Chapter 5 - The Deposition
The deposition took place in a glass-walled conference room on the 40th floor of a downtown Houston skyscraper.
Alex sat across from me, wearing a high-collared shirt to hide the thick, pink scar tissue along his neck. Beatrice sat beside him, draped in diamonds and wearing a look of pure disdain. Regina looked nervous, her fingers constantly picking at her manicure.
Their lead attorney, Richard Vance (no relation to Evelyn, though equally aggressive), slammed a thick file on the table.
"We are here today regarding the dissolution of marriage between Alexander Villarreal and Mariana Ramos, as well as the counterclaim for severe personal injury and emotional distress," Richard announced. "Mrs. Villarreal, do you admit that on August 14th, you willfully poured boiling cooking oil over your husband?"
Evelyn leaned forward. "Form of the question. My client reacted to an ongoing, violent assault in a state of extreme panic and self-defense after being struck in the face by Mr. Villarreal."
"She attacked him!" Beatrice shouted, breaking decorum. "Look at my son! He's disfigured!"
"Madam, restrain your client or I will have her removed," Evelyn said calmly. She then pulled a stack of printed financial documents from her briefcase and slid them across the table toward Alex and his lawyer.
"We are not here to negotiate a quiet exit," Evelyn said smoothly. "We are here to discuss these."
Richard Vance frowned, picking up the papers. As he scanned the documents, the color slowly drained from his face.
"What is this?" Richard asked.
"Those are forensic audits of Villarreal Enterprises," I spoke up, looking directly at Alex. "Specifically, the fraudulent loan applications submitted to Texas Capital Bank, bearing my forged signature, as well as the fraudulent property titles signed off by Regina as a licensed notary."
Regina gasped, turning pale. "What? I... I didn't—"
"Quiet!" Richard snapped at her. He looked back at Evelyn, his confidence visibly crumbling. "These are unproven allegations."
"They aren't allegations," Evelyn replied, pulling out a flash drive. "These are certified bank records, digital signatures, and metadata proving the transfers were initiated from Beatrice Villarreal’s personal IP address. If this case goes to trial, every single one of these documents becomes a public record. The Federal Bureau of Investigation will have them by noon tomorrow."
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Beatrice stood up, her face twisted in rage. "You little parasite! You think you can blackmail us? You came from nothing!"
"I came from a family that taught me integrity," I replied, standing up to meet her gaze. "You built a mansion on stolen money and physical abuse. And today, it falls apart."
