The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 218

"You make a highly valid point, Manager Madden. We've recorded your feedback and will definitely relay it to the board of directors..."

Madden rolled his eyes. His gaze swept over my face as he drawled, "Three days is too long. Our company can't afford the wait."

"Then how many days would you consider appropriate?"

"How many days is appropriate?" Madden echoed, his mocking eyes locking onto mine. "Well, that depends entirely on Capital General's sincerity."

Hearing those words, a sickening feeling twisted in my stomach.

In the very next second, Manager Madden declared, "Why don't we have the guilty Dr. Hayes bow her head and beg for my forgiveness? If she does, maybe I'd consider extending your little grace period."

The moment those words left his mouth, our lawyer was stunned into silence. His accommodating smile froze, and he stared awkwardly at Manager Madden.

It was as if he was trying to confirm he had heard correctly.

Two long seconds passed before he finally spoke. "Manager Madden, Dr. Hayes is still young. Having her publicly apologize is one thing, but asking her to publicly grovel like that is a bit..."

"What? Not willing?" Madden abruptly interrupted our lawyer, glaring at him as he bellowed, "If there's no sincerity, then what the hell are we negotiating?"

After that furious roar, a dead silence fell over the room. Everyone's eyes followed Madden's gaze and landed squarely on me, waiting to see what I would do.

I looked at the opposing legal team, then at Madden's relentless, unyielding posture, and instinctively tightened my fists.

My fingernails dug painfully into my palms. I knew I had zero leverage.

I understood perfectly why our lawyer was fighting so hard to stretch the deadline to three days. It was to give the police the extra time they desperately needed to clear my name.

But Manager Madden's ultimatum was crystal clear. If I didn't submit, he would drag me and the entire hospital into a massive lawsuit immediately.

If this were only about my personal pride, I could have walked away. But in this room, my fate was tied directly to my workplace. We shared the glory, and we shared the ruin. I couldn't drag Capital General's reputation through the mud just to protect my own ego.

"Let's skip the nonsense. Based on the hospital's medical data, we can already prove to the authorities that Barney's neurological damage is directly linked to the chemical compounds found in the medication Dr. Hayes retrieved from your facility. Which means..." Ferris paused for dramatic effect. "Dr. Hayes's theory isn't wild speculation. It's backed by hard science."

"So what?" Madden jutted his chin out, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Do you have a witness? Is there a single soul who can prove we forced our drivers to take those drugs? No, you don't."

Madden had hit on the most fatal flaw in our case.

He was right. In this entire ordeal, the drivers were the only actual witnesses, yet not a single one had stepped forward to speak the truth.

Not one.

"Who says we don't have a witness?" Ferris threw a dismissive glance at Madden and calmly ordered, "Bring the witness in."

The moment he spoke, utter shock washed over the room. Every pair of eyes instantly darted toward the conference room doors. Two investigators slowly rolled a patient in a wheelchair into the room. Taking a closer look, it was none other than Barney.