Chapter Summaries

Henry gave Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wolders wireless earpieces so he could assist Audrey at banquets without standing beside her. He explained the research and preparation he had taken over for her and used the radios to avoid crowding Audrey and Robert at social events.

• Henry tested his homemade Bluetooth earpieces with Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wolders in the car.
• Audrey asked where Henry had found the earpieces, and he claimed a friend had developed them.
• Henry recalled learning that Audrey’s assistant needed to research banquet guests and help her remember their names, faces, and backgrounds.
• Henry took over researching and memorizing guest information, giving Audrey more time to rest.
• Henry made one-way wireless radios so he could prompt Audrey discreetly while she socialized with Robert Wolders.

At a fundraising gala hosted by Audrey Hepburn, Henry identified arriving guests for her and Robert while explaining the event’s social customs to himself and Tony Stark. The chapter ended with Tony taking Henry’s bone-conduction microphone to inspect it.

• Henry identified Jean-Jacques Handali and Cindy Crawford as they arrived, and Audrey Hepburn and Robert greeted them.
• Henry explained how guests took turns meeting Hepburn, then identified Dwayne, a Wall Street speculator, whose stock pitch Hepburn and Robert politely declined.
• Tony Stark challenged Henry’s description of Dwayne, and Henry defended it by describing children hired to tend London’s streetlamps.
• Henry announced Howard Stark and Maria Stark, who joined Hepburn, while Dwayne’s companion tried to approach Howard.
• Tony asked about Henry’s bone-conduction microphone and pulled it from around Henry’s neck.

Henry explained how he had discovered the Continental Hotel and its manager, Winston Scott, after Tony asked about it. Tony kept his reason for seeking the hotel to himself, while Henry jokingly suggested he might want to buy it.

• Henry stopped Tony from playing with his Bluetooth earpiece, and Tony recognized the technology behind it.
• Tony told Henry he had come to ask about the Continental Hotel, and Henry gave him its address and pointed out Winston Scott.
• Henry explained that he had investigated the hotel after it declined a reservation request for Ms. Hepburn.
• Tony said Henry should leave his father out of their conversation, and Henry teased him about considering them friends.
• Henry asked whether Tony wanted to buy the Continental Hotel, but Tony did not reveal why he was looking for it.

Tony Stark asked Henry to join him in confronting the Continental Hotel over the assassins who attacked them, but Henry argued that their grievance lay with the person who ordered the hit. Tony left the conversation without revealing his search for the mastermind behind Josh Hilton’s execution, while Henry suggested negotiating with money instead of bringing weapons.

• Tony told Henry that his sources traced the assassins who attacked them at a Los Angeles banquet to the Continental Hotel.
• Tony asked Henry to accompany him to demand an explanation, but Henry refused and questioned the point of targeting the organization.
• Henry argued that Tony should pursue whoever ordered the attack rather than the assassins or the Continental Hotel.
• Tony privately recalled Alex Hart’s warning that Josh Hilton had been executed for talking about an island, and he had approached the hotel as a possible lead to the people behind it.
• Henry suggested that Tony bring a suitcase of cash or gold bars to the Continental Hotel instead of bringing him along with a gun.

At a party, Tony Stark spotted Reed Richards and told Henry why he despised the self-proclaimed genius. Henry recognized Reed as the future Mister Fantastic and learned that Reed had allegedly exploited university funding before turning to wealthy investors.

• Tony dropped his invitation after Henry refused and decided to proceed with his plans discreetly.
• Tony spotted Reed Richards at the party and called him an annoying bastard.
• Henry recognized Reed as the future leader of the Fantastic Four and considered the danger his inventions could pose.
• Tony described visiting Reed’s lab, where Reed showed him gadgets but refused to explain or share his work.
• Tony said Reed had repeatedly secured university funding while keeping his results secret, then sought money from wealthy investors.

Henry and Tony discussed why Reed Richards struggled to fund his advanced research, then Henry explained the obstacles ordinary inventors faced when trying to profit from patents. The chapter left Tony questioning Henry’s work as an assistant while learning that Stark’s legal resources made patent income far easier for him than for most people.

• Henry asked why Reed Richards would not offer investors simpler versions of his research, and Tony explained that Reed refused to share his results or develop scaled-down products.
• Tony relayed Howard Stark’s view that technology far ahead of its time was impractical and threatened entrenched business interests unless its creator shared the benefits or had political protection.
• Tony complained that Reed and Hank kept their inventions from others, and Henry regretted not recording his comments for a future comparison with Iron Man.
• Henry introduced Michael Bloomberg and Susan Brown, then Tony asked why Henry worked as an assistant despite being able to build and sell useful technology.
• Henry explained that patent applications took months and that powerful companies could block ordinary inventors from profiting, helping explain Reed’s reluctance to use his research to raise funds.

Henry challenged Tony Stark’s belief that he could start from nothing, arguing that Tony’s inherited advantages were not shameful but needed to be used responsibly. Howard Stark praised Henry’s outlook and learned that he was staying on as Audrey Hepburn’s assistant because he wanted to help her.

• Tony Stark asked Henry whether everything he had came from the Stark name, and Henry pointed to the advantages Tony had received through his family and connections.
• Henry argued that Tony’s talents were not shameful and that his choices and actions would determine whether he brought himself honor or disgrace.
• Tony mocked Henry’s advice as platitudes and asked why he was hiding away as an assistant.
• Howard Stark arrived with Maria Stark and said that someone born extraordinary should not settle for being ordinary.
• Henry told Howard that extraordinary people first had to restrain their desires and use their power responsibly.
• Howard asked why Henry had declined his invitation, and Henry explained that he wanted to help Audrey Hepburn; Howard contrasted Henry’s clear purpose with Tony’s uncertainty.

Henry considered whether to warn Howard Stark about Hydra but concluded that he lacked evidence and that intervening would draw dangerous attention. He decided Stark Industries’ looming crisis was beyond his reach and turned his attention back to Audrey Hepburn.

• Henry weighed warning Howard Stark about an assassination but rejected it because he had no evidence and could attract both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra’s attention.
• Henry considered the powerful business interests that could want Howard dead and how Stark Industries might be carved up after his death.
• Henry concluded that protecting Howard would require guarding him constantly and that Howard would not willingly give up Stark Industries.
• Henry accepted that he could neither prevent Stark Industries’ ordeal nor profit meaningfully from it, and returned his attention to Audrey Hepburn.

Audrey Hepburn invited her assistant Henry Brown to join her private dinner with her close friend Givenchy, whom Henry met for the first time at a French restaurant in New York. The chapter ended as Audrey introduced Henry to Givenchy, leaving Henry suspicious of her playful remark that she had long wanted them to meet.

• Henry used a device built into Audrey Hepburn’s watchband to alert her that their car had arrived.
• Audrey asked Henry to join her and Givenchy for dinner, and Henry accepted after learning she had reserved a third seat for him.
• Henry drove Audrey to the restaurant, where the manager escorted them to Givenchy’s table.
• Audrey and Givenchy greeted each other warmly, and Audrey introduced Henry Brown as her new assistant.
• Henry shook Givenchy’s hand while wondering what Audrey meant by saying she had been thinking of introducing them.

Henry joined Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy for dinner, where the longtime friends discussed Hepburn’s demanding humanitarian work and teased Henry over his first meeting with her. Givenchy then asked Henry what he thought of Hepburn now that he had become her assistant, leaving him to answer a delicate question.

• Givenchy welcomed Audrey Hepburn to dinner, and Henry briefed the waiter on their health and dietary needs.
• Givenchy questioned why Hepburn was leaving for Africa so soon, and she said she wanted to help people while she still could.
• Hepburn told Givenchy how Catherine had introduced Henry, then recounted his embarrassing confusion between the two Ms. Hepburns.
• Henry explained that an acquaintance had tricked him into expecting a meeting with Audrey Hepburn, and Givenchy laughed at the story.
• Givenchy asked Henry whether working as Hepburn’s assistant had changed his view of her, while Hepburn watched for his answer.

Henry explained his view of acting to Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy, arguing that actors reveal parts of themselves to bring characters to life. Audrey was moved and embarrassed by his praise, and the dinner ended with the restaurant raising a toast to her.

• Henry told Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy that actors drew on parts of their own personalities and shaped them into characters with help from directors and the story.
• Henry said he would not be disappointed to learn Audrey was unlike her film roles, because he admired both her performances and the person behind them.
• Audrey and Givenchy were astonished by Henry's speech, and Givenchy said he understood why Audrey had called Henry interesting.
• Audrey blushed and complained that hearing praise about herself in person was embarrassing, while Givenchy teased her.
• Givenchy raised a toast to Audrey, and the diners joined in before she stood and returned it.

Henry accompanied Audrey Hepburn on a demanding cycle of UNICEF visits and helped manage her work and home in Switzerland while contributing anonymously to Linux. The chapter ended with news that Howard Stark and his wife had died in a car accident.

• Henry traveled with Audrey Hepburn and UNICEF personnel to child protection institutions across poor countries, with peacekeepers and security teams accompanying them in risky regions.
• Audrey relied on Henry to handle much of the routine work, while she met children, attended fundraising events, and submitted reports.
• Henry drove for Audrey and helped with gardening during their stays at her Swiss home.
• Henry used the username CK to contribute Linux packages occasionally while continuing his software work in his spare time.
• At the end of 1991, news reached the business world that Howard Stark and his wife had died in a car accident.

After Howard Stark and Maria Stark died in a car accident, wealthy circles speculated about Stark Industries and Tony Stark’s inheritance. Audrey Hepburn agreed to attend the funeral with Katharine Hepburn and sent Henry to pick her up, while Henry reflected that Howard’s death matched the story of Iron Man’s rise.

• News broke that Howard Stark and Maria Stark had died after their car’s brakes failed, prompting speculation about Stark Industries and Tony Stark’s estate taxes.
• Katharine Hepburn called Audrey Hepburn, grieving Howard’s death and asking to borrow Henry to attend the funeral.
• Audrey agreed to attend the funeral and asked Henry to collect Katharine from the airport and arrange her lodging.
• Audrey explained to Henry that people did not need invitations to attend a funeral and pay their respects.
• Henry realized that Howard Stark had died as part of Iron Man’s path to greatness, and that the stories he knew were blending with the world around him.

Henry attended Howard Stark's funeral in Richford and observed the powerful military, Hollywood, business, and intelligence figures gathered there. The ceremony proceeded under Edwin Jarvis's direction, while Tony Stark appeared only when the coffins were carried to their graves.

• Henry saw military officers, Hollywood figures, business leaders, and the unusual Howling Commandos gather at the funeral.
• Henry recognized Peggy Carter among the Howling Commandos and drew the attention of a white, one-eyed man before pretending he had only been innocently staring.
• The town priest led the Mass, while Edwin Jarvis directed the funeral in Tony Stark's absence and kept Obadiah Stane in an assisting role.
• Six generals carried Howard Stark's coffin, while Tony Stark led the pallbearers for Maria Stark's coffin alongside the one-eyed man, Edwin Jarvis, and Obadiah Stane.
• Henry watched the funeral and noted that many mourners were already considering how to benefit from Howard Stark's death.

After Howard and Maria Stark’s funeral, Tony Stark climbed into Henry’s car and went with Henry, Catherine, and Audrey to a roadside restaurant. Tony remained withdrawn and grieving as the group ordered food, and his burger sat untouched when the meal arrived.

• Catherine left the funeral with Audrey and Henry after failing to find Tony, while Tony disappeared after the burial.
• Tony entered Henry’s rental car and told him to drive, and Catherine decided the group would stop to eat.
• Henry drove them to a roadside family restaurant, where Catherine held onto Tony to keep him from leaving.
• Catherine ordered peach cobbler, Audrey ordered apple pie, Tony ordered a cheeseburger, and Henry ordered a large meal.
• The food arrived, but Tony left his burger untouched while Henry began eating noisily.

Henry and Tony Stark fought over food before Tony asked what Henry would think if he abandoned Stark Industries. Henry argued that Tony’s decision would let him escape the burden of his father’s legacy and the livelihoods of the company’s employees, leaving Tony furious and speechless.

• Tony and Henry competed to eat noisily, and Henry ordered more food after Tony took the pancakes.
• Henry finished the meal while Tony stuffed himself, and Catherine scolded Tony before cleaning his greasy fingers.
• Tony asked Henry how he would feel if Tony gave up Stark Industries.
• Henry said starting over would be easier than inheriting the company, avoiding comparisons with his father and responsibility for its employees.
• Henry suggested Tony wanted to distance himself from his father and the business, then apologized for previously misreading him.
• Tony pounded the table and cursed in anger.

Henry provoked Tony Stark over his plan to give up Stark Industries, while refusing to advise him without knowing the facts. Catherine Hepburn repeatedly slapped and scolded both men, and the group remained together as Tony protested that he was an adult.

• Henry warned Tony not to damage the table and accused him of seeking someone to blame for his choices about Stark Industries.
• Tony asked Catherine and Audrey whether he could strangle Henry, and Catherine slapped him for swearing.
• Audrey urged Henry to help Tony, but Henry said he lacked information and suggested Tony consult people who knew his father's arrangements.
• Tony mocked Henry for admitting he could not advise him, and Henry retorted that they should leave Tony behind.
• Catherine said they would take Tony to an orphanage, prompting him to shout that he was twenty-one and old enough to drink; Catherine slapped him again for swearing.

Tony Stark worked with Obadiah Stane and Edwin Jarvis to assess Stark Industries after Howard Stark’s death and discuss the estate tax and the group’s ownership. He learned that he still owed the U.S. government $3.4 billion, several times the group’s liquid funds.

• Tony spent three days in Stark Tower reviewing Stark Industries’ records with Obadiah and Jarvis while the company’s departments and managers worked overtime.
• Obadiah warned Tony that he needed to pay the estate tax before gaining full legal control of the group, and Tony said he wanted to start from scratch, though not as Obadiah feared.
• Tony explained that Stark Industries had a relatively simple ownership structure because it was not publicly listed, and he asked about the stakes held by the Stark Education and Cultural Promotion Foundation and the New York City Veterans Foundation.
• Jarvis explained that Howard had used the education foundation to reduce estate taxes and said Peggy Carter headed the veterans foundation, which was separate from the Veterans Association.
• Tony confirmed that the audited figures showed he owed $3.4 billion in estate tax, while Obadiah noted that public estimates of the tax would have been far higher.

Tony proposed restructuring Stark Industries around defense businesses, selling or consolidating other holdings to raise money and meet the inheritance tax. As he called Rhodey to recruit him as a military liaison, CNN reported the dissolution of the Red Empire, leaving Tony, Obadiah, and JARVIS stunned by the timing.

• Tony presented Obadiah and JARVIS with lists of businesses to sell, restructure, or close, and proposed taking companies public to raise funds.
• Tony explained that Stark Industries should focus on defense-related industries and use its public offerings to obscure its plans and bring key people into the core businesses.
• Tony promised Obadiah shares in the restructured group, prompting Obadiah to offer to assemble a strategy team.
• Tony called Rhodey and asked him to serve as Stark Industries' liaison within the military.
• Tony had JARVIS turn on the television, where CNN reported the dissolution of the Red Empire.

After the Red Empire dissolved, wealthy guests at Audrey Hepburn's UNICEF fundraising banquets turned their attention to profiting from its collapse. Robert Wolders explained the hidden business and networking purposes of social banquets, while Audrey said she let guests pursue their interests as long as they donated to UNICEF.

• News of the Red Empire's dissolution eclipsed Howard Stark's funeral and drew the attention of people seeking to profit from its collapse.
• Robert Wolders complained to Henry about banquet guests discussing ways to make money from the Red Empire.
• Henry asked Robert why wealthy people used fundraising banquets to discuss business and coordinate with one another.
• Robert explained that banquets helped influential guests make connections, recruit partners, and pass messages discreetly.
• Henry asked Audrey Hepburn whether she knew about the guests' real motives, and she said she did but focused on raising money for UNICEF.
• Henry accepted that the guests could pursue their interests at the banquets as long as they donated to UNICEF.