The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 406

The cafe was quite spacious, and given the hour, there weren't many customers around.

My gaze swept the room, but I didn't spot Ferris anywhere. It seemed he hadn't accompanied his precious favorite on her coffee run.

I let out a silent breath of relief, but then I heard Zoey's hesitant voice. "Zelda, are you sure you didn't see it wrong? Why would Selena be sitting with Mrs. Sterling? She and Ferris are just colleagues. They don't have any other connection. She doesn't even know Mrs. Sterling."

Clearly, I wasn't off the hook yet. Zoey had taken Zelda's words to heart and was doubting me again.

"Zoey, do you really not trust my eyes? I saw it clearly. That was definitely Mrs. Sterling sitting right across from her. It's a shame I walked over too late, otherwise, I would have heard exactly what she was saying to Mrs. Sterling," Zelda proclaimed, her voice growing louder again.

"Really? Selena, were you actually with Mrs. Sterling just now?" Zoey's eyes widened in half-belief and half-doubt. She pressed cautiously, "You two actually know each other?"

"Of course they do! Why else would they be having coffee together? And I saw Mrs. Sterling put away a document. Their relationship is definitely not simple," Zelda declared, grabbing Zoey's hand and pulling her into the seat across from me, her volume still unnecessarily loud.

"I do know Mrs. Sterling." My heart clenched again at Zelda's mention of the document.

Zelda was a massive loudmouth. If she let it slip to Ferris that I was discussing paperwork over coffee with his mother, it would be a disaster.

I sat back down, keeping my eyes fixed on Zoey's increasingly suspicious gaze. "But we only met because of you, Zoey."

But anyone with eyes could see that they were already deeply in love.

"Why wouldn't it be possible? I told you before, Mrs. Sterling gave you that incredibly expensive bangle the first time she met you. That clearly shows she adores you!" Zelda, who had been nitpicking just moments ago, swallowed my explanation without a second thought. She held Zoey's hand but glared at me defensively. "Dr. Hayes, did you tell Mrs. Sterling the truth? You didn't just badmouth Zoey, did you?"

"Why would I? Dr. Zeller is beautiful, sweet, and incredibly popular. Those are just facts. Of course, I told her the truth," I said smoothly, opting for pure flattery.

As long as I could get through this interrogation, that was all that mattered.

And honestly, even though I was lying about the meeting, the rest was true. Just as Zelda said, Vivian had gifted Zoey an heirloom bangle on their first meeting. She clearly favored the girl and had already accepted her as a future daughter-in-law.