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.

seemed to relish peeling off the masks from Zinnia and Kipling layer by layer, "Of course, I know what I'm saying, Your Honor. I am the victim here,

her makeup perfectly done, flashed

Vivienne had managed to bring Cassidy, the very person involved,

raced, and she suddenly spoke up, "Your Honor, I've heard Cassidy suffers

retorted, "Ms. Grimshaw, if you had educated yourself, you'd know depression isn't amnesia. People with depression are only emotionally down but their memory and awareness

"Legally, there's no rule against people with depression

you bastards! What did you do to my daughter? Your Honor, I demand a medical examination to check if Vivienne has

screamed, trying to break through the police barrier, "Cassidy, come back! Don't make a scene here. How could I, as your mother, not

"What do you know?"

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

of my college opportunities, claiming I had depression, and lock me in a hospital? If it weren't for this attempt to frame Julian again, I might have spent my

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

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

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. Why are you doing this

"Get lost!"

to kick

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the trial, she remained composed, her eyes filled with fierce determination when looking at Kipling, "Why?! Kipling, have you forgotten what you did to me five years ago?!" "Your Honor, I wish to press charges against Kipling. Five years ago, he used his position to force himself on

to Zinnia, she said each

eyes widened in

the truth? How could there be a mother like

"Kaitlyn, there's no shortage of scum like Zinnia and Kipling on