Chapter 13 - The Deposition of Betrayal
The conference room on the ninth floor of the federal courthouse was suffocatingly hot.
Vanessa Reed sat across the wide wooden table,
wearing a grey jumpsuit,
her wrists handcuffed and rested on the table.
Her roots were growing out,
her glamorous facade completely shattered by weeks in custody.
Her defense attorney sat next to her,
whispering nervously into her ear as the court reporter set up the recording equipment.
I sat beside Arthur Vance,
my chief legal counsel,
watching Vanessa with calm,
unflinching eyes.
Robert and Margaret sat behind us,
their presence providing a united family front.
"We are on the record,"
the prosecutor announced,
turning on the microphone.
"State your name for the record."
"Vanessa Reed,"
she muttered bitterly,
glaring across the table at me.
"Miss Reed,"
Arthur began,
leaning forward.
"You previously claimed that Emily Vance was aware of your relationship with Daniel Bennett,"
"and that she assisted in transferring corporate funds to Apex Capital."
Vanessa straightened her posture,
a desperate,
venomous smirk appearing on her face.
"She knew,"
Vanessa lied boldly,
pointing a shaking finger at me.
"Emily wanted out of her marriage,"
"so she made a deal with Marcus Croft to let me distract Daniel,"
"while she gathered evidence to steal his family’s wealth!"
The room went dead silent,
the accusations echoing against the bare walls.
Robert gritted his teeth,
but Margaret placed a firm hand on his arm,
signaling him to stay quiet.
I didn't flinch.
I opened my leather briefcase,
pulled out a stack of notarized bank receipts,
and slid them across the table.
"Miss Reed,"
I said,
my voice clear and smooth as glass.
"This is the direct wire history from your personal checking account."
"Notice the deposit made on November fourteenth,"
"the exact day I was on a business trip in Boston."
Vanessa looked down at the paper,
her eyes widening in horror.
"That deposit came from Julian Cross’s private offshore fund,"
I continued,
leaning in close.
"It was sent three days before you ever met my ex-husband at that Chicago mall."
"You weren't paid by Marcus,"
"you were paid directly by Julian Cross to orchestrate a corporate ambush."
Vanessa’s mouth opened,
her face turning pale as paper as she looked at her attorney.
"You lied to federal agents,"
Arthur reminded her sternly.
"Which carries an additional ten-year mandatory sentence for perjury."
Vanessa crumbled,
burying her face in her handcuffed hands,
sobbing hysterically.
"Julian promised he would pay my legal fees!"
she wept,
her voice breaking into pathetic whines.
"He told me to frame Emily!"
"He said she was the only obstacle standing in the way of taking the company!"
I stood up slowly,
adjusting my blazer,
looking down at the broken woman.
"Thank you for your testimony,
Vanessa,"
May you like
I said softly.
"You just handed us Julian Cross on a silver platter."
