Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 462

“Selene, you’re the developer behind Project Prism? How come you never mentioned that before?” Quentin blurted out, still processing the revelation. As the second half of Gwyneth’s sentence registered, he blinked in disbelief, half-suspecting he’d misheard.

He leaned over to Simon, trying to make himself heard over the din. “Did I catch that right? It’s so noisy in here. What exactly did Ms. Lockridge just say? Who’s actually running QuanTech Innovations?”

Simon’s carefully composed expression finally cracked.

Annalise Johnston shot Selene a skeptical look. “What kind of deal did you make with Ms. Lockridge? Why would you be in charge of QuanTech Innovations?”

She was convinced there had to be a misunderstanding. She’d done her homework on Selene: a woman who’d dropped out of a direct PhD program at Capital University halfway through to get married and become a housewife, with no real work experience to her name. Someone like Selene would be lucky to get a job as a janitor at QuanTech Innovations.

Simon muttered under his breath, “What makes her qualified to lead a company like this?”

Selene could feel every pair of eyes in the room fixed on her. Even through the blaring alarms, she caught Simon and several others whispering, their suspicion clear.

“If anyone has a problem with my leadership, you’re welcome to hand in your resignation. I’ll approve it before the end of the day,” Selene said, her voice calm but firm. “Now, am I finally allowed access to the main servers?”

Annalise bristled. There was something almost maternal about Selene—so much so that, standing in front of her, Annalise felt like she’d been reduced to a five-year-old. She shot back, her tone icy, “You never once told us who you really are!”

Selene’s slender fingers danced across the keyboard, rapid and sure. “My silence isn’t a valid excuse for your prejudice,” she replied evenly, eyes on the screen.

The instant the words left her lips, the alarm died. The data center fell silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Selene’s tone was suddenly as light as a spring breeze. “Ms. Lockridge, today’s my first day officially working at QuanTech Innovations. I appreciate your guidance.”

Gwyneth stared at Selene’s face on her phone screen, gave a sharp, humorless laugh, and said, “I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do, Selene.”

She bit off the last few words, jaw clenched, and hung up. It was obvious, even through the phone, that Gwyneth was anything but pleased.

Selene turned away, launching into an explanation of the Prism Network to the visiting city officials.

Annalise listened, hands unconsciously balling into fists before relaxing again.

Leo’s reply was cool and detached. “Altair has nothing to do with you anymore. Keep your distance.”

His warning didn’t faze her. “Fine, I won’t reach out to Altair. But can I still see you?”

Hope practically radiated from her.

Leo didn’t answer.

Annalise pressed on, “If I run into any trouble academically, can I ask for your advice?”

“Sure,” Leo replied softly, his voice barely more than a ripple.

A genuine smile broke across Annalise’s face. “Let me walk you out, then.”

Quentin watched as Annalise wheeled Leo out, raising an eyebrow. “Looks like Director Johnston and Dr. Vaughn have quite the rapport, huh?”