The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 465

After a brief exchange, Simon handed the phone to Silas.

"Mr. Sterling, it's Miss Fairchild's assistant."

Silas didn't break his stride as he smoothly took the phone.

"Mr. Sterling."

"Speak."

"I'm so sorry to bother you, but I can't reach Vivian... I heard she moved in with Mrs. Sterling. Do you have any updates on her?"

"If you know she's with my mother, then you know she's fine. What is it, a work emergency?"

He had told her before to bring him any problems she couldn't resolve.

Zoe denied it. "No, it's just that I give her daily reports, and she always texts me back."

But yesterday there had been total radio silence, and today was the same.

It was hard not to panic.

Silas's brow furrowed slightly. He ended the call and tossed the phone back to Simon.

"I'm heading back to the estate."

"Wait."

Simon checked his watch frantically. "Mr. Sterling, we're about to meet with our most critical business partner. This is..."

They had a massive negotiation scheduled today. How could he just leave?

Silas shot him a cool, dark look.

"Are you incapable of handling it?"

Simon swallowed hard. He *could*, but the stakes were astronomical. He was just worried he didn't have the authority to anchor the room.

Silas didn't give him any more time to debate. He reached out and snatched his own car keys from Simon's hand. "It's settled. Call me if it burns down."

Simon was left speechless.

The boss had spoken; he had no right to argue.

It was 2:00 PM.

The afternoon sun was relatively mild, though a biting wind whipped through the expansive courtyard.

The moment the silver Maybach pulled through the gates, the bodyguards snapped to attention, rushing inside to announce his arrival.

Silas didn't waste another breath. His long legs carried him swiftly toward the storage wing.

The storeroom wasn't in the main house. It required walking through the gardens and past the sunroom—it was as isolated and freezing as a forgotten cellar.

He kicked the door open and immediately spotted the woman crumpled in the far corner. Her face was deathly pale, stripped of all vitality, looking alarmingly like a corpse.

Silas froze in the doorway for what felt like an eternity. For those few seconds, no one knew what was rushing through his mind. They only saw his obsidian eyes cloud over with a terrifying, suffocating darkness.

He took a sharp breath and closed the distance in three massive strides.

He pulled the woman up, pressing her against his chest.

"Vivian... Vivian!"

He tapped her cheek gently, only to realize she was burning with a terrifying fever.

He scooped her into his arms and strode out of the freezing room.

"Mr. Sterling..." Judith stood nervously at the doorway, trying to block his path.

Silas hit her with a look entirely devoid of warmth. "I always thought you were a reasonable woman, Judith. But let me be perfectly clear... if anything happens to Vivian, you can pack your bags and leave this family for good!"

He took two steps and paused, not bothering to look back. "And tell my mother... I'm taking her out of here. If she doesn't want to accept this daughter-in-law, she doesn't have to!"