The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 173

It hit me then—I had slipped up.

If it were just hospital gossip, I could have brushed it off easily to protect The Prenuptial Agreement. But a corporate land dispute between two billionaire families was highly classified information, not something you casually overheard in the breakroom. For a moment, my mind went entirely blank.

Sensing my distress, Leon offered an apologetic smile. "Look at me, prying into things I shouldn't. I spoke out of turn."

His understanding only made the guilt weigh heavier in my chest. After a brief hesitation, I murmured, "I'm sorry, Leon. It's... complicated."

"I get it." Leon waved it off with an easygoing grin, trying to comfort me. "I trust your character, Dr. Hayes. And more importantly, I believe justice is on our side!"

He raised his right hand, offering it for a high-five.

I looked at his hand hanging in the air, then up at his earnest expression. A sudden, unfamiliar spark of hope ignited in my chest. Slowly, I raised my hand and met his in a crisp high-five.

After parting ways with Leon, I headed back to my apartment. The moment I opened the door, I found Lucille sitting comfortably in the living room.

We locked eyes across the space. A second later, she sprang to her feet, demanding anxiously, "Well? You talked to Dr. Lennox for so long. Did he come up with a solution?"

Her entitled tone instantly made my blood boil. Then she pressed harder, "Spit it out! Does he actually have the power to fix this or not?"

Listening to this recycled speech I had heard a thousand times, a bitter lump formed in my throat. Tears blurred my vision as I finally asked the question that had haunted me for years: "A life of luxury for me, or a life of luxury for you?"

Lucille froze mid-rant. She stared at me with sheer incredulity, her eyes practically screaming that I was an ungrateful brat.

But this time, I refused to back down. My voice trembled with raw emotion. "You keep saying this is for my own good, but have you ever once cared about how I feel? You're just waving the banner of 'motherly love' so you can control every aspect of my life. You're dressing up your own selfish greed in a pretty little coat called affection!"

*Smack!*

The sharp crack echoed through the room. Instantly, my right cheek burned with a stinging fire, and the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth.