Chapter 7 - The Deposition
The mandatory civil deposition took place in a sterile, windowless conference room in Veronica’s law firm.
David walked in wearing a cheap, wrinkled suit, a stark contrast to the perfectly tailored silk he usually wore.
His eyes were sunken, dark circles bruised the skin beneath them, and his hands possessed a slight, uncontrollable tremor.
He refused to look at me, staring angrily at the blank wall behind my wheelchair.
Margaret was not with him; she had reportedly fled to a friend's house in Florida after the recording incident.
The stenographer began typing rapidly as Veronica steepled her fingers and began the brutal interrogation.
"Mr. Vance, for the record, can you explain why you attempted to transfer three million dollars from a protected trust without your wife's signature?"
David shifted uncomfortably, his arrogance bleeding through his exhaustion.
"As her husband, I manage our household finances because Sarah is notoriously bad with numbers," he lied smoothly.
"I was simply moving it to a high-yield account to secure our family's future."
Veronica pulled out a thick, black binder and dropped it onto the table with a heavy thud.
"Is this the high-yield account you are referring to, Mr. Vance?" she asked, sliding a bank statement across the table.
"The offshore account registered in the Cayman Islands under a shell corporation owned entirely by you?"
David swallowed hard, a bead of sweat tracing its way down his temple.
"I have the right to invest our money as I see fit," he snapped defensively.
"Not when the money is explicitly protected by a prenuptial agreement you signed, which dictates you have zero claim to it," Veronica shot back.
"And certainly not when you were planning to use it to cover up the four million dollars you embezzled from your business partners."
David jumped up from his chair, his chair clattering loudly against the floor.
"This is a witch hunt!" he screamed, his face turning a dangerous, violent shade of purple.
"She planned this, she is trying to ruin me because she is a bitter, crazy woman!"
I finally spoke, my voice calm, level, and entirely devoid of fear.
"I didn't break my own leg, David," I said, staring directly into his panicked eyes.
"And I didn't force you to steal from your friends."
"You ruined yourself."
May you like
David stared at me, opening his mouth to scream another insult, but the absolute truth in my eyes silenced him.
He slowly sank back into his chair, finally realizing that the woman he thought was a sheep was actually the wolf.
