The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 189

I bolted upright off the sofa, staring in pure shock at the tight close-up of Leon's face on the screen. My heart was practically hammering its way out of my chest.

He had seen the vicious backlash from the families and the internet. He knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to become public enemy number one. But... he still stood up and dragged the cross onto his own shoulders!

What an absolute fool!

Recalling that comforting phone call last night, a torrent of emotion crashed over me. If I had to guess, Leon had already made up his mind to fall on his sword right then.

The rapid-fire clicking of cameras erupted through the broadcast. Suddenly, someone shouted, and a reporter in a black jacket lunged toward the stage, grabbing at the mask on Leon's face.

Leon reacted fast, but the reporter still managed to snag the fabric, exposing half of his face.

The hospital security guards finally snapped out of their daze and rushed the stage. The entire press conference dissolved into a chaotic riot. The live feed violently jerked up and down before cutting to black.

The broadcast was abruptly terminated.

I paced frantically around the living room, feeling like a cat on a hot tin roof. The only thing I could do was dial the Head Nurse.

"Security got the situation under control, but things look incredibly grim for Leon."

Hearing her exhausted tone, I demanded, "What happened to Dr. Lennox?"

"He just got hauled into Dean Davidson's office," the Head Nurse admitted bluntly. "Leon was entirely too reckless this time. Even if he wanted to jump on the grenade for you, he should have cleared it with administration first! Now look what he's done—taking the blame in front of every major media outlet in the city. Even if the hospital lets him off with a slap on the wrist, Patriarch Lennox will never let this slide."

"I'm heading over there right now," I refused to let Leon ruin his life for my sake. "I'll apologize to the press myself. I'll explain everything to the Dean..."

"Don't you dare," the Head Nurse immediately shut me down, her voice heavy with reality. "Whether it's you or Leon, you both represent the face of Capital General. To the public, you're one and the same. The victims' families do not care whose medical call it was. They are drowning in grief and need a target for their rage. And the internet and media outlets only care about clicks and sensationalism. Not a single person out there is going to look at this from a medical professional's point of view."

Leon shrugged. "If I had warned you, you definitely would have stopped me."

I nodded. "Now they just have two targets to attack. They aren't going to stop despising me just because you took the blame."

He rubbed the back of his neck out of habit and confessed, "I couldn't just let a young woman face that kind of brutal backlash all by herself. I'm a grown man in my prime. I'm not scared of them."

He even patted his chest for emphasis, radiating a kind of pure, almost boyish bravery.

Suddenly, I didn't feel so terrified anymore.

"By the way," I said, my mind flashing back to a specific detail while intubating the driver. "When that ID slipped out of his pocket, there was a prescription slip attached to it."

Leon stared at me in surprise. "What kind of prescription?"