The courtroom erupted into a flurry of whispers and gasps. Paulina's face turned red with rage. "Kill you? Vanessa, what are you sayin g? Aren't we in this together?

  Vanessa quickly denied, feigning sincerity. "No, it was all you." She turned to the judge. "I have evidence, Your Honor. CCTV footage that captures the entire event. I request permission to submit it as evidence."

  As Vanessa stepped forward, Paulina screamed, "Don't believe her! She's lying! I won't take this!"

  The custodian intervened, his voice firm. "Order, Miss Paulina! This is a courtroom, not a place for outbursts. Please refrain from disrupting the proceedings."

  Paulina seethed, her fists clenched, but she remained silent, her eyes blazing with anger.

  The attendant inserted the USB given by Vanessa into his computer and clicked on the video. The large screen in front of the room flickered to life, displaying the footage.

  In the first video, Sarah sat alone at a table, eating her lunch. A few minutes passed before she got up and walked into the ladies' bathroom. As soon as she disappeared from view, Paulina snuck into the frame, her eyes darting around nervously. She poured something into Sarah's juice, her movements swift and deliberate.

  Vanessa appeared in the corner of the screen, watching Paulina from the window. The footage ended abruptly, and Paulina's face contorted in rage.

  "Vanessa is also part of the scheme!" Paulina screamed, pointing accusingly at Vanessa. "Can't you see her standing at the window?"

  Vanessa stood calmly, her voice even. "I saw Paulina acting suspiciously, so I followed her to the cafeteria. That's why I was standing at the window. Don't try to shift the blame onto me."

  Paulina's fists clenched, her nails digging deep into her skin. "You liar! You were standing there because you accompanied me to poison Sarah's drink!"

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  Vanessa feigned innocence, her voice calm. "Just stop lying, Paulina. It won't change anything. Don't you remember? After you left the cafeteria, you caught me standing there. You were scared I'd reveal you, so you threatened to kill me."

  Paulina's face went white, her eyes wide with shock. When did all those events ever happen? After she left the cafeteria, Vanessa had congratulated her on a job well done.

  Before Paulina could speak, the judge's stern voice cut in. "Let's watch the second video."

  The screen flickered to life once more, displaying the second video. Paulina sneaked into Meesha's dressing room, pouring the contents of a bottle into her pocket. She replaced it with identical-looking pills, her movements urgent.

  The video ended, and the judge's gaze locked onto Paulina's. "Wasn't that you in the footage? Will you try to blame it on Mrs. Hauls again?"

  Paulina's lip trembled, her eyes blazing with desperation. "Vanessa asked me to do it," she spat, her voice venomous. "She gave me the drugs and told me to switch them. She said if I wanted to rise to fame, I had to eliminate Sarah."

  Vanessa's expression transformed into one of innocence. "Me? I didn't say that. She's lying."

  Paulina's voice rose to a shrill, her face reddening. "Vanessa, you bitch! You asked me to change the medications; it was all your doing!"

  Vanessa shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "It wasn't me. You switched the medications and poisoned Sarah's drink. I knew you'd try to erase the footage, so I copied them as soon as you left those places."

  Vanessa's face contorted into a sad expression, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "If I had known what you did was to kill Sarah, I would have revealed the truth despite your threats to kill me."

  Paulina's eyes widened in outrage. "So you're pretending to be sad now? It's true that your acting skills are unbeatable," Paulina sneered. "You erased the footage yourself. All you wanted was to kill Sarah and tarnish Meesha's image. You're jealous of Meesha because she's beautiful, and because she got more admiration than you in the Fire&Ice perfume advertisement."

  Vanessa's anger flashed, but she quickly composed herself, smoothing out her voice. "I don't know where you got that intuition from. Meesha and I don't have any grudges against each other."

  Vanessa skillfully changed the subject. "I'm shocked you'd slander me like this. I've always wanted the best for you, but I never knew you were capable of killing someone."

  Paulina's face twisted in rage. "That's a lie! She's lying!" She lunged at Vanessa, but the security guards quickly restrained her. "You backstabber! You liar! You'll definitely pay for this Vanessa!"

  The judge banged his gavel, his voice firm. "Order! Paulina Spears, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Sarah. You will also pay a fine of five million dollars to Meesha Dasilva for defamation and damages. Additionally, you will write a sincere letter of apology to Meesha Dasilva."

  The courtroom erupted into a buzz of conversations. "Oh my God, she actually made Meesha take the blame!"

  "Paulina is so treacherous!"

  As the guards led Paulina away, she hurled curses at Vanessa. "You'll never have a good ending! You'll be struck by lightning! You'll die a miserable death!"

  Vanessa let out a sigh of relief, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. Things had unfolded exactly as she had planned. She had cleared her name, and no one suspected her. In fact, she had even garnered sympathetic comments from her fans.

  As she glanced back at Paulina, who was being dragged away, Vanessa felt a thrill of excitement. She turned and walked out of the courtroom, her head held high.