Kicked Out, She Came Back To Rule - Chapter 569: Chapter 569

Kaia pressed her lips together, a complex and unreadable emotion flickering in her striking eyes.
"Mr. Crawford, are you really so disappointed to see me?" Kaia asked.
"It's not about you, Kaia. It's that I didn't get a chance to meet Ms. Unity," Collin said with a heavy sigh, his face clearly showing his devastation.
"Ever since you agreed to arrange this meeting, I've been counting the days, hoping to meet her just once. That would make my life complete. I prepared so much for today. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. But to think Ms. Unity never even showed up..." Collin's voice trailed off with a bitter smile.
Kaia sized him up. In his crisp suit and slicked-back hair, it was obvious he'd put real effort into this meeting.
In this moment, the elderly man before her seemed less like a respected master and more like a child who'd dropped his precious candy in the dirt, utterly heartbroken.
And she knew she was the cause of his disappointment.
Kaia smiled faintly but said nothing as she entered the private room.
Despite his disappointment, Collin's desire to meet Ms. Unity remained undiminished.
He hurried after her. "Kaia, did Ms. Unity give any reason for not coming? Do you think I'll still get to meet her in my lifetime?"
Kaia didn't answer. Instead, her eyes fell upon the ink, brushes, and paper prepared on the table. She walked over and picked up a brush.
"Mr. Crawford, let's set aside Ms. Unity for now. If you'd accept it, I'd like to paint something for you." Kaia offered.
When Kaia didn't respond to the master, Collin began to understand the message. He sighed quietly, slowly emerging from his despair.
"So be it," he said, "I guess meeting Ms. Unity just isn't in the cards for me."
Saying that, he pulled himself together and quietly walked over to stand by Kaia. "Oh? You paint as well? Or is this just your way of humoring me?"
"I've practiced occasionally when I had free time," Kaia replied casually.
"Alright then, please begin. I'll observe and offer guidance if needed." Collin clasped his hands behind his back, assuming the posture of a teacher.
Kaia glanced at him briefly before focusing on the paper. She dipped her brush and began to paint.
While Collin respected her chess skills immensely, when it came to painting, he'd never met anyone besides Ms. Unity who truly impressed him. He prepared himself to offer constructive criticism.
But as he watched Kaia handle the brush with effortless grace and clear mastery, he began to sense something extraordinary.
He remained silent, patiently observing.
The longer he watched, the more astonished he became, his eyes gradually widening.
When the majestic tiger finally emerged from her brushstrokes, leaping vividly across the paper, Collin's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"This... this can't be... Your style is identical to Ms. Unity's! Even I can't tell the difference. It's as if she painted this!"
Growing increasingly excited, Collin moved closer to the painting, examining it intently for any flaw that would distinguish it from Ms. Unity's work.
But every detail, every brushstroke matched Ms. Unity's distinctive style perfectly.
Completely bewildered, Collin stared at Kaia, his eyes filled with urgent curiosity. "You... what's your connection to Ms. Unity?"
Kaia simply smiled mysteriously and retrieved a personal seal from her bag.
Collin watched her every movement closely.
He spotted the seal immediately.
At first, he couldn't make out the characters clearly, only seeing two red marks.
But as Kaia prepared to stamp the painting, he finally read the two characters clearly.
They read... 'Unity'!
Collin stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
His mouth hung open in stunned silence, completely speechless.
He remained motionless for three full minutes before slowly turning to stare at Kaia.
His eyes scanned her features mechanically.
Suddenly, the memory of seeing Ms. Unity at a banquet years ago surfaced in his mind.
The image of that young child gradually overlapped with the woman before him until they merged into one person.
The realization struck Collin, and he burst into laughter mixed with self-reproach.
He slapped his forehead in dismay. "Oh God. All this time... Ms. Unity was right in front of me! How could I have been so blind? With your remarkable talents, of course, you'd excel at everything you try. I should have known! Instead, I foolishly believed you merely knew her. This old mind of mine really isn't what it used to be."
Kaia smiled gently. "Speaking of which, I never properly thanked you for saving me when I was three. I had no idea someone meant me harm that day. If you hadn't intervened, who knows what might have happened."
Collin waved dismissively. "That was nothing, don't mention it."
After a comfortable silence, Kaia spoke again, "Mr. Crawford, I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long. Please accept this painting as my apology."
Collin accepted it reverently, his admiration growing with each moment he studied it.
Holding the painting, his face broke into a beaming smile. "I can hardly believe I finally own an authentic Ms. Unity painting. My life is truly complete now."
Then he remembered his previous request to become Ms. Unity's disciple and her refusal. Looking at Kaia now, a wry smile touched his lips. "No wonder you declined to take me as your student. It's because..."
It was because Kaia had already accepted his granddaughter as her student. If he became her disciple too, their family relationships would become completely tangled.
He could hardly call his own granddaughter "senior."
Knowing Samantha's bold personality, she'd probably pat him on the shoulder and say, "Hey there, junior!"
Just imagining the scene made Collin want to scold her.
Though he had to admit that his usually troublesome granddaughter had shown remarkable insight this time. The master he'd longed to meet for years had been right under his nose, and Samantha had recognized her first.