Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 355

The moment Landon uttered the word “cousin,” Yuri’s half-hearted smile faded a notch.

That single word seemed to shrink him, as if he’d suddenly become smaller, diminished.

He narrowed his eyes at Landon, then—without another word—reached for the Bentley’s door and slid inside.

They drove in silence until they pulled up at a nearby coffee shop. It was still early, and the place was mostly empty.

When two striking men emerged from the gleaming Bentley and strode through the café’s entrance, heads turned. Passersby couldn’t help but steal glances, some curious, some admiring, but the pair’s cold, forbidding auras sent most people scurrying back to their own business.

Once they’d taken their seats, Landon got straight to the point.

“I heard from Grandfather,” he said. “Your mother is my aunt. She disappeared twenty-seven years ago. We sent people to investigate, and the news came back: she was gone. None of us expected that she was still alive—or that she’d had a son.”

Yuri gave Landon a sidelong glance. “So? Why did you come find me at the crack of dawn? What do you want?”

Landon leaned back against the sofa, his tone direct. “Grandfather would like to see your mother. He misses her.”

“That’s not happening,” Yuri replied, shutting him down without hesitation. “She’s never coming back.”

“I only came to Austerland because Veridian University offered me a job,” he went on, his voice flat. “I have nothing to do with your family. The Fords have no right to ask anything of me.”

He picked up his coffee—still steaming—and drank it in one long swallow, as if it were nothing more than water. Then he fixed Landon with a challenging stare.

“So, Mr. Ford, don’t bother trying to pull rank on me. That corporate boss routine doesn’t work here.”

Yuri didn’t bother replying. He merely let out a cold laugh, shoved past Richie, and strode out into the street.

Landon remained where he was, watching as a barista cleared away Yuri’s coffee cup. Only then did he finally step out of the café.

Six hours later, a folder landed on Landon’s desk—a DNA test report for Violet and Yuri.

It had been expedited through Enliven Private Hospital’s genetics center. The Ford family had blood samples for everyone stored in the hospital’s biobank, so there was no chance of tampering.

The results were conclusive: Yuri and Violet were indeed biological mother and son.

It was a level of certainty that went beyond any test with Zane.