His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 53

By the time she was halfway through her meal, Virginia felt noticeably more relaxed.

She had to admit, the quality at Lyle's Kitchen was as impeccable as ever. The slow-cooked chicken soup was rich but not heavy, and it left her feeling warm all over.

She stole another glance at the man across from her. Archer was a quiet eater, his posture perfect, his movements meticulous and unhurried.

His suit jacket was draped over the back of his chair, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up twice, exposing his strong wrists. Adorning one wrist was the dark sandalwood bracelet he always wore.

Just as the atmosphere settled into something subtle and delicate, Archer's phone suddenly rang.

He looked down at the caller ID, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and answered.

Virginia wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the hospital room was small, and the voice on the other end was perfectly audible.

"Archer, where are you? I'm home alone, and I'm a little scared..."

It was Chloe. Her voice was soft, heavy with dependence, and laced with a subtle whine.

Archer frowned slightly, his tone softening considerably. "Where are your parents and Toby?"

"Mom and Dad took Toby out to the countryside... It's just me here..."

"Don't be scared. Lock the windows. I'll be home soon."

"Archer..."

"Be good."

Virginia froze, an indescribable nausea churning in her stomach.

The fleeting warmth from moments ago suddenly felt like a cruel joke.

She set her chopsticks down, rapidly pulling herself out of her misplaced sentimentality.

When Archer ended the call and turned back, he was met with her guarded, icy stare.

He frowned.

Three days after her discharge, Virginia was sitting on the floor helping Cindy build a Lego set when the doorbell rang.

She opened the door to find Zachary Cole and two technicians in uniforms. Between them was an intricately designed box, about half the height of a person.

"Dr. Caldwell, Mr. Vanderbilt asked me to deliver this." Zachary gave a polite nod and handed her a thick brown envelope. "The user manual is inside."

Virginia didn't take it. "What is this?"

"...It's the newest AI home companion robot developed by Vanderbilt Group. This is an internal beta version, not yet on the market. Mr. Vanderbilt said to consider it a belated birthday gift."

Virginia furrowed her brow.

Her birthday had indeed ended in disaster, but the flowers and cake he sent had somewhat made up for it. There was absolutely no need for this kind of compensation.

"I don't need it. Take it back."

Zachary looked at her, his expression caught somewhere between helpless and pleading. "Dr. Caldwell, Mr. Vanderbilt explicitly said that if you refuse it, he will come deliver it himself."