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.

the masks from Zinnia and Kipling layer by layer, "Of course, I know what I'm saying, Your Honor.

her makeup perfectly done, flashed

bring Cassidy, the very person involved, as

suffers

yourself, you'd know depression isn't amnesia. People with depression are only

Perez added, "Legally, there's no rule against people with depression testifying. Especially

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

barrier, "Cassidy, come back! Don't make a scene here.

"What do you know?"

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

me 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 the

all those things to me, you should have expected that one day, I would

another witness were slim, and Jerry's eyes gleamed with

his decision, Kipling, driven by immense fear, broke through the police line and approached Cassidy,

"Get lost!"

was quick to kick

her calm gaze not showing a hint of panic. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters

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

to Zinnia, she said each word

widened in

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

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