Chapter 8 - The Wallace Deposition
The law offices of Reed & Vance occupied a renovated brick warehouse in Germantown, featuring exposed timber beams, steel-framed glass partitions, and an atmosphere of quiet, lethal efficiency.
At two o’clock on Friday afternoon, Ethan Wallace walked into the large conference room.
He didn't look like the confident, dismissive young venture capitalist who had spent months buying me expensive dinners while subtly critiquing my wardrobe and my friends. His bespoke navy suit looked slightly loose on his frame, his tie was slightly askew, and he was accompanied not by his father’s corporate attorneys, but by a prominent Nashville criminal defense lawyer named Frank Hollister.
Bradley and I sat at the far end of the table, flanked by Caroline Reed.
Ethan refused to meet my eyes. He sat down, stared intently at his leather portfolio, and swallowed audibly.
"Let the record reflect," Caroline began, nodding toward the court reporter whose fingers hovered over the steno machine, "this is an informal investigative deposition in the matter of *Hale v. Hale*, Chancery Court Docket Number 24-0891, conducted pursuant to the preliminary discovery agreement between the plaintiff and Ethan Wallace."
Caroline turned her piercing gaze upon Ethan.
"Mr. Wallace, on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 4th, did you have a telephone conversation with Arthur Hale prior to his departure for Nashville International Airport?"
Ethan glanced at his attorney. Hollister gave a single, almost imperceptible nod.
"Yes," Ethan said, his voice thin and strained.
"What did Arthur Hale state to you regarding Shelby Hale’s current relationship status and her availability for the execution of the family merger agreement?"
Ethan cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his leather chair.
"Arthur called me at two-fifteen," Ethan testified, his hands flat against the table. "He told me... he told me Shelby had broken off her relationship with Mr. Miller."
Bradley let out a low, dry chuckle, but said nothing.
"Did he mention her pregnancy?" Caroline asked.
Ethan’s face turned bright red. "No. Absolutely not. If I had known... if my father had known she was pregnant, the entire restructuring conversation would have ceased immediately. Our term sheet explicitly prohibited any personal legal liabilities or domestic encumbrances."
"What else did Arthur Hale tell you, Ethan?" I asked, breaking the formal protocol.
Caroline did not stop me.
Ethan finally looked at me, his pale eyes filled with a mixture of shame and self-preservation.
"He told me you had agreed to an informal engagement," Ethan admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "He said you were spending the week at the family estate in Belle Meade to 'recalibrate' and prepare for a formal announcement at the Belle Meade Fall Gala next Saturday. He asked my father to release an immediate two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar emergency bridge loan to Hale Crest’s payroll account based on that confirmation."
"And your father released the funds?" Caroline pressed.
"The wire went through at three-forty-five," Ethan said. "Fifteen minutes before Arthur left for the airport."
Caroline pulled a copy of the bank statement from her binder.
"And where did that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars go, Mr. Wallace?"
"Arthur told us it was for commercial vendor payables," Ethan said.
"No," Caroline stated, sliding a certified bank transaction trace across the table. "Arthur Hale wired one hundred thousand dollars to an escrow agent in Honolulu to secure a six-month lease on a luxury condominium in Kahala, and the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand was transferred directly into a private, non-disclosed checking account in Eleanor Hale’s maiden name."
Ethan stared at the document, his mouth slightly open.
"He was running," Bradley said, leaning forward, his voice cutting through the clinical legal atmosphere like a cold wind. "He knew the game was up the second Shelby mentioned Grandma’s trust. He wasn't going to Maui for a vacation. He was setting up an offshore runway to abandon the whole company before the grand jury convened in December."
Ethan looked sick. He turned to his lawyer, who simply closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Mr. Wallace," Caroline said with terrifying finality, "in exchange for your complete, unedited cooperation with the District Attorney's office and the immediate return of all fraudulent liens placed against Shelby Hale’s trust assets, we are prepared to exclude you from the upcoming civil racketeering lawsuit. Do you agree to these terms?"
"Yes," Ethan Wallace said without a second's hesitation. "I'll sign whatever you want."
May you like
He didn't look back as he left the room. The corporate prince who was supposed to "save" me had folded under thirty minutes of sworn testimony.
***
