The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 149

His casual 'I'll drink for her' brought the entire room to a dead halt for two seconds before erupting into loud cheers and teasing whistles. Zelda, sitting across the table, immediately fueled the fire: "Hold on, Dr. Lennox! You can't just drink for a woman without the proper title! We need to see if Selena actually consents to this!"

Zelda's loaded question sent everyone's curiosity through the roof, but for me, it was a total trap.

If I rejected Leon's offer, I would be publicly throwing his kindness back in his face. But if I accepted in front of everyone, I would practically be validating their romantic gossip—not to mention, my legal husband, Ferris, was sitting directly across from me.

Thinking quickly, I leaned on my injury to deflect the tension. "I scraped my leg on the slopes this morning and the medical station gave me strong anti-inflammatories. Dr. Lennox is just joking around, don't take it so seriously."

The head nurse instantly looked worried. "You got hurt? Is it serious?"

"It's just a little scrape," I lied smoothly.

"Well, then you're doing a terrible job as a knight, Leon," the head nurse scolded playfully. "You have to take a penalty shot for letting her get hurt!"

Leon casually glanced across the table, looked back at me, and sighed in defeat. "Fair enough. Whatever you say, ma'am."

With that, the awkward tension finally dissipated.

But since this was a mandatory bonding event, it wasn't long before the group games began. Zelda's suggestion of a 'Compatibility Test'—where colleagues randomly drew teams and answered questions about their ideal partners—was met with deafening applause. The rules were simple: teams of four would write their answers on their phones. The duo with the most matching answers won. Best two out of three.

Between the throbbing pain in my foot and having to endure Ferris and Zoey's sickening PDA all day, I had zero desire to play. But of course, the universe always forces you into the exact situations you want to avoid.

After the draw, I miraculously ended up in a group of four with Ferris, Leon, and Zoey.

Zelda, reveling in her role as the host, caught onto the drama instantly. "Well, look at that! Let's start with Dr. Sterling's group!"

I was screaming internally, but I slapped on a polite smile.

Given his elite status, watching the notoriously aloof Ferris dragged into a pseudo-couples game with his rumored fling instantly hooked everyone's attention. Before the game even started, the entire room was holding its breath.

"First question!" Zelda announced dramatically. "Where is your ideal first date location? Please type your answers on your phones."

Staring at Ferris across the table, a suffocating wave of bitterness crashed into me.

Counting the days, Ferris and I had been legally married for three full years. Yet, we had never actually gone on a real date.

Back when I was blindly obsessed with him, I had dreamed of dragging him to the artificial lake on our med school campus. But because we had agreed to keep our marriage a secret, I swallowed the request.

Eventually, he became entirely consumed by his career, working day and night. By the time I finally thought about asking for a date again, our marriage had already eroded into a toxic wasteland.

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