The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 60

Zoey's comment hit like a bomb, leaving everyone stunned. Lucille was the first to scramble for an explanation. "Meeting the parents? No, no, absolutely not! Selena and Leon are just colleagues. Leon went out of his way to help my brother out today, so we invited him to dinner to say thank you. We really appreciate his dedication to his patients!"

Under normal circumstances, Lucille's little speech would have been perfectly fine. But right here, right now—standing in front of Ferris and Dr. Zephyr, the actual doctors who had diagnosed Silas—it sounded wildly inappropriate.

Not to mention, Ferris was my legal husband.

Showering a random male colleague with praise while completely ignoring her actual son-in-law was a terrible look.

Sure enough, the temperature around Ferris plummeted. His face darkened ominously.

In his eyes, we probably looked like we were plotting something.

I took a deep breath, preparing to do some major damage control, but Leon beat me to it. "I just ran a few errands. The ones who really took care of you today were these two brilliant surgeons right here. Since we've all run into each other, why don't we combine our tables? What do you say, Mrs. Lowell?"

Leon was desperately trying to save Lucille's dignity. If this was a thank-you dinner, it made sense to thank everyone involved. Professionally, both Ferris and Dr. Zephyr outranked me by miles. Running into them made it socially mandatory to invite them.

I knew Leon was just trying to protect my reputation at Capital General.

Plus, since he was best friends with Ferris and close with Dr. Zephyr, eating at the same table wouldn't normally be weird.

But he didn't know about my marriage to Ferris. And he didn't know that Ferris's heart was entirely wrapped up in Zoey.

The husband, the secret wife, the golden girl... throwing us all at the same dinner table was a recipe for a catastrophic joke.

Especially with my family here.

Especially with Lucille.

Ferris was a spectacular actor, but he couldn't keep Lucille fooled forever.

To save us both the incoming disaster, I forced a polite smile and intercepted the offer. "Dr. Sterling is incredibly busy. We wouldn't want to intrude. Let's arrange a separate dinner another time, shall we?"

Silas immediately agreed. "Exactly! Tonight is all about thanking Leon. We shouldn't hold up the big experts from their dinner."

I handed Ferris the perfect excuse to walk away. It ruined Leon's peace offering, but it was infinitely better than surviving a meal together.

I fully expected Ferris to take the out. Instead, his voice cut through the tension like a blade.

The young intern instantly looked at Ferris. She bit her lip, her eyes shining with a fragile, helpless longing that screamed for attention.

It made sense. Whether it was the welcome party or department dinners, Ferris always kept her right by his side. Being separated now obviously upset her.

But she was young. Her emotions were plastered all over her face, barely concealed.

I looked away, my gaze landing on Ferris diagonally across from me. He leaned back in his chair in absolute silence, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes lowered. When he wasn't speaking, his cold authority was overwhelming. His long, elegant index finger tapped a slow, rhythmic beat against the rim of his porcelain teacup, as if calculating his next move.

Sensing my stare, he abruptly lifted his gaze. When those cold, predatory eyes locked onto mine, they felt like a trap I couldn't escape.

A trap boiling with barely restrained fury.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

In that exact moment of our silent standoff, his voice sliced through the room, sharp and uncompromising.

"The serving area isn't safe. Dr. Zeller, change seats."