The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Zinnia gasped and turned to look at Leopold Sterling, who was smirking weirdly, "Who are you calling an old hag?!"

"Hey, isn't that Austin's mom over there? Why is your daughter sitting with the Littleton family's witnesses? Don't tell me she's the witness Vivienne Hawthorn mentioned."

Zinnia retorted, "Impossible! She's my daughter; why would she side with strangers?!"

Leopold chuckled disdainfully, "Oh, now you remember she's your daughter? What were you doing before?!"

"You!"

"Order!"

The judge frowned, banging the gavel for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

Looking down at Cassidy, who stood confidently in the witness stand, the judge's frown deepened, "Witness, please present your testimony."

Cassidy glanced towards her mother Zinnia, who was staring at her in shock, and smiled slightly, "Your Honor, my name is Cassidy. I'm supposedly the girl Julian was accused of harassing."

"I can affirm, Julian has been the best teacher I've had since starting school. He did not harass me. The whole situation was a scam orchestrated by my mother Zinnia and Kipling Abernasy." The courtroom erupted in shock.

Zinnia screamed, "You little brat! What nonsense are you spouting?! Get down here, I've done so much for you, and this is how you repay me?!"

Kipling was equally unsettled, "Cassidy, have you lost your mind?! Do you realize what you're saying? Come down now!"

Cassidy's smile only grew wider.

know what I'm saying, Your Honor. I am the victim here, and I can assure everyone

aside with her makeup perfectly

Vivienne had managed to bring

suddenly spoke up, "Your Honor, I've heard Cassidy suffers from severe depression. Can we really trust the testimony of someone mentally

know depression isn't amnesia. People with depression are only emotionally down but their

rule against people with depression testifying. Especially when the witness is

to my daughter? Your Honor, I demand a medical

make a scene here. How could I, as your mother, not

"What do you know?"

you know how to sell me off to influential old men, or how to make me serve as

in a hospital? If it weren't for this attempt to frame Julian again, I might have spent my life

"Zinnia, when you did all those things to me, you should

Julian, Kipling's chances of finding another witness were slim, and Jerry's eyes gleamed with the success

his robe, was about to make his decision, Kipling, driven by immense fear, broke through the police line and approached Cassidy, "You traitor! How much did they pay you? Tell me, I'll double it.

"Get lost!"

quick to kick him

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fierce determination when looking at Kipling, "Why?! Kipling, have you forgotten what you did to me five years ago?!" "Your Honor, I

each word

widened in

she telling the truth? How

no shortage of scum like Zinnia and