His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 113

Archer arrived slightly later than Virginia, showing up alone.

He wore a custom dark gray suit paired with a black dress shirt. The collar was left slightly open, highlighting the understated platinum cufflinks at his wrists.

The moment he stepped in, he became the center of attention.

Clementine spotted him first. Noticing he was unescorted, she raised an eyebrow.

Hah, a rare day where he didn't bring that annoying woman along.

Virginia didn't know what her friend was looking at. Following her gaze, she saw Archer take a glass of red wine from a waiter's tray. He strolled over to a high-top table across the pool, drinking in absolute silence.

She looked away. Just as she was about to speak, Clementine whispered something in her ear and dashed off.

A second later, Clementine materialized right behind Archer.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, thanks for gracing us with your presence," she said, deliberately glancing behind him in mock disappointment. "Where's your plus-one tonight?"

"..."

He ignored her, but Clementine wasn't deterred. Still smiling, she pressed on. "Let me ask you something."

"Who is it that you actually like?"

Archer's hand paused as he swirled his glass.

He didn't answer, instead taking a slow sip.

As he tilted his head back, his gaze accidentally slipped past the rim of the glass and locked onto the figure in the cropped white blazer standing on the opposite side of the pool.

His grip on the glass unconsciously tightened before he quickly tore his eyes away.

Clementine caught every micro-expression. She followed the direction of his previous glance, a knowing smile curving her lips, and smartly dropped the subject.

By nine-thirty, the party had begun to thin out.

Virginia got up to use the restroom. By the time she returned, someone had spiked the champagne left on her table.

Completely unaware, she sat down and took a sip. Soon after, her body started feeling strange.

Then, half-carrying her, he dragged her briskly toward the exit.

Archer was just getting ready to leave. He had barely pulled his car keys from his pocket when he noticed the scuffle in the shadows nearby.

He paused, not rushing forward immediately, but narrowing his eyes to get a better look.

In a split second, his expression turned somber.

That cropped white blazer stood out starkly in the dark.

More importantly, the way she was walking wasn't right, and neither was the man next to her...

Archer's hand clenched tightly around his keys.

The man holding Virginia captive hadn't noticed him. Terrified of making too much noise, he was entirely focused on forcing her to walk faster.

Stripped of her strength, Virginia relied on sheer willpower, throwing her weight in the opposite direction and grinding her teeth as she fought back.