Chapter 47 CHAPTER 47
Rosaleen’s POV
I bit my lips hard realizing I had made a mistake. I scrolled through pages and pages of what didn’t make any sense to me. It seemed as though my brain was numb. I had made a huge mistake trusting Evelyn Moon.
I raised my head up and looked at her standing there. I couldn't read her face. We had made a deal but I shouldn't have trusted she would keep to her end of the bargain. Tamara had warned me to internalize the product, but I had gotten drunk instead. I gritted my teeth. She just needed to say she stole this product for my day to go on smoothly.
“State your claim, Miss Moon.”
She nodded, then did a sweep glance across the room. Her eyes rested on me for like a quarter of a second. I couldn’t tell if I was visibly shaken or if she was mocking me.
“The MateLink product is mine," she said, her voice clear and reaching every corner of the room.
I felt my stomach drop. I didn’t bother to look at Tamara. I knew she would be giving me the I-told-you-so look.
Fuck!
“Please sit down, Miss Moon,” the chairman said. He turned to me. “Miss Blackmoon, Please state your claim.”
I stood up and my tab clattered to the floor. I bent down to pick it up and smiled nervously. I was losing my cool and it was becoming very obvious.
“The product is mine,” I said.
“For the purpose of record, Miss Blackmoon, please state the name of the product.”
“The MateLink product is my creation,” I said. I sounded way more confident than I felt.
“You may be seated.”
I caught Tamara’s eyes as I sat down this time. She gestured at her phone and mouthed some words to me. She was asking me to check my phone. There was a message from her.
“Are you sure you are up for this? You look unwell. You can ask for a reschedule if you feel sick.”
She was asking me to delay the hearing. It was for the best. But suddenly saying I was sick would make me look like I was hiding something.
"Miss Moon, please tell us about this product. What inspired you to come up with something like this?”
She rose up from her seat and walked to the center. She looked too calm for the turmoil that was brewing within my chest.
“This product was born from a desire to make every wolf feel connected. A few days ago, there was an article where I was called a fake wolf.” She smiled. “We live in a world where everyone is too busy for themselves and some have never been able to truly connect to their wolves. This product came from a desire to fill the gap in the lives of these people.”
She went on and on, speaking of experiences, quoting data to back her suggestions and everyone listened to her. It was as though she held the room in a spell. When I looked at Michael, he was looking at her with a glint in his eyes. Admiration.
She ended her flawless speech ten minutes later, and it was almost as though the room should give her a standing ovation. I bit my lips again,and this time I tasted blood.
“Miss Blackmoon, please let us know what inspired you to build this product?”
My vision blurred as I rose up. I wasn't sure what I said or how far I went before I looked around and saw the look of confusion on the faces of the listeners. I stopped.
“I’m sorry. I..I don’t feel well today,” I said finally, my breath hitching. “Must be something I ate last night.”
The chairman didn’t look pleased.
“Can we do this another day, please?’ I asked.
It wasn’t looking good at all. Then Alpha Raymond spoke up. “Please, take your seat, Rosaleen. We can now take the witness statements."
I turned to my seat, grateful that Alpha Raymond had my back. Tamara went forward. She stuck to the same story. I had told her about the project two days earlier and we had agreed to work on it together. Evelyn visited her in her office and spoke for a little, probably saw the blueprint of the product and stole it.
Alpha raymnd spoke next. “I've known Rosaleen since she was a child. Since her arrival at Greywoods industries, she has done exceptionally well. She has no history of fraud nor is she desperately in need of money to save her family.”
I glanced at Evelyn Moon. The jab had been thrown at her. The room seemed to be changing rapidly now, and in my favour.
“I vouch for Rosaleen Blackmoon in this matter.” He sat down.
Alpha Michael rose up. “Please, we’ll have to ignore my father’s comments here. He has a neutral position in this case.”
I smiled. The damage was already done. If Alpha Raymond could vouch for me, who could say otherwise then?
The chairman spoke. “We’ll take a break to discuss the matter," he said.
We left the room for a ten minute break. I slipped into the bathroom and squealed happily. I was going to try to avoid anyone seeing me because I could no longer pretend that I was sick anymore. So I sat in the bathroom for the whole ten minutes.
When we returned, the chairman had the verdict in his hands. I was still a bit scared but less scared than Evelyn Moon was. Her head was hung low and she was twisting her fingers nervously.
“After listening to both parties as well as testimonies from the witness, this panel concludes that the product, MateLink, belongs to Miss Rosaleen Blackmoon.”
I let out a deep sigh.
“This panel has also agreed that the offending person, Miss Evelyn Moon, is thereby going to step down from her position as Products Manager and submit a letter of resignation from Greywoods industries within the next twenty four hours. Miss Evelyn Moon is also to issue a public apology to Miss Rosaleen Blackmoon and to Greywood Industries.”
He faced her. “Nice speech, by the way.”