His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 148

Both women worked with practiced ease, quickly assembling a small tray of dumplings.

Helena excused herself to the restroom, but in reality, she slipped away to give Archer a call out of earshot.

At that moment, Zachary was going over Archer's upcoming schedule.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, you have an international video conference at six-twenty. The proposal has been finalized, if you'd like to review it."

Archer took the folder and flipped through a couple of pages when his phone rang.

Helena: "Archer, we're making dumplings at the house today. Come straight over after work."

"Next time. I have an important..."

"Virginia is here. She made the dumplings herself, and Cynthia will be joining us later."

The hand flipping the pages stopped dead. The look in Archer's eyes darkened noticeably.

Zachary was still standing across the desk waiting for his signature. Seeing his boss freeze, he instinctively checked his watch.

"Mr. Vanderbilt?"

Archer lowered his phone, closed the folder, and ordered without a change in expression, "Reschedule tonight's video conference for tomorrow morning."

"Huh? Tomorrow morning? It'll be the middle of the night for their side..."

"Just do it."

Archer shoved the folder back across the desk, stood up, and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair, striding toward the door.

Zachary snapped his mouth shut, turned around with a miserable expression, and scurried off to completely rearrange the schedule.

On the other end of the line, Helena looked at the disconnected call. Not only was she not angry, but a triumphant smile crept onto her lips.

...

Virginia was carrying the freshly made dumplings into the kitchen when she suddenly heard a noise at the front door.

Archer's hand paused mid-air as he took a sip of his water.

When the dumplings were served, Helena caught their awkwardness perfectly. With a knowing smile in her eyes, she placed a dumpling on Virginia's plate without saying a word.

She found herself reminiscing about the past—back when they were married. One had been painfully passive, and the other an emotionless block of ice. Yet, barring any special circumstances, they would always sit shoulder-to-shoulder at the dinner table in a rare, harmonious silence.

Just as she was feeling a surge of comforting nostalgia, the phone resting on the table buzzed loudly. It was Archer's.

He glanced at the caller ID, his brow furrowing slightly, and answered the call.

The person on the other end spoke for a few moments. Although the volume was low, Virginia could vaguely make out a woman's frantic, urgent tone.

Archer hung up the phone and stood up, his face set in stone. "Toby is running a high fever. I'm going back to check on him."

"Don't they have a family doctor? Have them go over first." Helena frowned sharply, clearly displeased.

It wasn't that she didn't care about her grandson, but she knew perfectly well that even if Archer rushed over, there was very little he could actually do.