Chapter 100

"Man, the Martin Group is so small and new, it's not even worth my time,"Jeremy said, plopping down on the sofa. He pointed to a file bag on the bookshelf,signaling Aaron to grab it and hand it to Michael.

Watching Aaron follow his orders. Jeremy felt a rush of satisfaction. "These papers cover the Martin Group's business deals and cash flow.Boring stuff.but their story? Way more interesting."

Jeremy paused,crossed his legs, and pointed to his cup, signaling Aaron to pour him some water. Aaron, curious about the Martin Group's history,reluctantly played along.

Jeremy took a slow and deliberate sip, savoring the moment. He glanced at Michael and noticed a flicker of impatience in his eyes. Recognizing it was time to get to the heart of the matter,Jeremy decided to cut to the chase.

"Ralph, the guy who started the Martin Group, is quite a character,"Jeremy continued. "He grew up in an orphanage and started reselling stationery in school. After middle school, he didn't bother with more education.Instead,he used his savings to set up a stall selling popular items. He saved up,rented a spot in a wholesale market, and started a stationery business.He was honest and smart, and soon enough, he created his own brand. The founder of Stationery Haven, the biggest stationery chain in Silvercrest City,is none other than Ralph."

"Wait, Stationery Haven is part of the Martin Group? How did I not know that?" Michael asked,puzzled.

"Michael, just listen," Jeremy said, taking another sip of water. "Compared to Ryan, Ralph's a good guy. After making it big, he kept supporting the orphanage,funding talented kids to go to college. One of those kids was a computer whiz named Travis Banks. During school, Travis developed several software programs. Ralph, being smart, bought the rights to those

programs and used them to sell Stationery Haven and start the Martin Group."

Jeremy added, "After Travis graduated, Ralph brought him into the company to focus on R&D. Travis is a genius in R&D but clueless about everything else. Ralph made sure someone took care of all his needs,turning Travis into a money-making machine. Recently, Travis almost died from overwork, but luckily, he was rushed to the hospital in time."

"From overworking?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," Jeremy explained. "As the company grew, Ralph got more ambitious. He pushed Travis to the limit, and after working fifteen nights straight. Travis collapsed."

"And now? How's Travis doing?" Michael asked, feeling sorry for the genius.

"He's at Summit Serenity Sanctuary. The doctors say he needs rest. As long as he doesn't overwork and stays calm, he should recover," Jeremy replied.

"What about the Martin Group? Without Travis, do they have any other tricks up their sleeve?" Michael asked.

"Nope," Jeremy continued. "Ralph's super arrogant. When it comes to R&D,he only trusts Travis. No matter how good anyone else is, he doesn't care.So,without Travis, the Martin Group is pretty much screwed."

"What does Travis think about all this?" Michael asked.

Jeremy felt a sense of pride at Michael's sharp question. "Good call asking about Travis. I actually went to Serenity Peak and pretended to bump into him. He spilled a lot. Turns out, he's been fed up with Ralph's exploitation for a while, but he can't escape because Ralph has all his personal documents and he has no money. Hard to believe, but Travis is broke.No savings, and even the houses and cars the company gave him are in Ralph'

s name."

"We should talk to Travis about a potential collaboration," Michael suggested.

"What?" Jeremy was puzzled.

Michael, with a mysterious air, said, "A crack is where the light comes in.Travis just needs to find the light."

Jeremy, half-understanding, didn't press further andI continued, "Ralph claims he treats Travis like a son, just to coax him into working more. As for Ryan, Ralph wouldn't let him suffer even a bit."

"Is Ryan the sole heir to the Martin Group?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," Jeremy replied. "Ryan was originally named Asher. HHe had an older brother, Kurt Martin, who died in a car accident when Ralph was still in the stationery business. So, Ralph cherishes Ryan even more. After getting rich, Ralph married several times but couldn't have more kids. So Ryan's his only son."

"What's the deal with Ryan's name change?" Michael asked,curious.

Jeremy explained, "Oh, that's a funny one. Ryan thought his original name,Asher, didn't sound cool, so he changed it to Ryan."

Michael was speechless.

Jeremy added, "Ryan's not interested in the Martin Group's business. He started a modeling agency, which looks legit but is really just a way for him and Ralph to have easy access to women. Despite having countless women, neither father nor son has had a child."

Michael angrily said, "Bastards like them don't deserve to have descendants."

"Michael, just tell me what you want me to do. I'll handle it," Jeremy said through gritted teeth, eyes wide, ready to take action as if Ryan were right in front of him. "He dared to flirt with Qiana. I wish he were dead right now. A woman like Qiana is not someone a bastard like him can covet."

"You should think about how to explain the rumors to Qiana!" Michael said with a sly smile.

Jeremy's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be nonchalant. "Qiana doesn't care about such trivial matters. Besides, she trusts me. I won't have anything to do with Isabella."

Despite saying this, he secretly hoped that Qiana would care about this matter.

"Whether she believes it or not is her business. Whether you handle it or not is yours. At the very least, you need to show some attitude," Michael said. "Find out who started the rumors as soon as possible. Such people can't stay in the company."

With that,Michael left with Aaron.