His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 455

Virginia's fingers tightened abruptly, the edge of the tablet pressing sharply into her palm.

"I won't see her," she said, placing the tablet on the coffee table, her tone completely flat. "Tell her I'm not here."

Mrs. Lewis nodded and went to relay the message.

Archer lowered his eyes, studying the tense lines of her profile.

He knew exactly what she was thinking. The Caldwells' blatant favoritism had broken her heart long ago. Her refusal to see them was completely justified.

"I have to head to the office. What about you? Do you want me to drop you off on the way?"

He asked because she hadn't changed out of her loungewear.

"No, I took the day off." With that, Virginia stood up and headed for the stairs.

...

Around 3:00 PM at Cloudcrest Estate.

Helena Vanderbilt, dressed in a modernized Suzhou-embroidery dress, was using shears to trim the orchids in the garden.

As soon as Archer stepped onto the patio, she snipped off a dead leaf with a sharp click, not bothering to look up. "Did they find those two yet?"

"...Not yet." Archer sat down in a mahogany chair, his thumb mindlessly spinning his prayer beads.

"They sure have some nerve, causing such a massive disaster and daring to run," Helena scoffed coldly. "What about the Caldwells? Didn't Madeline treat that fake heiress like she was the center of the universe?"

"She hit her head. She's resting at home."

Helena set the shears down, wiped her hands on a towel, and sat across from him.

"You didn't make a special trip home just to tell me that, did you?"

Archer looked up. A storm of emotion surged in his dark eyes before he forcefully pushed it down.

"Mom, there's something I need to tell you," his voice was slightly hoarse, layered with a restrained intensity. "Cynthia... is my biological daughter."

It took Helena nearly half a minute to fully process the words. Her eyes instantly turned red as her trembling hands gripped the edge of the table.

The lead teacher was walking out with a few kids. When she saw Virginia, she offered an apologetic smile. "Cynthia's Mom, Cynthia was already picked up by Mrs. Vanderbilt. Didn't she let you know?"

Virginia froze. Helena took her?

Although she had been picked up and taken to the estate multiple times before, they usually sent a message in advance. Why was it so sudden today?

She thanked the teacher and asked the driver to head to Cloudcrest Estate.

...

The AC in the living room was set to the perfect temperature.

The moment Virginia walked through the door, she immediately spotted Cynthia sitting cross-legged on a Persian rug.

The little girl was wearing a light pink princess dress, holding a brand-new The BJD Collector Doll in her arms. Around her small neck hung a flawless, top-tier Imperial Emerald Strand.

Scattered across the rug were several opened velvet jewelry boxes—massive pink diamonds, high-translucency jade bangles, and a matching ruby jewelry set...