The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 55

I had no idea Ferris was even home.

It was only seven in the evening. Over the past three years of our marriage, the number of times he'd been home this early could be counted on one hand. For a split second, I felt like I'd been struck by lightning, frozen completely to the spot.

I didn't even know how long he'd been standing there, or how much of my conversation with Lucille he had overheard.

My lips parted, desperate to offer an explanation, but the words died in my throat.

On the other end of the line, Lucille was still ranting. "Stop making excuses for him! Let's be real, the Sterling family just doesn't want us dragging down the reputation of Capital General's golden boy. Do they ever stop to think that if your dad hadn't taken a knife for him back at the lake, he wouldn't even be where he is today?"

"Mom, stop."

I tried to shut her down as I scrambled toward the coffee table. But before my thumb could hit the 'End Call' button, Lucille chirped, "But honestly, Selena, conquering your husband's heart isn't that hard. That lingerie we bought last time..."

I didn't let her finish. I jammed the end button instantly.

I was so tense that my fingers were visibly shaking around the phone.

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Thinking back to my conversation with Lucille, and piecing it together with everything that had happened in the clinic earlier, I suddenly felt the undeniable weight of his gaze burning into my back. A chill crept down my spine, and my heart hammered in my throat.

I knew avoiding it wouldn't help. Gathering my courage, I slowly turned around to face him. "Before we went into the clinic, we had no idea you were the one covering Dr. Zephyr's shift."

"Is that so?"

The skepticism in Ferris's voice was suffocating.

Expecting exactly this reaction, I quickly added, "Don't worry, Dr. Sterling. I know you draw a hard line between your personal and professional life, and I respect the boundaries of our arrangement. I have no intention of causing unnecessary trouble for you."

"I highly doubt that," Ferris said coldly. He walked over to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, took a slow drink, and then continued. "You haven't been at Capital General for long. Seems your anesthesia skills haven't improved much, but your ability to pull strings behind the scenes is coming along flawlessly."

I knew he was accusing me of using Leon to get the appointment. I countered, "Wasn't getting squeezed onto the schedule this morning completely within hospital guidelines?"

The moment the words left my mouth, Ferris shot me an icy glare. His voice was sharp and lethal. "So you decided to manipulate the people around me?"

His dark eyes were predatory, a dangerous storm brewing just beneath the surface.

Just as I suspected, he was convinced I was using Leon. I calmly explained how the overbooking had happened, only to be met with his mocking scoff.

"How wonderfully convenient."

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