Before Ariana could refuse. Luigi had already grabbed her wrist and practically dragged her to his Tesla.
The car pulled up outside The Box. Manhattan’s most exclusive members–only club. After parking, Luigi circled around to her side and opened the door with a theatrical flourish that once would have made her heart flutter.
Ariana gave him a flat, empty stare as she stepped out.
The moment they entered the dimly lit space, Ariana’s attention was immediately drawn to a familiar figure.
Leila Brown.]
She wore a champagne silk slip dress with a dangerously high slit, Louboutins, and just enough diamonds to look effortless. Her glossy hair fell in loose waves, and her calculated smile drew everyone in as she held court in the VIP section, cocktail in hand.[]
Leila had been Luigi’s childhood friend. Though they had grown up together, during the years Ariana had dated Luigi, the two women had never crossed paths.]
So she’d never suspected that Luigi had been obsessed with Leila all along
When Leila spotted them, her eyes flickered with recognition, then narrowed into the slightest smirk–a look that confirmed everything. She’d been in on the 99–part revenge scheme all along.
This is revenge #97, Ariana realized with stomach–turning clarity. Coming here was a setup.
Luigi also noticed Leila’s presence. His fingers tensed around Ariana’s before he abruptly dropped her hand like it had burned him.]
He leaned in, his breath hot against her ear: “Gotta take this call: Network with people or whatever. Back in five.”
Ariana stood frozen, watching Luigi’s retreating figure, a cold emptiness spreading through her chest. The casualness of his dismissal felt like another slap in the face.
m
Before she could react, Leila was already gliding across the room with runway precision, following directly in Luigi’s wake.
Their silhouettes–one leading, one following–disappeared around a corner, no doubt heading somewhere private.[]
Ariana had no time to dwell on what they might be doing together, as Luigi’s friends quickly surrounded her.[]
“Well, if it isn’t Luigi’s favorite charity case!” Tyler’s voice boomed as he shoved a glass of something amber colored into her hand.
Ariana shook her head firmly. “I don’t drink.”
“Don’t be such a fucking buzzkill.” Blake sneered. “What’s wrong, afraid Daddy Luigi will get mad?” They all laughed, exchanging knowing glances.
“Or maybe she can’t handle her liquor,” Derek added, pushing the glass toward her lips. “Little Miss Perfect probably gets wasted off one shot.“||
Ariana tried to step back, but Josh blocked her path. “Either drink it or wear it, sweetheart.”
When she tried to break free. Tyler gave her a hard shove. “Oops, my bad.”
“Ah–r
She cried out as she lost her balance and fell straight into the adjacent infinity pool.
The freezing water engulfed her instantly.
She couldn’t swim. Her limbs failed desperately, but her clothes quickly became waterlogged, dragging her down.]
Water rushed into her nose and mouth, burning her lungs. The club lights above the surface blurred and distorted as her consciousness began to fade, darkness closing in until everything went black.]
When Ariana next opened her eyes, she found herself back in the bedroom of Luigi’s apartment. Her head pounded with each heartbeat, and her body burned as if she were being roasted alive.
She struggled to focus her vision and saw Luigi sitting by the bed, holding a glass of water and some pills.
“You’re burning up. Take these,” Luigi said, his voice soft with what might have seemed like concern–if she didn’t know better now.
Ariana hazily accepted the pills and swallowed them with the water.]
Too weak to think clearly, she only registered that her throat felt like she’d swallowed glass and her body seemed to have turned to concrete.]
She closed her eyes, wanting to escape back into unconsciousness, but her temperature kept climbing, something scorching through her veins.]]
Some time later–minutes or hours, she couldn’t tell–she forced her eyes open again and realized Luigi was gone.
Of course, she thought bitterly. He can’t even be bothered to maintain the charade anymore.
She struggled to sit up, touching her forehead. It was terrifyingly hot.
She knew she couldn’t wait any longer. She needed medical help
With trembling fingers, she ordered an Uber to the nearest ER|
Ariana dragged her leaden body through the hospital doors, barely making it to the reception desk before a nurse rushed to help her.
The doctor immediately put her on an IV drip, which finally brought her fever down sligh
After examining her thoroughly, the doctor frowned: “Ms. Collins, your temperature was 101.3 when you came in. You’re bordering on pneumonda from aspiration. Why didn’t you come in sooner
Ariana leaned weakly against the hospital bed, her voice harely audible: “I thought the medicine would help.”
The doctor looked concerned. “What medicine were you taking?”
Ariana pulled a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to the doctor. “Aspirin. My boyfriend gave it to me.“]
The doctor opened the bottle, examined its contents, and his expression darkened: “These aren’t aspirin at all. The bottle is labeled correctly, but these are nothing but sugar pills. Taking these instead of actual medication could have been extremely dangerous in your condition.”
Ariana’s heart plummeted, her fingers trembling slightly.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed repeatedly.
She weakly raised her hand to check it. A series of WhatsApp notifications lit up her screen.
They were from a group chat with Luigi’s friends.]
Tyler: Revenge #97 EPIC WIN!!! ???||
Blake: Whoever came up with the pool fake meds combo deserves a fucking medal! First we “accidentally” push her in, then Luigi swoops in with sugar pills? She’s gotta be DYING m
Josh: Luigi’s face when she swallowed those pills tho ??
Derek: HOLY SHIT DELETE THIS! WRONG GROUP! SHE CAN SEE THESE!!! ???
