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

makeup perfectly done,

managed to bring

heard Cassidy suffers from severe depression. Can we really trust the testimony of someone

amnesia. People with depression are only emotionally down but their memory and awareness are as sharp as

there's no rule against people with depression

my daughter? Your Honor, I demand a medical examination to check

back! Don't make a scene here. How could I, as your mother, not know about your

"What do you know?"

old men, or how to make me serve as a maid for you

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 life in a dark room!" The courtroom was in an uproar, the clerk overwhelmed by

those things to me, you should

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

line and approached Cassidy, "You traitor! How much did they pay you? Tell me, I'll double it.

"Get lost!"

was quick to kick him

hint of panic. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access

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

each word clearly, "Zinnia was

eyes widened

to Vivienne, "Is she telling the truth? How could there be a mother

snorted, "Kaitlyn, there's no shortage