The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 807

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 for me to 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. Blame Kipling, 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 punish me for 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."