Lamborghini | Tony Stark

SIXTY ONE - SURPRISE

"Case closed."

The sound of the gavel drew Sasha to her feet, immediately being embraced tightly by her client who had started to sob profusely into her shoulder, almost crumbling to his knees as her team from the viewing gallery began to gather around them.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Sasha held her client at arms length, smiling widely at him as she saw the life replenish itself behind his tired eyes, a colour slowly starting to glow in his bright cheeks and a heartfelt, grateful grin on his lips.

"The rest of your life starts now, all that negativity, it's over."

Sometimes Sasha wondered how different her life would be if she listened to the advice she gave to other people. Perhaps she'd have been happier for a lot longer had she left the past in the past and not carried the heavy baggage forward with her everyday. Maybe she could've started the rest of her life sooner.

She checked her watch and saw the time creeping towards eight o'clock in the evening. The court had been a long and tiring session and while Sasha was emotionally and physically drained from her day, she had no plans to curl up on her sofa with a celebratory glass of wine anytime soon.

"Good job, Coulson."

Ryan Taylor hugged his star employee tightly, an overwhelming sense of pride evident in the way he looked at her, happy for her and all her achievements.

"Thank you," she smiled back at him, "Are you still good to give me a ride?"

"Of course, though are you sure you won't join us for just one drink? We don't want to celebrate without you."

Sasha shook her head regretfully as she gathered her belongings, slipping her trench coat over her shoulders.

"Sorry, I'm cutting it fine as it is. Next time? And there definitely will be a next time, I'm nowhere near retirement."

Ryan laughed as they walked out of the courtroom together, "I don't think you'll ever retire, Sasha."

With Sasha stood tall in front of a wall of media, Ryan took her briefcase from her while she addressed the press, holding back a smile as the cameras flashed and reporters hounded her with questions, only to be silenced by her powerful voice.

She gave them a brief, standard post-court speech that sounded all too similar to the one she always gave after winning a case, and she always won her cases.

Nevertheless, the media ate up her words and barraged her with more questions and lens flares as security made a pathway through the shark tank towards Ryan's car, keeping away the riffraff as they kept their heads down and smiles tame until they were safely behind the tinted windows of Ryan's Mercedes G Wagon.

The colleagues revelled in the success of the latest case on their journey across town, Sasha speaking about her strengths with a fire in her eyes and soul in her laugh, letting out the softer, more human side to her that people at work were very rarely lucky enough to witness.

Ryan praised her once more before he parked up in the valet area on the curb outside a fancy restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. There was a red carpet rolled out on the steps with an entourage of security in black tie hovering outside, eyeing the car through the blacked out windows.

Sasha thanked her boss for the ride before grabbing her bags from the backseat and jumping out, waving goodbye before closing the door and heading towards the entrance.

The sun had set though the air was warm that evening in New York, the spring month of May treating the city to longer days and happier sunshine, breathing life back into the streets and those who walked down them.