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.

saying, Your Honor. I am the victim here, and I can assure

aside with her makeup

was surprised that Vivienne had managed to bring Cassidy, the very person involved, as

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

you had educated yourself, you'd know depression isn't amnesia. People with depression are only emotionally down but their memory and

with depression testifying. Especially when

Your Honor, I demand a medical examination to check

make a

"What do you know?"

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

this attempt to frame Julian again, I might have spent my life in

you did all those things to me, you should have expected that one

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

to make his decision, Kipling, driven by immense fear, broke through the police line and approached Cassidy, "You traitor! How much did they

"Get lost!"

was quick to

not showing a hint of panic. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ

me five years ago?!" "Your Honor, I wish to press charges against Kipling. Five years ago, he used his

to Zinnia, she said each word clearly, "Zinnia was his

widened in

telling the truth? How could there be a mother like Zinnia in this

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