Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 116

No wonder they called him the CEO’s right-hand man; Charles had an uncanny knack for reading Landon’s mind.

After Charles left, Landon stared at the stack of documents before him, his thoughts drifting far from work.

He picked up his phone and tapped on Zinnia’s profile picture in WhatsApp. The chat still showed his last message from that night—the one Zinnia never replied to. She’d come home late, carrying the unmistakable scent of another man’s cologne.

Landon hesitated, fingers hovering over the keyboard as he tried to find the right words. No matter how he phrased it, every draft sounded wrong.

Frustration welled up inside him, tinged with a hint of discouragement. He stood and walked over to the window.

The days of snow and rain had finally cleared, leaving the air fresh and crisp. The sky gleamed a brilliant blue, dotted with drifting, fluffy clouds that curled into all kinds of shapes.

He rarely had time to notice these things, but now, as he looked—really looked—he realized why Zinnia loved sending him photos of the sky. She’d always tried to share this simple beauty with him.

His gaze landed on a small, dog-shaped cloud. Suddenly, he remembered: Zinnia had once sent him a photo just like this, a cloud that looked like a puppy.

He snapped a picture of it, a quiet smile touching his lips. For the first time in days, he felt like he had a reason to message her.

He attached the photo and began typing a caption, but before he could hit send, the heavy office door swung open without warning.

For some inexplicable reason, Landon felt like a teenager caught sneaking around. He instinctively shoved his phone into his pocket.

“Landon, I’m back!” came a bright, teasing voice.

A flash of vivid red swept into the room, trailing a cloud of expensive perfume. Before she could latch onto him in a hug, Landon held out a hand and stopped her in her tracks.

She leaned back with a dramatic sigh. “I just… got a puppy. He’s so cute, Landon, seriously. He’s exactly my type, and I sort of blew my allowance on him.”

At the mention of a puppy, Landon’s eyes narrowed in thought. He was suddenly reminded of the night at the hospital—how Zinnia’s eyes had lit up when she saw that little dog in another man’s arms.

“You got a dog?” he asked.

Leanna nodded enthusiastically.

“Is this a thing now? Do all girls love puppies or something?” Landon found himself genuinely curious.

Leanna rolled her eyes again. “Obviously! Who could resist a cute puppy? They’re impossible not to love.”