Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 324

The smile on Zinnia’s face froze instantly.

She glanced up to see Landon standing by the table, his expression complicated. His deep-set eyes lingered on Yuri, who sat right beside her, studying him with a look Zinnia couldn’t quite decipher.

But Landon quickly looked away, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He pulled out the empty chair to Zinnia’s left and sat down, completely at ease.

“Zephyr, it’s been a while,” he said.

Zephyr nodded, awkwardly glancing from Landon to Yuri. The tension in the air was so thick, he could almost see sparks flying between them. Regret gnawed at him—he really shouldn’t have agreed to this lunch.

Yuri, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, his demeanor relaxed and unbothered by Landon’s sudden appearance. When Landon’s gaze fell on him, Yuri simply smiled and nodded politely in return.

“What are you doing here?” Zinnia asked, her brow furrowing.

She dragged her chair a little closer to Yuri’s side, a subtle move that didn’t escape Landon’s notice. His heart sank, and he frowned almost imperceptibly. Outwardly, though, he maintained a calm façade, as if he hadn’t picked up on Zinnia’s obvious resistance.

“I texted you to have lunch together,” he said, his tone casual, as if they were still close. “You didn’t reply, so I figured you probably didn’t see it. Thought I’d just come find you instead.”

Zinnia’s frown deepened at his presumptuousness. Of course she hadn’t seen his message—she’d muted his notifications ages ago. Did he really have no self-awareness at all?

She ignored him, turning her attention to the menu instead.

“This is your favorite, right? How about I order this for you?” she asked Yuri.

Yuri nodded with an easy smile. “Sure, I’ll leave it to you.”

His gentle, warm tone made Landon’s face darken in an instant. Landon watched as Zinnia’s stern expression softened when she spoke to Yuri, a sharp contrast to the cold indifference she showed him. She was clearly much closer to this man than she was to her own husband.

“Nice to meet you,” Yuri said, rising from his seat and extending a hand. “I’m Cozy’s mentor from university.”

The word “Cozy” caught Landon’s attention immediately. He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flickering there as he fixed Yuri with a piercing stare. “Cozy?”

Yuri blinked in surprise, then gave a small, innocuous smile. “Yes, Zinnia. You didn’t know that’s her nickname?”

His offhanded, almost teasing question made Landon’s face darken even further.

Cozy?

Cozy?

How had he never heard that his own wife had a nickname like that? And what gave this man the right to call her something so intimate? That sort of closeness—who said it was his to claim?