The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 89

The sip of alcohol caught in my throat, causing me to choke.

After coughing a few times, I finally registered the words 'stepping stone'.

I locked eyes with Ferris. He looked as effortlessly composed as ever, but the slight tilt of his chin exposed his deep-seated arrogance.

So, in Ferris's eyes, even a purely academic exchange with Caspian was just me ruthlessly social climbing?

I tightened my grip on my glass, fighting the turbulent emotions surging in my chest, and replied, "Dr. Sterling flatters me. Compared to you, I'm practically an amateur."

Others might be entirely blind to it, but as the woman whose name sat right next to his on our marriage certificate, how could I not see it? Hiding his marital status while parading his Little Mischief around at a massive public event—when it came to playing games, I absolutely couldn't hold a candle to Ferris Sterling.

Oh, and he was doing it right in front of his wife in name only.

"Is that so? One brief conversation and you couldn't wait to secure his phone number." As he spoke, the man's icy gaze swept across my face, his voice sharp and chilling. "I'd say Dr. Hayes is the one playing chess."

Playing chess.

Was Ferris purposely trying to provoke me?

So he had stood there and watched the entire exchange where I got Caspian's number?

"It was just a standard academic inquiry," I said, deciding it was best to de-escalate rather than fan the flames. "Dr. Sterling is overthinking things."

"It seems Dr. Hayes believes Capital General's anesthesiology department is inferior to St. Jude's." Ferris's tone grew increasingly aggressive. "Does Dr. Yates know you feel this way?"

It felt like Ferris was deliberately picking a fight out of thin air.

I stayed silent for two seconds before deciding to switch tactics. "The way Dr. Sterling is acting right now doesn't seem like righteous indignation for Dr. Yates. You sound more like a jealous husband upset that his wife is out chatting up other men."

The second the words left my mouth, Ferris slammed his glass down onto a nearby table with a sharp clink, radiating a lethal, 'do-not-approach' aura.

Watching his knuckles turn white as he gripped the edge of the table, I knew this was the calm before the storm.

Collapsing onto the sofa, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I had no idea those tiny cocktails would hit me so fast. I figured I'd hide in here and rest until the banquet was basically over.

With the alcohol rushing to my head, my eyelids grew incredibly heavy. Within minutes, I actually drifted off.

I didn't wake up until I felt a rush of warm breath sweeping across my face. I groggily fluttered my eyes open, and through my blurred vision, I saw Ferris's devastatingly familiar face hovering over me.

Oh, Selena. You are so pathetic. Even now, you're still dreaming about this man.

Frustrated with myself, I reached up, grabbed his tie, and slurred boldly, "You even crashed my dreams, Dr. Sterling?"

The man's brow furrowed slightly as he stared at me in silence.

But his eyes were filled with blatant disdain.

Feeling somewhat rejected, I pouted defensively. "You just have a pretty face. I can handle it."