The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 172

"Want to grab a coffee?"

Hearing Leon's suggestion, I gave a tired nod. "My treat."

A few minutes later, we sat across from each other in the café outside the cafeteria. Swirls of steam danced between us, offering a fleeting, comforting warmth.

As my fingers wrapped around the ceramic mug, feeling slowly returned to my numb hands. Realizing that the man across the table had been staring at me the entire time, I lifted my lashes and met his gaze.

"What is it?"

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Dr. Hayes?"

My heart skipped a beat. Recalling the argument I just had with Lucille, my nerves pulled taut.

I wasn't sure how much Leon had overheard.

Because of The Prenuptial Agreement, I still had to keep my lips sealed regarding my relationship status.

"What exactly are you asking, Dr. Lennox?" I deflected gracefully. "Did my mother... tell you something?"

Leon nodded, took a sip of his coffee, and half-joked, "She told me a secret."

I nearly choked on my coffee. I stared at him in wide-eyed shock, completely at a loss for words.

Lucille might have looked sharp, but she lacked a filter. During her rant downstairs, she had mentioned 'the Sterlings' multiple times. Given Leon's intelligence, it was highly likely he had already pieced together that the Hayes and Sterling families had a complicated connection.

If that were the case, my secret marriage to Ferris would be exposed.

My grip on the mug tightened, and my breathing grew shallow.

"You should have told me," Leon said, his warm voice cutting through my panic, laced with genuine sincerity. "But this isn't an unsolvable problem."

"You think there's a chance with him too?"

"His devotion to Beatrice didn't look faked. If he finds out his own family is using his wife's death as a bargaining chip, he won't just sit back and watch," Leon analyzed seriously. "I think it's a shot worth taking."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. When I had suggested this exact same strategy to the Sterlings, it was instantly vetoed. Yet here, Leon and I were completely on the same page.

"I just don't know where Terrence is right now."

"I'll look into it."

Leon pulled out his phone, murmured a few words, and hung up. Then, he furrowed his brows and looked directly at me.

When our eyes met, I caught a flicker of suspicion in his gaze. "What's wrong?"

Leon watched me quietly before asking, "Dr. Hayes, how exactly do you know that the Sterlings and Thornes are fighting over a plot of land?"