CHAPTER 184: CHAPTER 184: THE ATTITUDE OF ADMITTING MISTAKES

Old Mr. Gardiner sighed silently in his heart, then smiled, "Let’s eat, let’s eat."

"The weather’s nice today; we’re thinking of going fishing later. Want to join us?" Luke Gardiner asked her.

"Sure." Florence Fuller kept eating seriously without lifting her head, "Grandpa, you fish, I’ll learn from you by your side."

Old Mr. Gardiner nodded, "Okay."

Old Mr. Gardiner had rented this farm. Here, the trees were lush, and the fruits and vegetables were naturally grown. The air was fresh, away from the hustle and fast pace of the city, making it comfortable and self-satisfying.

Florence Fuller accompanied the old man fishing for an hour before she got restless. Knowing various fruits and vegetables were grown here, she thought for a bit and said to the old man, "Grandpa, I’m going to check out the orchard."

Old Mr. Gardiner nodded, "Go ahead, maybe Luke could go with you."

Florence Fuller declined, "Let him fish with you, otherwise you’ll be bored alone. I’m going now."

"Go on."

As Florence Fuller’s figure disappeared from the fish pond area, Old Mr. Gardiner glanced at Luke Gardiner, who stood still nearby, "You asked me for help, and this is how you do it."

"She doesn’t want me to follow; if I go, she’d be upset," Luke Gardiner replied.

The old man chuckled with ambiguous meaning, "Since when do you care about someone else’s happiness?"

Luke Gardiner tightened his grip on the fishing rod, "It doesn’t matter for others, but she’s an exception."

Old Mr. Gardiner exclaimed, "You were such a rebel before—didn’t listen even when scolded, couldn’t be disciplined through force—compared to the practical presence of Florence now."

Luke Gardiner said nothing.

"Luke, no one can wait for you indefinitely. Your current temperament is partly my responsibility." The old man said heavily, "I wholeheartedly groomed you to hand over the Gardiner Clan to you, thinking your intelligence from a young age would allow for flamboyant actions. Later, I tried to calm you down and arranged your marriage, ultimately overlooking your wishes which trapped Florence in the Gardiner Family."

"She’s a good kid. If you can truly win her back to stay, that’s great. But if after this, she remains determined to divorce, just let her go."

This was his last act of assistance for Luke Gardiner.

Old Mr. Gardiner’s voice was already filled with exhaustion, "I’m not left with many years. How your life will turn out depends on you."

Luke Gardiner’s hand shook, and the fish pond’s surface rippled.

"I’m sorry." Lowering his head, Luke Gardiner’s voice carried self-reproach, "Grandpa."

Old Mr. Gardiner smiled, "Rare, in this lifetime to see you sincerely admit fault."

Thinking of the grandson who refused to be disciplined, the old man felt disappointed.

"Florence scolded me earlier," he said bitterly, "I realized her words were not false. I’ve thought a lot; if I shed the Gardiner Family identity, could I still be Luke Gardiner? I was too proud and arrogant, never really cared about your painstaking efforts to raise me, yet you never actually restricted me."

In the end, the old man was still soft-hearted towards this grandson.

He knelt before his grandfather, begging for help this time, and the old man agreed.

It was only later he discovered that his grandfather had just been discharged from the hospital after a fall, and he hadn’t even noticed his grandfather’s distress, solely pursuing his own agenda.

"I can still change; I’ll not only be a good husband but also a good leader of the Gardiner Family."

He would become what the old man expected of him.

The old man nodded in relief, "I hope I can see you become that good husband and good Gardiner Family leader in my remaining years."

In the orchard, Florence Fuller picked a large basket of oranges, waiting for the staff to drive over and take her back.

She stood by the roadside, her hand feeling itchy, unconsciously scratched it, discovering several big welts on her hand.

The pain intensified.

She shook her hand and felt a bit hungry, took an orange from the basket, peeled it, and put it in her mouth. The flesh was plump, the juice sweet.

From afar, Luke Gardiner saw her squatting by the orange basket, eating. As she popped the last segment into her mouth, she assumed it was the person coming to pick her up. But she looked up, seeing Luke Gardiner stopping in front of her in the farm’s four-wheel recreational vehicle.

"Finished picking?" he asked with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Florence Fuller replied.

"We caught enough fish over there; it’s time to head back for dinner. I came to check how much you’ve picked." He glanced at the full basket of oranges beside her, "Wow, picked a lot."

Florence Fuller said nothing, bending down, intending to load the oranges onto the vehicle.

Luke Gardiner pressed down with one hand, "Let me do it." His eyes flicked to her fair arm, noticing several large welts, "What happened to your hand?"

Since he was going to move them, Florence Fuller didn’t bother contesting, pulling back her hand as she felt itchy again, "It’s nothing."

She scratched it again.

Luke Gardiner loaded the oranges onto the vehicle and held her hand, "Don’t scratch it, let’s have the doctor Grandpa brought along take a look when we go back."

Florence Fuller cautiously withdrew her hand, "Let’s go back."

Luke Gardiner perceived her alienation and coldness, a tint of sadness in his eyes.

Back at the villa, Luke Gardiner hurriedly carried the oranges inside and had the butler call for the old man’s doctor.

Florence Fuller’s welts had swollen significantly. The issue was she didn’t even know what had bitten her, nor did she feel pain initially.

She suspected it was mosquitoes.

The doctor examined and suspected it was ants from the fruit trees.

Took out some ointment, and Luke Gardiner reached over to stop him, "Let me do it."

Old Mr. Gardiner sat on the other side of the sofa, watching the scene quietly.

Florence Fuller, constrained by the old man’s presence, said nothing, allowing Luke Gardiner to apply the ointment.

His technique was clumsy, the ointment squeezed excessively couldn’t be spread evenly, and he didn’t dare apply too much force. He was so overly cautious it became a bit too much. Florence Fuller eventually couldn’t take it anymore, pulled her hand back, and wiped off some with tissue, "I’ll do it myself."

Luke Gardiner watched her actions in silence for a long while, "Am I clumsy?"

Old Mr. Gardiner’s brow twitched.

Florence Fuller was perfunctory, "No."

Luke Gardiner earnestly said, "With some experience, I’ll know how better to do it next time."

Old Mr. Gardiner coughed, "What do you mean by that, wanting Florence to be bitten more in the future?"

Florence Fuller: "..."

Luke Gardiner: "..." Helplessly, "Grandpa, you know I didn’t mean that."

Old Mr. Gardiner ignored his words, turned to Florence Fuller, "Girl, next time wear long sleeves or use some insect repellent spray when picking, or else you’ll be uncomfortable with bites again."

Florence Fuller nodded, "Got it, Grandpa."