Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 419

“If Mom hadn’t rushed into the fire to save me, I wouldn’t have let Dad blame you. You were the one who helped me see just how heartless Mom could be toward me!”

The assistant still hesitated, but Dames cut in coldly.

“If you don’t do exactly as I say, you’re out. Fired. Understand?”

Dames’s ultimatum hit the assistant like a punch to the gut—his knees nearly buckled. Jobs this good didn’t come around often, especially ones with paychecks this generous. He couldn’t afford to lose it.

Besides, he actually did know how to start a fire. He’d done a stint at a fire station, where they routinely practiced building fire drills—and he’d been the guy charged with setting them up.

*

Luke Holloway pulled out his phone and dialed Adrian.

The school talent show had just wrapped up, and everyone was packing up to leave.

Adrian was sitting in his sports car when he saw Luke’s SUV pull up nearby. Suddenly, Selene leapt out and sprinted toward the school auditorium.

Adrian was just about to open his door when his phone began to ring.

He answered. Luke’s voice was tense: “I need you to keep an eye on Daph for me. There’s a fire in the auditorium—some people are still trapped inside. I’m going to grab some fire-fighting gear.”

Adrian glanced toward the auditorium; flames from the top floor were already lighting up the night sky.

Luke was ex-military—he’d handled his share of rescue operations and disaster zones. The moment he heard about the fire, his mind instantly mapped out where the nearest fire hydrants were. He’d been to the school a few times before and had always made a point to check out where the emergency equipment was stored.

“What about Selene?” Adrian asked.

“She’s already headed inside!” Luke didn’t waste another word. He hung up and ran off toward the auditorium.

Adrian got out, walked over, and took Daph by the hand, guiding her to stand beside him.

“Where did Mom and Uncle Luke go?” Daph asked, her little face puzzled.

“Long story,” Adrian replied. “I once got stuck in North Korea. Since they’re cut off from foreign currency, the only way to get cash was to hack into banks around the world. I picked up a few tricks from them. Okay… I’m in.”

A new intensity entered his voice. “I see you now.”

On Adrian’s laptop, a live feed from the auditorium’s security cameras flickered to life—Selene’s figure appeared on the screen.

“Can you see where Dames is?” she asked quickly.

“I’ll need to scroll back through the previous footage. Hold on. For now, I can tell you this: the fire started on the top floor and is spreading down. You’re on the ground floor—for the moment, you’re safe.”

He paused, frowning. “That’s odd…”

“What is it?” Selene pressed.

“The footage from the second floor—from about ten minutes ago—it’s been wiped.”