Church Bells ｡ Matthew Murdock

6 - NELSON AND MURDOCK

Hope. That was the one word circling around pretty Juliette Allen's mind as she waited quietly outside a rather empty, small and outdated office. For almost a full week, she had been daydreaming about how one day, with the help of Matthew Murdock she could take back what was rightfully her own, the Allen Group. Her parents's legacy, the one thing they left her. Her two closest friends, Blair and Lillian had told her too many times in that past week that all this hard work, all this hope, could be for nothing. But Juliette Allen was clinging tightly to that tiny piece of hope and she would never let go. 

"Juliette, good morning." The blonde was scurrying out of her chair, combing back some stray curls from her face as she smiled brightly up at Matthew Murdock, moving slowly towards her, red tinted glasses in place. She had met him and his partner Foggy Nelson a few days ago and they had spent a long day shifting through legal documents and old articles relating to her parents's death, the company and the man who now owned the Allen Group, Markus O'Harris. Today, she had been called to discuss the case and she was hoping, praying, it was good news. 

Matthew could hear the woman gather her belongings and despite not being able to see her, he could practically feel her smiling. Strangely enough, he wondered if she ever did not smile, a tightness filling his chest with her soft voice. "Mr. Murdock, hello."

The office door was swinging open, Foggy coming up behind Matthew with a goofy smile sent over at the pretty blonde, who had been nearly forty minutes early for their agreed upon appointment time. "Jules, bright eyed as usual. How are you holding up?" Foggy knew much about the Allen girl, having read too many files about her company and her family in the past week. He had found a few details about her past that hurt his soul, something he had shared with Matthew just last night. He knew digging into her parents's death could not be easy on her but his best friend had promised her their help and Foggy Nelson never went back on a promise. 

The three piled into the Nelson and Murdock office, the smell of burnt coffee filling the space. Juliette was giving him a slight shrug of her shoulders, toying with the pendant hanging around her neck. She knew these boys were quite busy, working away on a case regarding their assistant, Karen Page and a notorious business man Wilson Fisk. Although the team had their work cut out for them, they were still willing to help her and she was very grateful for that. "Holding up, that's an understatement." Juliette tried to laugh away the doubt clouding her mind, always trying to stay somewhat positive. "But I suppose, I am doing alright. I wasn't really expecting any news just yet. It's only been a week."

Foggy gave a nod, knowing in only a few minutes they were about to shatter her world, once again with bad news. 

Juliette sat down in a seperate office, placing her bag beside her heels and watched as the two lawyers gathered their files and their wits. From her spot at the end of the table, she spotted Karen Page hurrying into the office, four takeaway coffees in her hands. Juliette found a common peace with the woman, both having lost so much in a short span of time. But somehow, both women were able to smile despite the fear and pain they went through on a daily basis. After Karen handed out the coffees, mumbling a quick greeting towards her bosses and Juliette, she was hurrying out of the room and to her own desk. 

"So, how bad it is?" Juliette asked quietly after a long dreaded silence. She grew up in a world of business and lies and from a very young age, she had picked up the ability to know when something was not good news. With the quietness from these two men, the sheer pain in Foggy Nelson's eyes, she knew whatever they were about to tell her would hurt. 

Matthew cleared his throat, "Your parents it seemed, signed a new contract the day they died. It was a contract binding their company with a second party, Markus O'Harris." 

"Mark, yes. He was my mother's closest friend growing up. He worked for them ever since the company went public. He's...almost like an uncle. Or well, he was like an uncle until they died and I was pushed out of the company." Juliette knew all this and knew Mark, a man she had loved in ways, had betrayed her when he had informed her she had no stake in the company anymore, that everything went to him. 

Foggy nodded, "Right. Well, the contract allowed Markus to gain control over the company very easily. It stated that if something were to happen to your parents, majority of the company would fall into his hands for safe keeping." He paused, glancing over at his partner who clearly, couldn't see his glance. "It's a contract that pinned you as not responsible for leading the company, nor giving you any claims. Your parents signed it, maybe in hopes that you would never be burdened with running their company. Of course, I can assume they wouldn't have signed it willingly if they knew they would...uh, die so soon."

Juliette hung her head, already cursing her parents. Growing up, they had tried so hard to groom her for the business but somedays, she had been nothing but a spoilt rich girl and claimed she never wanted their company. Apparently, her parents thought removing her claim would give her freedom for her future. A nice gesture in a sense, if they had not been killed only hours later. "Okay but that's a little time sensitive, wouldn't you say? They die only hours after signing the new contract. That's suspicious, right?"

"Absolutely," Foggy went on and very slowly, pushed a file across the table towards Juliette, who was already frowning slightly with the action. "Now, with that contract coming into the light, we could very well look into a few leads about your parents's death not being an accident."

The blonde sucked in a breath, her hands touching the file and flipping it open. "I sense a but coming though." She spoke quietly, staring at the two men. 

Matthew sat forward in his chair, hands folded nicely. "We looked into your family files, something the Allen Group did not have. We generally do background checks with new clients, trying to establish a sound grasp on their pasts and character. It's standard procedure. Unwillingly, we stumbled across something that changes a few things." There was another dreadful pause. "We don't really know how to put this nicely, but among your files we secured from your family's old estate...we found two birth certificates. Both with your name on them."

Juliette stared down at the file in her hands, her eyes glossing over with the information stated in black and white. It was her very own birth certificate, one she had seen countless of times before. She slowly shifted back the page, revealing the second certificate, this one different. "Wait...my mother forged one of these? Why would she do that?" 

The men were quiet once more, letting the woman's mind slowly connect the dots. Clearly, there was only one real reason her mother would forge such a document. "Phillip Allen isn't my biological father." It wasn't a question, a statement. 

"We're still working on a name," Matthew offered quietly, knowing very well that poor woman's world was crumbling once again with the news that her life had been a lie. "The files are sealed at the hospital but that doesn't mean a true name will be found on them if they were tampered with. But we'll keep on trying to get to the bottom of this." Juliette wasn't even paying much attention, her heart cracking wide open with pain, with hate, with a revelation. "Jules, we'll figure this out together. You have my word."

The pretty Allen girl, who in fact, was not a Allen at all, gave him a dull nod of her head, her hands falling to her lap where they balled up into fights with her dress. She blinked away tears, hating many people in that moment, including her dead mother. "You won't find a name. My mother was very good at covering her tracks." She sucked in a breath, an old memory from childhood springing to mind. "It doesn't matter, we don't need a document with a name. I think I know who my father is." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Cliffhanger, boi yes! Sorry for the late update, I've been sick most of the week and haven't found myself in a writing mood but here we finally are and it was a shocking reveal. A few may already know who her father is but that's going to be covered next chapter with old memories thrown in to sweeten the storyline. I'm not a lawyer, so please be kind with all the lawyer talk and whatnot, I'm not an expert. Anyway, please leave your thoughts. 

- tinkertaydust