His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 509

The line connected after a single ring.

"Virginia." The man's deep voice came through, thick with suppressed urgency and raw emotion.

"I'm at the Harrington Estate." Gripping the phone, Gemma's voice was steady. "The guards outside have been dealt with. Can you... come pick me up?"

"...Wait for me! Ten minutes!"

The call ended with a sharp, decisive click.

Gemma tightened her grip on the phone. She stood up, slipped into a camel coat, and grabbed nothing else but the device. She walked downstairs and pushed open the front door.

The freezing winter wind, laced with a biting chill, hit her face.

The bodyguards who usually patrolled the porch and courtyard were completely gone.

She had no desire to know how Julian had dealt with them. Pulling her coat tight, she followed the path out through the estate's side gate.

Before long, a discreet black SUV pulled smoothly into the shadows by the street.

The door swung open, and Archer stepped out.

He was wearing an impeccably tailored black cashmere coat over a dark gray three-piece suit. The Sandalwood Prayer Beads on his wrist seemed to gleam coldly in the winter night.

He was breathtakingly handsome, radiating the untouchable elegance and composure of an alpha.

However, his subtly patterned tie was slightly loose and askew, betraying just how recklessly he had rushed over here.

Archer stopped right in front of her, smoothly sliding off his coat and draping it over her thin shoulders.

The warm, intoxicating scent of Oud & Bergamot immediately enveloped her.

The fragrance was crisp and clean, completely free of the suffocating cigar stench that clung to Dominic, and it inexplicably relaxed her tightly wound nerves.

"Get in."

He clearly hadn't expected her to ask something like that. He paused for a moment before slowly leaning back against the leather seat.

Crossing his long legs, his posture relaxed slightly, a nostalgic look washing over his face. But upon closer inspection, it was easy to see his jawline was still clenched tight.

"While we were married, we were very happy," he rasped.

Gemma waited quietly for him to elaborate.

"I had just taken over the company back then and had a lot of social obligations. No matter how late I got off work, I would always swing by that old-school bakery in Southside to bring you some Almond Galettes. Sometimes I brought flowers, sometimes jewelry."

Archer turned his head, his gaze locked intensely onto her face.

"You didn't talk much, and whenever you received a gift, you'd just give a very reserved thank you. But you always found other ways to show your appreciation. Sometimes it was perfectly organizing my wardrobe, and other times it was leaving out a bowl of Healing Broth at the exact right temperature."

"When we first got married, I didn't know you were allergic to dairy cream. You clearly couldn't eat it, but you'd take a few bites just for me. As a result, your arms would break out in a massive hive rash." Archer's Adam's apple bobbed. "You were always so cautious back then."