The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 155

It was a high-definition shot from the retreat.

Practically a close-up.

Thinking back to the seating arrangements, I realized Zelda Ziegler and another male colleague had been in our cabin.

Zelda was the loudest gossip in the department—and Zoey's fiercely loyal friend.

I had been so engrossed in conversation with Leon that I hadn't paid any attention to what anyone else was doing. Looking at the angle, Leon had been taking a picture of me, and Zelda had taken a picture of both of us. It looked like a romantic frame-within-a-frame.

In the photo, Leon's gaze was entirely focused on me. Without context, the raw tenderness in his expression was a guaranteed recipe for a scandal.

This wasn't even the first time Ferris and I had clashed over a photograph.

The last time we fought on the cruise ship, he had at least been present. This time on the cable car, he hadn't even been there. No wonder his tone was laced with such venom.

I felt a suffocating wave of helplessness, like a mute person desperately trying to defend themselves in court. "It's just a candid shot. Dr. Lennox and I—"

"Just a candid shot?" Ferris cut me off, his gaze turning predatory. "Laughing and joking on the ski slopes, making eyes at each other at the party. Have you completely forgotten your identity as Mrs. Sterling, Selena? Because if you have, I can terminate the contract right this second."

Terminate the contract?

I stared at him, utterly bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Ferris turned his head, adopting a perfectly calculated look of utter indifference. "Since my repeated warnings clearly mean nothing to you, don't blame me for exposing The Prenuptial Agreement to everyone. And I assume you haven't forgotten the penalty clause?"

The prenup? Exposing it? The penalty clause?

Standing side-by-side in front of the towering wine rack, I looked at his arrogant profile and whispered, "I swear there is absolutely nothing going on between Leon and me. Can we please discuss keeping the agreement private?"

"No need," he replied, his tone absolute. "Since Lucille is already here, we might as well clear the air once and for all."

I curled my fingers into fists, then slowly released them. I stared right at his face, finally voicing the conclusion I had come to. "Are you in such a rush to throw me away because you want a quick divorce? Are you that desperate to give your little intern her happily ever after?"

His dark eyes narrowed to lethal slits. The look he shot me was purely murderous.

I didn't back down. "If that's the case, I think we should invite your parents over too. After all, shouldn't they get a grand tour of the spectacular new real estate you just purchased? What do you say?"

If he was going to weaponize a harmless photo against me, I was more than ready to drag the luxury apartment he bought for Zoey into the light. I refused to take the fall for something I didn't do, especially not when tens of millions of dollars were on the line.

Ferris immediately caught my drift. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, a dangerous storm brewing in his eyes. He let out a dark chuckle. "Sure. The more the merrier. I have absolutely no problem showing off my latest real estate investment."