The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 28

She bit her lip, agonizing over it for a solid minute before finally tapping out a reply.

[I'm so sorry, Grandpa Sterling, I completely missed your message... Please send me Mr. Sterling's contact card, and I'll add him.]

A cute sticker instantly popped up in response, followed by a voice note of Old Mr. Sterling laughing heartily.

"No problem at all! I'll send it right over. You young folks need to communicate more anyway. It's a great chance to build some chemistry."

Right below it was a contact recommendation.

SS.

The profile picture was pitch black, and there was no bio whatsoever. He practically radiated an unapproachable aura through the screen.

Vivian curled her lip and tapped to send a friend request.

It was accepted almost instantly, but the other side didn't offer a single word of greeting.

Fine... She had long heard that Silas Sterling was wildly moody, ruthlessly decisive, and incredibly calculating. Naturally, he wouldn't be the friendly type.

But Vivian had a soft spot for difficult people.

The more aloof the prize, the more she wanted to drag it down from its pedestal just to see what it was made of.

With a guy like this, making the first move wouldn't kill her.

[Hi, I'm Vivian.]

The message was sent into the void, completely ignored.

Right before bed, Vivian checked her phone one last time. Still not even a punctuation mark in response.

Tsk.

Was he really that arrogant?

Beyond mere irritation, an odd, competitive spark flared in her chest, making her completely forget one crucial fact—

Silas Sterling was blind. He couldn't even read the text she'd sent.

Vivian practically cursed the man to sleep.

Early the next morning, a frantic ringtone jolted her awake.

She blindly grabbed the phone and dragged it to her ear, her voice hoarse. "Hello."

"Vivian, get your ass home right now!"

Just then, Dominic stormed out of his study, looking so apoplectic he might pop a blood vessel.

Vivian showed absolutely no reaction. She placed her coffee on the table and asked coolly, "Why did you call me back?"

Dominic pointed a trembling finger at her, gritting his teeth. "You... you have the audacity to ask? You are an absolute disappointment!"

"Oh."

Vivian stood up, pretending to leave. "Then I won't ask."

"..."

"Stay exactly where you are!"

Dominic was practically suffocating from her sheer insolence. He clutched his chest, gasping for a moment before roaring, "Tell me, if you wanted the Stella Pendant so badly, why didn't you just negotiate with Penelope and me? Why would you resort to something so extreme!"

Vivian raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did I do?"

Dominic's eyes bulged in disbelief. He couldn't fathom that she was still playing dumb even now!

He decided to lay it all bare, slamming his hand violently on the table. "Stop playing games! You stole the Stella Pendant and then burned down Penelope's estate! Did you honestly think that just because you're my daughter, I wouldn't call the cops on you?!"