Chapter 5 - The Deposition Trap
The following afternoon, a special federal deposition was convened in the high-security conference room of the Mason County Detention Facility.
Sitting on one side of the long steel table was Dominic Ward, wearing his orange jumpsuit, accompanied by Arthur Pendelton and three senior legal associates.
Sitting on the opposite side was Clara, wearing a sharp navy blue blazer, accompanied by myself, Julian Vance, and Assistant United States Attorney Mark Ramirez.
Two armed Federal Marshals stood by the door, their arms crossed.
Dominic glared across the table at Clara, his face twisted in desperate, arrogance. "You think you're clever, Clara? You think sitting beside your judge mother makes you brave? You're nothing without my money. You'll be broke, raising a child alone in a rented apartment—"
"Mr. Ward," AUSA Ramirez interrupted sternly. "Keep your mouth shut unless answering a direct question."
Arthur Pendelton leaned forward, placing a thick stack of papers on the table. "We are here to negotiate a global settlement. My client is willing to sign full divorce papers, relinquish all claims to the marital residence, and provide a five-hundred-thousand-dollar lump-sum alimony payment to Mrs. Ward, provided she executes a non-disclosure agreement and signs over her signature rights to Aegis Holdings."
Dominic sneered, leaning back in his chair. "Take the deal, Clara. Five hundred grand is more than your mother makes in five years on the bench. Sign the paper, give me my Cayman account, and I let you walk away with your life."
Clara didn't answer. She didn't look scared. She didn't even look angry.
She simply reached into her briefcase, pulled out a certified federal court document stamped with the seal of the United States District Court, and slid it gently across the table.
Pendelton picked up the paper. As his eyes scanned the text, his hands began to shake violently.
"What is that?" Dominic snapped, frowning at his attorney. "Arthur! What is it?!"
"It's... it's a Federal Asset Surrender Deed," Pendelton stammered, his face turning pale. "Executed two hours ago by Clara Ward as joint legal officer of Aegis Holdings."
"What?!" Dominic screamed, lunging forward against his handcuffs, the steel chains rattling loudly against the metal table. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"I handed the entire forty-eight million dollars over to the Department of Justice," Clara said, her voice dropping into a register of pure, cold authority that sounded exactly like mine. "The account has been liquidated. Every cent has been seized under federal civil forfeiture laws to compensate the victims of your drug syndicate and pay for the rehabilitation of the communities you destroyed."
"YOU BITCH!" Dominic roared, straining against his restraints so hard his wrists bled against the metal cuffs. "THAT IS MY MONEY! THAT IS MY LIFE!"
"You have no money, Dominic," I said softly, leaning forward across the table. "You have no private planes. You have no lawyers. Mr. Pendelton’s retainers were drawn from accounts that have just been frozen. By sunset, he will withdraw as your counsel."
Pendelton quickly cleared his throat, sliding his briefcase shut. "My client... excuse me... Mr. Ward, my firm is officially withdrawing from your defense effective immediately."
"Pendelton! You can't leave me!" Dominic shrieked, tears of rage and panic streaming down his face. "You work for me! I OWN YOU!"
The marshals grabbed Dominic’s shoulders, pinning him firmly into his chair.
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Clara stood up slowly, looking down at the man who had tormented her for two years.
"You never owned anyone, Dominic," Clara said quietly. "You were just a bully with a checkbook. Now the checkbook is gone."
