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.

from Zinnia and Kipling layer by layer, "Of course, I know what I'm saying, Your Honor. I am the victim here, and I can assure everyone more than

standing aside with her makeup perfectly

surprised that Vivienne had managed to bring

she suddenly spoke up, "Your Honor, I've heard Cassidy suffers from severe depression.

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

Perez added, "Legally, there's no rule against people with depression testifying. Especially when the witness is the victim

Honor, I demand a medical examination to check if Vivienne

police barrier, "Cassidy, come back! Don't make a scene here. How could I, as your mother, not know

"What do you know?"

know how to sell me off to influential old men, or how

a hospital? If it weren't for this attempt to frame Julian again, I might have spent my life in a dark room!" The courtroom was in an uproar, the

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

Julian, Kipling's chances of finding another witness were

by immense fear, broke through the police line and approached Cassidy,

"Get lost!"

quick to

Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in

to me five years ago?!" "Your Honor, I wish

to Zinnia, she said each word clearly,

widened in

"Is she telling the truth? How could there be

as she snorted, "Kaitlyn, there's no shortage of