The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 142

Leon saw the message right away and casually asked in the group chat, "What are your plans, Selena?"

My own husband was in that chat group, along with his shiny new fling. And now, his close friend was publicly asking if I wanted to carpool. It felt like they were tossing me directly onto the grill.

Thinking of Ferris's previous warning and his friendship with Leon, I deliberated for a moment before typing back: "I've already booked a ride, but thank you for the offer, Dr. Lennox."

Leon replied quickly, simply sending: "Got it."

Since the group chat was visible to everyone, the head nurse expressed her disapproval. "You live in the same neighborhood and you know each other well. Why are you being so stubborn and going out of your way to complicate things, Selena?"

Seeing her fussing over me, I felt a pang of guilt. I could only offer a weak excuse. "I can't just inconvenience Dr. Lennox every single time."

Hearing my response, the head nurse shot me an exasperated look.

Somehow, my words made their way back to Leon. After work, he stopped by our department and sighed. "You're really not treating me like a friend, Selena. Besides, Dr. Zephyr is coming with us too. It won't just be the two of us."

Leon put on a faux hurt expression as he delivered the last sentence.

He knew exactly why I was keeping my distance.

His teasing made me feel terrible, and I quickly tried to explain, "I didn't mean anything by it, Dr. Lennox, it's just..."

"It's on the way, so stop turning me down. That settles it. I'll see you at the South Gate tomorrow morning, and then we'll go pick up Dr. Zephyr together."

Dropping that final sentence, Leon hurried off. Watching his easygoing, open demeanor, I felt profoundly embarrassed.

Besides, our relationship was completely platonic. There was no need for me to act so paranoid.

As for Ferris, he had seen the group messages too. Plus, with Dr. Zephyr in the car, he couldn't possibly find a reason to pick a fight over this, could he?

But precisely because of Leon's gentle and easygoing nature, the rest of the drive was incredibly relaxing. Combined with the beautiful scenery along the way, my eyelids eventually grew heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke with a violent jolt as the screeching sound of brakes pierced my ears. My body lurched forward against the seatbelt, and I snapped my eyes open to see Leon staring intently through the windshield, both hands gripping the steering wheel tight.

He had slammed on the brakes.

Following his gaze, I saw a sleek, imposing SUV stopped diagonally across our path. Looking closely, I realized it was Ferris's car.

In a daze, I watched two familiar figures step out of the vehicle and stand there, quietly looking at us.

Through the glass, I could make out Zoey's guilty expression and Ferris's dark, brooding face.

Wait. Did Zoey just step out of the driver's seat?