His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 16

"Mom, my stomach is acting up. I must have eaten something bad at the hospital this afternoon," Virginia said calmly as she returned with the plates. "I don't think I can stay and celebrate with everyone today. I'm going to take Cindy home."

"Virginia, are you upset?"

"Please don't be mad at Mom. It was Archer's idea... He felt I'd been through so much these past few years, so he wanted to host a nice dinner for me. It just so happened to fall on my birthday."

Chloe reached out to affectionately grab Virginia's arm again, her fingers covertly digging in with deliberate force.

"I'm not upset." Virginia offered a thin smile, pulling her arm away once more. She took Cindy's hand and walked out the door.

Archer Vanderbilt, huh? Well, that wasn't a surprise. After all, Chloe was the untouchable girl of his dreams.

...

After bringing Cindy back to her apartment, Virginia drew a warm bath for the little girl before diving straight into the kitchen.

It was getting late, and they hadn't eaten yet. Cindy had to be starving.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

She wiped her hands and went to answer it. A delivery driver in uniform stood in the hallway.

When Virginia opened the package, she found a creamy white mousse cake and a massive bouquet of white lisianthus.

Tucked inside the flowers was a pristine white card. There was no signature, just a single typed line: [Happy Birthday].

Her first thought was Kian Shaw.

There were only a handful of people in the world who actually remembered her birthday.

Aside from her mentor, Doctor White, Kian was the only one who consistently cared.

"Wow, Mommy! It's so pretty!"

Cindy blinked her massive, doe-like eyes, unable to hide the bright excitement swimming in them.

Virginia let out a soft laugh, her mood instantly lifting. "Go wash your hands. We're having cake."

As Cindy skipped off to the bathroom, Virginia pulled out her phone and dialed Kian's number.

The man she had been married to. The man who had actually given her a birthday gift during their one year of marriage—and the only other person who knew she was deathly allergic to cream. Archer Vanderbilt.

Virginia sat on the sofa, phone in hand, her thumb hovering over his name in her contacts. She couldn't bring herself to press it.

Cindy sat obediently beside her, staring at the cake with absolute adoration, waiting for a slice.

Virginia closed her eyes, skipping the birthday wish entirely, and simply sliced a piece, handing it to the little girl.

Only while Cindy was happily eating did she open her messaging app and scroll down to Archer's chat log.

The last message sent between them was from five years ago.

Virginia hesitated for a long time. In the end, she didn't send a text. Instead, she opened the money transfer page.

She didn't know how much the bouquet and the cake cost, so she made an educated guess and transferred $150.

If it was too much, he could keep the change as a tip.

She left the memo line blank for a second before typing three words: [For the cake.]