Chapter 5 - The Deposition
The day of the formal deposition arrived with heavy storm clouds rolling over Manhattan. The proceedings were held in a high-floor conference room at the Federal Courthouse.
Marcus sat at one end of the long mahogany table, flanked by three criminal defense attorneys who looked thoroughly demoralized. Across from them sat the federal prosecutors, my legal team led by Manhattan’s top IP litigation attorney, Ethan, and myself.
The lead prosecutor, Ms. Vance, plugged in the flash drive provided by Celeste. The room’s digital screens flickered to life, displaying a series of timestamped emails and recorded audio files.
Audio Recording - November 14, 3 Years Ago:
Marcus’s Voice: "She's still out from the surgery. Get the notary in here now. I need her digital signature on the patent assignment before she wakes up and realizes what the platform is actually worth."
Attorney’s Voice: "Marcus, this is highly illegal. If she finds out—"
Marcus’s Voice: "She won't find out! She’s broken, mentally exhausted, and grieving. I’ll convince her she signed it months ago during corporate setup. She trusts me implicitly."
The audio played loudly through the conference room speakers.
Marcus turned ghost white. His main attorney slowly closed his briefcase, looking at Marcus with a look that clearly said: We are finished.
"Mr. Whitfield," Ms. Vance said coldly, shutting off the monitor. "In light of this newly authenticated evidence, the Department of Justice is upgrading your charges to include federal conspiracy, high-tech identity theft, grand larceny, and corporate perjury. Do you have anything to say before we finalize the indictment?"
Marcus looked across the table at me. The arrogance, the contempt, the grandiosity that had defined him for years was entirely extinguished.
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"Nora..." he whispered, his voice trembling violently. "Please... I’m sorry. I was desperate. I did it for us... for our future..."
"There was never an 'us', Marcus," I said, my voice echoing with absolute clarity. "There was only your greed, and my survival. And today, survival turns into justice."
