His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 36

That "Ginny" earlier hadn't sounded like a pleasant surprise; it sounded more like confusion, as if wondering why Virginia was even there at this hour...

Valentin's eyes darkened slightly. He pulled his gaze back, looking at Virginia with a gentle smile, his tone even softer than before.

“Virginia, you just agreed to get lunch with me. If we don't leave now, the food is going to get cold.”

As he spoke, he naturally took her shoulder bag and slung it over his own shoulder.

Madeline wanted to pry further, but Valentin had already pulled the car door open, gesturing gracefully for Virginia to get in.

Though he didn't say another word, his cold, distant attitude toward the Caldwell family stood in sharp contrast to the tender, protective way he treated Virginia.

Archer's predatory gaze grew darker, a microscopic crack appearing in his usually impenetrable composure.

Having been by Archer's side for years, Chloe had a solid grasp of his moods. She could clearly tell that something was deeply wrong with him right now.

Her eyes flashed darkly. She clutched her chest and feigned difficulty breathing. “Archer, I... I don't feel good... I can't catch my breath...”

She absolutely would not let that bitch snatch Archer away again. Archer, and the position of Mrs. Vanderbilt, belonged solely to her!

Chloe's breathless gasp successfully yanked everyone's attention back to her.

Madeline was the first to panic. She dropped everything in her hands and bombarded her with worried questions. “Chloe! What's wrong? Did we walk too fast?”

Archer turned around, supporting Chloe's lower back. With a single sharp look, the chauffeur immediately jogged over to bring the car around.

At that exact moment, the door to the Maybach closed.

Virginia and Valentin drove away.

Archer froze for a fraction of a second, but he didn't look back.

...

A few days later.

Archer found himself constantly zoning out. While reading documents, while in meetings.

“Send one over.”

“Understood.”

...

The weekend, at the Caldwell estate.

Archer had originally planned to have the robot delivered to Virginia's apartment. However, Zachary misunderstood his instructions, assuming it was meant for Toby like usual. As a result, the robot was shipped to the Caldwells.

To Archer, this mix-up was a minor inconvenience. He simply sent Virginia a text, asking her to bring Cindy over.

When the waist-high, meticulously designed packaging box was hauled into the living room, Cindy was lying on her stomach by the coffee table, coloring.

She looked up, saw the cartoon robot logo printed on the box, and gasped loudly, dropping her crayon on the table.

“Mommy, Mommy, come look!”