Discard The Damage

matt has never liked it when the wealthy take advantage of people with less resources than them, using their money and power to bully people into submission, which was a big part of his decision to coax foggy into leaving landman and zack to start their own firm to help people that truly need it instead of protecting rich corrupt assholes

so when you show up at nelson, murdock & page trying to find a lawyer you can afford to help you with your messy divorce, you instantly have matt's sympathy, and his attention

divorce cases weren't something they normally handled, but you'd sounded so defeated and upset when you'd told him the details of what you were going through that he'd made an exception

at the beginning of your marriage, your husband had told you that you didn't have to work if you didn't want to, that he'd take care of you bc he came from a wealthy family and money wasn't an issue. you'd thought it had been an offer out of love, and it had left you free to spend your days volunteering at different places, organizing charity events, and enjoying your hobbies, but it had all been an illusion of control

your husband had felt entitled to your loyalty, thinking bc he took care of you financially that he was justified in his infidelity, and arrogantly believed that bc you had nothing without him, you couldn't leave him

needless to say when you told him you wanted a divorce, he retaliated with pure cruelty. he'd kicked you out, removed you from the joint bank account, threatened you multiple times, and either bribed every law firm in the city to not work with you or threatened them if they even considered it

little did that asshole know matt couldn't be swayed with bribery or idle threats. if anything, it just made him want to take the fucker down in court even more

while you'd signed a prenup, the bastard had been so overzealous in his belief you'd never walk away that he'd forgotten there was an infidelity clause, which worked in your favor. getting proof of his various affairs from jessica was one of the easiest jobs she'd ever done, and she'd been happy to do it for free

and throughout the process, matt was there to reassure your anxieties about the case

"even though your name isn't on the dead to the house, because you're married, it's considered a joint property. it's illegal for him to kick you out and change the locks without a court order. there's also the infidelity clause he violated, which we have evidence of. now, I think he's cocky and vindictive enough to pursue the case without settling, but he's gonna lose."

he kept you involved every step of the way, met you in coffee shops instead of the office sometimes bc he noticed you were more relaxed in a setting that didn't remind you of what you were going through, even though it was the main topic of discussion

but he sprinkled in more personal conversation, asking you about your upbringing, sharing a bit of his own. he listened to your heart's rhythm settle into something more relaxed when you spoke about the things you were passionate about, the volunteering and charity work, all your little hobbies

matt would also try to crack jokes, little lighthearted banter just to get you to smile. it felt like a victory every time he was successful, gifted with that melodic sound of your laughter

"you know, we could probably make a good case for emotional damages. i'm pretty sure I could even make an argument for wasting your time."

he could tell this wasn't about the money for you, and that endeared him to you even more. you weren't retaliating back, even though you had every right to. you weren't trying to milk your ex husband for every penny, you didn't even care about getting half of what he owned. all you wanted was safety and security, to have enough to comfortably start over and take care of yourself

this was about betrayal for you, in more ways than one, and you were genuinely devastated. your entire life had been upended, you realized in one disastrous moment your whole marriage had been a lie, and now you were dealing with malicious fallout when you'd done nothing wrong

matt had a natural protective instinct, it was who he was at his core, and why he put on both suits, but with you it felt more personal, and it became more personal with every interaction and every word as he got to know you on a deeper level

he could tell how anxious you were when the court date came, your heart fluttering in your ribcage like a hummingbird's wings, coristol flooding your nervous system, your refusal to even look in your ex husband's direction, who was sitting smugly next to his hotshot lawyer who also had a cocky smirk that matt wanted to smack off. and he would, verbally

matt reached out to place his hand on top of yours, which was resting on your bouncing knee, the anxious action halted by his reassuring touch. he gave it a gentle squeeze as he leaned in to whisper in your ear

"everything's gonna be okay. trust me, sweetheart."

he let your ex husband's lawyer take the lead. it was always satisfying to him to let his opponent show all their cards first, to waltz around the courtroom and flaunt their arrogance, letting them think they had an airtight open and shut case. he sat there calmly the whole time, a subtle smirk present on his lips, just waiting for his opportunity to go for the jugular

when it was his turn, matt took his time standing up and unfolding his cane, slipping one hand in his pocket casually as he walked to the front of the court room with all the ease of taking an afternoon stroll

he started off with a nonchalant tone, presenting the facts with objectivity, and slowly let his aggression build as he began to lay his own cards on the table one by one. he could sense the two men getting antsy when he presented the evidence of the illegal act of kicking out his wife and restricting her access to their home, and let his passion seep into his tone as he presented the cherry on top; the violation of the infidelity clause in the prenup

jessica had captured all the various affairs in photos, texts, voice recordings, and even two videos. solid concrete evidence that couldn't be denied or refuted, and left the hotshot lawyer stammering and trying to pull an excuse out of his ass

matt heard the judge's decision in her body language and the hum of disapproval before she even announced her ruling, in your favor of course, which made that devilish smirk stretch wide across his lips

"thank you, your honor."

he couldn't resist stopping by the two men, their arrogance now deflated with defeat, letting his own smugness resonate with his cadence

"should've taken the settlement. next time you want to get away with being a piece of shit, you could at least try to not get caught."

he doesn't let you pay him any of what you win from the case, which you immediately try to protest, insisting on compensating him for his help, bc without him none of this would have been possible

"you need the money more than I do. that's your fresh start."

besides, matt doesn't want your money, he wants something else instead, so when you insist yet again on paying him somehow, he just flashes you a dazzling grin

"how about dinner?"