Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 36

As she spoke, Zinnia handed her staff ID—which doubled as her cafeteria meal card—to Landon. “You can use mine,” she said.

It was just a polite gesture, really. After all, Landon Ford, CEO of the Ford Group, probably wouldn’t stoop to eating hospital cafeteria food.

She was fully prepared for Landon to decline, so she could take her card back and be on her way. But to her surprise, Landon simply reached out, took the card from her hand, and replied, “Thanks.”

Zinnia blinked in disbelief.

Why did I even bother being polite? she thought, instantly annoyed with herself. She’d assumed he’d refuse, and she’d be able to walk away, card in hand.

All the hospital’s systems—access, payments, the cafeteria, even the little shop—were linked to her staff ID. Now, with Landon holding her card to buy lunch, she was stuck waiting for him.

Her brow furrowed unconsciously at the thought. For the first time, she realized that sometimes, being too polite could really backfire.

Landon caught her frown and arched an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Regretting letting me use your card?”

Zinnia hesitated, then gestured to the ID in his hand. “Just go grab your food, okay? I need to get back to my office—I have patients waiting.”

She made up an excuse to hurry him along.

But Landon didn’t budge. He held the card between his fingers, gaze lowered, eyes dark and searching as he looked at her.

Zinnia grew impatient under his stare. She was about to prod him again when Landon spoke.

“Zinnia, do you just not want to see me?”

The irritation in her eyes froze into shock. She denied it on instinct. “No, that’s not it.”

“You’re a surgeon. No one schedules operations right in the middle of lunch,” Landon replied, his tone flat, effortlessly dissecting her flimsy excuse.

She gave up trying to argue and answered flatly, “If that’s what you want to think, I can’t stop you.”

The evasive reply slammed against whatever anger Landon had been building in his chest, blocking it until he could hardly breathe.

He let out a short, bitter laugh. “So now you can’t even be bothered to come up with an excuse?”

Zinnia opened her mouth, but she didn’t even have the energy to argue. She just said, “It’s not that. I do have work—I’ve got a pile of patient files in my office waiting for me.”

Looking at her, so calm and unruffled, Landon suddenly felt like he’d punched a pillow—nothing but emptiness in return.

She wouldn’t argue. She wouldn’t explain. She didn’t even bother with a convincing excuse.

A surge of old resentment rose up in him, and he wanted to demand if she was still angry over the time he’d left her in Norway to go back to Noelle.