The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

With graceful agility, Vivian easily dodged her.

“Alright, it seems you didn’t take anything extra.”

Vivian handed the bag back, but held onto the photograph of the man. “But you definitely can’t take this with you.”

“Why not?”

Grace sneered. “Vivian, do you honestly think you run the show?”

Before Vivian could respond, she snapped, “Give it to me! It’s mine!”

She lunged for it again, but Vivian sidestepped effortlessly, treating it like a game.

After several frantic attempts, Grace hadn’t even brushed the photo. Realizing she was being played for a fool, her face flushed with fury. “Vivian,” she hissed icily, “when the day comes for you to pack your bags and get out of this house, I’ll make you hand that photo back to me on your knees.”

“Sure thing.”

Vivian smiled brightly. “I’ll be waiting.”

Watching the woman stomp out in a fit of rage, Vivian’s smile slowly faded.

The photo was likely from his college days. His handsome features still held a trace of youthful edge. Compared to the intimidating aura he commanded now, the younger Silas radiated a raw, magnetic energy.

Hers?

Vivian’s eyes turned glacial as she casually tossed the photo into a nearby drawer.

By the time she drove to the office, the workday had already started. The entire floor was bustling. Zoe brought over the morning meeting minutes.

Vivian had never cared for corporate bureaucracy. She gave the notes a cursory glance and tossed them aside.

“Still no word from Charlie?”

“Not yet.”

Zoe shot her a tentative look. “Boss, do you think they never intended to partner with us from the start?”/

“No.” Vivian was confident. “He agreed to dinner to repay a favor. If he had zero interest, taking the proposal would have been a waste of energy. Since he took it back to the office,

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he’s going to review it seriously.”

“Then what’s happening now? Are they just stringing us along?”

“Not exactly.”

Vivian lazily clicked open a game of Minesweeper on her monitor. “They’re screening us.”

“A massive corporation like Insignia is bound to have sky-high standards for its partners. Astra Media is still considered a lightweight fighting to break into the big leagues. If Charlie had picked us instantly, I’d actually suspect he had ulterior motives.”

Zoe nodded. “Understood.”

“What’s on the schedule for tonight?”

“Harrison Fowler, the Editor-in-Chief at V Weekly, invited you to dinner.”

Vivian glanced up. “You accepted?”

“We have two upcoming campaigns heavily tied to their magazine. I couldn’t decline.” Zoe paused. “If you really don’t want to go, I can go in your place.”

“Forget it. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”

Vivian casually opened a search engine.

This editor… seemed like a piece of work.

Seeing her expression, Zoe filled in the blanks. “There are a lot of rumors saying he uses his position to exploit people. But he comes from old money and has serious backing. No one’s been able to pin any solid evidence on him.”

Vivian smirked, deleting her entire search history, treating his name like a virus on her

computer.

“Then let’s meet him tonight. Let’s see what kind of games he tries to play.”

Evening soon fell.

Harrison Fowler had booked a private, exclusive club.

The moment Vivian saw the entrance, she almost laughed out loud. “He might as well tattoo

‘I have ulterior motives’ on his forehead.”

Zoe’s anxiety flared. “Boss, maybe we… shouldn’t go?”

“Didn’t you say we couldn’t avoid him?”

Vivian checked her phone’s battery life. “Let’s go. You can’t outrun a storm forever.”