The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 188

"Let's wait for the police investigation results. But until then, you just stay safely tucked away in the apartment, Dr. Hayes," Leon urged me again, sounding exactly like a protective old friend. "Keep your head down, understand?"

Thinking about tomorrow's press conference, I asked, "Given that all the public outrage is directed at me right now, are you absolutely sure I don't need to be there tomorrow?"

"You don't need to be there," Leon replied without a shred of hesitation. "Just sit tight and wait for the news."

Maybe it was Leon's incredibly calm demeanor, but after hearing his reassurances, a strange sense of peace washed over me.

Unfortunately, that peace lasted all of thirty seconds.

The moment we hung up, Lucille called.

I rubbed my temples and accepted the call.

"Selena, what on earth is going on? I didn't even finish my spa treatment before I heard you were in trouble!" Lucille shrieked in absolute panic. "Tell me the truth, is it real? Is the female anesthesiologist on the news really you?"

She dropped her voice to a harsh whisper on the last sentence.

"It's me," I admitted frankly. "So you need to lay low and stay inside for the next couple of days. I have no idea if the press will dig up my personal details."

"And what does Ferris have to say about this? Does he have a plan to fix it?"

Bringing up Ferris instantly choked me up.

The fact that he wasn't openly blaming me for stirring up a disaster was already a miracle. I didn't dare dream he'd actually offer a solution.

"No plan?" Lucille caught my hesitation and muttered furiously, "Absolutely not. This is a massive scandal, they can't just sit back and watch."

"Mom, this has nothing to do with the Sterlings."

"What do you mean, nothing to do with them? You are the daughter-in-law of the Sterling family! Your glory is their glory, and your ruin is their ruin! If they think they can just wash their hands of this, they've got another thing coming!"

Without giving me a chance to argue, Lucille slammed the phone down.

As the camera panned, I spotted Leon standing off to the side, wearing a face mask.

His expression was grim.

But saving the driver was a joint effort between the two of us. The administration had ordered me to lay low—why on earth did they force Leon to attend?

Just as I was wondering, the press conference began. The administration summarized the timeline of the driver's arrival and mentioned the data the police had collected. Then, looking at Leon standing off to the side, they announced, "We will now have our lead surgeon speak."

Under the burning gaze of the entire room, Leon stepped up to the podium. Instantly, the hall erupted. Reporters aggressively whispered to each other, and several openly flashed looks of pure disgust.

Thinking back to that photoshopped death portrait and the venomous online comments, a deep sense of dread gripped my heart.

A moment later, I heard Leon's calm, gentle voice over the microphone. "Before I begin my official statement, there is one thing I must clarify."

He looked at the audience, his gaze firm and calm. "Dr. Hayes was merely following my instructions to administer the intubation. Please do not misunderstand her."