Chapter 94. I Will Reveal the Truth (2)

I bought Mimir's rights and promised Jason Kim's wife.

I promised to restore the name Mimir, not Minerva, and to reveal to the world that it was created by Jason Kim.

I was determined to keep that promise.

The important thing is how to reveal it to the world.

You might think it's as simple as exposing it to the media, but it's not that easy.

First, it wouldn't look good for a private equity firm to expose the corruption of a company it has already acquired. It could affect future acquisitions.

Second, just like in the first round, Rolf would naturally deny it, leading to a battle of truth and lies.

Someone needs to refute his claims, but it can't be me.

Therefore, I need someone to properly expose this on my behalf. Fortunately, there is a perfect person for this, and that is Rajin Kumar.

The way and the purpose of the exposure are as important as the content itself. Depending on these, the public's reaction can vary greatly.

Actually, the most effective way would be for Jason Kim's family to come forward. But Julia didn't want herself and her sons to be known.

She didn't mention this matter even in the first round, which is why I didn't know her name or face.

However, during the lawsuit process of the patent troll Patrol, Rajin Kumar was the first to criticize Rolf.

He gave numerous interviews and even wrote a book titled "The Lies and Truth of a Genius" about the incident.

In fact, there was a good reason for his criticism of Rolf Bucci.

They were MIT classmates and business partners. Rolf founded Tinting in college, and Rajin worked there with him.

The success of Tinting made Rolf Bucci both wealthy and famous, but Rajin Kumar, who worked alongside him, received little attention.

Rolf claimed that Tinting's success was solely due to him. He took all the spotlight for the success.

Later, they co-founded TalkIt.

But at the company's most difficult time, Rolf left with Seed to found CoolCloud.

While Rajin struggled to save the failing company, Rolf achieved great success with CoolCloud.

Moreover, in various interviews, Rolf mentioned that TalkIt was doing well when he was running it, but after he left, the remaining people mismanaged it and caused its failure.

How must it have felt to witness this?

No matter how angry and jealous he was, there was nothing he could do until now. But if an opportunity to dismantle Rolf's reputation presented itself, things would be different.

I asked him, faking anger.

"Why are you so excited? Is there a reason you must reveal this?"

"That, that is..."

Of course, it was due to his anger and jealousy towards Rolf. But he couldn't say that, so he came up with another reason.

"Because I am Jason Kim's friend."

"Friend?"

Weren't they not that close?

"Oh! And didn't I introduce Jason to Rolf? In a way, I feel responsible. I want to set this right."

I nodded as if convinced.

"I see."

Exposing something out of jealousy is ugly, but stepping forward for a friend is praiseworthy.

But then I said, as if troubled.

"Our investors will oppose it, so our company can't take the lead. So, it seems..."

Rajin Kumar cut me off with a determined look.

"Then I will do it."

I feigned surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I will expose this."

"Really?"

"Yes."

I said with genuine concern.

"Think about it. What will happen if you expose this, Mr. Kumar?"

"What will happen?"

"You'll become incredibly famous."

He was surprised.

"Famous?"

"Yes. Numerous media outlets will interview you, and you'll receive a lot of public attention. Journalists might dig into Rolf Bucci's other actions, such as claiming others' achievements as his own, pretending to be a successful businessman, betraying his business partner, poaching employees to start a new company, and only taking his share. Can you handle such inconvenience?"

"I can!"

For some reason, his resolve to expose the truth only grew stronger.

"Are you willing to reveal the truth no matter what, even if you become famous and receive media attention?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Yes. Jason Kim, who is dead, would want this too."

I sighed.

"Seeing you so determined, I don't think trying to dissuade you will do any good."

"I will reveal the truth to the world. It's the right thing to do."

Impressive.

People can do anything when they believe it's the right thing to do.

If I had pushed him to expose it from the beginning, he might have hesitated. But by pretending to ask him to keep it a secret, he became even more enthusiastic.

You can't beat someone who is enjoying it.

I handed him a contact.

"This is Trish O'Connor from The Wall Street Times. I'll tell her to contact you."

* * *

Trish O'Connor.

Once an unknown journalist, she became famous for being the first to expose the Thomas Motors scandal. Her confrontation with CEO Brad Button at an event was particularly well-received.

People recognized her on the street and asked for photos. As a result, she received many tips.

'Writing a scoop was good, but...'

The pressure to follow up was significant.

'What should I write about next?'

While reviewing recent articles, she came across one by Barnett.

"Hey, it's an article about CoolCloud. What? He even did an interview."

It was about the development of Minerva, the future of the cloud market, and CoolCloud's plans for an IPO.

The important part was that he interviewed Rolf Bucci. This interview even mentioned a specific roadmap for the IPO.

'So he really did get close to Rolf Bucci at a party in LA. Networking is important.'

CoolCloud is one of the best-performing startups in Silicon Valley. Currently, it's privately held, making investment difficult, but an IPO would open up investment opportunities.

No wonder the article received a lot of attention.

'Great. I need to start investigating seriously from today.'

Before that, she decided to review the tips she had received. Her phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, she answered cheerfully.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Ah, Miss Miro. Are you still working in Silicon Valley?"

"Yes. I'm finishing up and planning to return soon."

"What were you working on?"

"I acquired CoolCloud."

"CoolCloud...?"

She was surprised.

"What? Continuum Capital acquired CoolCloud?"

"Yes."

CoolCloud is not a small company; it's worth about $10 billion. How did they manage to acquire it?

'Did they get pension fund investments?'

"I have a tip for you."

Trish's eyes lit up.

"Is it a scoop?"

"Maybe. I've sent you the materials. You can decide if it's a scoop or not."

"Wait a moment."

Opening her email, she saw the materials sent by Han Miro and was shocked.

"Is this real?"

"Yes. I always provide the truth."

The content was shocking. This article would turn Silicon Valley upside down.

'How did you find this out?'

"I'll send you Rajin Kumar's contact. Contact him and write the article quickly."

Trish quickly replied.

"Got it!"

* * *

After selling his shares to Continuum Capital.

Rolf Bucci canceled all his scheduled TV appearances, interviews, and lectures and stayed at home. He also learned that Alex had sold all his shares and left the company.

The new CEO was Seed Lucas.

While some might want to sell the company and enjoy a quiet life, Rolf Bucci was not one of them. He wanted a glamorous life in the spotlight.

It would be difficult to live like that now that he had left CoolCloud. He knew how quickly public attention fades.

He would likely be gradually forgotten. But the one comfort was that CoolCloud's success would be remembered as his.

He didn't plan to give in to despair.

'Should I start another company?'

He had done it several times before.

He was an excellent developer and businessman. With his fame, investors would line up to fund his new venture.

'I'll show that my success wasn't because of Minerva. Who knows? I might create a company even more successful than CoolCloud.'

With his word, people and money would come together, making it easy to build and grow a company.

'Starting a fintech company might be a good idea.'

With the increase in online shopping, payment methods are also growing. However, there are still some inconveniences.

Especially for those without credit cards.

'What if I make it easy to pay with a single click and use big data to analyze personal credit scores for post-payment options?'

While brainstorming the new business, his phone rang.

The caller was Barnett Rose, a journalist from The New York Times. She had interviewed him before, and the article was published just yesterday.

It's good to be on good terms with journalists. They can promote your business for free if they write a good article.

'And she was quite pretty, too.'

He answered the phone.

"Hello."

She spoke with a trembling voice.

"Is, is this true?"

'What is she talking about?'

After a moment, Rolf realized what she meant.

"Oh! It seems my departure from CoolCloud is already known. I'm planning to start a new business..."

"No, that's not it. They say Rolf Bucci didn't develop Minerva but stole it from someone else."

Rolf instinctively shouted.

"No, who said that!?"

"A man named Rajin Kumar exposed it."

Rolf was shocked.

"What?"

Rajin Kumar was his college classmate and business partner, and the one who introduced him to Jason Kim.

"It's on WST now."

"..."

Barnett pressed him.

"Is this fake news? You clearly talked about the development of Minerva in our last interview. The article was published just yesterday..."

The sound of the call faded, and her voice became indistinct.

'This is unbelievable. How could Rajin know...?'

Rolf quickly ended the call and searched for the article. It was already at the top of the news feed.