The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 240

So, all this bitterness was just because I was wearing the same sweater as Ferris.

"It's not a knockoff," I replied coldly, staring at the two girls as they fed off each other's drama. "It's a designer original, and there's a very high chance it was bought at the exact same boutique as Dr. Sterling's."

I dropped that bombshell and walked away without looking back.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Zoey's piercing stare; she looked like a detective desperate to dig up the truth.

The purchase happened last year, and I certainly wasn't afraid of her digging.

That afternoon, the Dean's office called to tell me the police representatives had arrived, along with a reporter from The Capital Gazette, and requested my presence immediately.

I guessed it was about the Civic Valor Award.

Sure enough, once I arrived at the Dean's office, the police presented me with an Honorary Citation and a generous cash bonus of a few thousand dollars.

It felt like a welcomed windfall.

The news quickly traveled back to the department, and the head nurse suggested, "Selena got a big bonus today! You have to treat us all to a nice dinner."

Thinking about how much the team had helped me during the Thorne Logistics investigation, I readily agreed.

"You have to invite Leon," the head nurse reminded me. "And Director Sterling too. I know he's strict, but he did step up to help. We can't forget basic professional courtesy."

Ferris had indeed helped quite a bit.

Even though the absolute last thing I wanted right now was to share a dinner table with him, inviting Leon and deliberately excluding Ferris would be a massive breach of etiquette.

I figured Ferris felt the exact same way. The perfect scenario would be for me to extend the invitation, only for him to haughtily reject me in front of everyone; that way, I fulfilled my social obligations, and we didn't have to see each other. A win-win.

Right before the shift ended, I walked over to the Department of Neurosurgery, but before I could even step inside, I heard Zoey's sickly sweet voice.

"My relatives sent over some fresh organic groceries from the countryside. You've never tried my cooking, Ferris. Tonight... tonight you could come over to my place and try it."

When Ferris had laid into me, he had dragged my dignity through the mud and stomped on it.

But it didn't matter; I was here for a different reason.

Keeping that in mind, I smoothly changed the subject. "By the way, Dr. Sterling, the police department gave me a cash bonus today, and since you worked so hard on the Thorne Logistics case, I'd like to invite you and Dr. Zeller out for dinner tonight to celebrate. Would you be available?"

The moment the words left my mouth, Zoey's face contorted in shock. "You mean tonight, Selena?"

I nodded. "Yes, along with the rest of the colleagues from the department."

The girl immediately shot a frantic look at Ferris. Seeing him remain silent, she quickly replied, "That's really unfortunate timing. Tonight..."

"Which restaurant?" The man's cold, crisp voice abruptly cut Zoey off. Ferris cast a languid, unbothered glance my way and asked, "What time?"

I froze in shock, and when my eyes drifted to Zoey, I saw the young girl staring at Ferris with wide, disbelieving eyes, all the color draining entirely from her face.