Chapter 4 - The Deposition
Two weeks later.
The grand glass-and-mahogany conference room on the thirty-second floor of the King County Judicial Building was ice-cold.
I sat at the head of the long table, wearing a crisp charcoal wool dress, my hair pulled back into a neat, professional knot. Beside me sat Chloe Park, surrounded by three junior litigators and seven thick binders of financial evidence. On my left sat Marcus Thorne, representing the Thorne Family Trust.
Across the table sat Julian Vance.
He looked utterly destroyed. The bespoke Italian suits and custom leather shoes were gone, replaced by a plain, wrinkled grey suit that hung loosely over his shrinking frame. His hair was messy, his face pale and sunken, with dark, bruised circles beneath his bloodshot eyes. His high-priced defense attorney sat beside him, looking grim and exhausted.
“We are here for the formal deposition regarding Case No. 2026-CV-9942,” the court stenographer announced, her fingers hovering over her machine. “Vivian Ross versus Julian Vance and Vance Development Holdings.”
Julian’s attorney cleared his throat, leaning forward. “Before we begin formal questioning, my client wishes to make a statement regarding the proposed asset liquidation and parental release.”
“Go ahead,” Chloe said, leaning back in her chair with her hands folded.
Julian looked up. His eyes met mine, and for the first time in four years, I saw no arrogance, no condescension, and no smug superiority in his gaze. He looked like a man standing on the edge of a cliff, watching the ground crumble beneath his feet.
“Vivian...” Julian rasped, his voice trembling. “Please. You have to talk to the prosecutor. They’re talking about ten years for Eleanor. Ten years! She’s sixty-six years old—she won't survive state prison!”
“Your mother forged my signature on insurance waivers while I was pregnant with a child she called a ‘convenient mistake,’ Julian,” I replied, my voice completely level, completely devoid of emotion. “She told mutual friends I was unfaithful so you could protect your reputation while starving me out of my home. She made her choices.”
“I’ll give you everything!” Julian begged, leaning across the table, his fingers clawing at the polished wood. “The house on Mercer Island! The boat! My personal stock portfolio! I’ll sign over every piece of real estate I own! Just tell them it was a corporate misunderstanding! Tell them we settled!”
Chloe Park stood up, pulling a heavy document from her binder and slapping it down on the table directly in front of Julian’s lawyer.
“Mr. Vance,” Chloe said, her voice cutting through the room like a steel blade. “The state prosecutor isn't interested in your real estate. The federal grand jury returned a twelve-count indictment twenty minutes ago. Wire fraud, grand larceny, corporate embezzlement, tax evasion, and evidence tampering.”
Julian’s attorney looked at the paper, let out a slow, heavy sigh, and closed his folder.
“Julian,” his attorney whispered, leaning over to speak in his ear. “It’s over. Sign the parental termination waivers and the asset assignment agreement. If you don't, the prosecutor will add federal perjury charges before noon.”
Julian stared at the signature line on the document. His hand shook so violently that he dropped his pen twice before managing to grip it.
As he signed his name—surrendering every building, every account, every patent, and every legal claim he had ever held—I looked at him and realized something profound.
I had spent months fearing this man. I had spent sleepless nights in a cold apartment, worrying how I would feed my child, how I would pay for hospital bills, and how I would survive the humiliation he had orchestrated.
But sitting across from him now, I realized Julian Vance had never been powerful. He had simply been a thief living in a house built on borrowed time, terrified that someone would eventually turn on the lights.
Julian finished signing, shoved the papers across the table, and buried his face in his hands, letting out a ragged, pathetic sob.
May you like
I stood up, buttoned my coat, and picked up my handbag.
I didn't say another word to him. I turned my back on Julian Vance and walked out of the conference room, stepping into the bright, warm afternoon sunlight waiting in the hallway.
