All Roads Lead to Hell *Matt Murdock* (book three of Damned-3a)

2) $ 11 million

Vera was watching him with her jaw carefully controlled so it wouldn't fall to her lap.

She had a habit of going to the court with him - well, not with him, more like going along to watch him - if the time allowed that. It always left her awed and honestly a little horrified (and maybe a little aroused), because he was good. Really fucking scarily good.

She knew lawyers had to be tough and everything, not showing weakness and stuff, which made the fact she had seen his opponent close to tears once or twice even more terrifying. She thought it was something in his face, maybe the frown, reminding her of a disappointed parent, when he looked at the other lawyer as if he wanted them to rethink their morally questionable life choices.

Nevertheless, Vera almost thought she might get used to seeing Matt at court one day. It probably wouldn't happen, because oh god, he was cut-throat today.

In the beginning, the other lawyer had looked unfazed; gradually, she was losing her shit. Matt was brilliant when it came to wining the favour of the jury. He gleamed with righteous anger, while only showing it occasionally, proving he was perfectly controlled and distanced enough to make people believe that the situation wasn't hurting him as his own person, but him as a human being. As if the attitude of the company was an offense to humanity, as if it was a duty of any decent person to reprobate the people responsible. He was also not afraid of using the victim's name - Aaron James, a young man on a wheelchair, where the actions of the company had put him - to dismiss the feeling of anonymity; not just another victim, but this very young man¸ who had a name and his whole life ahead, suffered through their hands.

And Matt was doing all of this while using fancy lawyer terms and successfully avoiding hackneyed phrases. He was perfect; a little scary, his performance chilling Vera's spine, but pretty much perfect.

The jury apparently agreed with Vera, because of course Matt won the suit. And he won eleven million dollars for the family. Eleven million dollars. And the best part? It was a fucking pro bono case. Matt won eleven million dollars and he didn't get a penny for taking the case in the first place, for doing the digging, for the hours and hours spent on it. He might get something later, maybe, but still. Like what the hell?!

Vera left the courtroom dazed and with a wide smile on her face hidden behind her loosely hanging longish hair. If she was being honest, she was sure it was more of a smirk than a smile; because screw you, justice was served (at least as much as possible) and hell yeah, that's my fiancée. Vera really was proud of him and it was moments like this when she simply couldn't understand why, why on Earth would this man choose to spend the rest of his life with her of all people. She sure wasn't complaining though.

Vera stood by the wall, observing Matt as the mother gave him a quick hug and as he spoke to the boy on the wheelchair. He went to talk with several reporters after, the flashes of cameras leaving him calm, which seemed like a natural thing for a blind man, but Vera was sure he could hear them.

A touch on her forearm disturbed her staring and made her snap her head in the other direction. She met with a pair of smiling blue eyes.

"You still got it bad," Karen teased her and Vera felt a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"Can you blame me? He slayed them," Vera defended her fascination with him and Karen hummed in agreement, both women sparing another glance in his direction.

"I never said I blamed you."

"You're here to get a statement?" Vera wondered and Karen nodded.