Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 342

Whenever Daph was in a bad mood, she’d twist her backpack straps into tight knots.

“Mommy!”

She hurried toward Selene, her two messy pigtails wobbling with each step, already half undone and sticking out at odd angles.

The moment she spotted Selene, a spark lit up in her eyes. Her round, rosy cheeks pushed her once-drooping lips into a bright, crescent smile.

She broke into a jog, and one of her pigtails finally unraveled completely, hair tumbling loose.

Selene knelt down, tugged the scrunchie from the frayed end, and gently fixed Daph’s hair.

“Did you have gym class today?” Selene asked, puzzled. She was pretty sure Daph didn’t have P.E. on her schedule, so why was her hair such a mess?

“We had rehearsal for the school talent show this afternoon.”

As Daph spoke, her cheeks puffed out a little, and the sparkle faded from her eyes.

“Selene!”

A woman’s voice rang out from across the playground.

Selene looked up to see Clarissa Vaughn approaching, holding Penelope Vaughn’s hand.

Whenever Clarissa showed up, trouble was never far behind.

Penelope’s face was as pale as paper. As she drew closer, the dark circles under her eyes stood out starkly.

“Ms. Thompson.” Penelope greeted Selene, her lips so bloodless they looked like a thin, fragile petal.

Selene just smiled. “Well, I’m not even part of the Vaughn family anymore, but you certainly keep tabs on me.”

Clarissa barreled on, ignoring her. “Let’s be real, you just wanted a taste of being a boss. After seven years as a housewife, what other company would let you play executive except your own family’s?”

Selene didn’t bother to explain. She just grinned. “Exactly. I just wanted to see what it’s like to run the show. Who knows—maybe someday I’ll be running Vaughn Enterprises itself.”

Clarissa sneered, clearly thinking Selene was delusional.

She glanced at Daph, then turned to Selene with a smirk. “By the way, the school’s putting on a talent show next month, and the girls in Penelope’s class are dancing Swan Lake. My Penelope is the lead!”

Of course, Clarissa had dragged Penelope over just to brag.

Her eyes sparkled with delight as she continued, “I heard the school had to specially order an extra-large costume for your daughter. Every other girl is wearing a small, but yours needs two sizes up! Just imagine—on stage, all the girls will look like graceful little swans, and your daughter will be… well, let’s just say she’ll look like a big, fat goose…”