On the 18th, a crowd gathered outside the London Hotel.
Henry watched the throngs of people, feeling a bit frustrated. If he signed for everyone, wouldn't his hand become numb?
Fortunately, the staff informed Henry that they would only be signing a limited number of books—about a hundred copies. He stepped outside, greeted many fans, offered a few words of thanks, and, with the staff's guidance, began signing. Due to the overwhelming attendance, a hundred lucky individuals were selected from a lottery to receive Henry's autograph.
The event buzzed with excitement. Even though Henry was only eleven years old, he exuded a mature charm—handsome and endearing, winning over many fans. By the conclusion of the book signing, Henry's face bore traces of lipstick, a testament to the enthusiastic fans.
Once the signing came to an end, Penguin Publishing had arranged for a popular singer to perform at the venue, enhancing the celebratory atmosphere. Henry returned to the hotel to rest.
At noon, Henry enjoyed a Chinese meal as he prepared to visit his parents' cemetery. Upon leaving the hotel, he spotted Peter and Rosa approaching him with forced smiles.
"Oh, Henry, you're in London! Why didn't you come to see your uncle and aunt? We miss you!" Rosa's tone was overly sweet and cordial.
"Oh, it's Aunt Rosa and Uncle Peter..." Henry's face reflected his disdain.
However, Peter and Rosa acted as if they were oblivious to his discomfort, still plastering smiles on their faces and shamelessly stepping closer. "Henry, come to your uncle's house; we will take good care of you!" Rosa's eyes sparkled with a mix of greed and cunning as she leaned in closer, whispering, "Henry, your uncle and aunt are family! You and your uncle are both part of the Williams lineage. You should stay with us. Your current guardian won't treat you sincerely because there's no blood relation!"
Henry looked at her with a smirk. Surely, Peter and Rosa didn't know that his true guardian was actually his grandfather.
"Aunt Rosa," Henry said coolly, "if I move back in, will I have to do laundry, mop floors, and clean every day? Do I have to eat your leftovers and endure your insults constantly?" His tone was icy, causing both Rosa and Peter to flush with embarrassment under his scrutiny.
"Henry, you misunderstand us..."
Rosa stumbled through her words, but Henry interrupted, "Spare me your explanations. I know exactly what you want. You just want to fleece me for money!"
With that, Henry pulled out a pile of cash from his wallet.
"Money! I've got plenty!" he declared, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"But I'm not giving it to you!" he sneered while signaling for the hotel attendant.
"Need assistance, sir?" the attendant asked.
"Take all this cash and give it to the beggars over there!" Henry instructed, handing over a thick wad of bills while gesturing towards two women begging in the distance.
The attendant was taken aback; the amount was substantial—amounting to over a thousand pounds.
"Okay, sir!" he replied, still astonished.
As the attendant took the money, Henry saw a flash of greed on Rosa and Peter's faces, mixed with shame. Even with their thick skin, they couldn't handle the awkward stares of passersby; the humiliation made them wish they could disappear.
Though Rosa used to bully Henry, her attitude shifted when he suddenly became famous and wealthy. Faced with his public rejection, her resentment boiled over. Watching Henry prefer to give money to beggars instead of her ignited her fury, and she exploded, "Henry, don't think that just because you have money, you can act arrogantly! You broomstick, you're responsible for your biological parents' death! You're going to suffer the consequences!"
Seeing the situation escalate, hotel staff swiftly moved to escort Peter and Rosa away.
Meanwhile, reporters and media personnel leaped into action, capturing the drama for what would surely be tomorrow's headlines!
Henry remained silent as he was ushered into a car with the help of staff.
In the afternoon, Henry visited his parents' cemetery to pay his respects. There, he spoke to his mother's gravestone, sharing sentiments about his grandfather, Roger Nicholas. He expressed his grandfather's regret for having driven them away, lamenting how much he missed his mother.
As he spoke, emotion overcame him, and tears began to fall.
The next day, Henry boarded a flight back to the United States. As for the Queen's potential knighthood, no one had reached out to him recently, leaving him feeling somewhat disheartened, likely due to his young age.
Henry previously lived with the Posacks, but over time, he recognized an issue. It dawned on him one night around one or two a.m. that his presence there was hindering their personal life.
Bosak and Lerner were in their thirties and without children. They were probably feeling the pressure of that situation. Having Henry around twice a week undoubtedly complicated their ability to be alone together.
As a result, Henry decided to purchase a small villa in Beverly Hills. The prestigious neighborhood is a dream destination for the wealthy and is home to various Hollywood movie stars. Henry had long envisioned buying a house there, overlooking the ocean amid blooming flowers. Though he wasn't overly wealthy, he managed to afford a small villa priced over two million dollars.
However, after spending the money, Henry suddenly found himself in a predicament; Nicholas Bookstore had been undergoing an extensive, money-draining operation. Once again, he grappled with financial concerns.
Fortunately, the situation with Cisco was more favorable.
Stanford University, the closest institution to Silicon Valley, had its entire campus connected to the network, with hundreds of computers online. The rapid development of the Stanford network was attributed not only to the school's own computer prowess but also to Cisco's strong support. Both Bosak and Lerner were former directors at Stanford University, so naturally, many resources favored their connections.
With their endorsement and links, it was impossible for Stanford's network not to thrive!
Henry was pleased to witness this success. Stanford was known for its excellent computer programs, producing numerous talents that would shape the future of the Internet. Maintaining a good relationship with the university would significantly impact Cisco's growth potential!
Being a prestigious American university, Stanford naturally maintained connections with many companies and research institutions. To foster close cooperation, joining Stanford's network became essential. Consequently, several companies purchased routers to connect to the Stanford network, marking a peak in Cisco's business activity.
As 1985 slipped away, 1986 arrived, and Cisco had become a household name.
This year, the National Science Foundation of the United States established the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). This network boasted a transmission rate of 56 Kbit/s, linking five supercomputer centers for long-distance communication. NSFNET represented a tremendous advancement, acting as the precursor to the Internet and the first backbone network in the United States. Each of the university networks, such as Stanford's and Harvard's, was too far apart to connect them directly. To link the networks, they had to join the NSFNET, a costly endeavor in terms of resources and financing.
The introduction of the NSFNET provided a significant boost to Cisco.
It appeared that Cisco was born at a pivotal moment, seizing the era's needs, thus solidifying its role as a pioneer of its time!
Cisco's growth surged dramatically. Meanwhile, Henry's other venture, the Netscape browser developed for Nicholas Bookstore, had finally been completed. Although Henry found the product somewhat crude and basic, it was nonetheless impressive for the period. After over a month's work, the company created the Nicholas Bookstore website. However, the extensive content posed a challenge; the combined size of the website and browser exceeded 4MB, an enormous burden considering the hard drives of the time, which typically only offered 20 to 30MB capacity. It was unreasonable for users to install such software on their own.
To address this issue, Henry determined that the optimal solution would be to partner with a computer manufacturer. The difficulty lay in convincing them to cooperate and install his software.
With no other option, Henry sought out a singular partnership, pitching the advantages of installing the software and the benefits it would yield for users. He hired a large team of salespeople to explore potential partnerships, but results were mediocre. Nonetheless, drawing from his knowledge about the evolution of school networks in the US, he devised a novel strategy: through collaboration with Cisco and several educational institutions, the Netscape browser could link directly to the universities' servers, allowing any computer user entering the school's network to install the software via download.
The willingness of colleges and universities to support this initiative hinged largely on Cisco's reputation. Cisco had made certain accommodations regarding router pricing, thereby fostering goodwill among educational institutions. Additionally, Cisco had developed a strategic vision that emphasized targeting schools as focal points for growth. Reducing router prices sold to schools would be essential for promoting prosperous network development.
With Cisco successfully selling routers to these educational institutions, the universities were more than willing to assist Nicholas Bookstore. As a controlling shareholder of Cisco, Henry could advocate for personal benefits without jeopardizing Cisco's interests. Since both Nicholas Bookstore and Cisco shared the same ownership, their simultaneous success would bolster each other and mitigate risks!
The Posacks agreed to Henry's request for assistance with Nicholas Bookstore.
Thus, in April 1986, Nicholas Bookstore experienced a remarkable surge in development! According to statistics from various universities, over a thousand users installed the Netscape browser, with more than 400 making purchases through Nicholas Bookstore. So far, Nicholas Bookstore had sold a total of 831 books!