Her Rebirth.-Chapter 43

Amelia froze.

Drugged.

If the wine was drugged, then this wasn’t some coincidence, it was a deliberate attempt.

But by who?

Her gaze moved toward Selene, her expression unreadable, though suspicion curled in her chest. She turned to Kai and whispered,

"Are you alright?"

Kai’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"Don’t worry about me." His voice was smooth, casual, as if nothing had happened. "I only took a sip. It won’t affect me."

But Amelia wasn’t convinced. Her eyes searched his face, scanning for any signs of discomfort. Only when she was sure he was truly fine did she finally shift her focus.

Her expression darkened as she turned back to Selene, whose complexion had noticeably paled. The girl fidgeted with her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

Guilt.

Selene cleared her throat, forcing a weak smile.

"Amelia, it seems your fiancé can’t drink the wine," she said, forcing a smile. "So why don’t you drink it instead? As an apology?"

Amelia’s lips curved into a soft smile, but it lacked any trace of warmth.

"Suddenly, I don’t feel like drinking anymore."

Selene stiffened. Her fingers curled into fists.

Did she suspect something?

Selene quickly recovered, forcing a chuckle. "Why, Amelia? I apologized, so it’s only right for you to do the same, isn’t it?"

"But it was your choice to apologize," Amelia said lightly, tilting her head. "I don’t want to."

Selene clenched her jaw. "That’s unfair, Amelia. It’s just a glass of wine. It’s not that big of a deal." She stepped forward, as if to take the glass from Kai and press it into Amelia’s hand.

The polite smile on Amelia’s face fell into a small frown.

"Why are you so adamant about me drinking this wine?" she asked, her voice scrutinizing. "Did you... put something in it?"

Selene’s eyes widened. "W-What do you mean, Amelia?" she sputtered. "Are you accusing me of drugging your wine?"

Amelia had wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, after all, Selene was supposed to be Amelia Cosgrove’s friend. But the way she was reacting, the way she was nervous, the way she kept insisting she drink the wine...

It was too suspicious.

Amelia’s voice fell, becoming cold. "Did you?"

Selene gasped, placing a hand on her chest as if Amelia had hurt her. "How could you say such a thing? That’s so hurtful, Amelia. If you no longer want to be my friend, you could’ve just said so instead of accusing me of such an awful thing."

Amelia stared at her for a long moment, then, without a word, took the glass from Kai’s hand.

With a smile, she held it out to Selene.

"Then drink it."

Selene went rigid.

"What?"

"You want me to drink it, don’t you? If there’s nothing wrong with it, then you can drink it instead." Amelia’s voice was light, almost playful, but her gaze burned into Selene.

Selene recoiled. "And why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn’t you?" Amelia countered. "Unless... you drugged it?"

Selene’s breath hitched. She visibly trembled, her entire body tensing like a cornered animal.

"Amelia, how can you be so untrusting?" Selene shouted angrily, attracting onlookers.

Amelia was not fazed by how dramatic she was. Instead, she said, "If you drink it and I was truly wrong, I will go on my knees and apologize to you."

The murmurs among the crowd grew louder, but before Selene could respond, Mason Cosgrove stepped forward, Ray right behind him, a frown on his face as if he were being bothered.

"What is going on here?" His expression was that of obvious anger and disgust. "Even after you left, you still manage to disgrace the Cosgrove name."

Mason was angry at this daughter of his. Grandfather Cosgrove had scolded him and seized some of his shares because of her.

"Father..." Ray was about to speak before he was interrupted.

Amelia didn’t spare Mason a glance. "Your concern is misplaced, Father," she said dismissively before turning back to Selene. "Confess, or I’ll make sure the police handle this. And trust me, I’ll ensure you spend your entire life behind bars."

Selene visibly paled at the words.

She knew that if Amelia involved the authorities, she wouldn’t stand a chance. Grandfather Cosgrove supported Amelia now. If Amelia truly wanted, she could destroy her, especially since her parents weren’t really powerful.

Selene dropped to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I did it! I drugged the wine! Please forgive me, Amelia!"

Gasps filled the banquet hall.

"Why?" Amelia asked.

Selene bit her lip, looking desperate. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her dress. She refused to meet Amelia’s gaze.

Sensing her hesitation, Amelia turned toward Mason Cosgrove. "Selene just admitted to drugging me. She almost caused me to bring shame to the Cosgrove name. Don’t you think she should be punished?"

Selene’s eyes widened in fear.

She opened her mouth, about to confess everything, but...

She met her gaze. It was cold and dangerous. It was different from the person she knew, the kind, sweet soul that always helped her.

All color drained from Selene.

"Selene, how could you do such a thing? Aren’t you Amelia’s friend?" Lilac, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke in a scolding manner. She turned to Amelia, her voice filled with concern. "This is why I always told you to stay away from such bad friends."

Amelia stilled.

There it was.

Selene had been about to confess who ordered her to do it, but as soon as Lilac came into view, she didn’t speak.

Mason turned to Amelia. "Lilac is right. You can only blame yourself for this. If only you—"

"Before you say another word to Amelia, watch what you say." Ray’s voice rang out.

Mason turned, eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Ray’s voice was cold. "Amelia was the victim here. You should be asking if she’s alright, not scolding her as if she’s the problem."

Mason’s face widened in shock. This was unusual, very unusual of Ray. What was wrong with him? Had Amelia perhaps influenced him?

Amelia was just as surprised as everyone else. Ray was defending her?

Lilac stiffened, clearly caught off guard as well.

What was going on?

Ray’s gaze fell to Selene coldly. "Since you don’t want to confess, it’s only right that you are thrown in jail for attempting to harm a Cosgrove."

Selene, panicked and desperate, quickly scrambled for a lie.

"I did it because... because I was jealous! I like Kai! I didn’t want you to have him!"

The air immediately became filled with gossip.

Amelia frowned. She didn’t believe a bit of it.

But she also knew she wouldn’t get anything more out of Selene now.

Security arrived, grabbing Selene by the arms. She struggled briefly before resigning herself to her fate as they dragged her away.

As the tension in the air began to settle, Amelia felt something warm and heavy against her shoulder.

She froze.

Kai.

His jaw rested against her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin.

A deep, low whisper brushed against her ear.

"Amelia..."

His voice was weaker than before.

"I don’t... feel so good."