Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 169

Elijah was always known as a gentle teacher.

Though he demanded a lot from his students in the classroom, in everyday life he never seemed harsh or rigid. Still, when Elijah’s expression turned cold, his sternness could be downright intimidating.

Now, as he fixed Noelle with that icy stare, a wave of anxiety crashed over her. For a moment, she couldn’t even think of how to respond.

“What’s wrong? Do you think my Zinnia is just a pushover, someone you can walk all over as you please?”

“My wife and I may not be anything special,” Elijah continued, “but we certainly won’t stand by and let you treat her that way.”

Of course, Elijah was being modest when he said he wasn’t anything special.

True, the Quinn family couldn’t match the Fords in wealth and influence—and certainly not the Jensens, who had the Fords backing them. But when it came to connections, things weren’t so simple.

The Quinn family was a true family of scholars. Both Elijah and his wife taught at Veridian University, one of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Just counting the students they’d mentored over the years, it wouldn’t be hard to find several influential figures in Veridian City. And then there were the students taught by Zinnia’s grandparents—a legacy hard to rival.

Juniper, unlike Rosalie and Noelle, saw the bigger picture. He knew better than to put on airs before Elijah—especially given that, today, Landon had made it clear he wasn’t going to defend Noelle.

If this standoff dragged on, it would only embarrass the Jensen family.

Now, with his mother-in-law bringing it up so deliberately, Landon felt a mix of guilt and shame. He glanced at Zinnia, but her face showed no sign of emotion, as if she were merely a bystander to this so-called “unpardonable sin.”

Rosalie, on the other hand, was incensed by Jessica’s stinging rebuke of her daughter. She shot back, “Watch your mouth! Landon cares about Noelle because they’ve known each other all their lives. If your daughter can’t keep her own husband in line, how is that my daughter’s fault?”

Everyone in the lounge fell silent.

So there really are people who wear their mistress status like a badge of honor, some even with mothers who’ll defend them to the bitter end. Maybe, just maybe, that too was a family tradition.

The hospital administrators and several department heads present that day—most of them Veridian University alumni—exchanged uneasy glances, silently taking note of everything that had just unfolded.