His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 136

"We have our first-place winners! It's Cindy's family!" the host shouted into the microphone. Cindy slid down from Valentin's back and threw her arms open, rushing toward Virginia, her little cheeks flushed red. "Mommy! We got first place!" Virginia crouched down to catch her, pulling her into a hug and pressing her forehead against Cindy's, laughing. "Yes, our Cindy is the best." Valentin stood nearby with one hand in his pocket, his eyes curving behind his rimless glasses. This feeling... it really was quite nice. The sunlight bathed the three of them in a warm glow. They weren't a real family, but they looked better than one. Archer crossed the finish line and stopped about two paces away, his expression entirely calm. Toby tilted his head to look at him. "Daddy, did we lose?" "Yeah." Toby pouted, but his attention was quickly drawn away by the balloons at the edge of the playground. Panting heavily, Chloe finally crossed the line. She frantically tried to fix her clothes and hair, only to look up and accidentally catch the gaze Archer had fixed on Virginia. At that exact moment, the host handed the first-place prize to Cindy—a limited-edition children's picture book set complete with a reading pen. Cindy hugged the box, thanking the host happily as she spun around. Valentin kept his hands out protectively, clearly worried she might fall. Archer's eyes darkened further. His reactions didn't escape Chloe. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms. Right now, she felt like an absolute joke! Taking a deep breath, Chloe plastered on a graceful smile and proactively looped her arm through Archer's. "It's okay, Toby. It's the taking part that counts. How about Mommy and Daddy take you to buy the exact same toy later?" Archer pulled his gaze away. Though Toby was still pouting, a small smile crept onto his face. The sports day concluded perfectly. After the lead teachers gave brief summaries, the parents and kids began to leave in an orderly fashion. Valentin carried Cindy toward the exit, with Virginia walking beside them. The two murmured to each other. The little girl, probably exhausted, nestled quietly against Valentin's chest. As Archer passed by Virginia, he paused. Sensing something, Virginia turned her head, her eyes meeting his. She paused for a moment, offered a polite nod, and then looked away, continuing to walk and talk with Valentin. Archer's eyes narrowed. An unidentifiable emotion flashed in his usually placid, dark eyes. Without lingering, he stepped forward and headed outside. Chloe, tailing right behind, caught up and said in a passive-aggressive tone, "Virginia, you sure know how to pick your helpers. But today was a family sports day, and you asked Mr. Hunter to help you..." "Oh, I see. Could it be that you and Mr. Hunter have good news coming up?" Valentin raised an eyebrow. Without waiting for Virginia to reply, he shot back with an amused question, "My relationship with Virginia is none of your business. I'm actually a bit curious, Mrs. Vanderbilt... You knew today was a family sports day, yet you dressed like that. Were you worried you wouldn't get enough attention?" "You!" "Stop 'you-ing' and 'me-ing'. Your husband is about to disappear from sight." Chloe spun around. Sure enough, Archer wasn't waiting for her at all. Stomping her foot in frustration, she chased after him furiously.