His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 4

"Chloe and Archer called earlier. I heard about what happened when you ran into them. They just got back to the country, and they have the kid with them. It would be awkward for you all to be under the same roof. It's just a dinner anyway. You're the older sister, so just let Chloe have her way."

"Besides, if you want to blame anyone for what happened back then, blame us. If we had known that Chloe had always liked him but was holding back because she wasn't our biological daughter, we never would have let you marry him..."-

She had heard these words countless times, and she didn't want to hear them again.

She started the car and drove toward the clinic, interrupting the woman mid-sentence. "Yeah, I understand. I'll have Arthur take Cindy back to my apartment. I'll ask the nanny to go over and take care of her."

Seeing how agreeable Virginia was, Madeline was finally satisfied. Her tone softened.

She chuckled lightly. "No need to go through all that trouble. It's actually better if all the kids are together. It'll be lively."

Virginia gave a brief hum of acknowledgment and hung up.

Among the elite families in the capital, the Vanderbilts and the Caldwells held top positions. Even though she was the Caldwells' biological daughter, they had never truly cared about her. When she was caught in the crossfire of the cyberbullying scandal, her family hadn't lifted a finger to help. As a result, after Archer pressured the hospital to fire her, not a single hospital in the capital dared to hire her.

With nowhere else to turn, she had struck out on her own and opened a psychiatric clinic. Although it was incredibly difficult at first, heaven had taken pity on her. She successfully treated and cured several patients with severe autism who had been deemed hopeless by public hospitals. Her reputation skyrocketed, drawing countless patients to her clinic. She won multiple industry awards and eventually gathered a team of top-tier psychiatrists under her banner.

Her professional papers, published on international forums, caught Doctor White's eye by pure chance. She received a belated invitation to study at Mercer Psychiatric Hospital and became Doctor White's youngest protégé.

Now, a world-class psychiatric summit was about to be held in the capital.

It would gather global heavyweights and top experts in psychology, boasting an incredibly high profile. The core event of the summit was to unveil a five-year research project she had been working on with Kian Shaw and Doctor White—a breakthrough in the intervention and healing of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It was no exaggeration to say that if this research could be applied clinically, it would drastically improve recovery rates. Right now, there were just a few details left to iron out.

She rolled down the car window, letting the cool wind hit her face, sweeping away the last traces of her muddled thoughts.

Life was too short. There were so many things she could do and so much value she could create. There was no point in staying trapped in the miseries of the past.

It was Kian Shaw.

Standing nearly six foot three in a camel coat and gold-rimmed glasses, he stood beside her with one hand in his pocket. He looked gentlemanly, yet there was a distinct rogueish charm about him.

As he looked down at her, his eyes were filled with a mix of fondness and exasperation.

Virginia snapped back to reality, taking a slightly guilty sip of the milk. "There's milk in a latte, too."

Kian raised an eyebrow, momentarily speechless, before letting out a soft, amused laugh.

He stood next to her, looking out over the winding Charles River and the bustling banks, taking in the rich, vibrant energy of the city.

After a long silence, Kian suddenly spoke. "Ginny... did your ex-husband and Chloe come back?"