Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 430

The afternoon sun streamed through the sheer curtains, scattering dappled patterns across the floor.

Selene lay quietly in her hospital bed, an oxygen mask covering her face. Her hair was neatly spread over the pillow, and her eyes were gently closed. Long, dark lashes cast delicate shadows beneath her lids.

The only sound in the tranquil room was the steady hum of the oxygen machine.

Leo sat nearby in his wheelchair, his gaze calm and unwavering as he watched Selene’s pale face. The doctors had assured him that she was out of danger now, and there was every reason to believe she would wake soon.

When Selene had first been rushed to the hospital, she’d clung to consciousness by sheer will. It wasn’t until she saw her assistant wheeling Leo into the room—until she realized she could safely entrust Altair to him—that she finally relaxed, let out the breath she’d been holding, and slipped into unconsciousness.

The smile Selene managed just before she fainted still lingered in Leo’s memory, vivid and unshakable.

By the time Leo returned to himself, almost without realizing it, his hand had reached out toward Selene’s face. In the soft hospital light, his features seemed touched by a gentle glow, his pale skin almost luminous.

The moment Leo realized what he was about to do—actually touch Selene’s face—his fingertips trembled. He forced himself to pull his hand back.

His long, slender fingers traced the armrest of his wheelchair, and when he glanced down at his own hand, his eyes filled with self-reproach. How could he let himself do something like that?

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Leo answered, and his assistant reported, “Mr. Harrison would like to see you.”

After the incident in the auditorium, even the bodyguards who were always by Altair’s side were punished—Leo sent them off to some remote base in the northwest mountains. Not only had he replaced Altair’s security team, but he’d also stationed plainclothes guards at Selene’s side.

Back at the hospital, after hanging up, Leo switched off his phone. Ever since the news spread that Altair had been rescued from the fire, members of the Vaughn family had been calling non-stop, supposedly to check on Altair’s condition. Leo could only guess at their true motives.

His investigation revealed that Damien, after ordering his assistant to set the auditorium on fire, had immediately notified his father—Patriarch Vaughn—and his older brother, Liam Vaughn.

Upon hearing the news, they split up: one called an emergency executive meeting at Vaughn Enterprises to strategize damage control for the inevitable scandal; the other gathered the family elders to discuss how to deal with Damien’s crime.

Leo had given them the whole morning to debate and deliberate.