Kicked Out, She Came Back To Rule - Chapter 543: Chapter 543

Joel let out a barely audible sigh.
"I've had my people searching everywhere," Joel said quietly. "Even the folks up top have sent plenty of people, but we've still got nothing."
Kaia furrowed her brows and kept quiet.
She couldn't help thinking about the days Tobias had spent by her side. Suddenly, a bittersweet ache tugged at her heart.
But she kept it all hidden behind those fluttering lashes, veiling every emotion in her eyes.
Even though Kaia didn't say a word, Joel could still sense the sadness shrouding her from the way she carried herself.
"If Tobias saw you like this, he'd be heartbroken," Joel said softly.
Kaia paused, a little stunned by Joel's words.
Whenever Tobias saw her wiped out or in a bad mood, he'd gently take her hand, those deep, dark eyes filled with gentle concern and aching love.
Tobias was always so unbelievably good to her and couldn't stand seeing her suffer even a little. Kaia had to snap out of it. It was true that Tobias would not want to see her falling apart like this.
As Kaia worked through her thoughts, that tired heaviness finally faded from her heart, and her eyes grew noticeably brighter with determination.
"You're right," she replied, steady now. "Feeling miserable won't change anything. I should snap out of it and keep thinking of ways to find out where Tobias is."
Seeing her shake off all that gloom, Joel felt genuinely relieved inside.
"Exactly," Joel said, giving her a nod. "I'll go get things ready for heading back to the city, then?"
Kaia answered calmly, "Mm, go get ready."
"Alright," Joel replied, heading out right away.
No sooner had Joel stepped out than Kaia's phone buzzed sharply in her hand.
She looked down. One glance at the screen was all it took for her heart to skip a beat. Her grip on the phone instinctively tightened.
[He's with me. You must come alone,] the text read.
The message ended with a location pin that pointed to a remote island.
Instinctively, panic ran through her, but Kaia forced herself to settle down, her fingers tightening around her phone as she collected herself.
Kaia had seen this coming. She knew that they would eventually reach out to her one day. But she never thought that they would lie low for over half a month. Kaia could not help but muse that they must be more patient than she thought.
Kaia grabbed her phone and headed downstairs, all set to face whatever was waiting for her. But as soon as she caught Joel hustling around in the room, she froze mid-step.
If she told Joel about this, he'd never let her walk into danger alone. But saving Tobias couldn't wait. She had to come up with a way to slip past Joel and get out of here fast.
Joel noticed Kaia watching him and turned, locking eyes with her.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Joel asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kaia dropped her gaze, making sure her face gave nothing away.
"Nothing. Go ahead and finish packing. Come over when you're done. I need to talk to you," Kaia instructed.
Joel dropped what he was doing and immediately got up to follow her.
"Come on, we're closer than that. If you've got something to say, just say it. Why all the beating around the bush?" he asked.
Kaia played along. "I just wanted to grab a drink with you."
"A drink?" Joel raised an eyebrow. "What's up with that all of a sudden?"
Kaia let out a deliberately somber sigh, faking the melancholy.
"I've been feeling so suffocated these days," she said quietly. "And the more I think about it, the more I realize you have a point. Knowing how much Tobias cares about me. If he saw me like this, I know it'd break his heart. So I figured a little alcohol might help clear away all these bad feelings, so I can greet him with my best self when he comes back."
Joel nodded, approving. "That's the spirit. Nothing wrong with a couple of drinks. Wait right here. I'll run to the cellar and grab some vintage wine."