Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 280

Leo watched him in silence, eyes as cool and deep as a mountain lake.

Harrison’s gaze dropped to Leo’s legs.

Seven years ago, Liam had been sanctioned by Morgania and placed on their national security watchlist; since then, as long as Leo stayed within Aldonia, he was safe. But if he ever stepped foot in a country with an extradition treaty with Morgania, he risked immediate arrest.

Yet, for many scholars in Aldonia, such penalties were almost a badge of honor. Theodore Shaw, for instance, had been blacklisted by Morgania five years earlier. Morgania forbade him from entering any allied nation as a scholar, effectively cutting him—and by extension, Leo—off from the top ten universities in the world. None would cooperate with them.

Still, as long as they remained in Aldonia, these distinguished academics lived undisturbed.

But Leo hadn’t been so lucky.

That car crash had been meant to kill him. By some miracle, he survived—but at the cost of his legs.

Since then, the Vaughn family had kept their distance, and Leo made sure not to involve himself in their affairs or with any of their members. He deliberately pulled away from the family.

To Harrison, Leo was nothing more than the man who had discovered Selene, handpicked her from a sea of candidates, and recommended her for the gifted program. Other than that, they’d barely interacted.

The few times they’d met had all been at family gatherings.

Whenever Selene saw Leo, their only exchange was a polite nod. Nothing more.

For a long time, Harrison had assumed Leo and Selene were practically strangers.

Now, Leo’s words gripped his heart like a vice.

“And what exactly do you think Selene was striving for all this time?”

Leo’s clear, sharp gaze seemed to pierce right through Harrison, reading every flicker of fear and anxiety.

Everything Harrison had believed—that Selene loved him deeply—Leo had just shattered without effort.

“Her assignment is finished. Under the protection of the Vaughn family name, she’s lived like any ordinary woman. Your family’s responsibility toward her ends here. From now on, she’s under my protection.

But don’t expect me to thank you. You married her, but you couldn’t give her a real marriage. For someone who runs the mighty Vaughn Enterprises, you’re a disaster at keeping a family together.

You’re useless, Harrison.”

Leo delivered his verdict with all the finality of a judge, his words landing like the swing of an executioner’s axe.

In truth, carnations rarely trigger allergies, but Altair didn’t argue. Hugging the bouquet to his chest, he hurried out of the room.

Leo saw Altair emerge, heard the sound of Dames’s endless crying behind the closed door.

Altair stopped about three feet from Leo, head bowed, the flowers dragging on the floor.

He looked as though a dark cloud had settled over him.

Leo said softly, “If he doesn’t want them, just throw them away.”

Altair shook his head, clutching the bouquet tighter.

The boy walked down the hall into another room, where he offered the carnations to another patient.

Leo turned to Harrison. “Go apologize to Altair.”

Harrison tried to protest, “But Dames is still sick—”

“I told you to apologize to Altair,” Leo interrupted, enunciating each word. Harrison had no choice but to understand exactly what Leo meant.