The Million-Dollar Heart

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!"

only

I know what I'm saying,

her makeup

bring Cassidy, the very person

spoke up, "Your Honor, I've heard Cassidy suffers from severe depression. Can

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

against people with depression

did you do to my daughter? Your Honor, I demand a medical examination to

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

"What do you know?"

influential old men, or how to make

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

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

the victim herself denying any wrongdoing by Julian, Kipling's chances of finding another witness were slim, and Jerry's eyes gleamed with the success of their

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

"Get lost!"

to kick

calm gaze not showing

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

she said each word clearly,