His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 395

Archer stared at her in sheer disbelief. Seeing her cold expression and the absolute rejection in her eyes, he clenched his fists. He gave her one last, deep look before turning on his heel and storming out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Virginia stared at the closed door and lowered her eyelashes, concealing all of her emotions.

...

The next morning, at the Vanderbilt Group CEO's office.

The air pressure on the entire top floor was so low it felt freezing.

Zachary stood in front of the desk clutching a stack of files, even breathing cautiously.

Archer sat in his massive leather chair, wearing an impeccably tailored pure white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the defined muscles of his pale forearms.

To wash off the scent that didn't belong to him, he had stood under a freezing shower in the guest bathroom for half the night. Coming into the office today, dark circles shadowed his eyes.

A knock sounded at the door.

Evelyn walked in carrying a delicate tray.

She had swapped her business suit for a much more conservative, dark-colored professional suit. Her perfume had also been changed to a very faint, woody scent.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, you didn't look too well earlier, so I made you a cup of ginseng tea to help with the fatigue." She set the cup on the edge of his desk with a demure smile, then pulled an eye patch out of her pocket.

"This is something I use all the time. It provides a warm compress that helps fade dark circles and ease eye strain. You should try it during your lunch break."

She placed the warm patch next to the cup. Her demeanor was perfectly measured—not overly fawning, but showing just the right amount of employee concern for her boss.

Archer's gaze fell on the steaming ginseng tea, and his mind uncontrollably drifted back to Virginia.

When they had first gotten married, he would occasionally stay up late reviewing financial reports.

Whenever that happened, Virginia would silently bring him a cup of soothing tea at the perfect temperature. They rarely spoke, but everything was just right.

Those were some of the few tender moments during their marriage.

Archer picked up the cup of ginseng tea and took a sip. His brow instantly furrowed.

It was way too sweet. It was absolutely nothing like the taste in his memory.

He pushed the half-full cup of tea away. "Get me a coffee."

...

Meanwhile, at a quiet, upscale vegetarian restaurant in the city center.

Virginia and Kian Shaw sat facing each other by the window.

Kian wore a light beige casual shirt today, the sleeves rolled up effortlessly. Paired with his gold-rimmed glasses, he radiated a gentle, refined aura.

He knew Virginia's preferences well, which was why he had specifically chosen this exclusive, fully vegetarian restaurant.

A few beautifully plated dishes sat on the table, with a bowl of matsutake mushroom and bamboo pith soup in the center.