Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 422

Altair lay sprawled inside the cabinet, staring wide-eyed at Dames.

From his phone, Adrian heard every word Dames said. He stood with one arm folded across his chest, the other hand stroking his chin, his gaze icy as he watched the surveillance feed on his computer screen—Dames had just shoved Altair into the room.

Standing behind the driver’s seat, Daph gripped the top of the headrest, her eyes wide and trembling with fear.

“I promise, I’ll keep both of you alive!” Selene’s desperate reply failed to satisfy Dames.

“No!” he shouted. “You have to choose. Only one of us gets to make it out!”

He lunged, grabbing Selene’s arm, his eyes burning with a wild blend of stubbornness and pleading.

“Mommy! Altair’s going to be fine. Please, let’s just leave together—let’s go find Dad, and we’ll be a happy family again!”

A sudden idea flashed through Selene’s mind. She turned sideways and fished a bobby pin from her backpack, working it carefully into the knot that bound Altair.

She focused on the task, shutting out Dames’s frantic voice beside her ear. Whatever he said, she didn’t hear it.

“Dames, go! Get out now!”

She repeated this over and over, her voice meant just for her son.

Sweat rolled in heavy drops down her forehead, soaking her clothes. If she just had thirty more seconds, she could free Altair from the ropes.

Dames stamped his foot in frustration. “You really have to save Altair? Mom, look at me! My leg hurts—I can’t walk. Can you carry me, please?”

Sweat trickled from Selene’s brow, stinging her eyes. She wiped it away, blinking rapidly.

In the van, Daph stared at the surveillance screen, her voice trembling in horror. “Why would Dames do this to Little Star?”

When she heard Dames scream, “I hate you!” at Selene, tears welled up instantly.

Adrian turned and gently ruffled Daph’s hair, trying to comfort her.

“Love is selfish,” he said quietly. “It’s exclusive, possessive, obsessive—it can’t be shared. Sometimes, it burns everything down.”

A shadow crossed Adrian’s eyes as he stared at the phone, the word “On Call” glowing on the screen.

“It’s the absence of a father that’s made him depend on his mother’s attention to survive.”

Inside the burning room, Dames let out a furious roar, then spun and bolted for the door.