The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180

A heavy, charged silence filled the massive bedroom. The dangerous tension that usually simmered between them vanished, replaced by an oddly domestic peace. For a fleeting second, they felt like a normal married couple-a stubborn wife waiting for her husband to soothe her after a fight.

“Vivian.”

Silas murmured, his raspy baritone doing terrible things to her stomach.

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed vulnerability. “What?”

Under the warm glow of the bedside lamp, her breathtaking features were fully exposed. The soft light traced her delicate jaw and high cheekbones like a master painting.

Looking at her pouty, aggrieved expression, a man would feel like an absolute monster for denying her anything.

Silas’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The violent irritation in his chest was melting into a dark, suffocating heat. His eyes turned black with raw hunger.

Sensing his shift in mood, Vivian playfully scratched his palm and leaned her soft body closer to his.

“Can we just call it even? Let’s drop the grudges.”

“Am I supposed to be grateful for your incredible mercy?”

“Not necessarily,” she hummed, dropping her gaze coyly. “But a little sweet talk wouldn’t kill you.”

Give her an inch, and she would take a mile.

Silas clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to drag her under the covers. “Get out.”

Oh?

He wasn’t angry anymore.

Vivian studied his face for two seconds. Moving faster than lightning, she leaned in and pressed a loud, lingering kiss to his cheek. Before he could react, she sprang off the mattress. “I knew my husband was the best. Marrying you was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

Silas let out a dark chuckle. “Marrying you has been an absolute blessing.”

He ground out the words, every syllable dripping with sarcastic venom.

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19.05

Chapter 180

But Vivian had skin thicker than Kevlar and an ego to match.

“Obviously.” She completely ignored his sarcasm, letting out a blissful sigh. “From now on, I have a billionaire sugar daddy.”

Silas just shot her a withering glare.

He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.

He was officially out of words.

Opting for sanity, Silas laid back down and closed his eyes.

Vivian stood by the bed, a soft smile playing on her lips, and simply watched him sleep. She stood there for a long time as the night deepened and his breathing leveled out into a steady, rhythmic cadence.

Tilting her head, she whispered, “Silas?”

No response.

“I guess I’ll just sleep here tonight, then.”

Still nothing.

Her lips curled into a fond smile. She picked up his massive hand, comparing it to her own. His fingers were so long and powerful; when he held her hand, it made her feel incredibly small and entirely safe.

He just had a garbage temper.

If he were a little sweeter, he would be perfect.

She gently placed his hand back on the mattress and whispered, “I’m going to take a shower. Be right back.”

Her light footsteps faded across the room, followed by the soft click of the bedroom door shutting.

The moment the latch caught, Silas opened his eyes. The bedside lamp cast a golden halo across the ceiling, reflecting in his pitch-black pupils.

A second later, he threw off the covers, walked to the door, and threw the deadbolt.

Thanks to that infuriating woman, he was wide awake.

After weeks of brutal heat, the city was finally on the brink of a massive summer storm. Heavy, ominous clouds were rolling in over the horizon, swallowing the stars.

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12:06

Chapter 180

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He grabbed it and brought it to his ear

“Boss.”

Simon rarely lost his temper, but he was practically shouting through the receiver. “The Fowlers have lost their minds! They’re swearing up and down that Vivian set Harry up They’re claiming you walking into the station and bailing her out was a direct declaration of war, and they’re demanding an explanation.”

Silas rubbed his fingers together. For some godforsaken reason, his skin still carried the intoxicating scent of his wife’s perfume.