Marcus arrived at Pearson Hardman at 7:45 AM on Monday, fifteen minutes early, because punctuality was a weapon and he intended to use every advantage he had.
The thirtieth floor was already buzzing with activity. Associates rushed between offices with case files, paralegals worked at their desks with the grim determination of people who knew their day would only get harder, and somewhere in the distance, a phone was ringing with the insistence of a problem that refused to be ignored.
Marcus navigated through it all like he'd been doing it for years, his charcoal Tom Ford suit and burgundy tie announcing that he belonged here, that he'd always belonged here.
Louis's office door was open, and Marcus could hear him on the phone, his voice carrying that particular edge of someone who was trying very hard to sound reasonable while barely containing his frustration.
"No, Gerald, I understand that you're concerned about the timeline, but if you'd just trust my judgment on this—" A pause. "Yes. Yes, I know Harvey told you it would take three weeks. Well, Harvey doesn't have all the information I have, does he?"
Marcus smiled. The rivalry between Louis and Harvey was even more palpable than he'd expected. Good. He could work with that.
He knocked on the door frame, and Louis looked up, his expression transforming from irritation to something approaching relief.
"Gerald, I'm going to have to call you back. My new associate just arrived, and we have work to do." Louis hung up before Gerald could respond. "Marcus. Good. You're early. I like that."
"You said eight AM. I heard seven forty-five." Marcus walked in, setting his briefcase down. "What do you need?"
Louis stood, grabbing a stack of files from his desk. "Direct. I like that too. Here's the situation: Rayburn Pharmaceuticals is under an FDA audit. They're claiming our client failed to properly report adverse reactions to one of their medications. The audit team is arriving at ten AM, and we need to review every incident report from the past three years before they get there."
Marcus glanced at the stack. It had to be at least two thousand pages. "Three years of incident reports in two hours?"
"Problem?" Louis's tone carried a challenge.
"Not at all." Marcus took the files. "Conference room?"
"Third door on the left. And Marcus? Harvey has a new associate who has started recently as well. Some kid named Mike Ross. I want our work on the Rayburn case to be flawless. When Jessica reviews both teams' performance this week, I want there to be no question about who has the better associate."
Marcus smiled. "Consider it done."
The conference room was empty when Marcus arrived, which was exactly what he needed. He spread the files across the table, pulled out his laptop, and got to work.
Two thousand pages would have been impossible for a normal person to thoroughly review in two hours. For Marcus, with his perfect recall and ability to process information at speeds that bordered on superhuman, it was almost insultingly easy.
He started with the first file, his eyes scanning the pages. Every incident report, every adverse reaction, every piece of data immediately indexed itself in his mind. He could see patterns emerging, certain medications, certain patient demographics, certain time periods where reports clustered.
Forty-five minutes later, he'd read every page and had cross-referenced the entire dataset against FDA regulations, pharmaceutical industry standards, and relevant case law.
The situation was worse than Louis thought.
Rayburn Pharmaceuticals hadn't just failed to report some adverse reactions; it had also failed to report others. They'd actively buried reports that would have triggered a mandatory recall. The incident reports showed a clear pattern: serious adverse reactions had been reclassified as "mild" or "moderate" to avoid FDA notification requirements.
This wasn't negligence. This was fraud.
Marcus sat back in his chair, considering his options. He could tell Louis the truth—that their client had committed serious violations and the FDA audit was going to destroy them. Or he could find a way to minimize the damage, reframe the narrative, and protect Rayburn Pharmaceuticals despite their culpability.
The question was: what kind of lawyer did Marcus want to be?
Before he could decide, the conference room door opened.
A tall guy walked in, the same one Marcus had nearly collided with in the elevator on Friday. The one who'd been running late to meet Harvey Specter. He was wearing another expensive suit, this one better tailored, and he carried himself with the kind of nervous energy that suggested he was running on adrenaline and caffeine.
"Oh, sorry," the guy said. "I didn't realize this room was taken."
"It is," Marcus said, not looking up from his laptop. "Try the next one down."
"Right. Yeah. Sorry." The guy started to leave, then paused. "Wait, you're the one from the elevator. Friday afternoon."
Marcus looked up. "Good memory."
"I'm Mike Ross. I just started recently. I'm working with Harvey Specter."
"Marcus Cole. I'm working with Louis Litt." Marcus extended his hand, and Mike shook it. His grip was firm but slightly hesitant, as if he were still figuring out how much confidence to project.
"So you're the competition," Mike said, and there was something in his tone, playful, but with an edge underneath.
"Competition implies we're playing the same game," Marcus said smoothly. "I'm playing to win. What you're doing is up to you."
Mike's smile faltered slightly. "Harvey told me Louis hired someone. Said I should expect him to be good."
"Harvey was being generous. I'm better than good." Marcus gestured at the files spread across the table. "Case in point: I just reviewed two thousand pages of incident reports in under an hour. How's your morning going?"
Mike's eyes widened slightly as he took in the sheer volume of paperwork. "That's... impressive."
"That's standard." Marcus closed his laptop. "Was there something you needed, or are you just here to scope out the opposition?"
"Actually, Harvey sent me to find the Hendrix Oil files. Someone said they might be in here."
"Third cabinet, second drawer." Marcus pointed without looking. "Files are mislabeled as 'Henderson Oil' because someone in filing can't spell. You'll find what you need there."
Mike walked to the cabinet, opened the drawer Marcus had indicated, and pulled out the exact files he needed. He looked at Marcus with new appreciation. "How did you know that?"
"I know everything about this firm that matters," Marcus said. "Floor plans, filing systems, which partners hate each other, which associates are incompetent, which secretaries actually run the place. You want to survive here, you learn the terrain."
"Sounds like you've been here for years."
"I've been here for forty-five minutes." Marcus stood, gathering his files. "I just prepare better than everyone else."
Mike studied him for a moment, and Marcus could see the calculation happening behind his eyes. Mike Ross was smart, that much was obvious. But there was something else there, something Marcus's lie detection was itching to examine more closely.
"Well," Mike said finally, "I guess I'll see you around, Marcus Cole."
"I'm sure you will." Marcus walked toward the door, then paused. "Word of advice, Mike? Harvey Specter is brilliant, but he's also a target. Everyone in this firm is waiting for him to fail so they can take his spot. You want to succeed here, you need to be better than good. You need to be bulletproof."
"And what about Louis?"
"I think Louis is hungrier than Harvey. He has something to prove. That makes him dangerous." Marcus smiled. "And I'm going to help him prove it."
He walked out, leaving Mike standing in the conference room with the Hendrix Oil files and, Marcus hoped, a healthy dose of doubt.
Louis was pacing in his office when Marcus returned, phone pressed to his ear.
"Yes, Jessica, I understand. Two PM. We'll be ready." He hung up and turned to Marcus. "Change of plans. Jessica wants both junior partners to present their audit preparation strategies at 2 PM. That means Harvey and I are going head-to-head in front of the managing partner."
"Perfect," Marcus said. "I've reviewed all the files."
"And?"
"And Rayburn Pharmaceuticals is guilty of systematic underreporting of adverse reactions. They reclassified serious incidents as moderate or mild to avoid triggering FDA notification requirements. The audit is going to find this, and when they do, the FDA will recommend criminal prosecution."
Louis's face went pale. "Criminal prosecution? Marcus, this is a major client. We can't—"
"Which is why we're going to get ahead of it." Marcus pulled out his laptop and turned it toward Louis. "I've prepared a disclosure strategy. We voluntarily report the violations to the FDA before the audit team finds them. We frame it as Rayburn discovering the errors internally and self-reporting, which shows good faith and regulatory cooperation."
"The FDA will still fine them."
"Yes. But the fine will be smaller than if they discover it themselves. More importantly, we avoid criminal prosecution and Rayburn keeps their operating license." Marcus pulled up a second document. "I've also drafted a compliance reform proposal that Rayburn will implement immediately. New reporting procedures, third-party auditing, executive accountability measures. We show the FDA that Rayburn is taking this seriously."
Louis stared at the screen, his expression shifting from panic to something approaching awe. "This is... Marcus, this could actually work."
"It will work." Marcus closed the laptop. "But you need to sell it to Jessica, and you need to beat whatever Harvey is planning to present."
"What do you think Harvey will do?"
Marcus considered. Harvey Specter was a closer, someone who believed in winning at all costs. He'd probably recommend delaying the audit, challenging the FDA's authority, or burying the problematic reports under procedural objections.
"Harvey will go on the offensive," Marcus said. "He'll try to make the audit team's job harder, slow them down, create enough confusion that they can't find the violations."
"And you think disclosure is better?"
"I think disclosure is smarter. Harvey's approach might work in the short term, but it makes Rayburn look guilty and angers the FDA. Our approach makes Rayburn look responsible and positions us as the firm that prioritizes client wellbeing over billable hours."
Louis smiled, and it was predatory. "Jessica will love that."
"That's the idea."
At 1:45 PM, Marcus and Louis walked into the main conference room where Jessica Pearson was already seated at the head of the table. She was in her early forties, impeccably dressed, with the kind of presence that made it immediately clear why she was managing partner despite her age.
Harvey arrived thirty seconds later with Mike Ross trailing behind him. Harvey looked confident and relaxed, as if this presentation were just a formality. Mike looked nervous but was trying to hide it.
Marcus caught Mike's eye and nodded slightly. Mike nodded back, and Marcus wondered if the other associate understood that what was about to happen would set the tone for their entire rivalry.
"Gentlemen," Jessica said, not bothering with pleasantries. "The Rayburn Pharmaceuticals audit begins in—" she checked her watch, "—thirteen minutes. I want to know what strategy each of you is recommending. Harvey, you first."
Harvey stood, buttoning his suit jacket with the casual confidence of someone who'd done this a thousand times. "The FDA audit is a fishing expedition. They don't have specific evidence of wrongdoing; they're hoping to find something during the audit itself. My recommendation is that we limit their access. Every document they want goes through our review first. Every employee they interview has counsel present. We make the audit so difficult and time-consuming that they give up or find nothing substantial."
"And if they do find something substantial?" Jessica asked.
"They won't. Because we'll make sure they're looking in the wrong places."
Jessica turned to Louis. "Your approach?"
Louis stood, and Marcus could see the slight tremor in his hands. This mattered to Louis in a way it didn't matter to Harvey. Harvey had confidence; Louis had desperation.
"We self-disclose," Louis said.
The room went silent.
Harvey actually laughed. "You want to tell the FDA about violations before they find them? Louis, that's career suicide."
"It's called getting ahead of the narrative," Louis shot back. "Marcus discovered that Rayburn has been systematically underreporting adverse reactions. The FDA audit will find this. It's inevitable. But if we voluntarily disclose it first, we control the message. We show that Rayburn discovered the error internally and is committed to compliance."
"You're going to volunteer our client for an FDA fine?" Harvey shook his head. "Jessica, this is insane."
"Let him finish," Jessica said quietly, and there was something in her tone that made Harvey's smile falter.
Louis nodded to Marcus, who pulled up his presentation on the conference room screen.
"The disclosure comes with a comprehensive compliance reform proposal," Marcus explained. "New reporting procedures, third-party oversight, executive accountability measures. We don't just admit fault, we show that Rayburn is fixing the problem. The FDA gets what it wants: accountability and reform. Rayburn avoids criminal prosecution and keeps their operating license. Everyone wins except Harvey's ego."
Harvey's expression darkened. "You've been here one day, and you think you know better than me?"
"I've been here one day, and I've already reviewed every incident report from the past three years," Marcus said calmly. "Have you?"
"Mike did."
Marcus turned to Mike. "All two thousand pages?"
Mike hesitated. "I reviewed the summaries—"
"The summaries don't include the reclassification data," Marcus interrupted. "Which means you missed the systematic pattern of underreporting. Which means Harvey's strategy is based on incomplete information."
The room was dead silent.
Jessica looked at Harvey. "Is this true?"
Harvey's jaw tightened. "We focused on the high-priority files—"
"Which means you missed the problem entirely." Jessica turned to Louis. "Your approach is solid. Implement it. Get Rayburn's CEO on the phone and explain what we're doing. I want the disclosure filed with the FDA before the audit team leaves today."
Louis tried to hide his smile and failed. "Yes, Jessica."
"Harvey," Jessica continued, "next time, make sure you have all the information before you recommend a strategy. Dismissed."
Harvey stood without a word and walked out, his expression carved from stone. Mike scrambled to follow, shooting Marcus a look that might have been respect or might have been hatred. It was hard to tell.
As the door closed behind them, Jessica turned to Marcus.
"Good work, Mr. Cole. Louis, I want a full report on how the disclosure goes. And Marcus?" She waited until he met her eyes. "Welcome to Pearson Hardman. Don't let it go to your head."
"Yes ma'am."
Marcus and Louis walked back to Louis's office in silence. When they were finally alone, Louis turned to Marcus with an expression of pure triumph.
"Did you see Harvey's face?" Louis was practically vibrating with excitement. "We destroyed him. In front of Jessica. On your first day."
"We did our job," Marcus corrected. "Harvey underestimated the situation. We didn't."
"This is just the beginning," Louis said. "With you on my team, we're going to make Harvey Specter look like a first-year associate. We're going to win every case, close every deal, and when Jessica decides who makes senior partner first, it's going to be me."
Marcus nodded, but his mind was already working ahead. He'd just made an enemy of Harvey Specter and, by extension, Mike Ross. That was fine. He'd expected it.
What he hadn't expected was how much he'd enjoyed it.
The look on Harvey's face when Marcus had called out his incomplete research. The way Mike had hesitated when asked about the files. The pure satisfaction of watching Louis win a round against his rival.
Marcus had abilities that made him dangerous in a courtroom. But he was beginning to realize he had something else too: he liked the competition. He liked the chess game of firm politics. He liked proving he was better than everyone else.
And that, Marcus suspected, might be the most dangerous ability of all.
His phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:
Nice presentation. But you embarrassed Harvey in front of Jessica. That was a mistake. - M.R.
Marcus smiled and typed back:
Only a mistake if I can't back it up. See you in court, Mike.
He hit send and looked out at the Manhattan skyline. Somewhere in this building, Harvey and Mike were probably plotting their revenge. Somewhere else, Jessica was deciding whether Marcus was an asset or a liability.
And in Louis's office, Marcus had just proven that he was exactly what he'd claimed to be: the best damn associate this firm had ever seen.
Let Harvey and Mike come. Let them try to prove him wrong.
Marcus Cole was just getting started.