Rebirth: Bestie Can Take the Spiked Drink This Time

At a gathering, I discover that the guy my best friend, Rachel Jost, secretly has a crush on has slipped something into her drink. When he brings the glass over to her, I deliberately knock it over, spilling the spiked wine and saving her life. He storms out in anger. The very next day, he announces his engagement to someone else. Rachel comes to me in a rage, convinced that I sabotaged her out of jealousy. "Stella Leigh, if you hadn't interfered, I would've already slept with him! The one he wants to marry would've been me! You just couldn't stand seeing me happy! You ruined my shot at love, so you'll pay for it with your life!" She pushes me off a high building. I fall to my death, my body reduced to a pulp that is beyond recognition. When I open my eyes again, I am back on the day of that gathering. Rachel is sitting next to me, stealing adoring glances at the man across from her. The next moment, she turns to glare at me and warns me not to meddle with vicious eyes. Seems like she is reborn, too. But what she doesn't know is that the man she secretly loves has always despised her for being obsessed with him. What he added to that glass of wine isn't some aphrodisiac—it is something that can kill her. Chapter 1 I put on a smile and pushed the glass of wine to my best friend, Rachel Jost. I urged, "Go, Rachel. You and your dream guy should drink from the same glass to celebrate!" "Don't joke around, Stella. How could I possibly…" Rachel's face flushed red as she tapped my arm playfully in mock anger. Then, she looked at Carter Slade with eager anticipation. Her voice was feminine and coy as she said, "Don't mind Stella, Carter. She likes to joke around. If you feel awkward, we can… We can just clink glasses." Upon hearing that, Carter finally looked up and shot me a cold glance. When he spoke, his tone was laced with mockery. "You sure know how to liven up the atmosphere, Stella Leigh." I found his response amusing. In my previous life, he had been exactly like this. Even though he loathed Rachel to the core, he didn't dare show it openly as he was wary of the Jost family's power and influence. So, he staged this so-called gathering today to shift all of Rachel's attention onto me. In my past life, I knocked over that spiked glass of wine to save Rachel. I saved her life, only to be killed by her in return. After I died, I saw Carter standing in the shadows on the rooftop. He called the police excitedly, "Hello, police? There's been a murder!" He reported Rachel and had her sentenced to life while keeping his own hands completely clean. Now that I'd been given a second chance at life, I wouldn't let either of these lunatics with their hidden agendas get away this time. "Since it's a celebration, let's not spoil the mood." Carter's voice pulled me back to the present. I watched as he picked up the wine bottle—the very one he had tampered with—and poured a glass. Then, he pushed it toward me. The dark red liquid swirled in the glass. To me, it was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "Stella is our guest. You should have the first toast," Carter said. As I stared at the glass in front of me, my heart jolted with fear. Carter was a suspicious man. My unusual behavior just now had put him on guard. So, he was testing me. He wanted to gauge whether I had seen him spike the drink or if I was just pretending to be clueless. My life was on the line. I had seen with my own eyes that he had tampered with the wine. If I drank it, whether I lived or died would be entirely up to fate. But if I didn't drink, Rachel would take all her frustration from this failed date out on me. It seemed that only death awaited me either way. "What? Are you going to reject my kind offer?" Carter asked with a raised brow. "Or do you think there's something in this wine, and you don't dare to drink it?" Chapter 2 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!" Chapter 3 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!" Chapter 4 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?