The Stand-In Who Burned the Script novel Chapter 478

By the third day, Vivian had almost completely recovered. True to her word, Cynthia assigned someone to watch over her as she learned to cook from the chef.

When Silas called, she was sitting at the dining table, peeling edamame.

Judith handed her the phone.

"Vivian, it's Silas."

"Ah."

A look of absolute delight lit up Vivian's face. She grabbed a napkin to wipe her hands before eagerly taking the phone. "Are you coming to pick me up?"

Silas remained silent for a beat. "Tomorrow."

"Oh."

Vivian glanced at Judith, then took a few steps away to gain some privacy. "Are you coming back to see me today, then?"

Silas couldn't help but chuckle. His tone carried a hint of fond exasperation. "Miss Fairchild, we've only been apart for a single day."

"So what?"

Vivian whispered, "A day apart feels like three years. Didn't you know that?"

"I see." Silas's deep, magnetic voice hummed through the speaker. "Has Mom been making things difficult for you?"

"Yes."

"Oh?"

"I'm just joking."

Vivian giggled. "Even though I have to do a lot of chores every day, and she forced me to learn to cook until I got blisters on my hands, I think she's grown a lot."

At the very least, there were no physical punishments, nor was there any blatant, malicious targeting.

Only she could say something as ridiculous as *'she's grown a lot.'*

Silas sat back in his office chair, a soft, relaxed look on his face. When Simon pushed the door open and walked in, he nearly thought he was hallucinating.

Silas raised a hand, signaling for Simon to hold off on speaking for a moment.

"Have you grown at all, then?"

"..." Realization finally dawned on Simon. So he was on the phone with Vivian.

But looking at that expression... their relationship was progressing at lightning speed.

Silas quietly listened to the female voice on the other end, almost picturing the woman's vibrant face right in front of him. The warmth in his dark eyes was such a rare sight to outsiders, it was practically like witnessing it rain blood.

Even after the call ended, it took Simon a good minute to snap out of his daze.

Silas raised an eyebrow, his tone returning to its usual coldness.

"..."

Silas instinctively pulled the phone away from his ear. After two seconds, he brought it back and spoke mildly. "Mom, I called her. She was actually praising you."

"Praising me?"

Cynthia paused, then let out a cold laugh. "How is that any different from cursing me out?"

"..."

Silence hung on both ends of the line.

After a moment, Cynthia leveled her tone.

"Your wife doesn't know how to do anything except talk back. Since you hate having outsiders around the house, I honestly don't know how the two of you manage to survive. She should just stay here a bit longer so I can teach her properly."

"Out of the question."

"Silas Sterling!"

"Mom."

Silas's voice was slow and steady, devoid of any discernible emotion. "I didn't marry a wife just so she could be useful."

"Your wife can be completely useless, but the Young Mistress of the Sterling family must be capable of everything!"