Page 6 of Rewrite the Rules

I sincerely hope that’s a joke. The financials Steve showed me indicate Aura is in good standing. It’s not capitalizing where it needs to and the company has to branch out past antiquated markets, but that’s what I’m here for. Aura’s bottom lines should be solid enough to afford PTO.Please don’t let me find any skeletons in the financials closet.

“She doesn’t take vacation?”

“She’s a workhorse. Hey, do you want to come with me to this meeting? I can introduce you to the team. I’m sure they’d love to hear your story for some inspiration. There aren’t a lot of twenty-nine-year-old venture capitalists who manage half-a-billion-dollar portfolios and sit on as many boards as you do.”

“You want me to stand in front of my new employees and brag to them about how much money I have? That’s a great way to come off like a pompous prick—no thanks. I’d prefer to meet them individually so I can put names to faces. It’s better for breaking the ice. I’ll wait here and get settled.”

Steve crosses his arms and scans me up and down judgmentally. “You know, when I signed half of Aura over to you, I thought you were a New York big dog.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re not here to make nice, Lewis. You’re here to make money.”

I slide off my glasses and pinch the bridge between my eyes. “Steve,youreached out tome. I’m sure you did your homework first or you wouldn’t have asked me to be your partner. We’ve been discussing logistics for weeks. You’re questioning me now? After I’ve already moved here?”

“I’ve grown this company on my own for fifteen years. I don’t want to see it go to shit if you’re just smoke and mirrors. Why would you want to share a partnership, anyhow? You were doing this by yourself in New York of all places—and successfully.”

I’m growing tired of this question. People are allowed to leave New York City. Not everyone thinks the Big Apple is the zenith of the world. It’s like I committed a felony by choosing to leave Manhattan behind.

“Don’t worry about why I needed a change. I just did. Let me do my job. I promise, I’m great at it. You take some time off like we discussed and focus on what you need to at home. Let me handle Aura.” I extend my hand. “You can trust me.”

The clench in his jaw relaxes and he lets go of the breath he’s holding.

Aura is his life’s work. I know it was a huge hit to his ego when he decided to accept my help. But perfect circumstance and impeccable timing collided. Steve gave me an excuse to leave Manhattan and in exchange I’m going to make him a very rich man with a very successful firm.

He catches my hand and shakes aggressively. Steve’s trust lies in his palms and he forces himself to hand it over. “I’m used to having my guard up in this line of business.”

“As you should. Partnership is new for both of us.”

“You’re all right, Lewis,” he says over his shoulder as he heads toward the bank of elevators. The door closes and on cue, my nose begins leaking like a broken faucet.

Shit.I rip the handkerchief from my breast pocket and cup it around my nose. The yellow fabric square drenches with my blood. It’s not going to cut it. I need a sink and an entire roll of paper towels. Tipping my nose to the ceiling, I exit the Aura office using my peripherals to scan the hallway for the sign with a stick figure man.There.To the left, ten paces forward.

Okay, Denver. I’m really trying to give this a fair shot. I’m going to need you to cease and desist on the sucking, now.

three

Adler

Iburst into Marquis Business Tower with gusto, pausing to podium pose, my invisible cape blowing elegantly in the breezeless building. I’m a lone hero with a daunting task. There are ‘crangry’ (it’s necessary to invent a word forthislevel of crankiness and angry hunger) team members stuck in a grueling investment meeting and I am here to deliver their salvation through sustenance. It’s past one o’clock so I’m almost certain I’ll be greeted by a pack of feral, bloodthirsty werewolves. My silver? Artisan deli sandwiches and freshly cooked kettle chips from our favorite delicatessen on Sixteenth Street.

I back into the conference meeting room on the fifteenth floor, using my ass to effectively prop the door open as I squeeze two giant paper bags of takeout into the meeting room.

“I’m not even here,” I mutter while making my way to the table in the far back. The entire team swivels in their chairs, their eyes and their drooling mouths following me, or more accurately, the bags of food I’m holding. The team cheers and I have to fight the urge to bow dramatically.

Steve is at the front of the room pointing to an enlarged screen reflecting a PowerPoint slide with growth charts.Oh, blech.I’d rather empty wet wastepaper baskets in an office located in the fiery depths of hell than listen to a lecture about investment projections and returns.

I pull out boxes and place them neatly on the plastic speckled tabletop. They are all labeled with colorful sticky notes—Brett, Marcus, Lawrence,and so on. That’s good enough for me as far as presentation goes.

Lunch mission accomplished, I hustle to Aura’s office on the thirty-third floor of the business center. Remnants of pink and gold glitter float from my hair to the floor as I take hurried steps. I leave an Adler trail from the elevator to the front of suite 3301.Great.Glitter bombs are like sand from the beach. I’ll be finding leftover granules on my death bed—I’m sure of it.

I walk past the hallway of closed doors and straight to the office at the very back of the hallway.

My office—the big kahuna, with the fancy executive chair. Now, how did I manage that? Because I am a lynchpin in the integral operations of Aura’s venture capitalist endeavors and an invaluable asset to the team.Ha, ha, ha!I snort out loud even mulling over the ridiculous thought.

Steve felt the space was too bright, too drafty, toowhateverhis excuse was. He hates the confines of an office—period. He conducts most of his meetings over fancy cigars and expensive scotch. This space was vacant for months before I swooped in like an overeager colonial settler before Brett, the next-in-line senior associate, could come up with the same idea.

I open the door and notice two things are very off today. One, the shades are all open. The bright daylight sun is all but fluorescent and nearly blinds me. The second is the strange man standing in the middle of the room. His back is turned, staring out the windows at downtown Denver.

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