The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 243

The phrase "bonded by fire" left the entire room stunned—myself included.

In my mind, Leon had always been an introverted, humble guy, polite and mild-mannered to a fault. But right now, his words were sharp, direct, and completely unashamed. It was a stark contrast to the man we all thought we knew.

And he was doing it in front of all our colleagues.

Emphasizing that we had found true friendship through adversity.

On some level, the phrase carried a vaguely romantic undertone. After a brief moment of stunned silence, the rest of the table couldn't help but let out a collective, teasing murmur.

The sound sent an inexplicable wave of nervous discomfort through me.

But at the end of the day, Leon was standing up for me. Arguing or clarifying things right now would only make it worse.

Leon seemed to read my mind and quickly added, "When those massive cargo drivers came barreling after us, Dr. Hayes practically put her life on the line to save me. Buying her a sweet drink is the least I can do. If this were a movie, I'd probably have to pledge my eternal devotion to her."

His joking tone earned a round of laughter, loosening the tight, suffocating tension that had gripped the room.

The head nurse seized the opportunity. "Alright, alright. Since our Selena saved your life, you better replace your alcohol with tea tonight and toast her properly."

"You got it," Leon agreed cheerfully, his eyes locking onto mine. "I'd do anything for her."

He was still using a half-joking tone, but the deep, starry darkness in Leon's eyes made my heart skip a sudden, frantic beat.

I hastily averted my gaze. In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of Ferris's darkened expression.

A flash of mockery hid in the depths of his eyes.

He gave the waiter a pointed look. The server quickly caught on and poured him a generous glass of wine.

Beside him, Zoey's face contorted with worry. She asked carefully, "Do you really have to drink, Ferris? You complained about stomach pain right after leaving the operating room yesterday. Maybe..."

She trailed off, her wide eyes brimming with concern.

"It's fine," Ferris said, a smirk playing on his lips. "If I end up drinking too much, I still have you."

Zoey froze for a second before a deep crimson flush spread across her cheeks. "Ferris," she said bashfully, "the whole department is watching."

Ferris rested a hand casually against his wine glass, letting his gaze sweep across the faces in the room. He just smiled, saying nothing.

"Oh my, looking at them now," Zelda chimed in, breaking her brief silence, "Dr. Sterling and our Zoey really give off the vibe of a billionaire boss and his darling wife."