Chapter 7 - The Deposition & The Family Secrets
Two weeks later, the formal deposition took place in the grand conference room of Marcus Sterling’s downtown law firm.
Linda had been released on a heavily restricted bail, paid for by her estranged sister who had flown in from Ohio solely to witness the downfall. Linda sat across the long glass table wearing a cheap, ill-fitting blazer, her face haggard, flanked by a court-appointed public defender who clearly wanted to be anywhere else in the world.
Daniel was not sitting with her. He sat at the far end of the table, his eyes fixed firmly on the carpet, unable to look his mother in the eye.
Marcus Sterling stood at the head of the table, adjusting his cufflinks before activating the audio recorder.
“This is the deposition of Linda Carter and Daniel Carter in the matter of *Montgomery v. Carter*, case number 24-CV-8891. Present are legal counsel for all parties.”
Marcus looked directly at Linda, his gaze piercing. “Mrs. Carter, let’s address the four hundred and twenty thousand dollars funneled into your shell company, L.C. Heritage Holdings. Did you advise your son Daniel to initiate those fraudulent transfers?”
Linda lifted her chin, attempting to muster her old haughty arrogance, though her voice wobbled. “My son gave me gifts. A mother has the right to be cared for by her son. Emma came into this family with ridiculous wealth; she didn’t miss a dime of that money!”
“Mrs. Carter,” Marcus said, pulling a manila folder from his briefcase, “let’s talk about why you were so desperate for a male heir. Why was the gender of Emma’s baby so critical to you that you felt compelled to assault a pregnant woman?”
Linda sneered. “A Carter man carries the bloodline. A Carter man keeps the name alive. Girls are useless; they take another man’s name and give away the family wealth!”
“Is that so?” Marcus asked, opening the folder. “Because according to the official probate records of your late husband, Harold Carter, the Carter name carries no wealth whatsoever. In fact, Harold died with seventy thousand dollars in gambling debt.”
Linda’s face flushed a deep, violent purple. “That is private family business!”
“No, Mrs. Carter, this is public record,” Marcus continued relentlessly. “And what is also public record is the trust created by Harold’s father, the original patriarch. We discovered the original 1978 trust agreement yesterday morning.”
Daniel looked up, frowning. “What trust? My grandfather left us nothing.”
Marcus turned to Daniel with genuine pity in his eyes. “Your grandfather *did* leave a trust, Daniel. He left a two-million-dollar educational and commercial trust intended exclusively for Harold’s firstborn grandchild—*regardless of gender*—on the condition that the child was raised in a stable, legally solvent household.”
Daniel froze. The entire room seemed to lose all air.
“What?” Daniel gasped, turning to stare at Linda. “Grandpa left a trust for my baby?”
“However,” Marcus continued, raising his voice slightly to drown out Linda’s sudden gasp, “the trust had a specific clause: if the grandchild was born into a family where Linda Carter held legal guardianship or power of attorney over the estate, the funds would revert entirely to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Your grandfather knew exactly what kind of woman Linda was.”
Daniel stood up so fast his leather chair crashed backward against the wall. “You knew about this?” he roared at his mother.
Linda shrank back, her haughty mask finally shattering into pure terror. “Daniel... Harold’s father was a lunatic! He hated me! He always tried to turn you against me!”
“You knew there was a two-million-dollar trust for my baby!” Daniel screamed, tears of rage and humiliation streaming down his face. “And you wanted a boy because you thought you could manipulate a male child into signing over the trust when he turned eighteen! That’s why you hated Emma! That’s why you attacked her when the cake was pink—because you knew a girl would be protected by Emma’s family, and you would never touch a single cent of that money!”
“Daniel, darling, please!” Linda cried, reaching out to him.
Daniel recoiled as if she were a venomous snake. “Don’t touch me! You ruined my marriage! You stole my wife! You stole my daughter! You took everything from me, and you used me as your ATM my entire life!”
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Marcus calmly tapped the recorder. “Let the record reflect that the defendant, Daniel Carter, has voluntarily corroborated the financial manipulation and intent behind the fraudulent transfers. We will see you in criminal court, Mrs. Carter.”
***