Chapter 15: The Pace of Life
May 2, 2002
San Francisco
The city had fully entered spring.
Morning sunlight poured across the streets of San Francisco, reflecting off glass buildings and warming the sidewalks that had been cold only weeks earlier. People hurried to work, cafés filled with conversations, and the financial district slowly came to life.
Inside the Nova Technologies office, the atmosphere was quieter.
Anshul arrived at **8:05 AM**, unlocking the door and stepping inside with his usual calm routine. The office had grown slightly more organized over the past month. The whiteboard was now filled with notes about potential investments, future projects, and long-term goals.
He placed his bag on the desk and turned on the main computer.
The portfolio dashboard appeared a moment later.
Investment Portfolio
May 2, 2002
Starting Capital (1999): $2,000
Total Portfolio Value: **$384,720**
Amazon (AMZN)
Shares: 7,000
Average Cost: $13.66
Current Price: $23.80
Total Value: $166,600
Apple (AAPL)
Shares: 4,000
Average Cost: $9.20
Current Price: $18.90
Total Value: $75,600
Intel (INTC)
Shares: 1,000
Current Price: $30.10
Total Value: $30,100
NVIDIA (NVDA)
Shares: 2,500
Average Cost: $12.80
Current Price: $15.30
Total Value: $38,250
Cash Reserve: $74,170
Anshul studied the screen quietly.
The market recovery was continuing slowly.
Technology companies were rebuilding confidence after the dot-com crash, and investors were cautiously returning to the sector.
But the real transformation of the internet had not even begun yet.
The next decade would bring social networks, smartphones, streaming platforms, and massive technology ecosystems.
And Nova would eventually position itself inside all of them.
---
At noon, Anshul stepped outside the office.
He needed a break.
Even he understood that working nonstop wasn't productive.
Mia was waiting across the street near a small coffee shop.
"You're late again," she said.
"I'm one minute late."
"That counts."
They entered the café and ordered drinks before sitting near the window.
Outside, the street traffic moved slowly while office workers walked between buildings carrying briefcases and laptops.
Mia stirred her coffee and looked at him.
"So what did the market do today?"
"Moved up slightly."
"You sound excited."
"I'm not."
"Why not?"
"Because short-term movements don't matter."
She sighed.
"You really do think like an investor."
"That's because I am one."
She leaned back in her chair.
"You know what you should invest in?"
"What?"
"Vacations."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Vacations?"
"Yes."
"You work too much."
"That's debatable."
"No it's not."
---
Later that evening they walked along the waterfront again.
The air smelled faintly of salt from the ocean, and the golden light of sunset spread across the bay.
Mia walked beside him quietly for a while.
Then she suddenly spoke.
"You ever think about normal things?"
"Like what?"
"Like traveling. Or doing something spontaneous."
"I'm doing something spontaneous right now."
"This was my idea."
"That's still spontaneous."
She laughed.
"You're impossible."
---
Back at the Nova office that night, Anshul reviewed a few new companies appearing in the technology sector.
Most of them were still small.
Some would fail.
A few would succeed.
The key was identifying the ones that would shape the future.
He wrote another name on the whiteboard.
**Google**
The company hadn't gone public yet, but its influence was already growing rapidly.
When the IPO eventually happened, Nova would be ready.
---
Before leaving the office, Anshul updated the company ownership records.
Nova Technologies
Founder: Anshul Raj Giri
Ownership Distribution
Anshul Giri — **92%**
Employee Stock Reserve — **5%**
Legal / Advisory Allocation — **3%**
Total Shares Issued: 1,000,000
For now, the company remained small.
But the structure was ready for expansion.
---
When Anshul finally stepped outside, the city was already glowing with nighttime lights.
San Francisco looked calm from the outside.
But beneath that calm, industries were shifting.
Technology was evolving.
And the next generation of powerful companies was quietly forming.
Nova was still a small name in a small office.
But step by step, investment by investment…
It was moving toward something much bigger.