The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 287

"But as you know, I am currently the attending physician on this case, and Dr. Sterling is incredibly busy with his own workload. He might not have the time to take this on," Dr. Hudson patiently warned before he left. "Furthermore, in the foreign case I mentioned, the third surgery had to be performed within forty-eight hours of the second. If you want to fight for this chance, you need to move fast."

Forty-eight hours. That meant our window of opportunity was now less than a single day.

In other words, if we wanted Ferris to save my uncle's life, we had to secure his agreement within the next twenty-four hours.

When Lucille realized the timeline, she frantically beat her chest in despair and grabbed my hand. "Selena, do you think Ferris will agree to save him? Oh God, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have gone to the main estate... I..."

"Mom," I immediately cut her off, gripping her trembling hands. "Uncle Silas's surgery was already highly complicated. Since this is a third operation, the technical requirements and risks are astronomical. Whether Dr. Sterling agrees or declines is entirely based on protocol. It has nothing to do with you."

"How could it not have anything to do with me!" Lucille's voice cracked into a hysterical sob. After muttering to herself, a terrifying resolve settled over her features. "I'll go find him right now. Even if I have to drop to my knees and beg him, I'll force him to save your uncle..."

She tried to bolt, but Leon and the head nurse quickly grabbed her arms.

"Lucille, listen to me," the head nurse soothed, gently holding her back. "As far as I know, Dr. Sterling is still seeing patients in the outpatient clinic. Running over there in a panic won't accomplish anything. Think about it—Dr. Hudson is still the primary physician. From a procedural standpoint, a third surgery naturally falls to him. But you just heard him say it's beyond his capabilities. If we want Dr. Sterling to intervene, we can't just ambush him. We have to be smart about this."

"I completely agree," Leon immediately chimed in. "We all know how Ferris operates. Forcing his hand like this will only backfire."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Lucille paced like an ant on a hot skillet. "Leon, do you have any ideas?"

Leon thought for a second. "How about this? The head nurse and I will go speak with Dr. Evelyn Yates. She may run a different department, but Ferris has an immense amount of respect for her. A word from Dr. Yates carries serious weight."

He turned to look at me. "How does that sound, Dr. Hayes?"

Leon was deliberately keeping both me and Lucille out of the crossfire, ensuring neither of us had to confront Ferris directly and risk making things worse.

It was undoubtedly the best plan we had.

Once I agreed, Leon and the head nurse immediately set off. Now that it was just Lucille and me, she violently ran her hands through her hair. "I was too reckless. I never should have tried to negotiate terms with his family. If Ferris refuses to save Silas because he holds a grudge against me, I'll never forgive myself... I'll be a murderer..."

Her terrifying guilt was the exact same fear paralyzing me.

Thinking back to Ferris's explosive anger at the care center this morning, I had a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to be easily resolved.

I intercepted his SUV right at the exit barrier.

The brakes shrieked violently. Ferris violently shoved his door open, closed the distance between us in two strides, and glared down at me. "What exactly do you think you're doing, Dr. Hayes?"

I glanced nervously at Zoey sitting in the passenger seat before offering an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Dr. Sterling. It's about my uncle's condition. I'd like to ask..."

"I don't have time," he cut me off brutally, his voice made of absolute ice. "Save your breath."

The rejection was mercilessly swift.

But my flesh and blood was lying on the brink of death in the ICU. At this point, I couldn't care less about my dignity. Pleading desperately, I begged, "I know this is incredibly sudden and unfair to ask. But please... if you're willing to perform my uncle's surgery, I will agree to absolutely anything you want."

Ferris's hand froze on the car door handle. He slowly turned his head, raking his eyes over me with devastating contempt. "Are you serious, Dr. Hayes?"

I stared right back and gave a firm nod, even as I clearly saw the profound disgust pooling in his eyes.