The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 229

Zoey's voice wasn't overly loud, but her tone was dripping with exaggerated shock. Paired with her wide, innocent eyes, it instantly drew the entire ballroom's attention straight to Leon.

That included Ferris. And me.

Sure enough, right below Leon's collar, there was a faint but distinct lipstick stain.

While the color was slightly smudged, the petal-shaped imprint looked incredibly familiar—it was a perfect match to my own.

As for when it got there, I honestly had no idea.

Leon looked completely bewildered when he saw it. He stared down at his chest for two seconds, then shot me a look of pure confusion.

Unfortunately, Zoey caught the exchange perfectly. She blinked her pretty eyes and stammered in a flustered, apologetic tone, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Selena. Should I not have said anything?"

Noticeably, she didn't apologize to Leon. She apologized to me.

I guessed she had also recognized the lip shape. Combined with the fact that Leon and I had disappeared from the summit together for so long, it was bound to spark some wild imaginations.

Her little performance, whether intentional or not, painted a very clear picture to the crowd: Leon and I were sneaking off to hook up during a professional event.

Leon seemed to realize this too, and quickly tried to do damage control. "It was just an accident... it got smudged on by mistake."

He really shouldn't have said anything. His flustered explanation only made the guests stare at us with even more scandalous amusement.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ferris's reaction. The man simply looked away with icy indifference. "The banquet is starting. Let's head to the dining hall."

Being the undisputed heavyweight in the room, his single command instantly shifted everyone's focus toward the banquet, effectively bailing Leon and me out of a very awkward situation.

Leon watched the crowd funnel out before looking down at the stain on his shirt. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I must have gotten it on me when I pulled you out of that elevator. Sorry about that, my fault."

I was the one who got lipstick on his shirt. Why was he apologizing?

"These people have such dirty minds," Leon said, always knowing exactly how to cheer me up. He tugged at his collar and grinned proudly. "I'm wearing this like a badge of justice."

The other man chimed in aggressively, "What's the matter? You think Dr. Warren isn't important enough for you to drink with?"

It was the classic, toxic drinking culture pressure, laced with a senior doctor's condescension toward a junior. I looked quietly at Dr. Warren and clearly saw the irritation flashing in his eyes.

I kept my tone polite. "I'm sorry, Dr. Warren, but I'm truly not feeling well tonight."

Dr. Warren swirled the wine in his glass right in front of my face and sneered. "Guess I really am a nobody, huh? Can't even get Dr. Hayes to humor me with a single drink."

His voice was low, but the reprimand in his tone was unmistakable.

"I guess the woman who single-handedly took down Thorne Logistics is just too good for us."

"What 'took down'?" the other man spat, seeing that I still refused to take the glass. He dropped the polite act entirely. "Drop the innocent act. Everyone at Capital General knows exactly how you operate. If you can stomach sleeping with that ancient director, you can certainly share a drink with a handsome guy like Dr. Warren."

I stared at the man in absolute shock. Hearing that filthy, baseless rumor thrown in my face completely killed any remaining patience I had.