His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 151

"Back off and give him some space. You're offering too much right now—so much that he doesn't even have the chance to miss you because you're always just there," Virginia Caldwell said thoughtfully. "Try not initiating contact for a week."

"A week?! Can't we make it three days?"

"...Fine, three days. Let's see how he reacts after that."

Clementine Sherwood pressed her lips together and nodded, her expression entirely conflicted.

Virginia knew it was difficult, but as a therapist, she understood all too well that one-sided emotional investments rarely yielded results.

Only when the other person noticed the shift in their dynamic and felt that sudden void would they truly re-evaluate their feelings.

They chatted about a few other things, and just as Virginia was about to end the video call, an email notification popped up on her phone.

It was a donation manifest.

It detailed a batch of specialized PTSD medication flown in from Switzerland. She had looked into these drugs before, but their exorbitant cost had kept her hesitating.

Based on a quick mental calculation, the total value of this shipment was easily in the millions of dollars.

Attached to the end of the list was a one-year continuous supply agreement.

She furrowed her brow, her first thought instantly going to Doctor White and Kian Shaw.

Only her mentor and Kian would be generous enough to donate such a massive and expensive supply of medication to her clinic.

She kept scrolling until she reached the final page. The donor was listed as the Vanderbilt Group.

Virginia froze.

After a brief hesitation, she opened her contacts, her finger hovering over Archer Vanderbilt's name.

She knew exactly how valuable these medications were. It wasn't just about the money; there were practically no standard channels to acquire them stateside. Securing them required pulling major strings both in Switzerland and the US. The entire process cost millions of dollars, at a minimum.

She absolutely could not accept this.

She dialed the number. It rang a few times before connecting.

The background was noisy, with faint voices arguing about something in English.

"Ms. Caldwell, it's Zachary Cole," Zachary's voice was hushed. "Mr. Vanderbilt is in a meeting."

"Oh, okay. I'll call back later."

She knew the significance of that medication better than anyone.

Stateside resources for specialized PTSD drugs were scarce. At least a third of the severe cases at her clinic were white-knuckling through their trauma with only psychological interventions because they lacked access to targeted medication.

Several recent incidents where patients lost control and hurt others were directly tied to this lack of proper pharmaceutical support.

Thinking of this, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze was resolute.

"...Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Vanderbilt. I'll arrange to pay back the cost in installments at market value."

"That's not necessary."

"Mr. Vanderbilt—"

"Virginia," he interrupted, his tone perfectly even. "Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?"

Virginia paused in surprise.

She had just accepted millions of dollars worth of medication from the man. Refusing a simple dinner invitation right now would be completely unreasonable.

"...Alright."