The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 77

I had no idea how Zoey managed to spot me.

The distance between us wasn't exactly close, but it wasn't far either.

By the time I turned around, the younger woman had already skipped over and was standing right in front of me.

She peeked at my suitcase, her eyes flashing with a mix of surprise and blatant curiosity.

Behind her, Ferris stood rooted to the spot, straight as a bamboo stalk. A black suitcase and a pink one rested by his feet, making him look exactly like the perfect, devoted boyfriend handling the heavy lifting for his girlfriend's trip.

"A business trip," I said smoothly, pulling my gaze away from him. "To Skye City."

Her doe eyes went wide as she gasped in faux realization. "Wait, you're going to the medical conference too?!"

I gave a slight nod and didn't say a word. But a second later, she lunged forward, grabbing my hand with overwhelming enthusiasm. "Oh, that is amazing! I was so worried I'd be bored on the flight. With you here, we can chat the whole way!"

I recoiled internally from her sudden burst of affection. Knowing that the three of us would have to go through the entire boarding process together made my skin crawl. Desperate for an out, I lied, "I need to go grab a coffee."

"Just wait until we're past security!" she insisted, grabbing the handle of my suitcase. "Come on, let's go check in together."

She was suffocatingly eager.

So eager that I couldn't even think of an excuse to shake her off.

The three of us ended up standing in line together at the check-in counter.

Ferris maintained his usual act of treating me like a total stranger, not sparing me a single glance.

As I suspected, he couldn't have cared less about whether I was attending the conference or not.

And here I was, having agonized over the decision like an absolute fool.

Clearly, I had overthought everything.

Just then, an airline agent walked over and announced, "First Class passengers, please step forward to this line."

I silently looked away, only to see Zoey excitedly raise her hand. "Hi, that's us!"

It was only then that I realized Ferris and Zoey were flying First Class.

It made sense. He was the golden boy of Capital General; his travel budget was in a completely different stratosphere than ours. But it was a bitter pill to swallow—we were both interns, yet the gap between the way I was treated and the way Zoey was treated was astronomical.

I figured I'd just sleep until we landed.

But once I settled into my seat, I tossed and turned, completely unable to relax. My mind kept replaying the image of Ferris awkwardly dragging those two suitcases through the terminal.

He came from a prestigious, wealthy background and was the undisputed king of Capital General. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, he was never the one handling the luggage. But today, this haughty, untouchable man acted just like millions of other ordinary boyfriends, dutifully rolling the suitcase for the girl he spoiled.

Back home, I wouldn't even let him bend down to pick up a stray hair off the floor.

Turns out, he wasn't incapable of being thoughtful. He just refused to lower his standards for me.

Two hours later, the flight landed in Skye City. I groggily retrieved my luggage, only to run straight into Ferris and Zoey at the exit gate.

Zoey waved at me with a massive grin. "Finally! We've been waiting forever. Come here!"

They had actually waited for me?

I was completely baffled. As I got closer, Zoey explained, "Selena, the conference organizers sent a private car for Ferris. It's sleeting outside, so why don't you just ride to the hotel with us?"

I glanced out the airport doors. Sure enough, the sky was a gloomy, freezing gray. But I had already booked a ride on my app, so I quickly said, "No thanks, I've already got a car coming."