Stand-in Novels & Stories

I squinted my eyes and looked toward the source of that shout. Across the road, Daniel stood beside a car. His suit was wrinkled. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was a layer of stubble on his chin. He looked grim and disheveled, a far cry from his once-refined and noble self. He stormed across the street in long strides and shoved the young actor aside while reaching out to drag me with him. "You're coming home with me!"

JFK Airport, 6 AM. I walked out of customs, my eyes red and swollen from the long flight. As I was about to hail a cab, someone called my name. "Miss Isabella Romano?" I turned. A tall man was walking toward me. He wore a perfectly tailored black overcoat, his features sharp and classically Italian. But it was his eyes that caught me—a deep green, so dark they were almost black, and just as unreadable as the ocean.

she said walking to the door. " Ms. Walker?" She stopped then turned around facing me. " For the next meeting, I want to find you in the meeting room in your seat, no standing up, whoever wants more water or whatever they will get it themselves, under no circumstance you'll stand up from that seat unless I say so. Am I clear?" Although her outfit was decent it was too appealing and those bastards behavior was not helping. I didn't want to fire anyone. She looked at me confused but gave in.

A breeze passes over me, tugging strands of hair across my face. I didn’t expect his words to hurt this much. Yet here I am, standing in the clinic parking lot, holding my baby, watching the man I’m trying so desperately not to love walk away from me like I’m the one who broke him.

Far enough to pretend I had the choice to step in. I did. Varyn’s gaze dropped to the stitches along my ribs, then rose to my eyes. Unblinking. Unimpressed. “You stand,” he said, as if updating a ledger. “On a good day,” I said. “On a bad one too. Standing is kind of my brand.” “Your ‘brand’ bleeds,” he replied. “Today you’ll make it bleed under instruction.” He tipped his chin at three warriors who stepped forward: scarred, silent, the easy balance of men who’d broken more things than they’d counted.

Feeling niya tuloy, out of place siya sa suot na little red dress and stilettos. "Are you Anna Miller?" said a woman in black overalls, sexy and chic. "Yes, ako nga 'yun." Pinilit niya na maging professional ang sagot. "Nice to meet you," she offered her hand to a handshake and Anna did the same. "Sunod ka na lang sa akin. Mr. Anderson is waiting for you in his office."

"She is Hannah's stand-in," Dominic explained. "Ah." Dylan shook his head with a hint of regret when he heard that. Stand-ins were not uncommon in the entertainment industry. However, due to various reasons, stand-ins rarely stepped into the spotlight. Stunt doubles might be lacking in appearance, while those standing in for actors in non-action scenes were often chosen for their resemblance to the lead actor. If there was already someone in the limelight with a similar face, it would be difficult for a second person to stand out. They might even face backlash from the fans of the former.

We finally arrived at the venue. Mike parked, and we moved toward the grounds. The crowd was few, barely fifty people, and no one looked like a military officer, which was good because some of them were our people. A man that looked like Regan was already standing in the centre shirtless. He had no mark on his neck. I searched the back of his shoulder and found none. He had indeed forced Stacy into a union because he was supposed to carry her mark too. My father took off his shirt and stood in the middle.

"Relax, calm down! You got the invite, and you aren't even that late yet—the timing on the message says 10:00 AM." "I need time to get ready and commute across the city!" Britney yelled, pacing frantically. "I can't afford to be late on my very first day. What if they disqualify me right on the spot without even taking the interview? There are barely any other job openings anywhere right now—what am I going to do, work at a random café?" "Don't worry," Robin said smoothly. "My offer still stands. If anything goes wrong, I can get you a job in my company."

One day, CEO Cecilia Bennett brings her "one true love", Elliot Lawson, home. I'm in the kitchen, spatula in hand, wondering if I need to make a few extra dishes for her guest. But before I can ask, Elliot points at me, looking utterly betrayed. "I knew it! Everything those romance novels said was true! The second I left the country, you found yourself a replacement and brought him home!" What? A replacement? That's news to me. No one has ever told me I was supposed to be one.