His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 406

The sharp click-clack of stilettos faded beyond the front doors.

Virginia looked up at the document left on the table. The memory of Evelyn's absurdly theatrical posturing flashed through her mind, sparking an uncharacteristic wave of bitter annoyance in her chest.

An hour later.

The low purr of an engine shutting off echoed from the driveway.

Archer pushed the front door open, casually handing his suit jacket to Mrs. Gable. He swapped his shoes for house slippers and strode into the living room.

Virginia was still sitting on the sofa, though she had swapped her task for the latest medical journal.

He walked over and took a seat in the adjacent armchair. The crisp, cold scent of his signature Oud & Bergamot cologne drifted over to her.

"A team lead named Evelyn Snow dropped off a document for you earlier," Virginia said, closing her journal and meeting his gaze.

Archer's fingers froze on his cufflinks.

He snapped his head toward her, a brilliant spark of hope flashing through his dark eyes.

She was actively bringing up another woman in his orbit. Did that mean she actually cared? Was she jealous?

The tense, rigid line of Archer's jaw finally relaxed. He crossed his legs and leaned back comfortably against the cushions. "Evelyn is a recently promoted lead in the R&D department. She's handling an urgent computing architecture case right now."

He paused, his intense gaze locking onto her face, analyzing every detail. "Why? Did she say something to upset you?"

If she uttered even a single "yes," he would make absolutely sure Evelyn Snow never crossed her path again!

Virginia stared at his slightly eager expression.

The housekeeper's earlier gossip echoed in her mind, right alongside Evelyn's brazen, arrogant provocation.

He promoted the woman, completely blind to the wildly inappropriate romantic fantasies she harbored for him, and now he had the nerve to ask if she was upset?

Virginia shook her head, placing her journal on the sofa and standing up. "How could she possibly upset me?" she replied with cool indifference.

Archer stood frozen in place, watching her slender, frail figure vanish onto the second floor. His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles turned bone-white.

After a long, agonizing silence, he slammed his fist brutally into the coffee table.

...

At Starwood Kindergarten.

After emotionally recovering, Cynthia had finally returned to school. The second she stepped into the middle-class classroom, she was swarmed by a crowd of little kids.

"Cindy, your mommy is so amazing!" a little boy cheered, raising his chubby hands in pure awe. "Is your mommy a superhero?"

A little girl with pigtails squeezed in next to him, grabbing Cynthia's hand with sparkling eyes.

"My mommy was praising your mom yesterday for being so brave! She said if she had known sooner, she would have totally gone and beat up Ms. Watson to get revenge too!"