His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 68

Cynthia spoke up again. "Thank you, Mr. Vanderbilt."

"But you don't have to be this nice to me. You're Toby's daddy..."

The little girl already had a slight lisp, and after crying so hard, her voice was thick and stuffy.

Archer's movements stalled. Something entirely unreadable flashed through his eyes, so fast it was impossible to catch.

Hearing Cynthia's words, Virginia's heart skipped a beat. She hurried over, crouching down to gently rub the child's head.

"Be a good girl, Cindy. Go into the bedroom and play with Nine for a bit, okay?"

Her eyes still red, the little girl nodded, hopped off the couch, and trotted into the bedroom.

Archer pulled his gaze away, his face snapping back to its usual cold indifference.

Cynthia's words echoed in his ears, while a tiny bead of her blood stained the side of his right index finger.

Exhaling softly, Virginia masked her emotions. "Mr. Vanderbilt, thank you for your help today. I won't keep you any longer."

Snapping back to reality, his eyes drifted to the gift bag on the coffee table. "That's for Cynthia," he said, his voice heavy.

Before Virginia could refuse, he spun on his heel and walked out the door, an unfamiliar wave of sorrow suddenly suffocating his chest.

Shutting the door behind him, Virginia leaned against the heavy wood, unable to stop her hands from trembling.

From now on, she needed to make sure Cynthia stayed as far away from him as possible...

Sometime past eight that evening.

Fresh out of the bath and dressed in pink bunny pajamas, Cynthia curled up in bed, hugging Model 919 close to her chest.

Nine was set to its soft ambient light mode, emitting a low, comforting hum like a robotic lullaby.

Virginia sat nearby organizing some clinic files, leaving the bedroom comfortably quiet.

Cynthia lay on her pillow, her tiny hands cupping Nine's round head. Her big, glassy eyes stared at it intently for a long time.

"Nine."

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