The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 459

Hanging up the phone, Vivian hastily threw on a change of clothes and rushed downstairs. Cynthia and Jade were still nowhere in sight, but a pair of bodyguards blocked her at the front door.

"Apologies, Miss. You are not permitted to leave."

"I have an emergency."

"You cannot leave."

"..."

Vivian paced back a few steps, frustration swirling violently in her chest. She took a deep breath. "Can you go inform Madam right now? Just tell her I'll be back shortly."

"Madam gave strict orders not to be disturbed."

"..."

These bodyguards were like brick walls, leaving absolutely zero room for negotiation.

Gritting her teeth, Vivian retreated into the living room and pulled out her phone to call Zoe. "The Pavilion Hotel. Dominic is there. Get over there and keep an eye on him. See if you can pry any information out of him about my mother."

Drunk people had the lowest defenses. If she waited until he sobered up tomorrow, he absolutely wouldn't breathe a word.

Zoe agreed and hung up.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second.

Vivian's anxiety reached an absolute boiling point. After all these years, this was the first time—and the most concrete feeling she'd had—that she was absolutely certain Dominic was hiding a massive secret. And it was... about her mother.

No...

She had to go.

Disregarding everything else, the dim lighting reflected in Vivian's sharp eyes. She scanned the ground floor and ultimately decided to head upstairs.

The estate appeared massive, but it housed very few people. The second floor was dead silent, without a single sound to be heard.

The window in her assigned room was too small and faced the front courtyard, making it incredibly easy for the guards to spot her.

Conversely, Cynthia's room overlooked the back gardens, providing the perfect blind spot for a window escape.

The corridor was dark.

Vivian ran her tongue over her teeth and silently pushed the door open.

Cynthia emerged from behind the wall of guards. Backlit by the beams, her intimidating presence was dialed up to an absolute extreme, making her almost too formidable to look at.

Vivian's heart had plunged to the pit of her stomach moments ago, and by now, she had already recovered her fatal composure.

She sighed. "My dearest Mom, could you ask them to turn off the flashlights first? It's really blinding."

Cynthia stared at her intently for several seconds before raising a hand.

The bodyguards instantly lowered the lights.

"I knew you wouldn't behave, but this is only your first night. Don't you think your little stunt shows an absolute lack of respect for me?"

"Mom..." Vivian kept her head bowed, her tone dripping with utter sincerity. "I tried to get the bodyguards to tell you, but they flat-out refused."

"So, you're saying this isn't your fault?"

"Of course. But it's not your fault either. It's all the bodyguards' fault."

The bodyguards remained entirely speechless.

Cynthia's lips pressed together. Likely factoring in that this was Vivian's first day and not wanting to make the scene overwhelmingly ugly, she said sternly, "It's extremely late. Go back to sleep! We will settle this account tomorrow!"