Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 262

#Gwyneth’s Return Home# shot to the top of the trending topics, and the entire internet was buzzing.

“Long live the Queen—welcome home!”

“Now that the Queen is back, the city’s elite had better brace themselves for another storm!”

“Who’s Gwyneth? Is she really that famous?”

“If you don’t know Gwyneth, you must be a Gen Z baby.”

Older netizens flocked online to educate the newcomers:

The Lockridge family made their fortune back in the late Victorian era. After the war, the first governor of the national bank was a Lockridge. Gwyneth, now forty-seven, is their adopted daughter.

Twenty-five years ago, her tangled love-hate story with the three Lockridge sons could fill a thousand-page epic.

In the end, Gwyneth locked away her heart and took the reins of the Lockridge Group. As for her three brothers—one was left crippled, one lost his mind, and the last renounced the world and joined a monastery.

She was, without a doubt, the most famous career woman of her time. The press even dubbed the beginning of her reign “the dawn of the age of powerful women.”

To this day, she’s never married, never had a child of her own. But across the globe, she’s adopted and mentored many young women—most of whom have gone on to become luminaries in their fields.

*

Capital City International Airport:

Victor and Clayton stood at the VIP entrance. Victor clutched a bouquet of dewy red roses, craning his neck, scanning the crowds with anticipation.

Clayton, hands stuffed into his pockets, lazily blew bubbles with his gum. Every pop echoed sharply in the air.

“Hey! Can you quit making that racket?” Victor snapped.

He added, “I’m here to pick up Gwyneth. Why are you tagging along?”

A sly grin played in Clayton’s eyes. “Thought I’d see if the woman you’re obsessed with could possibly be my mom.”

Victor was about to retort when a striking woman emerged—dressed in a tailored black skirt suit, her dark hair cascading like silk, lips painted a fierce red. She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing a face as stunning as it was ageless.

Time seemed to have favored her; not a single line marred her features. Her eyes were sharp, her expression both alluring and commanding.

“Gwyneth, remember me? That promise we made by the riverbank all those years ago…”

The crowd closed in around her, treating her like a returning celebrity.

After gracefully accepting their gifts, Gwyneth peeked over the shoulders of her admirers. “Victor, come ride with me. I have something I want to discuss.”

Out of everyone, she’d chosen him. Victor’s heart leaped with excitement as he followed her to the car, a smile tugging at his lips.

He didn’t notice the pale figure hiding in the shadows nearby, watching everything unfold.

Matilda Townsend bit her fingertip, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Victor…”

*

“Gwyneth, I knew it—you still have feelings for me.”

In the car, Victor slid closer, their thighs pressed together.

Gwyneth’s eyes were icy, but her voice was honey-sweet. “Victor, after all these years, I came all the way back just for you!”