The Poisoned Cup and The Scapegoat

At a gathering, I noticed that Jade Shaw, the woman that my best friend, Michael Ronan, had a crush on, slipped something into his drink.

When she walked over and offered him the glass, I deliberately knocked it over, spilling the drugged wine and saving his life.

She stormed off in anger.

The very next day, she announced her engagement to someone else.

Michael came to me in a rage, convinced that I had ruined things out of jealousy.

"Taylor, if it weren't for your meddling, I would've already slept with her! She would've engaged with me instead! You just can't stand seeing me happy! You destroyed my love life! You'll pay for it with your life!"

He shoved me off a high building. I died instantly.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the gathering. Michael was staring at Jade with a lovestruck expression. Then, he glared at me, warning me not to interfere.

So, he had been reborn too.

But what he didn't know was that the woman that he adored had always been disgusted by his persistence.

What she put in the drink wasn't some aphrodisiac. It was something lethal that could kill him.

I put on a smile and pushed the glass of wine toward Michael Ronan.

"Michael, shouldn't you two be feeding each other wine to celebrate?"

"Taylor, stop… How could I possibly…"

Michael blushed as he lightly punched my shoulder before looking at Jade Shaw eagerly.

"Jade, you know how Taylor is. He just likes to joke around. If you feel shy, we can… just clink glasses."

Jade cast me an icy gaze and said sarcastically, "Taylor Lowden, you sure know how to set things up."

I found it comical.

In my previous life, she also had the same fake, aloof demeanor. She clearly hated Michael, but she did not dare to say anything as she was intimidated by the Ronan family's wealth and influence.

So, she called for a 'date', when in fact it was more of a gathering that day, trying to shift Michael's attention toward me.

In my previous life, I saved Michael's life by knocking over the drugged wine, but he ended up killing me because of it.

The moment before I was shoved off the building, I saw Jade standing in the shadow, excitedly calling the police.

"Hello? Is this the police? I witnessed a murder!"

She reported Michael, using that to get rid of him.

When I was reborn, I swore that I was not going to let any of those lunatics off the hook.

"Since it's a celebration, don't be a party pooper."

Jade picked up the glass that she had spiked and pushed it toward me. The slushing red liquid looked like a viper's venom.

"Taylor, this is for you. We'll drink to you first."

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the glass of wine in front of me.

Jade was naturally suspicious. My abnormal reaction must have put her on guard.

She was testing me to see if I saw her spiking the wine or if I was just playing dumb.

It was a deadly question.

I saw her drug the wine with my own eyes. If I drank the wine, I would be playing with fate.

If I refused, Michael would blame it all on me for that failed 'date'.

Whether I accept the wine or not, all roads would lead to death.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you not accepting my kind gesture? Or you think that there's something in this wine, and you don't want to drink it?"