The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 521

"Do I really need to hear it from someone else? What do you think these eyes are for? Decoration?" Caspian Cross chuckled softly, his captivating, predatory gaze narrowing just a fraction.

The overhead hallway light hit him at an angle, casting a shadow from his thick lashes across his face. The contrast was as striking as dark charcoal sketched against pristine snow, possessing a breathtaking kind of beauty.

Yet, he delivered this bombshell with absolute nonchalance. "The Department of Anesthesiology is currently short one Deputy Director. Dr. Logan is terrified you're going to steal his spotlight and ruin his chances of promotion. That's why he targets you at work, and he certainly hasn't kept his mouth shut about you outside of it. During the Azure Springs Retreat BBQ last time, I happened to overhear quite a few of his complaints."

I froze in my tracks, so stunned that I stopped walking entirely and just turned to stare at him.

I was stunned by his striking good looks, but even more so by the harsh truth he had just laid bare.

No wonder The Iron Mask always seemed to have it out for me. I used to think he was just a strict perfectionist with impossibly high standards, but Caspian's words suddenly woke me up to reality. So this was the hidden agenda.

No wonder the better I performed, the more unhappy he became.

As the Director of Anesthesiology at St. Jude's Medical Center, Caspian naturally had more experience than me. Sitting at a higher vantage point, he could easily see through the underlying politics—things that a workplace rookie like myself hadn't even considered.

I only knew that a doctor's duty was to treat patients and save lives. I believed that by continuously improving my professional skills and ethics, I could do more for the people under my care. I had completely forgotten the old adage that the tallest tree catches the most wind.

"Selena, you really are a little innocent. You don't know the first thing about office politics." Caspian stopped walking as well. He looked down at me, and his long, pale fingers actually reached out to touch my cheek.

He gave it a gentle pinch. Though his tone retained that lazy, teasing drawl, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of tenderness and sympathy. "Such a sweet, naive girl. If no one protects you, you're going to get swallowed alive by the wolves, aren't you?"

That familiar feeling washed over me again.