Chapter 11: The Secret Depositions
Chapter 11: The Secret Depositions
With the FBI investigation looming, Clara Sterling pulled her master stroke. She fast-tracked the depositions for our civil lawsuit, forcing my parents to sit under oath in a conference room, recorded on video, before they could be officially indicted by the feds.
The room was tense. Richard sat across from us, his face gaunt, his trademark arrogance replaced by a simmer of pure rage. Carolyn sat next to him, her hands trembling so badly she couldn't hold her teacup.
Clara adjusted the video camera, sat down, and smiled. "This is the deposition of Richard and Carolyn Bennett in the matter of Evelyn Bennett vs. The Bennett Family Trust. Let the record show the deponents have been sworn in."
Clara didn't start with the money. She started with the wedding.
"Mr. Bennett," Clara began, leaning forward. "When your son Preston struck your granddaughter Sophie with an oak menu board, what was your immediate reaction?"
"It was an accident," Richard said flatly. "A chaotic moment. Preston was trying to recover his stolen property."
Clara pulled out a high-resolution, frame-by-frame printout of the security footage. She slid a picture across the table. It showed Richard’s face looking directly at Sophie as she fell, a cold, calculative look on his face.
"This is you, Mr. Bennett, exactly 0.4 seconds after the impact. You are not looking at the wound. You are looking at the security camera. Isn't it true that you realized immediately that your son had committed a felony, and your first thought was how to protect your firm’s reputation?"
"I object to the form of the question," Arthur Vance stammered, but Richard remained silent, staring at the photo.
"Mrs. Bennett," Clara turned her gaze to my mother. "You told your daughter Evelyn, quote, 'Don't ruin something for your brother.' Can you explain to the court what a child's bleeding head has to do with ruining a wedding?"
Carolyn snapped. "Evelyn was always difficult! From the day she was born, she was jealous of Preston! Preston was destined for greatness! Evelyn was just... ordinary! She always tried to dim his light!"
"By bleeding on his wedding runner?" Clara asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"She magnified it!" Carolyn screamed, tears ruining her expensive makeup. "She could have just taken the girl to the car! We would have paid for the doctor! But she had to make a scene! She had to destroy everything we built for her brother!"
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I sat there, watching my mother completely unravel. The truth was out. To them, my daughter and I weren't human beings. We were just background noise in the grand symphony of Preston’s life.
"Thank you, Mrs. Bennett," Clara said calmly, looking at the video camera. "Your transparency is deeply appreciated."
