The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 32

The hospital cafeteria was always bustling with people, and with a walking billboard like Ferris present, all eyes were inevitably drawn our way. The fact that he suddenly threw out a phrase like "cheap grandstanding" was the equivalent of crushing my pride into the dirt for everyone to see.

I stood there mortified, my face burning with humiliation.

All I had done was complete the assignment given by my mentor. How did that equate to grandstanding?

Did it have something to do with the video Zoey had mentioned?

While I was still piecing it together, Zoey stepped in to play peacemaker. "Ferris probably doesn't know this, but during our medical school days, Selena's practical skills were always top-tier. Earning the praise of our colleagues is definitely well-deserved."

After saying that, she glanced back at me, a flash of awkwardness crossing her doe-like eyes.

She was too naive.

What did she mean Ferris didn't know? Before the famous "Scalpel" went off to Stanford, we crossed paths plenty of times in med school. We had competed against each other more than once in the university’s clinical skills competitions. Ferris knew exactly what my skill level was.

He was doing this entirely on purpose just to humiliate me in public.

At that thought, a surge of inexplicable anger tightened in my chest, leaving me completely agitated.

"So what if her practical skills are good?" Ferris's abrupt voice cut in again. He glared at me with strict authority and chastised, "A doctor's true calling is to save lives, not to show off. It seems Dr. Hayes has already forgotten how she fumbled around the operating room yesterday in a total panic."

The contemptuous tone, the condescending posture—every word Ferris spoke felt like a needle driving right into my heart, leaving a dense, throbbing ache in its wake.

Were we enemies?

Not exactly, right?

Even a marriage of convenience deserved some baseline respect. I wasn't begging Ferris to pamper me the way he doted on Zoey, but he didn't have to nitpick my every move, did he?

Did he really despise me that much? Did he have to tear me down in front of all these people so I couldn't salvage any shred of dignity?

Yes. Because he was Ferris Sterling, no one dared to speak up when he publicly reprimanded a lowly intern.

A heavy weight settled in my chest. I lifted my chin, meeting Ferris's gaze head-on, and fired back, "I have no idea what gave you the impression that I was showing off. As an anesthesiology intern and a total rookie, I'm well aware I have nothing to show off just yet. Furthermore..."

I paused, then delivered the final blow bluntly. "How much do you actually know about me, Dr. Sterling? Making reckless judgments without knowing the facts—doesn't that lack the professionalism of a senior doctor?"

My voice wasn't loud, but the moment the words landed, I could audibly hear the surrounding colleagues suck in a sharp breath.

Zoey's almond eyes widened into massive saucers.

It was true—given our senior-junior dynamic, I had no right to talk back to Ferris. But I had absolutely had it. Between our professional hierarchy and our marital ties—five years of unrequited love and three years of marriage—if Ferris had even an ounce of patience for me, he would know I was the most grounded person alive.

He had no right to judge me.

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