Suits: A Lawyer Surviving TV Chaos

Six months after joining the firm, Martin was seen by many as a younger version of Harvey Specter.

They were both handsome, refined, fashion-conscious, loved sports and music, and even their manner of speaking and behavior were similar.

Their private relationship was decent.

After all, during the recruitment of an assistant, Martin had helped Harvey conceal Mike Ross's inadequate educational background from the firm. This gave them a shared "secret."

However, Martin knew that he and Harvey were entirely different types of people.

Martin preferred to resolve all issues within the confines of the rules. He might have some moral flaws, but legally, he was impeccable.

Harvey, on the other hand, was a bit emotional.

To help his former teacher, he concealed the teacher's act of hiding evidence in court from the district attorney, which almost landed him in serious trouble.

Private interactions aside, Martin was even willing to be a "kindred spirit" with him.

After all, his ex-girlfriend was undeniably stunning.

But when it came to business…

Just as Martin was racking his brain on how to refuse Harvey, Harvey spoke up first.

"Martin, I need you to do me a favor?"

So direct? Not even starting with discussing how good Donna, his secretary, is at crying on cue?

Martin hesitated before responding, "Harvey, I know that my collaboration with Louis bothers you…"

"Louis?"

Harvey raised an eyebrow, full of arrogance. "Do you think I'd stoop so low as to shamelessly ask you for clients like him?"

Martin looked up in surprise. "Then what else could it be?"

"I thought you were the person in this firm who understood me the most, Martin."

Harvey shook his head, seemingly disappointed.

Martin gritted his teeth. "To be honest, a few days ago, I made a bet with Rachel. I said you wouldn't come to me because of my collaboration with Louis."

"What was the bet?"

Harvey's expression instantly turned curious.

Martin shook his head. "No stakes. After all, you're bound to become a senior partner anyway. I don't want Rachel's barely maintained dignified life to completely collapse."

"Barely maintained? Did she tell you that?"

Harvey's expression turned strange. "Don't you know about Rachel's family background? Her last name is Zane!"

Martin smirked. "Her father, Dr. Zane, has a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania and founded his own firm, earning nearly $20 million in commissions annually. Her mother is an executive director of a multinational company…"

"A rich girl pursuing personal freedom by pretending to be a small secretary at a big company, maybe even falling in love with a poor guy someday—like your assistant lawyer who never went to law school."

"It's such a cliché Hollywood popcorn plot."

Harvey's previously tense face cracked into a smile, and he couldn't help but glance back at Rachel, who was busy outside the office.

"I originally thought you liked her."

Martin shook his head. "Sleeping with a future business partner is the riskiest form of emotional investment."

"After all, you never know when you'll suddenly start arguing, go through a cold war, or break up, and then she'll secretly transfer away your assets and company."

This was the fundamental reason Martin hadn't slept with Priya earlier!

Did he really think that being reborn meant he could collect every woman he met? Could he use his unmatched abilities and endless wealth to make every woman fall madly in love with him?

Wake up! The dark ages fell long ago.

Harvey shook his head. "No wonder they've given you the nickname 'Venture Capital Lawyer.'"

"Really? That's a thing?"

Martin scratched his head in confusion, planning to ask Rachel once Harvey left.

After all, gossip among secretaries spreads the fastest.

After chatting about various unrelated topics, Harvey finally revealed his purpose: "I need you to take over a case for me."

"You're sending me a client?"

Martin shook his head and glanced outside at Rachel. "What case?"

Harvey handed over the file folder he'd been holding.

Martin curiously opened it and immediately looked up in surprise at Harvey.

"Harlan Wyatt's communication patent?"

Harlan Wyatt was a genius electrical engineer who, at just 29, had developed a compact satellite phone nearly ten times smaller than the bulky satellite phones of the '90s, roughly the size of a regular cellphone.

On the morning Martin and Harvey met in the elevator on the way to Los Angeles, they had discussed this.

Harvey had mentioned that the patent would soon be transacted, and Martin congratulated Harvey on being able to afford that niche Tesla sports car.

Unexpectedly, something went wrong.

As Martin flipped through the documents, he asked, "The patent application was rejected?"

"Obviously!"

Harvey leaned back in the sofa chair. "If it weren't for my assistant lawyer, who doesn't even know how to fill out a patent application, this patent wouldn't have been delayed by a full 24 hours before submission."

"The aftermath of not attending law school?"

Martin quipped, then paused while flipping through the documents. "Rapid Data Company? The computer hardware company worth billions?"

"The trouble isn't with Rapid Data."

Harvey shook his head. "The real trouble lies in the court."

Martin looked up again. "What's the issue with the court?"

Harvey glanced around to confirm that no one except Rachel was nearby, then stood up and walked over to Martin, whispering a sentence.

"The judge handling this case is currently negotiating a divorce with his wife because I slept with her."

Martin almost jumped under the table in shock. "What? Are you serious?"

Harvey gave an indescribable expression in response.

Martin thought for a moment, stood up, closed the glass door of the office, and even locked it.

He then pulled Harvey over to the floor-to-ceiling window—the farthest point from the office door.

"What exactly happened?"

Harvey, true to his profession as a lawyer, succinctly summarized the entire situation in just a few words.

Last month, Harvey visited an art gallery to cultivate his artistic sensibilities and met a beautiful painter with charm and grace. They almost ended up in bed together.

The reason they didn't was that Harvey only discovered the painter was married after taking off his clothes.

It wouldn't have been an issue, but later, the painter got into a huge argument with her husband, a judge, and in anger, claimed she had an affair with Harvey.

Now they're in the middle of a divorce, and Harvey, unfortunately ended up in the hands of this judge, who believes Harvey cuckolded him!

Alright, two guys who forgot their law school graduation oaths are now facing off.

"The key isn't whether you actually slept with his wife."

Martin shook his head bitterly. "The problem is that you can't use this as a reason to request the judge's recusal unless you want to anger all the judges in New York."

"So I came to ask for your help!"

Harvey remained much calmer than Martin. "If you take over this case, perhaps you can calm the judge down."

"Or make him angrier!"

Martin shook his head repeatedly. "Do you know what it means if I take this case? It means one more person knows about the judge's scandal!"

"I know, I'm just hoping against hope, trying not to push things too far."

Harvey let out a long sigh, as if he had found relief. "Since you think the same way, it seems I have no choice but to eliminate that judge."

"With a gun, or a rocket launcher?"

Martin didn't believe him for a second.

Harvey shook his head. "I've been in this industry for twenty years; I still have some friends in the Department of Justice."

"You want him to undergo a due diligence review so he can't handle this case for the time being?"

Martin immediately understood.

Things that can't be resolved in court can often be handled easily at the Department of Justice.

After all, the main job of those in the U.S. Department of Justice is to nitpick at the court's work.

Martin looked enviously at Harvey, who appeared confident.

These are called connections… there's no two way about it!

(End of Chapter)