The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 211

Leon's tone was teasing.

Yet, beneath his words lay an unspoken contempt and an inexplicable edge of hostility.

It was a stark contrast to his usual refined and gentle demeanor.

Naturally, this left Zoey Zeller in an incredibly awkward position.

The young woman lowered her eyes, her hands nervously gripping the hem of her white coat as if she were suffering a great, unspeakable wrong.

Standing beside her, Ferris Sterling froze at the remark. His gaze lingered on Leon's face for two brief seconds before shifting to mine.

He stared at me.

It felt like an interrogation.

It was as if he believed I had orchestrated Leon's biting words.

Considering the tangled dynamic between the four of us, I felt a deep sense of discomfort, but I still prepared to smooth things over.

Just then, Leon spoke up again, chuckling softly. "It was just a joke. Why are you two standing frozen at the door?"

Ferris glanced at the conflicted Zoey, then turned back to Leon with a warning tone. "She's easily startled. Keep jokes like that to a minimum in the future."

There he went, protecting her again.

And he was doing it right in front of me—his wife in name, who had just survived a life-threatening ordeal.

The memory of him drunkenly holding me that night flashed through my mind, and a sudden surge of irritation tightened my chest.

Yes, the exhaustion and disgust far outweighed my disappointment.

I unknowingly clenched the bedsheets.

But in the next second, Leon chimed in with another jab. "I always thought Dr. Zeller was quite bold and meticulous. Just a couple of days ago in the staff group chat, she single-handedly defended Dr. Hayes. Isn't your concern a bit unwarranted, Dr. Sterling?"

Ferris, who had been flipping through a medical chart, paused. A clear flash of displeasure crossed his brow as he looked at Leon, but he maintained a cool tone. "You still need to focus on your sleep and diet."

Those words were likely meant for me.

"What kind of friend feels entitled to critique every single relationship in Dr. Hayes's life?" Ferris ground his jaw, an imposing hostility radiating from him. "Do you not understand the concept of boundaries, Dr. Lennox?"

Leon didn't back down. He raised an eyebrow, meeting Ferris's glare head-on. "Then may I ask, what gives you the right to ask me that?"

That single question choked Ferris into silence.

It was true. As my legally married husband who had insisted on hiding our relationship, Ferris had inexplicably demanded answers from Leon, but in doing so, he had exposed his own contradictory stance.

After all, in everyone else's eyes, Ferris and I were nothing more than ordinary coworkers. We couldn't even be called friends.

The two men reached a deadlock over this very question.

The entire hospital room felt suffocated by a thick, explosive tension.

Neither was willing to yield.

Seeing my former friend red in the face because of my affairs left a bitter taste in my mouth. Just as I was about to speak up and mediate, Zoey's quiet sobs reached my ears.