Chapter 6 - The Deposition
The high-rise law office in downtown Boise smelled of expensive leather, floor wax, and polished wood. Sunlight poured through the massive glass windows, offering a sweeping view of the snow-covered Idaho capital.
Today was the court-ordered deposition.
Sitting on one side of the long mahogany conference table were Arthur, Ivy, and their court-appointed defense attorney, a stressed-out young man named Gregory Hayes who looked like he hadn't slept in three days. Across from them sat Sarah Vance, a certified court reporter with a stenotype machine, and me.
Arthur refused to meet my eyes. He sat slumped in his chair, staring at his coffee cup. Ivy, on the other hand, glared at me with sharp hatred, wearing a simple black dress clearly chosen to make her look like a victim.
"We are on the record," the court reporter announced quietly, her fingers hovering over the keys. "Deposition of Arthur Sterling in the matter of Sterling v. Sterling et al."
Sarah Vance leaned forward, adjusting her legal pad. She was like a shark gliding smoothly through water before a strike.
"Mr. Sterling," Sarah began, her voice crisp and polite. "Please state your full name and address for the record."
"Arthur James Sterling," my father muttered. "Currently residing at the Budget Inn on Fairview Avenue."
"Thank you. Mr. Sterling, on October 14th of last year, while your daughter Nora Sterling was deployed aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau in the Bering Sea, did you visit the office of Gerald Croft in Coeur d'Alene?"
Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His attorney, Hayes, cleared his throat. "Objection as to form."
"Answer the question, Mr. Sterling," Sarah said smoothly.
"I went there, yes," Arthur grunted.
"And while at Mr. Croft's office, did you present a Quitclaim Deed transferring the property at 1402 Pine Crest Lane from Nora Sterling to Sterling Holdings LLC?"
"I believed I had the authority!" Arthur burst out, leaning forward and hitting the table with his palm. "I had a Power of Attorney! I am her father! I raised her! I bought that land originally with her mother!"
"Mr. Sterling, please answer the question asked," Sarah said coldly. "Did you present that deed?"
"Yes," Arthur hissed.
"And did you sign Nora Sterling’s signature on that document yourself?"
Silence fell over the room. The only sound was the soft hum of the HVAC unit overhead. Arthur’s face turned a mottled purple.
"Mr. Sterling?" Sarah pressed. "Did you write 'Nora Sterling' on line three of that legal document?"
"My client asserts his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination regarding that specific action," Hayes interjected quickly, his forehead sweating.
Sarah smiled. "Very well. Let the record reflect that the witness refuses to answer on Fifth Amendment grounds. Moving on. Let’s talk about the $140,000 equity line of credit obtained from Apex Capital Funding."
Sarah pulled a stack of financial ledgers from her briefcase and slid them across the glossy table toward Arthur.
"On October 22nd, $140,000 was deposited into an account at First Idaho Bank under the name Sterling Holdings LLC. Mr. Sterling, who were the authorized signers on that account?"
"Me and Ivy," Arthur mumbled.
"Within forty-eight hours of receiving those funds," Sarah continued, turning a page, "a wire transfer of $45,000 was made to Luxe Fabric Imports in Los Angeles. What was that payment for?"
"That was for my clothing line!" Ivy shouted, breaking her silence. "It was an investment! Dad promised me the capital was secured!"
"Ivy, quiet," Hayes whispered urgently, grabbing her arm.
"No!" Ivy snapped, pulling her arm away. She pointed a manicured finger directly across the table at me. "She’s doing this on purpose! She knew my business was struggling! She went off to sea and left us with nothing! Dad was just trying to help me build my dream! Family is supposed to help family!"
"Ivy," I said, speaking for the first time during the deposition. My voice was calm, measured, and stripped of all anger. "Your dream was funded by stealing my home."
"It’s not just your home!" Ivy yelled, tears finally spilling over her mascara. "Mom wanted us to share everything! You’ve always been greedy! You spent four years in the military making good money while I was trying to build something real in Boise! You didn't need that house!"
"I earned that house," I said softly. "I stood watch in thirty-foot seas at two in the morning while men were dying in the water. I took my hazard pay, my re-enlistment bonuses, and every saved nickel from five years of deployments to pay off the mortgage. You spent thousands of dollars a month on luxury spa days, designer clothes, and organic organic cotton while claiming you couldn't pay your rent."
"That was marketing!" Ivy shrieked.
"That was theft," I replied.
Sarah interjected, bringing the room back to legal order. "Miss Sterling, since you’ve volunteered to speak: are you aware that wire fraud involving amounts over $100,000 carries a federal prison sentence of up to twenty years?"
Ivy’s voice vanished instantly. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She looked at her attorney, then at Arthur, the harsh reality finally crashing through her thick layer of delusion.
"We are prepared," Sarah said, looking directly at Hayes, "to offer a settlement agreement before we proceed to full trial next month. But our terms are non-negotiable."
Hayes wiped his brow with a tissue. "What are your terms, Ms. Vance?"
Sarah laid out three thick pages of settlement terms:
Immediate and full surrender of all legal claims to 1402 Pine Crest Lane by Arthur, Ivy, and Sterling Holdings LLC.
Full financial restitution: A confession of judgment in the amount of $140,000, joint and several liability between Arthur Sterling, Ivy Sterling, and Gerald Croft, payable through liquidating Ivy's remaining business assets and garnishable future wages.
Public retraction: A formal, written, and recorded public apology published on all social media platforms where the defamatory video was posted, admitting that Nora Sterling committed no wrong and that all allegations against her were false.
Permanent Restraining Orders: A civil protection order prohibiting Arthur and Ivy from contacting Nora or coming within 500 feet of her property for a period of ten years.
Hayes read through the terms, his expression growing darker with every line. He leaned over to Arthur and Ivy and whispered, "If you don't take this civil deal, the District Attorney is going to indict both of you on felony forgery and grand larceny charges by Friday. Croft has already cut a deal with the prosecutor. You will go to prison."
Arthur sat frozen. The grand patriarch who had spent twenty years controlling every aspect of my life was finally cornered, beaten not by force, but by the undeniable weight of his own crimes.
He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and broken pride.
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"You really hate us that much, don't you?" Arthur whispered.
"No, Dad," I said, looking back at him with total clarity. "I don't hate you at all. I just finally stopped letting you drown me."
