The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 27

Performance? What performance?

I turned around, completely baffled. Ferris was sitting on the plush sofa, legs elegantly crossed, watching me with a look of pure, cynical amusement.

It was the exact same predatory gaze I had caught at the welcome dinner.

Except now, the massive living room was empty. With no audience to play to, his stare was blatantly aggressive.

Was he... mocking me?

Thoroughly confused, I asked, "I have no idea what performance you're talking about, Dr. Sterling."

Ferris let out a harsh scoff, the disdain in his eyes sharpening. "If we didn't have a marriage certificate locked in a safe somewhere, I'd honestly believe you were fully committed to this 'single girl' persona."

He emphasized those last words with biting sarcasm.

But keeping the marriage a secret was literally his mandate—he was the one who forced it into our prenuptial agreement. What exactly was his problem now?

I kept my temper in check. "I'm just following the terms of our contract."

"The contract states you conceal the marriage," Ferris snapped, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly icy register. "It doesn't give you permission to flirt with other men."

Flirt with other men.

I processed the accusation, and suddenly, everything clicked.

Ferris actually thought I was stepping out of line as his wife.

How hilarious. He could publicly fawn over Zoey, but God forbid I share a harmless joke with a male colleague.

All because he was Ferris Sterling, and the rules didn't apply to him.

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Don't worry, Dr. Sterling. Unlike you, I don't have millions of dollars lying around to cover a breach-of-contract fee."

In other words, cheating required capital I didn't possess, especially since I had just signed that massive IOU. I didn't have the time, the energy, or the money for an affair.

It was a pathetic reality, but true.

Something in my response must have struck a nerve. He stared at me for several agonizing seconds before sneering, "You'd better not."

So that was it. The incredibly busy Dr. Sterling had rushed home tonight solely to issue a possessive warning.

The humiliation of the entire evening boiled over. I lifted my chin defiantly. "Rest assured, until the contract expires, I will continue to play the perfect Mrs. Sterling."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify