The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 31

The word "penalty" finally sent a ripple through the man's otherwise unreadable, fathomless eyes.

Yet, he just stared at me, completely silent.

I knew he was waiting for an explanation.

In truth, the idea of demanding a breach of contract settlement had been inspired by Ferris's own words the night before.

Our prenuptial agreement strictly stipulated a hidden marriage with an absolute ban on romantic relationships with the opposite sex.

The contract bound the two of us, which meant Ferris was just as restricted by it as I was; since he had the deep pockets to afford the penalty, I was more than happy to oblige him.

I needed to make it crystal clear that even if I was just Mrs. Sterling in name, I wouldn't tolerate my husband parading his Little Mischief around to flaunt their affection right in front of me day after day.

When a husband cheated, the wife was entitled to emotional compensation, so asking for a little breach of contract fee wasn't exactly crossing the line, was it?

After all, we were still within the contract period, making it perfectly fair, reasonable, and legal.

With that in mind, I met his gaze calmly. "Clause three of the prenup. You literally brought it up last night, Dr. Sterling. Have you forgotten already?"

Ferris paused, his gaze visibly chilling as a trace of mockery crept into his eyes.

I avoided his predatory stare and spoke with unapologetic confidence. "Since you signed the agreement, you should play by the rules."

"Heh," a quiet scoff reached my ears as Ferris looked down at me from his towering height, his voice laced with venom. "Classic Selena. Even now, you still haven't forgotten to squeeze every last drop of benefit for the Hayes family."

The Hayes family?

I silently rolled the words over in my mind, my fingers instinctively curling into fists before relaxing again.

Sure enough, in his eyes, every move I made was a calculated scheme orchestrated by my family to leech off the Sterlings and take advantage of him.

"You must be joking," I said, forcing myself to stay grounded, keeping my tone perfectly even. "I'm strictly business."

"Business?" Ferris's voice suddenly ticked upward, a dark cloud passing over his features as his stare turned razor-sharp. After a long, tense silence, he spoke coldly. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid your hopes are going to be dashed."

He sounded so certain, his tone a fifty-fifty split of ice and ridicule.

I knew Ferris wouldn't make an empty threat, but what did he mean by "dashed"? Was there some loophole in the contract I had missed?

A faint sense of unease washed over me, and his intense scrutiny only made me more uncomfortable. I decided to cut straight to the chase. "Why don't you just spit it out?"

Ferris took a step back, leaning casually against the doorframe in a relaxed, effortless posture. "Do you have any evidence?"

That single word threw me off balance.

A second later, he drove the point home. "You claim I'm involved with another woman. Where's the proof?"

I choked on my words.

He was right. Even though the entirety of Capital General knew he had taken a junior under his wing, personally guiding her with an intimacy that sparked endless romantic rumors, it meant nothing. Could anyone actually prove they were dating? Did anyone hold tangible evidence of a romantic relationship?

He was playing semantics, but if we ever went to court, I’d have absolutely nothing on him.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify