Chapter 464 - Acquiring Marvel (Part 1)

Little did he know that Laila's reason for giving him this reminder was because she knew that Stan Lee's company would soon be in a legal battle with Marvel over bankruptcy. After a lengthy court case, he ultimately obtained a 10% share of the profits. In Laila's view, rather than facing a lawsuit with her, which would happen once she acquired Marvel, it was better to prematurely involve Stan Lee and let Goodman have a headache first.

The final result turned out almost exactly as Laila had anticipated. Under the attraction of an 8% profit share, Stan Lee resurfaced and lobbied some key figures within Marvel. No matter how capable Goodman was, he couldn't single-handedly run an entire comic book company.

Stan Lee, with over thirty years of experience as the head of Marvel, commanded a level of respect within the company and among fans that ordinary executives could not match.

Upon receiving the news, Goodman was furious, but what could he do? It was common knowledge that the company was in dire straits, and if a wealthy company was willing to acquire Marvel and commit more resources, who would be willing to push such a lucrative offer away?

However, he also didn't want the company he had founded to simply become someone else's property. He believed that his love for comics was something a girl like her could never understand.

After several negotiations with Marvel, Quentin's team had come to understand Goodman's mindset. In this situation, the most straightforward solution would be to push Laila forward.

This "mature and steady" future stepfather, after being hit by Laila repeatedly, couldn't resist trying to cause her some trouble. Didn't you say I can't lose face in front of my future child? Well, you try it. If you can't handle it, I can't guarantee what I'll say in front of your future brothers and sisters.

When she received his request, Laila hadn't expected him to be this "childish." She thought that a person with such a strong sense of pride wouldn't admit defeat so easily.

So, the next day, she went to Marvel's office to have a few words with Marvel's owner, Martin Goodman.

When she appeared at Marvel's office, the employees easily recognized her. Although they felt awkward showing too much enthusiasm in front of the boss, the sight of such a high-profile figure appearing before them still excited them.

Laila gave a slight smile to the employees who secretly glanced at her and then entered the meeting room gracefully.

"She's even more beautiful in person than in photos. Did you see that?"

"I wonder if she'll become our new boss. That would be great!"

"Yeah, I heard she really loves superhero comics! Her coffee shop, which she bought, is already quite famous among comic fans. Many people go there often."

Unlike Goodman's refusal, other employees seemed quite excited about the acquisition case. They were well aware of the company's current difficulties and thought that it would be much better to be acquired by someone who genuinely loved comics, rather than someone who knew nothing about comics and would meddle in their affairs.

Once Laila and Quentin's team were seated in the conference room, Goodman pushed the door open and entered.

Upon entering, he glared straight at Laila, as if he could convey his deep anger through his gaze alone.

Laila did feel his anger but wasn't intimidated. Childish tactics like "trying to kill you with my eyes" weren't going to work on just anyone.

Goodman didn't waste any time and directly stated his thoughts, "I won't sell Marvel!"

Laila wasn't surprised by his response. If it were so easy to handle, Quentin wouldn't have brought her into the picture.

"Mr. Goodman, please hear me out before you reject me," Laila said calmly after seeing that Goodman had given in without resisting her words.

After seeing Goodman snort and sit down without objecting to her words, she continued, "Marvel is a company with great potential, and I don't deny that. If it were just a small, inconsequential place, I wouldn't have spent so much money to acquire it. I can see the importance of Marvel to you, and I can feel the hard work you've invested in this company. Because of this, you should hand the company over to me."

Goodman chuckled, "Are you suggesting that you know better than me how to run this company?"

Laila raised her lips slightly and smiled, "Isn't it true? Look at your company and then look at mine. Who do you think is better at managing their company?"

Goodman was left speechless because the fact was that he had nearly brought the company to bankruptcy, while she had turned an almost bankrupt company around in a short period. The difference in success was clear at a glance. So, when Laila spoke, it was truly convincing.

However, it was only convincing on the surface. Some members of Quentin's team were nearly tempted to laugh at her words because they saw that she was simply swapping concepts. One was a comic book company, and the other was a movie company, and the nature of the two was entirely different. It wasn't easy for an executive from a movie company to come to a comic book company and perform just as well as they had in their original company.

Goodman had yet to realize that he had been led into a trap by her, so he didn't resist her words. He only felt that what she said made some sense. Compared to himself, her methods of running a company had been more successful and effective.

But that wasn't the point. Even though the future held great prospects for Marvel, it was still the future. For now, Marvel was barely surviving as a small company.

"I just need a bit more time! One day, Marvel will become the best comic book company!"

Laila wasn't impressed by his grandiose statements. She indeed saw the prospects for Marvel, but it was great only in the future. For now, Marvel was a company on the brink of collapse.

"Mr. Goodman, if you want to grow the company, then you need me even more. I have ample funds to invest and can bring the company's superheroes to life in movies. Perhaps you can indeed turn the company around in the future, but the price you pay may be enormous. Just take the Avengers, for example. How many of the key superheroes are left? If you sell off your superheroes one by one to maintain the company's growth, how many valuable superheroes will remain when you believe the time is right for the company to shine?" Laila's words were sharp and to the point, and they almost made Goodman spit out blood. Was it appropriate to expose the flaws in the plan this way?

Without waiting for him to erupt in anger, she continued, "You sold the Hulk to Universal, Spider-Man to Sony, Blade and Ghost Rider to Columbia, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool to FOX, and even Lionsgate holds the Punisher and characters with human-like powers. Is this the solution you found for Marvel?"