Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 139

Noelle’s fans, who just moments ago had been stunned into silence by Landon’s words, erupted into a frenzy all over again when they heard Noelle speak.

[I nearly had a heart attack—I thought Mr. Ford was calling Zinnia his wife!]

[Obviously Noelle and Mr. Ford are the real couple here, right? The brooding CEO and his adorable sweetheart—just thinking about it is so sweet, hehe.]

[Something about this doesn’t add up, though.]

[Agreed. If Noelle is the wife Mr. Ford was talking about, then why did he act that way toward her mother earlier?]

[Exactly! Why would he say he can’t protect his own wife? Was this influencer bullied by someone just now?]

The logic didn’t hold up, not even a little. But Noelle’s most diehard fans didn’t care; they were too busy shipping the CEO and his supposed darling, giddy to the point of abandoning all reason.

Meanwhile, back in the consultation room, Noelle was cursing Herbert and his entire family tree under her breath. Anxiety gnawed at her—this livestream could seriously ruin her reputation, and she wanted nothing more than for it all to be over.

She was still racking her brain, desperately searching for a way to steer this disaster off course, when Landon suddenly put space between them.

To everyone’s astonishment, he strode over and stopped right in front of Zinnia.

Zinnia hadn’t expected Landon to show up at this moment, much less to say something so ambiguous to Rosalie in front of the whole livestream. When he stood before her, she merely lifted her gaze to meet his, her expression calm and utterly devoid of delight. If anything, she saw him as meddling where he wasn’t needed.

The corner of Landon’s mouth tightened, his expression cooling.

“No, Landon, it’s not like that—I swear! My fans misunderstood me, I never said anything like that,” she pleaded, reaching for his hand.

Landon pulled away, leaving her grasping at empty air.

The panic in Noelle’s eyes intensified. This was the first time Landon had ever called her by her full name, and the first time he’d looked at her with such cold, steely eyes. For the first time, she was truly afraid—tears streaming down her cheeks.

Noelle’s parents, watching their daughter in this state, couldn’t bear it. Juniper stepped forward, appealing to Landon.

“Landon, you’ve got Noelle all wrong. She was just worried about her brother’s health and posted a video saying Zinnia was inexperienced as a doctor. Maybe there’s been some misunderstanding, but all those nasty comments calling Zinnia a homewrecker—those weren’t from Noelle.”

Juniper, at least, could still read the room.