Kicked Out, She Came Back To Rule - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Tobias froze, caught off guard. He leaned in for a better look, but the guy slipped into the car and was gone in a flash.
"That can't be Joel," Tobias muttered, shaking his head.
Joel was Dr. Bennett's right-hand man, a top bodyguard. Tobias thought there was no way he'd be hanging out with Kaia. He figured he must've been seeing things.
*****
Inside the Rolls-Royce, Joel's brow was furrowed. "You okay? Did anyone from the Moreno family give you a hard time?"
Kaia chuckled. "Do you honestly think anyone on this planet could push me around?"
Joel didn't look the least bit comforted. "What about Tobias? Did he mess with you? Did he treat you badly?"
"He's fine. He treats me like any other person—not exactly warm, but not hostile either," Kaia said.
"That's a relief." Joel nodded.
"Actually, he even helped me earlier," Kaia added.
Joel's head snapped toward her. "Helped you? How?"
Kaia told him what went down at the Moreno family's place.
By the time she was done, Joel's expression was downright menacing. "Cecelia and Bianca dared to mess with you, huh? Kaia, don't worry. After everything you've done for this country, insulting you is practically treason."
Kaia shook her head at him. "That's a little extreme. No need to deal with them—I already handled it."
"That's not enough," Joel grumbled.
"Yeah, maybe. But don't forget—Cecelia's grandpa is Mr. Keaton Moreno. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone so easy on them," Kaia said.
Joel frowned. After a pause, he said seriously, "If anything like this happens again, you should tell me right away. In Wustriland, keeping you safe is a matter of national security."
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you next time," Kaia promised.
Still, Joel didn't look satisfied. "Maybe I should move into the Moreno family. I could keep an eye on you."
Kaia arched a brow. "Not happening. If you move in, you'll blow my cover. I didn't hide my identity just to be mysterious—I just don't want the media trailing me everywhere, clogging traffic when I go shopping or grab dinner. I want my space and some peace."
"But if you're living there alone, some idiot is bound to start trouble. I know you can handle yourself, but then what's the point of having me as your top bodyguard?" Joel argued.
"My answer is still no," Kaia said flatly.
Joel pressed his lips together, eyes lowering like he was already plotting something.
*****
Later that day, after a long shift at the lab, Kaia came home to Moreno Manor and spotted something unusual—dozens of bodyguards in dark shades standing in the yard.
"What's this about?" Kaia asked.
Derek explained, "Morganburg's been dangerous lately. Rich homes have been getting hit—even in broad daylight. Mr. Tobias Moreno ordered me to hire more elite bodyguards."
"Got it," Kaia said, giving the men a once-over. Then her gaze landed on one towering guy—about 6.5 feet—who looked oddly familiar.
"Miss Bennett, you should head inside," Derek said quickly. "We're about to run tests. It could get violent. I wouldn't want to startle you."
"I'm fine. I'll watch," Kaia replied casually.
Derek was about to argue, then remembered the way she'd handled herself against Gemma at the engagement party. Clearly, Kaia wasn't a woman who scared easily.
When the testing began, Kaia sat back to watch.
The tall guy glanced at her for just a second. Kaia caught it immediately, her eyes narrowing.
He looked startled, but the next second, he was staring straight ahead like nothing had happened.
"Testing starts now," Derek announced. "Line up in two rows—one-on-one fights."
Soon, the first round knocked out half of them. The second cut the number in half again, leaving twenty-four.
"This batch looks good," Derek said, nodding. "Rest up. In twenty minutes, I'll pick a leader."
Twenty minutes later, when they resumed, the tall man stood out. He dropped everyone near him with just a couple of strikes.
Derek was about to name the tall man leader when Kaia spoke up. "Derek, being strong isn't enough for a Moreno bodyguard. They should also know a thing or two about poisons."
Derek froze, then gave her a condescending look. "Miss Bennett, you're still a student. Best to leave this to the professionals—it's about the family's safety."
He was polite enough in tone, but his face said otherwise. In his eyes, Kaia was acting like she already ran the place.
Kaia ignored him and continued, "Back in 1998, the richest man in a certain country died from poison because his bodyguards didn't know two foods could mix into a deadly heart toxin.
"In 2005, a royal princess inhaled odorless poison gas and fell into a coma—she's still in one. If something like that happened to the Moreno family, could you take responsibility?"
Her voice stayed calm, but the examples made Derek sweat.
Still, his pride stung. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Then why don't you come up with a test yourself, Miss Bennett? I'm sure you've got something ready if you're going to interrupt like this."
Inside, he was smirking. 'Go ahead. Try to show off. You'll just embarrass yourself. Considering your pathetic grades, I'd love to see what great questions you think you can write.'
"Gladly," Kaia said without hesitation. She asked for some paper, scribbled down ten questions, and handed them over.
Derek blinked, then showed them to the doctor overseeing the trials. The questions were excellent—only someone with real expertise could've written them.
The doctor looked at Kaia with genuine respect. "Miss Bennett, you've got serious toxicology knowledge. You should teach me sometime."
Derek's face went from red to pale.
Kaia just nodded and watched the men take the extra test. Even fewer passed. But the tall man still nailed every answer.
Kaia looked at his answers and walked over, still smiling. "What's your name?"
"Frank Hester," he replied.
"Frank Hester..." Kaia repeated, like she was turning it over in her mind. "Nice name. You remind me of someone."
Frank's fingers twitched slightly at his side.
"Want to know who?" Kaia asked, eyes curved in a teasing smile.
"No idea," Frank said flatly.
"Joel Graham—the international king of boxing," Kaia said lightly.
At that, Derek stiffened. "Miss Bennett, I'd be careful saying things like that. If Dr. Bennett and Mr. Graham hear it, it could stir up trouble for the Moreno family—and that would be on you."