The Luna You Betrayed Is No Longer Yours

Chapter 217: Chapter 217 Identical Prototype

_Alaric’s POV_

The atmosphere inside the hospital room was suffocating. Aunt Kristy was still gushing over Brielle’s prototype, while the clock on the wall ticked steadily past the official submission time.

"My Alpha," Gabriel whispered, leaning down toward my ear. "The medical board downstairs is growing restless. Should we begin the official evaluation with Dr. Brielle’s presentation?"

"No," I replied firmly, my voice cutting through the room. "Give Rowena an extra thirty minutes."

Aunt Kristy let out an irritated scoff from her bed. "Thirty minutes? Alaric, you are giving that girl far too much leeway! She is clearly unprepared....”

Before Aunt Kristy could finish her sentence, the door of the room swung wide open.

Rowena walked inside, her head held high and her expression completely cool and composure intact. Trailing right behind her were Ezekiel and Kasper, carrying a protective case. Rowena didn’t look flustered, tired, or defeated in the slightest. She looked like a queen stepping into her own court.

"My apologies for the brief delay, Aunt Kristy," Rowena said smoothly, bowing her head slightly. "I encountered a minor security issue at my lab, but everything has been sorted."

"You are late, Rowena," Aunt Kristy said coldly, crossing her arms. "Brielle has already presented a masterpiece. But since Alaric insisted on waiting for you, show us what you have."

Kasper stepped forward, setting the case down on the central table. He unlatched the buckles and carefully pulled back the top cover.

The moment the light hit the prototype inside, the entire room fell into a dead, horrifying silence.

I stared at the object sitting inside the case, my heart skipping a beat. My eyes widened in complete, utter shock.

The mechanical leg resting in Rowena’s box was made of silver metal, featuring the exact same sweeping curves as Brielle’s prototype.

They were almost completely identical.

My mind raced into pure confusion, I had been in Rowena’s private laboratory just two days ago.

I had seen her monitors, I had stared at the complex, blue diagrams she was working on, diagrams that looked nothing like this silver model standing before us now.

Where on earth did this design come from? Why did it look exactly like Brielle’s?

Before I could even process what was happening, Brielle let out a loud, dramatic gasp, stepping forward with her eyes wide in simulated horror.

"You thief!" Brielle shrieked, pointing a trembling, accusatory finger straight at Rowena. "You absolute, shameless thief! How could you do this?!"

Rowena didn’t even flinch. She simply turned her dark eyes toward Brielle, her expression entirely unbothered. "Watch your tone, Brielle."

"Watch my tone?!" Brielle cried out, turning toward Aunt Kristy and me with tears welling up in her eyes. "Alaric! Aunt Kristy! Look at what she brought! She copied my exact blueprints! Every single joint, every fluid line is a direct stolen copy of my work! She couldn’t build her own design, so she stole my hard work!”

Aunt Kristy’s face turned violently red with pure rage. She slammed her hand against her mattress, glaring at Rowena as if she were a piece of dirt beneath her shoes.

"How dare you!" Aunt Kristy screamed, her voice shaking with disgust. "I knew you were arrogant, Rowena, but to be a shameless thief?! To steal from a brilliant doctor who worked day and night for my health?! You are a disgrace to the Ashthorne name!"

Through all the screaming and accusations, Rowena stood like a statue, her arms crossed over her chest, completely calm and unreadable.

Beside her, Ezekiel let out a low, mocking laugh, stepping forward with his hands casually tucked into his trousers.

"Now hold on a second," Ezekiel drawled, his voice full of dry sarcasm. "Let us use a little bit of common sense here, shall we? Brielle claims she was locked in her private, top secret family laboratory for weeks, surrounded by high level guards of course. So tell me, Brielle... how could Rowena possibly steal a design that was locked inside your secret vault, unless, of course, you were the one who stole the idea first?"

Brielle’s face went instantly pale, her mouth opened, and she was about to blurt out a furious rebuttal but she stopped herself dead in her tracks, her throat catching as if there was something she wanted to say.

She was hiding something for sure.

I watched the exchange closely, my eyes narrowing in deep suspicion. The sudden hesitation in Brielle’s eyes, the total lack of panic on Rowena’s face, and Ezekiel’s smug smile... something was deeply wrong here. None of this made sense, but the pieces were moving in a way I couldn’t yet grasp.

Aunt Kristy, however, was far too angry to notice the subtle shift in the room. She was practically gasping for breath, clutching her chest as she glared at Rowena with pure hatred.

"I don’t want to hear another word!" Aunt Kristy choked out, pointing a shaking hand toward the door. "I do not want to see that thief’s face in my room for another second! Alaric, send her away right now! I will never let that stolen trash touch my body! I will only allow Brielle’s product to be used for my surgery!"

Rowena looked at Aunt Kristy, her brows pulling together into a small, cold frown. A faint glint flashed deep within her beautiful eyes as she let out a low, amused breath. "Fine then," Rowena said, her voice dropping into an icy tone that sent a strange chill down my spine. "If that is what you truly want, Aunt Kristy... then by all means, let Brielle’s product be used on you."

Without waiting for another word or offering a single defense, Rowena turned around on her heels and walked straight out of the VIP room, her shoes clicking against the floor. Ezekiel and Kasper followed right behind her, closing the door softly.

Aunt Kristy let out a loud breath of relief, while Brielle smiled, stepping closer to comfort her.

I stood in the center of the room, feeling an overwhelming headache blooming behind my eyes. My chest felt tight, my mind completely scrambled between Brielle’s useless father’s threats, Aunt Kristy’s rage, and Rowena’s unsettlingly surrender.

I raised my hand and slowly rubbed my throbbing forehead, letting out a long sigh. Something told me that Brielle had just won over Rowena.

How could Rowena just give up like that?

I needed to question her.

Without saying a word to the both women, I walked out to find Rowena.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!