Suits: A Lawyer Surviving TV Chaos

"I never expected you to be an advisor for a business with a monthly income of less than five thousand dollars."

Jessica sat at her desk, flipping through the contract. "Do you think Max's homemade cupcakes will become the next Starbucks?"

Martin sat across from her, half-jokingly replying, "After all, the global cupcake industry is worth about two billion dollars, yet all the players are still stuck in the primitive workshop era. Who knows?"

"I respect your approach," Jessica said.

She closed the folder and added pointedly, "I remember you and Harvey interviewed a paralegal together. Do you know Mike Ross?"

"Harvey's assistant? Of course, I was there." Martin nodded.

"Can you believe it? Today he came to work high as a kite and made a complete fool of himself in the elevator."

Jessica rubbed her temples. "If he hadn't greeted me, I wouldn't have wanted to admit he works here."

"At least he took the initiative, which shows that even while enjoying himself, he didn't forget to show proper respect to his superior." Martin wasn't sure what Jessica meant, so he just blurted out, "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Praying while smoking or smoking while praying? Your debate class must have been excellent."

Jessica sighed in exasperation and tossed over a new folder. "A new commercial merger case. I've been too busy lately to handle it, so it's yours now. Do you know the industry rules?"

Martin looked puzzled as he accepted the folder. "Seventy percent?"

Jessica nodded.

This brings us to how law firms are structured.

Law firms operate differently than traditional companies, resembling more of a celebrity studio model. Each lawyer functions as an independent entity, managing their own clients while leveraging the firm's resources for integration and collaboration.

For example, Martin's clients from the support group are served by the entire firm, but no one is allowed to bypass Martin to contact them directly; doing so is considered crossing a red line.

However, it's common for colleagues to assist one another occasionally. In this instance, Martin recognized that Jessica was preoccupied with the bankruptcy restructuring of a large international pharmaceutical company and wouldn't have time for a smaller merger involving a company with only tens of millions in assets. Thus, it was entirely normal for her to pass the case on to him.

According to standard practice, once the deal is completed, Martin would receive seventy percent of Jessica's earnings from the case.

Martin didn't mind. He didn't have too much on his plate anyway, so taking on another merger case for practice wasn't a bad idea. So, he immediately agreed to take it on.

Before returning to his office, Martin spotted the high-as-a-kite Mike Ross Jessica had mentioned. He was chugging ice water in front of Rachel's cubicle.

"You pissed Jessica off," Martin called him into his office, enjoying the feeling of being a boss. "What exactly did you do today? Smoking weed during work hours?"

"It's all Louis Litt's fault!" Mike Ross seemed to have sobered up quite a bit. "He asked me to help him connect with a client—the twenty-eight-year-old tech prodigy who developed *Football Heroes*. He told me to get high with him to build rapport faster."

"Would you also go along if he asked you to swing with him?" Martin shook his head. "Harvey and I thought you were smarter than that."

"My previous drug test results didn't pass!" Mike Ross nervously explained. "He threatened me with the drug test report!"

Mike Ross hadn't attended any law school, but after an accident, he ended up working as a paralegal for Harvey Specter at Pearson Hardman, a firm that only hired Harvard graduates. Only Harvey, Martin, and their secretaries Donna and Rachel knew about this.

In *Suits*, Mike and Rachel were an on-again, off-again tragic couple, though it seemed unlikely they'd end up together this lifetime.

Louis Litt, the man Mike referred to, was one of the two senior partners at the firm, constantly competing with Harvey Specter for the sole senior partner position. With his chubby face and buck teeth, Louis was always at a disadvantage in the rivalry.

How could he compete with Harvey Specter, who was even more handsome than Brad Pitt?

Damn this superficial world.

Martin chuckled and shook his head. "Mike, your drug test results won't be a problem. Louis is bluffing."

"He's bluffing?" Mike froze. "How do you know? You're just a senior lawyer; you don't have administrative authority."

"I don't know for sure, but I trust Harvey!" Martin said firmly. "He risked losing his promotion eligibility to bring you into the firm. If you really listened to him and stayed away from drugs, your drug test results will definitely pass."

Seeing Mike's incredulous expression, Martin smiled and shook his head. "Mike, this is just basic interrogation tactics stuff. You didn't think of it because you already felt guilty, which clouded your judgment further."

"I'll go talk to him !"

Mike was only twenty, full of youthful arrogance, and immediately stood up to leave, but Martin stopped him.

"What if Louis asks you to take another drug test right now? Don't forget you got high just this afternoon!"

Mike stood frozen for a while before slowly turning around and explaining "According to FDA regulations from 1977, drug tests must be spaced out by at least three months."

"That's the power of the law!" Martin clapped his hands with a smile. "Go ahead, and while you're at it get me two tickets to next month's ballet at the Ibsen Theatre. I need to give my beautiful secretary a little mental boost."

"I'll make him give me two tickets as compensation!"

With that, Mike stormed off.

Martin gradually let his smile fade, leaning back in his chair and staring out the window, lost in thought.

He couldn't remember much of the plot of *Suits* anymore, only that Mike and Harvey handled legal issues while engaging in office politics. 

Martin wasn't particularly concerned about money—just enough to live comfortably—but he cared deeply about his legal career, which was perhaps the only reason he was striving to survive in this world.

It was an obsession from his past life, a desire to climb to the highest echelons of society and see what the view was like from up there.

After all, those conspiracy theories about the Freemasons and Skull and Bones and whatnot were really incredibly enticing.

That was why, since college, he had been single-mindedly encouraging others to start businesses and offering advice—it allowed him to get closer to uncovering the ultimate secrets of this world.

He really wanted to know if Govt. really had any NHI crafts or not.

Now that the plot of *Suits* was unfolding, Martin was worried that the infighting among the firm's top bosses might affect his plans.

Jessica, Harvey, Louis, and even Hardman—who hadn't appeared yet but was spending his final days with his wife at home!

Emotionally, Martin wanted to help Harvey and Jessica secure control of the firm. After all, Hardman's methods were too dirty, and aside from having a beautiful granddaughter, he was pretty much useless.

But doing so wouldn't align with his personal style.

Since his rebirth, Martin had tried to remain upright, acting openly and honestly, ensuring no one could judge him from a moral or legal standpoint. With tried being the operative word.

Once entangled in the firm's internal power struggles, Martin might be forced to do things that went against his principles in pursuit of victory and power.

While the mainstream belief was that the winner takes all, Martin, having lived another life, believed that one should stick to their principles. Otherwise, they'd be destroyed by inner guilt and societal pressures.

Take Mike Ross, for example. He got caught taking an exam for a friend and would never be able to attend Harvard Law School, even though he was far more capable than most students there.

Mistakes come with consequences!

From the very beginning, Martin had ensured he wouldn't fall into such a predicament.

On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, before starting university, Even when Sheldon's hormonal teen twin sister had stripped naked in front of him, he still hadn't given in.

Martin was proud of this so much that later he even called Sheldon, who was a visiting scholar in Europe, to boast about his high moral standards.

But Sheldon's response made him feel like he might have missed out on a once upon a lifetime thing.

"Given Missy's brain, which can't even solve a simple linear equation, I think making you my de facto brother-in-law wouldn't be such a bad idea. My parents, grandmother, and brother all like you. Plus, it would prevent her from ending up as a supermarket cashier after high school."

(End of Chapter)