Kicked Out, She Came Back To Rule - Chapter 539: Chapter 539

Kaia felt terrible, but she barely even noticed her own pain. Her mind was consumed with worry for Tobias. When she finally spoke, her voice was weighed down with anxiety and exhaustion.
"I'm okay. Tobias got badly hurt trying to protect me," Kaia murmured, guilt heavy in her chest.
Joel paused, stunned for a second, but honestly, knowing how devoted Tobias was to Kaia, this didn't come as much of a surprise to him.
"Where is he right now? Our car's outside. We can get him to the hospital immediately," Joel said.
"Things got way too intense, so I had Kiera take him away first," Kaia said, bracing herself as she pushed up and pointed toward the corner. "They went that way. We need to go find them right now."
Seeing Kaia's pale face, Joel couldn't help but suggest, "You don't look so good. Why don't you stay here and catch your breath? I'll take some people and go find him. I promise I'll bring him back safe and sound."
"No!" Kaia replied firmly, her voice full of determination. "I won't be able to rest until I see him with my own eyes and know he's alright."
With those words, she practically raced off toward the corner, her anxiousness apparent.
Joel could only sigh and hurried after her.
Just as they reached the intersection, they spotted a figure running toward them from afar.
The area was so dark, they couldn't tell who it was.
Joel instinctively stepped in front of Kaia, shielding her, while his crew immediately tensed up, ready for anything.
Kaia's eyesight was sharp. Even in the darkness, she could instantly recognize the person sprinting their way. It was Kiera.
"It's Kiera," Kaia informed.
Kaia shoved Joel aside and barreled straight toward Kiera.
When Kiera got close, Kaia saw she was drenched in blood and barely able to catch her breath. Her whole face twisted in panic.
"Why are you by yourself? Where's Tobias?" Kaia demanded, her voice tight with worry.
Kiera caught the desperate look in Kaia's eyes, and her hands clenched into fists, nerves shot through with dread.
"We were halfway out when out of nowhere, a group of guys ambushed us and dragged him off," Kiera said, her voice trembling.
"What? What did you just say?" Kaia's eyes darkened, and her fingers interlocked so tightly together that she did not even notice the pain from her nails digging into her skin.
Kiera gritted her teeth, sucking in a deep breath. "I messed up. I made a fool of myself. If you need someone to blame, you can blame me. I won't fight against it."
"It's fine. I know you did everything you could," Kaia said, fighting to contain her panic and worry. She turned to Joel, calmly commanding, "Send every single person out to look for him. I need him back here, safe and sound. No excuses."
"On it," Joel replied.
Joel immediately started barking orders at his crew, sending them out to search for Tobias.
When Joel turned back to Kaia, he saw the anxiety she was desperately trying to hide in her eyes. He wanted to comfort her, but he just couldn't find the appropriate words. Ultimately, he could only say softly, "It's not safe here. Let's head back."
Kaia looked up, her gaze lingering for a moment in the endless darkness, before she finally tore her eyes away, clearly reluctant to leave.
"...Okay. Let's go," Kaia murmured, her voice barely audible, the reluctance plain in her eyes.
She couldn't stop worrying about Tobias, and leaving felt wrong. The thought of turning back now made her uneasy.
But Joel was right. This place was way too dangerous. Even if she didn't care about herself, she had to think about others.
And since those guys had snatched Tobias, there was no doubt they were getting back at her.
There was no point sticking around here. She'd be better off heading back and pulling every string she could to hunt Tobias down.
Or maybe those people would show up to make a deal. She could use that as her chance, bring her people, and snatch Tobias right back.