The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 212

I looked over in confusion, only to see the young woman weeping, tears streaming down her face. She wiped her eyes right in front of the three of us and choked out, "I'm sorry, Selena. It's all my fault. I'll come visit you another day. I have to go."

Throwing down those words, she fled the hospital room in a rush.

Witnessing this, Ferris snapped his gaze to me. His eyes were predatory, practically dipped in venom, sending an involuntary chill sweeping down my spine.

He immediately followed her out.

Once Leon and I were the only ones left in the room, I looked at him quietly. "Were you trying to stand up for me, Dr. Lennox?"

"No, it was for..."

He abruptly stopped, his striking eyes locking onto mine with profound sincerity.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt an instinctual urge to look away.

Two seconds later, the corners of Leon's lips curled up, and he said earnestly, "I did it for justice!"

Great. I was overthinking things.

Perhaps because of the medication, I somehow managed to drift into a deep sleep in the hospital bed—a rare occurrence. When I woke up again, the sun was already setting.

It was the first good sleep I'd had since Barney's surgery, and the bone-deep exhaustion had finally faded.

But at that very moment, Leon suddenly burst into the room. He looked at me nervously and urged, "Dr. Hayes, hurry up and change. I'm taking you back to your place."

Seeing his panicked expression, I asked, "What happened?"

"I'll explain on the way," Leon said, checking his watch. "Change your clothes first."

Heavily disguised and guided by Leon, we hurried downstairs using a secondary fire escape.

We thought we could slip away unnoticed and reach the car in the parking lot. But just as we got close to the vehicle, a swarm of reporters suddenly ambushed us from the shadows, their camera flashes blinding us as they snapped relentlessly.

"What did you just say?" Leon let go of me and fiercely grabbed the culprit, grinding his teeth. "Say that one more time, you bastard!"

"Oh, look, it's the other quack who operated on Barney! What are you gonna do, hit me? Go ahead, hit me! I'm just seeking justice for the victims' families. Hit me! I dare you!"

I looked at the aggressive middle-aged man, then at Leon, who was being pushed to the brink, and finally at the impenetrable wall of reporters surrounding us. I knew we couldn't back down any further.

I clenched my fists tight and raised my voice. "Enough!"

The clamor stopped instantly. The reporters stared at me in silence, and I met their gazes before speaking. "Since you're all here, I have an announcement to make."

The area grew even quieter.

Everyone looked at me with anticipation, carrying that hungry eagerness reporters always had for a breaking scoop.

I looked right back at them, pulled out my phone, and said, "Regarding Barney's case, our hospital has formed The Hospital Inquiry Board, and an official statement will be released soon. As for Thorne Logistics repeatedly claiming that Barney's condition has nothing to do with them, I categorically reject that. I recently wrote a paper detailing the neurological damage caused by such psychoactive drugs on drivers and submitted it to the country's most authoritative medical journal. I just received word this afternoon—it has been published. I believe an authoritative, peer-reviewed perspective will clarify this issue far better than any rumors. It will also prove to you all that I, Selena Hayes, am no quack."