Chapter 10 - The Deposition
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The peace of the weekend was shattered by the harsh reality of the ongoing legal battle.
Adrian's legal team, desperate to avoid a criminal indictment, had aggressively pushed for a civil settlement regarding the embezzled funds. As part of the discovery process, Claire was required to sit for a formal deposition.
The meeting took place in a sterile, windowless conference room in downtown D.C.
Claire sat at one side of the long table, flanked by Katherine and two senior litigators. Adrian sat opposite her. It was the first time she had seen him in person since the day she had served him with the divorce papers and the asset freeze injunction.
He looked significantly older. The arrogant, untouchable aura he used to project was entirely gone. His suit looked slightly too large, and he couldn't maintain eye contact with her for more than a few seconds.
His lead attorney, a bulldog of a man named Harrison, began the questioning.
"Ms. Whitmore," Harrison began, his tone aggressively condescending. "You are claiming that my client maliciously diverted corporate funds without your knowledge. Yet, you signed several of the authorization documents authorizing those exact transfers. Is it not true that you were fully aware of these investments?"
Claire didn't flinch. She looked directly at Harrison, completely unfazed by his aggressive posturing.
"I signed documents that Adrian presented to me as routine tax restructuring forms for our philanthropic foundation," Claire stated clearly, her voice echoing in the quiet room. "He deliberately misrepresented the nature of those documents, utilizing my trust to bypass the board's oversight protocols."
"So you admit you didn't read the documents thoroughly before signing them?" Harrison pressed, thinking he had found a weakness.
"I admit that I trusted my husband," Claire countered smoothly. "A mistake I have since rectified."
Harrison scowled, shuffling his papers. "My client maintains that these offshore accounts were set up to protect your family's assets from volatile market fluctuations."
Katherine let out a sharp, derisive laugh.
"Is that why he used those 'protected assets' to purchase a luxury penthouse in San Diego for his mistress?" Katherine asked, leaning forward. "Was the two-hundred-thousand-dollar sports car he bought her also a hedge against market volatility, Mr. Harrison?"
Harrison flushed, glancing nervously at Adrian.
Adrian finally looked up, his eyes locking onto Claire's.
"Claire, please," Adrian said, his voice dropping into the familiar, manipulative tone he used to use to calm her down. "We can settle this privately. We don't need to destroy everything we built."
Claire looked at him, feeling absolutely nothing. No pity, no anger, just a profound, overwhelming indifference.
"We didn't build anything, Adrian," Claire said softly, but her words carried the weight of a judge's gavel. "I built it. You just tried to steal it."
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She turned to Katherine. "I am finished here. If they want to continue this charade, they can do it in front of a federal jury."
Claire stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Adrian staring at the empty chair, finally realizing the absolute totality of his defeat.
