Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 498

Harrison ignored Annalise Johnston, not bothering to respond or even look at her. Unfazed, Annalise settled herself into the seat next to young Dames.

The moment she caught sight of him, her eyes lit up. “You must be little Damien Vaughn, right? You’re the spitting image of your father.”

Dames couldn’t help but beam at her words. He loved hearing people say he looked like Harrison. To him, his father was larger than life, an unmovable mountain—distant yet endlessly admirable.

“Hello, Auntie,” Dames greeted her, flashing a sweet, winsome smile. Even when he wasn’t smiling, his delicate features and quiet charm could easily win anyone over.

He glanced at the work badge hanging from Annalise’s neck, which bore the QuanTech Innovations logo. Dames’ gaze drifted toward Selene, who stood farther ahead, his eyes filled with longing.

Annalise noticed the look on his face and smiled gently. “How long has it been since you talked to your mom?”

Dames blinked, then asked, “You know my mom?”

She held out her badge for him to see. “I’m the Director of Technology at QuanTech. Your mom’s the CEO now. Only she gets to sit in the front row and welcome the city officials.”

“So you and my mom work together?”

Annalise didn’t answer. In her mind, Selene wasn’t even worthy of being called a peer, let alone a colleague. Instead, she changed the subject. “Why don’t you go say hi to her?”

Dames fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, his expression suddenly shy.

“If I go up to her, she might get upset.”

Annalise looked genuinely puzzled. “Why would any mother be unhappy to see her own child? I heard after the divorce, Mr. Thompson only took your sister—but I really don’t think he meant to leave you behind.”

Dames pouted, his voice small. “She did leave me. My mom didn’t want me.”

He had no doubt Adrian would make sure Selene heard about this. And if Selene found out he was dating, she’d definitely get flustered.

Adrian’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Ah, so it’s a match made in heaven—two peas in a pod, huh?”

Both Annalise and Harrison bristled, ready to retort, but before they could, applause rippled through the crowd around them.

The demonstration was underway. An autonomous delivery truck roared across the test track at nearly fifty miles per hour, deftly weaving around obstacles with impressive precision.

Suddenly, several QuanTech employees, disguised as pedestrians, strode onto the course. The self-driving truck reacted instantly, coming to a smooth stop before it reached them.

“Mr. Thompson, you told me three months ago you could have these smart trucks running on public roads. Frankly, I didn’t believe it. But you’ve really surprised me today,” the city official said, showering praise.

Selene noticed that the “pedestrians” were lugging heavy suitcases. She frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied the truck’s sensors—each one blinking furiously in all directions as the vehicle navigated the track.