The Party Trap

The music pulsed like a heartbeat as Ariella stepped into the massive Grey estate, her heels clicking on marble floors. Rosewood’s elite were already scattered across the grand hall—laughing, drinking, scheming. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above like stars, but Ariella knew there was nothing celestial about this night.

This party was a battlefield.

She adjusted her silk burgundy dress, the one that clung just enough to make people turn but not stare. Her hair was swept into effortless curls. She looked like she belonged. She always had. That was the thing about being reborn—you remembered exactly how to play the role.

Ariella Kane didn’t need an invitation to walk into a lion’s den. She was raised by wolves.

Her eyes scanned the room.

Melody Monroe.

There she was—wearing silver, radiant, already surrounded by people. Fake smile, fake laugh, fake warmth. Melody could charm a priest into sinning, and no one ever saw the snake underneath the sequins. Not yet.

Ariella gave her a soft smile across the room.

Melody blinked, then tilted her head in faint confusion.

Good. Keep wondering.

Tonight wasn’t about confrontation. It was about planting doubt. About reminding Melody that the world could shift beneath her feet without warning.

“Looking for me?”

A smooth voice brushed her ear. Ariella didn’t flinch. She turned slowly.

Luca Grey.

Dark suit. Slight smirk. Hands in his pockets like he owned the whole damn universe—and maybe he did, at least in this world. His reputation didn’t do him justice. Up close, he was more danger than charm, more fire than ice.

“You think too highly of yourself,” Ariella replied.

“Not true,” Luca said. “You just think too low of others.”

She fought the smirk pulling at her lips. “Did you come here to flirt or stalk?”

“Can’t I do both?” he asked, stepping in front of her. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“Maybe I’m just busy.”

“With what? Glaring at Melody all day?”

She narrowed her eyes. He didn’t know—couldn’t know—why she hated Melody. But it was a reminder: Luca watched people. He saw what others didn’t.

“I’m not glaring,” Ariella lied. “Just…observing. You should try it. Might help with your reputation.”

“Careful,” he warned softly. “Insulting me is practically a Rosewood sport. You might get addicted.”

Before she could answer, a flash went off.

“Ariella!” someone called. “Come take pictures with us!”

It was Tiffany, surrounded by girls from their grade, half-drunk on mocktails and attention. Melody stood among them, glass in hand, eyes gleaming.

Ariella blinked. There it was—the invitation she was waiting for.

She smiled. “Duty calls.”

Luca leaned close. “Be careful in the spotlight, Kane. It burns.”

---

The photoshoot was worse than she expected.

Each girl posed like it was their last day on Earth—duck lips, peace signs, chin tilts. Ariella played along, smiling when the camera turned, keeping her body angled away from Melody.

“You look amazing,” Melody said sweetly. “That color brings out your…eyes.”

Ariella returned the compliment with a tilt of her head. “Thanks. I love how your dress matches the mood. Cold.”

There was a pause. Tiffany giggled.

Melody’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes sharpened. “You’ve been different lately.”

“Different how?”

“I don’t know. You’re just…not as sweet. Is everything okay?”

She’s fishing, Ariella thought. She feels it. The shift.

“I’m perfect,” Ariella said. “But thanks for pretending to care.”

Melody’s eyes flickered.

Checkmate.

---

Later, Ariella slipped away from the chaos. She needed air.

She stepped onto the Grey’s rooftop terrace, where the noise softened under the velvet sky. Rosewood stretched below like a painting—beautiful and suffocating.

“You survived,” came a voice behind her.

She turned. Luca again. Of course.

“Barely,” she replied.

They stood in silence for a beat. Then he handed her a glass of something cold.

“I figured you’d need one.”

Ariella raised an eyebrow. “Are you always this thoughtful?”

He shrugged. “Only when I’m interested.”

She didn’t drink, just stared at the glass. “You don’t know me.”

“Not yet,” he said. “But I see things.”

Ariella turned toward him fully. “And what do you see when you look at me?”

Luca’s gaze didn’t waver. “Someone who’s pretending they don’t care when they actually care too much.”

She hated how right he was.

“And what do you want, Luca?” she asked.

He leaned closer. “To know why a girl who used to follow Melody like a shadow suddenly acts like she’s the sun.”

Because she tried to destroy me, Ariella wanted to scream. Because she took everything from me.

But instead, she said nothing. She just stared back.

“Be careful,” he added. “Melody’s not stupid. She’ll notice.”

“I want her to,” Ariella said quietly.

A beat.

Then footsteps echoed behind them.

“Ariella!”

Tiffany ran out, her face pale. “You need to see this.”

---

Back inside, a crowd had gathered near the living room screen. Someone had connected a phone to the large TV. A video was playing.

It was grainy but clear enough.

Ariella. In the hallway. Talking to Melody’s ex, Zane. Leaning in. Laughing.

Then, the worst part—Zane kissing her cheek. And Ariella not pulling away.

Gasps. Whispers.

“What the hell?” someone muttered.

“She went after Melody’s ex?”

“Is she drunk?”

“She’s always been jealous.”

Ariella’s blood turned to ice.

She remembered that moment. It happened two days ago—but the kiss hadn’t been real. Zane had leaned in too close, and she had stepped back immediately. But the video… was edited.

Slowed.

Looped.

Framed.

Melody stepped forward, her voice trembling—just enough to sound believable.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” she whispered. “I thought maybe it was just a misunderstanding. But she’s been acting strange for weeks now.”

Everyone turned toward Ariella.

Luca stepped forward. “That video’s not real.”

“She’s your friend,” someone said. “Of course you’d say that.”

“I’m not her friend,” Luca snapped. “I’m not anybody’s friend.”

Ariella’s heart raced. Melody had struck first.

The war had begun.

But she wouldn’t go down like this. Not again.

She looked straight at Melody. Her voice didn’t shake.

“Is this really how you want to play?”

Melody smiled, all sugar and venom. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Tiffany whispered, “This is bad, Ari.”

Ariella nodded slowly, her face unreadable.

Then she walked past the whispers, past the stares, and out the front door without another word.

Let them talk.

Let them turn.

She wasn’t the same girl who got crushed before.

This time, she’d burn the whole game down before she lost again.

As Ariella reached the sidewalk, her phone buzzed. One new message.

Unknown number.

No name.

"If you want to take her down, I can help. Meet me tomorrow. Alone."

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

It begins.