Chapter 6 - The Deposition
The formal deposition took place on a cold January morning in a high-rise conference room downtown.
Grant sat across from me at the glass table, flanked by two attorneys. He looked noticeably thinner, the sharp arrogance that usually defined his posture tempered by dark circles under his eyes. His company had launched an internal compliance investigation following our financial subpoena, placing him on administrative leave pending audit results.
Judith sat beside me, her legal pad neatly arranged, a voice recorder sitting in the center of the table.
"State your full name for the record," the court reporter announced.
"Grant William Sterling," he replied, his voice stiff.
Judith leaned forward, adjusting her glasses. "Mr. Sterling, on November 14th, you signed a sworn declaration stating that your wife, Rebecca Sterling, was financially irresponsible and incapable of managing household funds. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Grant said, glancing briefly at his lead attorney. "She frequently exceeded our monthly discretionary spending allowance."
"I see," Judith said smoothly. She pulled a tabbed document from her accordion file. "Mr. Sterling, I am showing you Exhibit 14—a copy of your family’s household budget from January to October of last year. Can you tell me what the monthly budget was for groceries and children’s clothing?"
Grant cleared his throat. "Approximately six hundred dollars a month."
"Six hundred dollars a month for a family of five," Judith repeated neutrally. "Now, Mr. Sterling, I show you Exhibit 15—your corporate credit card statements from the same ten-month period. Can you explain why you spent four thousand two hundred dollars at a single steakhouse in Chicago while on a 'business trip' with Ms. Vanessa Reed?"
Grant’s lead attorney immediately intervened. "Objection. Relevance."
"It goes directly to credibility and dissipation of marital assets, Counsel," Judith shot back without missing a beat. "Answer the question, Mr. Sterling."
Grant’s jaw worked silently for a moment. "It was a client entertainment expense."
"A client entertainment expense for a twenty-two-year-old student who was not employed by your firm?" Judith asked, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp register. "And was the nine-thousand-dollar diamond necklace purchased at Tiffany & Co. on August 12th also a 'client expense'?"
Grant stared at the glass table, his hands gripping the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white. "No."
"And did you use funds from your joint home equity line of credit to make monthly payments of four thousand dollars to Arthur Miller—your wife's father?"
"Objection!" Grant's attorney snapped.
"I am asking if he paid Mr. Miller to secure favorable testimony in this custody dispute," Judith declared firmly.
Grant looked up, his dark eyes fixing onto mine for the first time all morning. There was no anger left in his gaze—only desperation, fear, and the quiet realization that his entire structure of control was collapsing in front of court reporters, attorneys, and the woman he had dismissed as weak.
"I gave Arthur loans," Grant mumbled under his breath. "He was struggling."
"Loans that were contingent on him convincing Rebecca to stay with you?" Judith pressed.
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"I wanted to save my family!" Grant suddenly yelled, slamming his hand onto the table. "I did everything to keep this family together!"
"No, Mr. Sterling," Judith said quietly, closing her folder with absolute finality. "You did everything to keep this family under your thumb. We are done here."
