The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 60

If it hadn't been for the alcohol, Vivian would never have reached out to Silas on her own.

Although she had agreed to Old Mr. Sterling's marriage proposal, if Silas was unwilling...

Then no one could blame her.

Right?

Having worked that out, Vivian immediately stopped overthinking it and decided to treat the previous night as nothing more than a weird dream.

She went downstairs to grab a coffee, and Zoe happened to call.

"Miss Fairchild."

Zoe's voice sounded over the crisp click-clack of her heels. "We have a massive potential project here in Northside. The point of contact is Mr. Caldwell, and he's requested a meeting with you."

Vivian bit off the lid of her cup and took a sip of her coffee.

"How big of a project?"

"It's an ad campaign for a new product by Westport & Co., plus product placement on a variety show."

Zoe wedged her phone between her shoulder and ear, quickly pulling a file from her bag. Scanning the pages, she continued, "I reviewed the proposal. The variety show has a massive budget, and they've already locked in schedules with several A-list celebrities. Westport & Co. wants us to custom-tailor the product placements for each artist."

If they could secure this contract, Astra Media would make an explosive debut in Northside.

Vivian licked her lips. "You've always been the face of the company's main operations. Why is he specifically asking to see me?"

In fact, very few people even knew she was the true owner of Astra Media.

Zoe went quiet for a moment. "Maybe he did his research beforehand?"

"Why would he bother researching our small company?"

Astra Media had just relocated to Northside. It was no exaggeration to say they were complete nobodies here.

And now, not only had a massive project dropped into their laps, but they also knew Vivian's exact identity? If someone said there was nothing fishy going on here, she would call them a liar.

Vivian stared at a distant skyscraper and said darkly, "It doesn't matter. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Since he wants to meet, let's see what he's really after."

Zoe asked, "Should I tell him today?"

Vivian pinched the bridge of her nose, intensely regretting wasting three whole years on a man instead of focusing on what really mattered.

When Zoe arrived, Vivian was resting with her eyes closed.

"Miss Fairchild."

She had barely spoken when Vivian opened her eyes. "Is the location set?"

"Yes." Zoe noted the faint exhaustion on her face and bit her lip. "I looked into it this afternoon. Mr. Caldwell doesn't exactly have the best reputation. I heard he's tried to coerce several newcomers into sleeping with him for contracts."

Vivian raised an eyebrow, pulling a tube of lipstick from her bag to touch up her makeup.

"Do you think I have a great reputation?"

"..."

"Anyone who manages to thrive in this industry isn't simple. I couldn't care less if he's a good person. As long as he doesn't try his tricks on me, I'll show him all the respect he wants."

Her only fear was that he had an ulterior motive, and the contract was nothing but a trap.