Kicked Out, She Came Back To Rule - Chapter 597: Chapter 597

"A public apology to the entire internet? Why, Dad? Didn't Tobias already leave? Why are you still forcing me to do this?" Grace asked.
Grace's eyes were almost crying out. She rushed over and grabbed Ezekiel's hand, her voice filled with grievance and sorrow. "Dad, Dad, please let me off just this once. I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."
Ezekiel let out a heavy sigh and helplessly brushed off her hand. "Even if you know you're wrong, it's useless. Because it's not me who wants to punish you, it's Tobias."
"Why?" Grace stammered, her face a mix of shock and bewilderment. "Didn't Tobias already leave? Besides, he never said anything about making me apologize online."
Harold gave a cold, dismissive snort. "Do you really think a couple of promises from us and a few tears from you mean he's forgiven you? If that were the case, why would he go to all the trouble of coming here personally to discuss this?
"Right now, he's watching to see what our next move is. If we're not thorough enough to satisfy him, he'll still find ways to make trouble for us in secret. So even if you hate it, you have to apologize across the whole internet."
Grace bit down hard on her lip, so forcefully that the sharp tang of blood spread through her mouth. "I thought he would overlook my mistake for the sake of our families' decades-long friendship. I never imagined he'd go this far for that bitch Kaia."
She hated Kaia with a burning passion, wishing she could tear Kaia to pieces.
"What's done is done. Nothing you say now changes anything. You must do as I say, or our entire family could suffer because of you." Ezekiel's tone was final, leaving no room for negotiation.
Knowing the severity of the situation, and despite the immense resentment boiling inside her, Grace had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree. "I. Know. What. To. Do."
At six p.m., Grace went live on her account, issuing a public apology to Kaia and explaining the entire situation to the netizens.
Upon learning the truth from Grace, the internet erupted in an uproar. Comments flooded her feed.
[Your plotting is insanely cruel. You literally drove Kaia right to the brink.]
[I never would have guessed she was behind this. And to shamelessly use Kiera Yates's influence to attack Kaia? Despicable!]
[Seriously, as Kiera's fans, we were played for fools again and again. Remembering how I trashed Kaia before, it honestly makes me want to strangle her myself.]
[Even though Kaia and Kiera had their share of drama, Kiera's come out to clarify things twice now. It proves Kaia was never that kind of person.]
Watching the torrent of abuse directed at her in the comments, Grace's eyes grew bloodshot. Fearing she might lose control of her anger on camera, she abruptly ended the livestream.
Once the screen went completely black, she could no longer restrain herself. Letting out a roar of fury, she flailed her arms wildly, sweeping everything off her dressing table with a powerful swipe.
The floor was instantly littered with broken cosmetics.
Even this didn't feel satisfying enough.
The image of Kaia's smug face kept haunting her mind. The more she thought about it, the tighter her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms without her noticing, her eyes filled with intense hatred.
"Kaia, you bitch. I swear to God, I will never, ever let you get away with this." Grace screamed.
*****
At the Yates residence, Kiera was just about to head out to the recording studio when a servant came up to report, "Miss Adkins is here. She says she wants to see you."
Thinking of the foolish things Grace had done recently, Kiera's face darkened."Let her in."
"Yes," he replied.
The servant quickly left and came back with Grace.
The moment Grace saw Kiera, she rushed forward and grabbed her hands. "Kiera..."
Before she could finish, Kiera harshly shook her off.
Grace looked at her, puzzled and lost. "Kiera, what's wrong?"
"You have the nerve to ask me what's wrong? Instead of wasting time, you should reflect on the incredibly stupid thing you did!" Kiera looked at Grace as if she were an idiot.
Grace slowly approached again, trying to placate Kiera as she took her hand once more. "Kiera, I know you're angry about what I did to Kaia."
Kiera's expression eased up a bit at that. 'So she does recognize her mistake? Maybe she's not completely hopeless.'
However, Grace's next words made Kiera's jaw drop.
"I should have planned it more carefully and covered my tracks better. Then Tobias wouldn't have found out, and I could have easily crushed that bitch Kaia for good! It's a pity... I miscalculated just one step."
Seeing the twisted hatred on Grace's face, her desire to utterly destroy Kaia, Kiera's eyes blazed with towering anger. She violently shook off Grace's hand. "Are you seriously brainless?"
Being rejected repeatedly by Kiera finally angered Grace. "Kiera, we're best friends! How can you treat me like this?"
"Fine. Then let me make it clear. We are not friends anymore. Don't come looking for me in the future." Kiera's attitude was resolute.
Grace's eyes widened in disbelief. "Kiera... you're cutting off our friendship?"
Kiera's voice was icy, her tone mercilessly cold. "Correct! I am ending it. So don't bother looking for me."
"Why?" Grace's heart was filled with confusion and incomprehension.
She couldn't understand why Kiera's attitude had suddenly become so harsh.
'Is this all because of Kaia? That doesn't make any sense, does it?' Grace thought anxiously. 'Wasn't Kaia always the enemy we both agreed on?'
Just as Grace was lost in her thoughts, she caught sight of Preston and the other elders walking in from the doorway.
Seeing them, everything suddenly clicked for her.
'No wonder Kiera's been acting so cold to me all of a sudden. She knew the elders were here the whole time. She was just putting on a show for them. That makes sense. I understand her position now, and I don't blame her,' Grace thought.
Feeling relieved, Grace's expression became much calmer. "Kiera, I understand your difficult position now. Since it's not convenient for you to talk, I'll leave first. Contact me another day when you have time, and we can sit down and talk things through."
Kiera was confused.