The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 23

The four of us stood awkwardly in the hallway.

Zoey stared intently at the ID badge clipped to my scrubs, flashing a bright, innocent smile. "So you ended up in Anesthesiology! Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Anesthesiology and Neurosurgery were both on the fifth floor, just in different wings. Because the two departments worked so closely together, the chances of running into each other were substantially higher than with any other floor.

Though, frankly, I dreaded the idea of crossing paths with them.

"Are you settling in okay on your first day?" Zoey asked, taking the lead since I remained quiet. "You have no idea—I got lost twice just trying to find the department offices! Thank God Ferris was there, or I would've been a total laughingstock today."

She stuck her tongue out playfully and gazed up at Ferris with blatant adoration. She wasn't even trying to hide her flirting anymore.

I curled my fingers into fists, desperately trying to think of an excuse to walk away. But before I could, Leon spoke up beside me. "I doubt Dr. Hayes will have that problem. Her sense of direction is... surprisingly spectacular."

Zoey and I both froze. Zoey blinked her wide, doe-like eyes, looking intrigued. "How would you know that, Dr. Lennox?"

Leon immediately choked on his own words. When his eyes darted to mine, they were filled with a mix of panic and utter embarrassment.

I knew exactly what he was thinking about—the very first time we met.

It was during my second year of marriage to Ferris. He had suddenly grown cold and distant, and we barely saw each other anymore. Even though it broke my heart, I stubbornly insisted on bringing him homemade lunches every single day.

One afternoon, Ferris wasn't answering his phone. Anxious, I went straight up to the fifth floor.

Just before I reached Neurosurgery, someone finally picked up his phone. It was Leon.

He told me Ferris was still in surgery and asked if it was an emergency.

I had an appointment with Professor Lucas that afternoon, so I had no choice but to ask Leon to pass the food along to Ferris.

Leon looked completely overwhelmed. He glanced at me, then threw a desperate, pleading look at Ferris. "Dr. Sterling, a little help here?"

His survival instincts were kicking into overdrive.

Ferris slowly lifted his gaze. His dark, unfathomable eyes lingered on my face for a few agonizing seconds before he spoke, his voice completely deadpan. "It seems Dr. Hayes's social circle is far more extensive than I anticipated."

He was still pretending we were strangers.

Of course he was. With Zoey standing right there, if the sweet, innocent intern found out that the notoriously aloof Dr. Sterling had a hidden wife, it would cause an absolute uproar.

I was entirely used to this routine, so I kept my mouth shut. The silence stretched into a suffocating awkwardness.

Satisfied with her snooping, Zoey mercifully wrapped up the conversation. "Well, we're all at Capital General now, so I'll be looking forward to working with you! Oh, aren't you going to the welcome dinner tonight? We can hear all about your fun stories with Dr. Lennox then!"