The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 82

I was instantly rendered speechless, snapping back sharply, "Aren't you the one who broke the agreement first?"

Because my emotions were running high, my voice naturally ticked up a few decibels.

"Dr. Hayes, I feel the need to remind you that we are currently on a business trip, understood?"

Meeting the pointed look Ferris threw my way and hearing his infuriatingly casual tone sent a sharp wave of humiliation through me. I flared up, "Oh, so Dr. Sterling actually remembers we're on a business trip? Then is it appropriate for Dr. Sterling to take his intern out to enjoy the city's river views while leaving me behind to take the blame?"

After dropping that bomb, I locked eyes with Ferris, refusing to back down an inch.

But Ferris wasn't the type to be easily intimidated. He wasn't fazed by my blunt exposure of his little escapade. After a few seconds, he replied coolly, "Why does it sound like Dr. Hayes is reeking of jealousy?"

He picked up his coffee and took a gentle sip, moving with an elegant, gentlemanly grace.

Yet, it oozed absolute arrogance.

He was radiating the cold, untouchable nobility typical of the Port Capital elite.

But my pride had just taken a brutal hit.

"It's disgust," I lied, keeping my composure while my fingers dug into my palms beneath the table. "I just want to remind Dr. Sterling to be a bit more discreet next time. If the media catches you two, I'll be the one dragged down and scolded by the entire Sterling family. That's just an unnecessary headache, isn't it?"

With a sharp clink, the spoon slipped from Ferris's fingers. He looked up sharply, his gaze pinning me down with venomous mockery. "What's wrong? Is Dr. Hayes feeling wronged?"

My own husband took his new flame out sightseeing, got caught, and left me to absorb the wrath of my in-laws. To say I didn't feel wronged would be a massive lie.

Not to mention, before they went out enjoying the sights, Ferris had dumped seven or eight pages of data sorting on me—work that had originally belonged to Zoey.

We were just colleagues, weren't we?

As for Vivian's wrath, I figured there was no point in explaining myself. Even if the Sterling family knew I wasn't the woman accompanying Ferris on his sightseeing trip, it wouldn't change a thing. At the end of the day, they would never stand up for a wife in name only.

Less drama was better than more.

My priority was to seize every opportunity to improve my own skills.

At two-thirty in the afternoon, Dr. Yates and I arrived punctually at the event hall. Once the rest of our Capital General colleagues filed in, I pulled out the materials I had organized the night before and handed them out one by one, right in front of Ferris.

When Dr. Yates received his copy, he looked surprised. "Isn't this Dr. Sterling's keynote material for today?"

I nodded, flashing a bright smile. "Yes, exactly. Dr. Sterling knows I'm deeply interested in both neurology and anesthesiology, so he specifically gave me the opportunity to study this. Staying up all night reviewing it was incredibly rewarding."