The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264

Scarlett watched her with the amused look of someone enjoying a good show, her tone nonchalant. “Let me tell you something about Silas Sterling. He seems cold and ruthless because he hasn’t put you in his inner circle yet. But once he considers you one of his own, he is fiercely protective.”

Fiercely protective?

Vivian certainly hadn’t seen that side of him.

But Scarlett made a fair point. When it came down to it, that man still hadn’t placed her in his inner

circle.

Currently, his feelings for her barely amounted to a mix of novelty, curiosity, and a primal urge to

conquer.

But he didn’t trust her. He constantly suspected she had a hidden agenda for being around him, which naturally kept him on his guard.

Seeing Vivian remain silent, Scarlett lightly nudged her leg.

“What, did my words strike a nerve?”

Vivian shook her head. “I was just thinking, how can I make Silas Sterling fall so helplessly in love

with me?”

“Helplessly in love…”

Scarlett repeated the phrase softly, shaking her head with a sigh.

“I think that’s going to be a tall order.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot. For a guy like Silas, finding true love is probably near impossible… you know, that ‘destined meant-to-be’ kind of love? I can guarantee that person isn’t Grace. As for you… the jury’s still out.”

Vivian chuckled. “Does that mean I’ve already outranked Grace?”

“No.”

Scarlett shook her head. “It just means Grace is already a thing of the past.”

“Look, the whole world knows they grew up together. Silas used to grant Grace’s every wish. I remember one time, Grace suddenly craved a specific artisan pasta from Hartford. He immediately sent his people to fly a private chef from Hartford just so she could have it fresh and perfectly clean.”

Vivian sucked in a breath. “Are you bringing up Grace’s highlight reel just to show off their romance to me?”

Scarlett laughed softly, her slightly upturned eyes looking endlessly seductive. “I’m just saying there are countless stories like that, but people ignore the reality. With Silas’s wealth and status, doing those things requires zero effort. He throws some money around, gives an order, and his

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Chapter 264

subordinates do all the actual work.”

Forget the rumors about his deep, undying love for Grace.

Even a notorious playboy like Sloan Mercer would pull off similar stunts when chasing a woman, wouldn’t he?

Vivian narrowed her eyes slightly. The dim lighting of the bar cast a hazy shadow over her gaze, masking her true emotions.

After a long moment.

She downed the rest of her drink in one go.

“So… he never really liked Grace all that much. She was just a girl who happened to be around, their families were close, and it was simply the path of least resistance.”

If he had truly been madly in love with her, they would have gotten together ages ago.

He wouldn’t have waited until Old Mr. Sterling forced a marriage proposal to finally confess.

Scarlett pushed their empty glasses toward the bartender for a refill, nodding in agreement. “Exactly. He treats me well too, because I fall under that ‘protective’ umbrella. But even though I’m lightyears better than Grace, he’d never choose me.”

In reality, Scarlett’s wild behavior and bold lifestyle made her exactly the kind of ‘troublesome woman’ Silas avoided.

Vivian suddenly broke into a stunning, radiant smile that could steal the breath from a room.

Scarlett held her hands up in surrender. “Don’t go flashing those bedroom eyes at me. I’m not Silas, and I don’t have what you’re looking for.”

The area around them was dark. Only the cleaning staff were tidying up, while the regular employees were still in the back office.

Vivian’s mood suddenly brightened, better than it had been all day.

“Hey.”

Scarlett patted her shoulder, a probing look in her eyes. “You still haven’t told me. How exactly did you find out about Geoffrey’s little secret?”