The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

No sooner had they stepped into the camera's eye than the intewas already ablaze with recognition.

"Holy smokes, isn't that my professor? What's he doing here?!" "My classmate! Geez, the youngest associate chief at Rivenwood University Affiliated Hospital, what's he doing here?!" "I've seen him! I even went to him for a check-up once!" "Wait a sec, guys. Didn't you notice that lady with the mask? She looks kinda familiar." "Those eyes, don't they resemble my idol?" Vivienne's gaze swept across until it landed on a woman in the corner, frowning and sizing up the room, which piqued her interest.

A strand of soft pink hair escaped her bun, hanging before her eyes, which were filled with arrogance and rudeness. When her gaze met Vivienne's, there was a moment of defiance and smugness.

Vivienne's eyes sparkled with amusement, her lips curving into a faint smile.

Percival immediately sensed something was amiss and whispered, "What's up?" It had been a while, and he had forgotten what Ramona Grimshaw looked like.

All he saw were unfamiliar faces, but Vivienne's expression hinted that someone they knew was among them.

Vivienne leaned slightly towards him, their shoulders touching, "Ramona's here." "Ramona? Who?" Percival frowned, wracking his brain but couldn't match the nto any of the faces.

Vivienne's lips twitched, as she pinched Percival's cheek, "The lady who had a spat with Kala that one time." Before Percival could respond, Ramona, who had been watching them, eagerly removed her mask.

With her current fame, the chatroom exploded almost instantly, and even sof the younger judges in the room couldn't hide their surprise.

No one expected a celebrity like Ramona to appear in court, especially as a witness.

Kipling and Zinnia frowned in displeasure; this wasn't the plan! Ramona, their trump card, was supposed to be their final play. What was she doing showing up now?! Their eyes met, sharing a similar gravity.

Unaware of their thoughts, Ramona stepped forward, her voice clear and melodious, filling the courtroom, "Your Honor, I can testify. Back then, I was a student at that school, and Julian indeed committed acts of indecency against his classmates." "At that time, as a mere student, I was too afraid to speak up, fearing retribution from the teachers. My silence inadvertently caused Cassidy to suffer. I refuse to cover for Julian any longer. Those who err must face the consequences." Despite the disruption in the order of things, the remaining witnesses had no choice but to follow suit after Ramona, affirming the truth of her statement.

The rest of Julian's former coworkers and doctors echoed her, placing all blsquarely on Julian.

As they finished, Zinnia couldn't help but stir the pot, "Vivienne, Kaitlyn, with evidence so clear, what more can you say? Accusing us of fabricating evidence, but could all these people be lying with us?" "The members of the jury, maintain order! This is a courtroom, not your local market!" The judge, visibly annoyed by the interruption, warned Zinnia, "Continue to disrupt, and I'll have you removed!" Clad in his robe, the judge's demeanor was stern yet commanding, his presence alone silencing the uproar.

Reluctantly, Zinnia closed her mouth, and the courtroom fell silent once more. The judge then turned to Vivienne and her group, "Plaintiffs, do you have anything to add?" The situation seemed dire for Kaitlyn and her team.

Vivienne and Percival's remarks hadn't gone unnoticed, and Jerry was certain the intewas in an uproar, with Ramona's involvement swaying public opinion towards Kipling's side.

Yet, this was the outcthey had anticipated.

Jerry's expression darkened slightly, his gaze firm and collected, showing no signs of panic, "I'd like to ask the opposition, Mr. Wood, Ms. Grimshaw, and Morris cited fear due to their student status as reason for their silence. But you, being a teacher and a principal at the time, if Julian truly committed a crime, why did you choose to conceal it until Cassidy spoke out?" Mr. Wood was taken aback.

e After a brief pause, he scrambled for the prepared response, "Well, Julian was completing his teaching tasks exceptionally well. I... I wanted to downplay the situation, given his status as a top teacher, hoping he would change. But Julian never improved; such a person doesn't deserve to be a teacher!" His explanation seemed plausible but indirectly confirmed Mr. Wood's own culpability.

The audience online erupted in criticism, but Jerry stood firm before Vivienne and the rest, his posture upright, his lips slightly curled, "In that case, Mr. Wood should have evidence, yes?" "I... How could I possibly have such evidence?!" Caught off guard by Jerry's unconventional approach, Mr. Wood stuttered, "I'm a teacher; why would I capture inappropriate footage of students? Your thoughts are disturbing!" "Is Mr. Wood out of his mind or what? Filming a video as evidence sounds like a perfectly sane thing to do, doesn't it?" "I just don't get it. In those elite schools, there's no shortage of top-notch teachers, right? So why, knowing full well that a male teacher was behaving inappropriately with a student, did they not intervene sooner rather than later, trying to shift the blafter the fact?" "And isn't it odd to you guys? With so many supposed witnesses, they can't produce a single video or even a photo. The plaintiff, on the other hand, has both testimonial and physical evidence in spades. It really makes you wonder." "Con, don't dive too deep into conspiracy theories. Julian is such a big name, obviously, he's got connections. It's no surprise Mr. Wood would be cautious about taking action. And with Ramona stepping forward to testify, it's got to be legit." "Easy there, fan club. Have you forgotten what your idol has done?" "Even if Ramona has a sketchy reputation, she's still a public figure. She wouldn't just lie for the sake of attention, right?"