I clenched the hem of my clothes, my palms slick with sweat. Just as my mind was racing and trying to figure out a way to get out of this predicament, a hand with its nails painted a garish shade of red suddenly reached over and snatched the glass of wine.

"This wine is so expensive! It'd be a total waste to let her drink it!" Rachel glared at me viciously, the jealousy in her eyes practically spilling over.

She acted as if what I was taking from her wasn't a glass of poisoned wine, but her most prized possession.

At that moment, I nearly laughed out loud.

Carter had it all worked out, but he hadn't accounted for just how possessive his devoted little follower could be.

Rachel clutched the glass protectively to her chest. Then, she turned to glare at me.

"Stella, come out with me. I need to talk to you," she ordered.

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the private room.

The moment the door closed, her expression changed.

Her nails dug hard into my flesh as she lowered her voice in warning. "Do you want to die again? Didn't I already warn you not to ruin my plans?"

I pretended not to understand by staring back at her with a clueless expression. "Rachel, what are you talking about? How could I ruin your plans? I genuinely hope you and Carter can be together."

"Drop the act!" Rachel shoved me hard, sending me crashing against the hallway wall. "If you dare to pull anything again, I'll make your life a living hell!"

I couldn't help but find it ridiculous. Even after being reborn, this love-obsessed fool was as hopeless as ever. She still had no idea that Carter wanted her dead.

I lowered my head and put on a frightened act.

In a trembling voice, I promised, "Rachel, I really don't know what you mean. But I promise I won't interfere with your date with Carter. When we go back in, I'll help you persuade him to drink a few more glasses, okay?"

Rachel looked me up and down suspiciously.

Seeing how pale I looked, she finally let out a cold snort and said, "At least you know what's good for you. Later, find a chance to get lost. Don't stick around and be an eyesore!"

"Okay, I get it," I replied meekly.

When we returned to the private room, Rachel planted herself firmly in the seat beside Carter.

"A toast to you, Carter!" She raised the glass and downed its contents in one go.

Carter's fingers tightened around his own glass, his knuckles turning slightly white from his grip. His gaze passed over Rachel and locked onto me, as if he was wondering why I hadn't stopped her from drinking that glass of wine.

I sat quietly in the corner and flashed him an innocent, harmless smile.

Carter's expression darkened visibly.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Rachel, who was completely oblivious, excitedly poured herself another glass. "This wine is so good. You should drink, too!"

The disgust in Carter's eyes was nearly impossible to hide. He avoided the hand she reached out to him. His tone was somewhat stiff as he said, "Don't drink so much."

Hearing that, Rachel took it as concern coming from her crush and was instantly overjoyed. She said breathlessly, "Carter, do you care about me? I'm so happy! Tonight, we won't leave until we've drunk ourselves silly!"

To prove how good she was at drinking, she took another big gulp. Even after several glasses, Rachel didn't seem unwell at all aside from having a flushed face.

In fact, she shouted at me tipsily, "Stella, why are you still sitting there? Don't you see Carter and I are having a great time? You're such a third wheel. Get lost already!"

I immediately stood up and casually swept my gaze over Carter's ashen face.

"Okay, then. I'll head back first. Carter, I'll leave Rachel in your care," I said.

At the mention of taking care of the drunk Rachel, Carter's features scrunched together so hard in disgust that he looked like the Grinch.

As I got up to leave, I pretended to slip. I stumbled, and my whole body charged toward him uncontrollably.

"Ah!" I cried.

Carter instinctively reached out to steady me. He frowned hard and looked utterly displeased. "What's wrong with you? You can't even walk properly?" he sneered.

"Sorry… I'm so sorry, Carter…"

I apologized in a fluster, but my hand slipped into the pocket of his suit jacket, and I took a small bottle from there. With this, I wouldn't end up as the scapegoat.

Suppressing the urge to smile, I picked up my bag and turned to leave.

The moment I left the restaurant, I took a taxi to a substance testing agency and submitted the small glass bottle I had secretly taken from Carter for analysis.

By the time I had finished having a comfortable hot shower, the test results were out.

When I saw the report sent by the agency, I froze.

The final conclusion stated, "Main components: Vitamin C and starch. No toxic, harmful, or psychoactive substances detected."

Vitamin C? So Carter didn't poison Rachel!

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through my mind. This meant that in my previous life, it had been the same. Carter never intended to drug anyone at all.

He had only used a bottle of vitamins as a prop and deliberately let me see it. As long as I caused a scene, he could spark a conflict between me and Rachel.

And even if I didn't make a fuss, Rachel would have drunk some harmless vitamins only. It posed no legal risk to him whatsoever.

No wonder…

It was no wonder he hadn't panicked at all when Rachel drank so many glasses tonight. Since the start, he had been playing both of us like fools!

Just as I was fuming, my phone suddenly vibrated. An ominous premonition came to me as I answered the call.

A nurse's anxious voice came through, "Is this Ms. Leigh? This is the emergency department of Privus Hospital. Your friend, Rachel Jost, has been admitted for poisoning. Please come immediately!"

By the time I rushed to the hospital's emergency department, the hallway was in complete chaos. Rachel's parents and Carter were waiting anxiously outside the emergency room.

The moment Carter saw me, he rushed over and grabbed my shoulders tightly. "Stella, what exactly did you give her to drink? Did you know the wine was poisoned?"

I shook off his hands and shot back coldly, "Are you trying to shift the blame? You brought the wine, and you were the one who poured it for her. I didn't even touch that bottle. Also, you were alone in a room with Rachel. Who knows what you did after I left?"

Carter's eyes widened with shock, and his face turned deathly pale. "What nonsense are you going on about? I didn't do anything! That was just—"

The words caught abruptly in his throat. Even if what he put in the drink was only vitamins, the act of putting something into the wine alone was already suspicious enough.

Just then, the emergency room lights went off, and the doctor pushed Rachel out. Her parents rushed forward, crying emotionally.

Although Rachel was conscious, her face was pale, and her lips were tinged purple.

The doctor removed his mask and said gravely, "The patient has undergone gastric lavage and is temporarily out of danger. Based on our assessment, she most likely suffered poisoning from excessive intake of an aphrodisiac. This is a prohibited substance. We've reported it to the police."

As his words fell, Rachel slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze searched through the crowd before locking onto me. The moment she saw me, her eyes were filled with venomous hatred.

"It was her! Stella poisoned me!" she shrieked.

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned toward me.

Rache's mother, Tamara Easley, lunged at me like a madwoman and tried to hit me. "You little bitch! Rachel was so good to you, and you tried to kill her!"

Caught off guard, I took several solid slaps to my face. My cheeks stung like they were on fire.

Just as I was pulled away from her, Rachel started crying again, "Stella, I see your true colors now. You're jealous of my family background and of how close I am with Carter. So, you wanted me dead so you could take everything from me! You're nothing but a backstabbing bitch!"

I was speechless. Who exactly was the real backstabber here?

Beside her, Carter immediately seized the opportunity. He pointed at me and berated angrily, "So it really was you! I knew something was off when you suddenly encouraged her to drink the wine. You were trying to poison her when she threw back drinks!"

Before I could even speak, the police arrived.

The moment Rachel saw them, she cried even harder and pointed at me accusingly. "Officer, it was her! Only she and I touched that glass. She must have slipped the drug in when I wasn't paying attention."

Carter gave his testimony and cleared himself of suspicion.

He said, "There were only three of us there. Only Stella handed Rachel the glass. I have reason to suspect it was her doing."

The police immediately sealed off the restaurant and began collecting evidence.

The results came back quickly.

Hamish Webb, who was leading the case, looked at me with a deep frown and said, "Stella, the glass Rachel drank from only has your fingerprints and hers. None of the other items handled by others showed any toxic reaction.

"Only the inner wall of the glass used by Rachel tested positive for a high concentration of aphrodisiac. All evidence currently points to you. Please come in with us for questioning."

As the handcuffs were fastened around my wrists, the shock on my face still hadn't faded.

How could this be?