional. While they sat on the runway waiting for the pilot to do his final chock nnd for their control tower clearance, Quin made coffee, and offered Petra a tray of delicate sandwiches made from lobster and shrimp, served with watercress.

They talked of the weather and mutual business acquaintances, keeping the conversation general as they felt each other out. To Petra's surprise, Quin chose to sit next to her during take off.

Their arms were nearly touching, and Petra could feel the heat of Quin's tanned skin. To say the very least, it was stimulating. Petra looked out the window, ignoring her companion. Quin had a reputation for conquests, in and out of the boardroom, both men and women. She'd have to be on her guard. Besides, Quin wasn't Val. No one could replace Val in her life.

The flight to Beijing was uneventful. Quin filled her time with calls to various managers, making sure that everything was going well. Once on the ground, Quin helped Petra clear Customs and then led her to the limo that would take them to their hotel. Along the way, Quin played tour guide.

"There are twelve million people living in Beijing, and another three million commute into the city each day to work. Bicycle is the best way to get around. There are ten million bikes in the city."

Petra tried to take in the information that Quin shot at her, although her mind and body had had just about enough. She needed time to wash, sleep, and adjust to the change in time and location.

"Beijing seems to be experiencing a building boom," Petra said, noting the skeleton frames of new construction everywhere.

"Yes, there's been a lot of investment in China, particularly by the Japanese and Americans. The last ten years have brought about amazing changes. There are over fifty McDonald's restaurants in the city now, catering to the renewed interest in the West." Petra watched through the window. Although poverty was evident, there were no beggars or street people that one found in most cities. The streets were packed with bicycles, Russian-made mini trucks, old buses, and people. Dressed neatly in the latest European designs, the people went about their busy day. Petra was both impressed and surprised by the wealth and prosperity she saw in the city. Poor areas of ramshackle homes, ancient buildings, and modern skyscrapers all mixed together in an exotic mix that was the new China.

Quin had booked them into a suite of rooms at the Palace, a five-star hotel designed for westerners. Petra tried not to show her surprise. This was not what she had expected in coming to the world's largest communist country. The lobby was a spacious terrace that towered three stories above them around a central open area. A wide, curving staircase of marble was guarded by two life-size marble horses, and a waterfall cascaded from one story to the other, where shops and offices were located. On the main floor, stores such as Chanel, Dior, and Hermes offered their wares and a string quartet played Bach in the corner.

They took the polished brass elevator to the top floor and found their luggage already waiting for them and their TV broadcasting a personal greeting plus a listing of the many services provided by the hotel. Their suite consisted of a central living and dining room, off which were two dressing rooms, bedrooms, and en suite baths. Petra thanked Quin for escorting her to the hotel and disappeared into her section of the suite, glad for the opportunity to wash and rest before she had to deal with Quin Venizelos again.

While she waited for sleep, Petra could hear Quin at the keyboard of her laptop. Petra deduced her visit had been planned carefully by Quin to give an optimal positive impression. Her father had been right to send her to China; Quin was a lot more than she seemed. She appeared to have considerable knowledge of the workings of Vossler Engineering and knew many of the North American administration very well. Too well. Petra suspected that Quin had a source of inside information.