Suits: A Lawyer Surviving TV Chaos

Two hours later, after packing up their things Martin and Rachel boarded the plane to Los Angeles.

Rachel performed her duties as a secretary excellently. She sorted through freshly printed documents that hadn't yet been categorized while fending off frequent advances from flirtatious flight attendants.

Facing a tens of billion-dollar financing deal—especially one abruptly handed over mid-negotiation—even the usually confident Martin's gaze turned cautious as he stared out the window.

Back in 2003, while pursuing his master's degree in law at Harvard, Martin met Mark Zuckerberg, who had just started college a year earlier.

Martin wasn't sure whether this Zuckerberg was real or part of the TV universe, given that *The Big Bang Theory* and *2 Broke Girls* both featured plotlines and jokes about Facebook.

In fact, many celebrities made real-life appearances in these shows.

For example, in *Suits*, Harvey Specter serves as the legal advisor to basketball superstar Michael Jordan; Stephen Hawking becomes Sheldon's good friend; Kim Kardashian considers filming a reality show at Max's cupcake shop.

Honestly, if it weren't for the hassle of dealing with celebrities' personal issues, Martin's support group might have included James or Taylor Swift.

Emma Watson wasn't bad either, though in 2007 she was just 17…

Though sometimes it was hard to distinguish between reality and TV, it didn't stop the two from becoming close friends.

Compared to the business tycoon who faced European antitrust hearings in his previous life, Zuckerberg back then was quite green—a typical sophomore obsessed with running apps and crashing parties.

To be honest, Zuckerberg and Howard were almost identical: short stature, prominent noses, curly hair—the quintessential Jewish look. The only difference was that Zuckerberg wasn't as oily or self-absorbed as Howard.

Although Jewish people did dominate some key positions in American society, mainly in media and finance. Which further boosted the stereotype by some Americans for jews about being overly shrewd and calculating. This whole scenario created the eventual loop of back and forth between these groups.

As a result, Zuckerberg's dating struggles mirrored Howard's frequent rejections. He often dragged Martin to bars to get drunk and vent endlessly about his frustrations.

Finally, one day, Martin lost patience. "Why not create a dating app? Wouldn't that be cool?"

And so, Facebook was born.

From the homepage on dorm desktops to the first $300,000 investment, the rivalry between the two founders, and the site's expansion from Harvard's campus to all of North America—Martin witnessed and even participated in everything about Facebook, including the initial $15,000 seed money he lent Zuckerberg and the ruthless ousting of the other co-founder.

There was no helping it—when paths diverged, Martin could only side with his good friend.

After Martin used some tactics to completely eliminate the other founder's shares, Zuckerberg became Martin Scott's most loyal fanboy.

From discussing the company's future prospects to seeking advice on his intimate life with Priscilla, Zuckerberg always turned to him for guidance.

Even the nickname "Strategist," which the mutual aid group jokingly gave Martin, came from Zuckerberg.

The title "Strategist" originated from the Prohibition Era when Italian mafia families rose to power. It referred to advisors who plotted strategies and handled legal issues for the boss, holding an important position within the organization, often filled by family members trained in law.

Of course, the mutual aid group was just a charity organization, far removed from organized crime. Zuckerberg simply thought the title sounded cool.

When the halo of internet giants and nouveau riche faded, Martin saw his little fanboy as nothing more than a troublemaker who occasionally caused headaches.

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Reuniting with Zuckerberg after a month, Martin remained calm.

"You really should cut down on the weed. Look at you now."

The baseline for legally addictive substances in most countries was tobacco, followed by marijuana and other addictive drugs. While the U.S. cracked down hard on drug trafficking, it was relatively lenient on marijuana use.

After all, no one knew what chaos addicts might cause without it.

That said, smoking wasn't harmless—it just had a lower mortality rate compared to harder drugs.

Martin was glad he'd kicked the habit after his rebirth. Looking at Zuckerberg's disheveled state, he couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

Zuckerberg shook his head as he sipped water. "I'll try."

Martin didn't press further, letting him sober up slowly. Hands in his pockets, he wandered around the small villa.

Facebook was still in its early stages of burning cash to capture market share. Thanks to strict financial discipline, Zuckerberg himself didn't have much money. Even this villa was rented under the company's name.

After finding nothing interesting during his tour, Martin returned to the living room, pacing back and forth, deep in thought, but unable to come up with a solution.

Though he retained memories from his past life, no one paid attention to the specifics of major companies' financing and IPOs, and Martin was no exception.

"Tell me, what's the situation now?"

Zuckerberg shrugged. "Microsoft approached us about acquiring shares. We need funds to expand into Europe. The preliminary market valuation is done—Microsoft values Facebook at $10 billion."

"They want to buy 2% of Facebook's shares for $200 million in cash."

"That's where things are stuck."

Martin immediately understood. Microsoft wasn't acquiring; it was diversifying investments.

Due to high tax rates in the U.S., neither companies nor individuals kept large sums of money idle. Smaller amounts were spent directly to offset consumption taxes, while larger sums were invested to legally avoid next year's tax season.

As one of the largest tech companies with massive cash flow, Microsoft wouldn't leave profits sitting in a bank for the IRS to drain.

Offering only cash at market value, with no additional marketing or channel support, this was clearly just a venture capital move, no different from professional VC firms.

"I remember last year's funding round valued Facebook at only $550 million."

Martin casually walked to the liquor cabinet, picked out a bottle of single-malt whiskey, found ice cubes in the fridge, grabbed three glasses, and returned to the couch.

Single-malt whiskey was strong, but chilling it with ice smoothed the taste.

Martin poured a third of a glass for each of them, handed one to Zuckerberg and Rachel, and took a sip from his own. Savoring it, he said, "In a year, going from $550 million to $10 billion, Facebook has already succeeded."

Zuckerberg downed his whiskey in one gulp. "You should've seen those Seattle elites in suits, acting like actors performing *Swan Lake* at the theater!"

Ballet dancers often held their heads high to showcase elegant postures, which many Los Angelinos unfamiliar with high art interpreted as arrogance.

"And those damn Yale dogs! I pay them millions in legal fees every year. Instead of negotiating with those Seattle vultures, they keep telling me to accept this offer, saying it's the best valuation we'll get. F***!"

"After all, it's Microsoft, isn't it?" Martin raised an eyebrow and smiled. "As for those Yale dogs, since you've already fired them, let them rot."

In the U.S., Harvard and Yale had a rivalry akin to Britain's Oxford vs. Cambridge. They were perpetually at odds.

But this villa currently housed three Harvard graduates—well, Zuckerberg had dropped out, but that didn't stop them from mocking Yale grads.

Martin and Zuckerberg stayed in the villa all afternoon and evening. Dinner was a hastily ordered pizza and Coke brought in by Rachel. Their conversation lasted until 9:30 p.m.

Back at the hotel, Rachel finished checking in, and Martin took the room key, rubbing it absentmindedly.

"Have Priya bring over the blank corporate client contracts as soon as possible."

(End of Chapter)