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.

course, I know what I'm saying, Your Honor. I am the

her makeup perfectly done, flashed a

surprised that Vivienne had managed to bring

raced, and she suddenly spoke up, "Your Honor, I've heard Cassidy suffers from severe depression. Can we really trust the testimony of someone mentally

if you had educated yourself, you'd know depression isn't amnesia. People with

with

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

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

"What do you know?"

responded coldly, "Do you know how to sell me off to influential old men,

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

all those things to me, you should have expected that

chances of finding another

and

"Get lost!"

was quick to

panic. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on

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,

to Zinnia, she said each word clearly,

widened

she telling the truth? How could there be

"Kaitlyn, there's no shortage of