Chapter 8 - THE DEPOSITION AMBUSH
By the following Tuesday, Marcus Vance had forced an emergency status conference and preliminary deposition before Judge Kathryn Holloway—a no-nonsense jurist known throughout Nashville for having zero tolerance for high-priced legal gamesmanship.
The hearing was held in a wood-paneled conference room on the fifth floor of the historic courthouse.
Brianna sat across the table, dressed in a muted navy suit that had clearly been chosen by Harold’s PR consultants to make her look humble and victimized. Her father sat to her right, his arms crossed, staring daggers at Marcus Vance. Their lead attorney, an oily litigator named Sterling Croft, leaned back with an air of bored condescension.
Derek sat beside me, dressed in Arthur’s old church suit, his shoulders straight, his hands resting flat on the mahogany table.
"We are here today," Judge Holloway announced, adjusting her spectacles and peering over the bench, "on the defendant’s emergency motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s civil claims and to review the plaintiff’s request for preliminary financial relief. Mr. Croft, your complaint against Mrs. Pauline Miller spans over fifty pages. Where is the verified accounting supporting your claim of constructive fraud?"
Sterling Croft stood, smoothing his silk tie. "Your Honor, as outlined in our complaint, the defendant, Pauline Miller, has exercised undue influence over her son, funneling marital assets away from the marital estate and hiding them in private accounts. We have requested full subpoena power over Mrs. Miller’s domestic bank accounts."
Marcus Vance didn't wait. He stood up with the effortless authority of a former judge who knew every floorboard in the building.
"Your Honor," Marcus boomed, his voice filling the room with crushing clarity. "Before counsel continues to waste this court’s valuable time, we would like to submit Exhibit D-1 into the record. It is a certified sworn statement from First Horizon Bank."
Brianna shifted uncomfortably in her chair, glancing sideways at her father. Harold remained motionless, but his jaw was working.
"What is Exhibit D-1, Mr. Vance?" the judge inquired.
"It is the complete transaction log of the joint checking account of Derek and Brianna Miller over the past twenty-four months," Marcus said, distributing copies to Croft and the clerk. "Counsel alleges Mrs. Miller funneled money *away* from the marriage. In truth, these documents prove that between June 2021 and March of this year, Mrs. Pauline Miller deposited precisely eighty-four thousand, five hundred dollars *into* that account."
The judge raised her eyebrows, scanning the ledger. "Eighty-four thousand?"
"Every dollar provided by Mrs. Miller was marked as a loan," Marcus continued, turning his gaze directly onto Brianna, whose face had gone ghostly pale. "And every dollar was systematically transferred within forty-eight hours into a separate shell entity titled *Montgomery Lifestyle Ventures LLC*—an entity registered solely to the plaintiff, Brianna Montgomery."
"Objection!" Croft barked, leaping to his feet. "This is outside the scope of today's preliminary hearing!"
"Overruled, Mr. Croft," Judge Holloway snapped, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Brianna. "When your client files a verified complaint alleging financial theft, her own handling of those funds is precisely within the scope. Continue, Mr. Vance."
Marcus stepped closer to the table, pulling a small silver flash drive from his pocket. "Furthermore, Your Honor, we move to dismiss the plaintiff's claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress with prejudice. Because we have video evidence of the exact event that triggered this entire dispute."
Brianna’s head snapped up. Her eyes went wide with sudden, sickening terror. "What video?" she gasped out loud, forgetting herself.
May you like
Marcus looked at her, his expression cold as winter ice. "The security footage from your Easter dinner, Mrs. Miller. The private catering company you hired had cameras installed on their buffet stations to prevent employee theft. And they were more than happy to comply with our lawful subpoena."
***
