The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

After a lengthy opening statement by the judge, silence was commanded with a gavel's thud. Jerry Perez, representing the plaintiff, was the first to speak.

Most of the evidence had been previously submitted, but they managed to scrape together something new. "Our witness, Tobin, grew up in a modest household. His mother worked the assembly line at a local factory, and his father was a construction worker. It's hard forto believe that they had the means to bribe a distinguished teacher at a prestigious school." "There's always a way to find money if you squeeze hard enough," retorted the defense. "Besides, it was Tobin himself who pointed fingers at Julian Littleton. Are you insinuating that Tobin perjured himself?" With the current public sentiment, Jerry knew winning against Kipling would be an uphill battle.

Even with a looming prison sentence for another matter, Kipling's defense attorney diligently countered Jerry's arguments.

Shaking his head, Jerry continued, "Our witness did indeed commit perjury, but under duress. Your Honor, here's a video recorded in desperation by our witness. It shows Kipling collaborating with local thugs, threatening Tobin's parents. Tobin's father was severely injured by them. Forced into a corner, Tobin, then only seventeen, had no choice." This was a revelation Tobin had only recalled years later.

When his father was dragged into their house by Kipling's men, Tobin was fiddling with a phone he had found. In his panic, he accidentally started recording. Fear of retaliation kept him from going public initially.

It was only after Vivienne assured him and his parents of their safety that Tobin retrieved the old phone.

Years had passed, and the video was grainy, but its broadcast began to unravel the mystery that had plagued the Littleton family for years.

The sight of Tobin, crying and begging on his knees before Kipling, touched not only the jury but also viewers of the live stream. "Kipling, what kind of monster does this? How did he ever get into a position of power?" "Poor kid. Anyone in that situation would have succumbed to Kipling's demands. After all, Tobin was just a seventeen-year-old boy." "This kind of coerced testimony shouldn't be held against him..." "Absolutely not. Tobin was backed into a corner. BlKipling, that beast!" As Vivienne and others couldn't see the barrage of online comments, they could only gauge the room's sentiment by the jury's reactions, which were filled with sympathy for Tobin.

Now a grown man, Tobin adjusted his glasses before preempting the defense's response, "I know I did wrong, and I've been repenting for my actions. I don't expect forgiveness from Julian's family. If the law decides to punishfor my past mistakes, I accept it without regret. Now, I just want to do what I believe is right." His voice was clear, with a youthful earnestness, "I am officially reporting Kipling for forming gangs, threatening the community, and framing an educator. He doesn't deserve his position." "Ingrate! I should've finished off your father when had the chance," lKipling spat out, no longer concealing his true nature. He lunged towards Vivienne's direction but was swiftly restrained by the police. The judge, unfazed, called for order. "Defendant's attorney, your response?" The defense attorney, now regretting taking this case, had nothing left to defend after Kipling's outburst.

Just as he was about to speak, a member of the jury, Zinnia, couldn't contain herself, "Your Honor, don't believe them! Julian's misconduct with my daughter cannot be denied. He got what he deserved!" The courtroom erupted with claims and accusations, mostly from Zinnia's supporters.

"My poor granddaughter was victimized by Julian! Kipling was our only hope for justice, and now you slander him!" "Exactly, Julian's dismissal wasn't for bribery. It was his misconduct that led to a parental outcry!" "How dare they even file a lawsuit!" The cacophony overwhelmed the courtroom, despite the judge's attempts to restore order.

Seeing an opportunity, Kipling stood, "I had no choice. Julian was a renowned teacher in Rivenwood. Without drastic measures, we couldn't have exposed him!" Attempting to find a loophole, Kipling continued, "I admit my mistakes, but my intentions were noble. I never meant harm to Tobin's family; it was all for show." "For show? That 'show' put my dad in the hospital for months," Tobin stood firm facing Kipling's et desperate gaze without fear. "Just for show, and my mom couldn't find workin Rivenwood for a year is that your idea of harmless, Kipling?" Kipling slammed his hands down on the table, "That wasn't me! I wasn't even close to being the boss back then. How could I have pulled off something like that?" "Yeah, Kipling didn't have such a high-ranking job five years ago. Could there be skind of misunderstanding? How could he possibly have the power to do such a thing?" "Even though Kipling had Tobin smear Julian's name, that's no excuse for Julian's misconduct with a student, right?" "Both of them are no saints. They might as well both be locked up!" "Hey, don't let Kipling distract you, okay?! Didn't you see the bank transactions? Money flowing in and out, and several big shots involved are still influential figures today Even if Kipling wasn't in a high position back then, he had the means to mobilize them "I've been wanting to say, Kipling was just a minor official back in the day, right? How did he manage to get so many influential people to bankroll him?"