CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86: THE FUTURE IS ALSO HIS

She was eager for Florence to keep ten or eight male models.

Of course, these were things she whispered privately with Lily Lancaster.

Florence inexplicably smiled at her words: "Keeping men?"

Lily Hart realized she misspoke: "No, boss... Sorry, I didn’t mean that... I just feel... you... you’re not wrong at all!"

She was a bit flustered in her speech, but Florence was not angry, and explained, "This is my first love."

She pointed at a row of photos.

The implication was referring to that man.

Lily Hart’s mouth gaped open, instinctively: "First love?"

Florence nodded.

"So... are you with your first love?"

Florence shook her head: "Together? I’m still holding a marriage certificate."

Lily Hart frowned and sighed: "What are you worried about, you consider yourself married yet President Gardiner doesn’t seem to care. You’re respecting your marriage while he’s been out playing for two years... then once he’s played enough and wants to settle down, he starts trying to win you over."

"It’s got nothing to do with Luke..." Florence shifted: "I think it’s unfair to him."

She was speaking about Ethan.

Lily Hart suddenly understood and unconsciously smiled.

It had to be the allure of a white moonlight.

"Anyway, this marriage is bound to end sooner or later, now is as good a time as any." Lily Hart said.

Florence just smiled faintly and said nothing.

Lily Hart spoke sincerely: "Boss, I really think President Gardiner doesn’t match you, nor suit you. He’s so frivolous and indulgent, with plenty of tricks to charm women—don’t fall for it."

Florence gave a snort of laughter: "He’s not my type; I could never take on a man like him, he doesn’t interest me."

Lily Hart looked at her lovely face, nodding repeatedly in agreement with her disdain for talking about Luke.

It had to be her boss, a woman who was clear-headed from the beginning.

Aspire to become someone like the boss, making a lot of money.

Lily Hart was about to leave when there was noise at the entrance; Florence heard the sound and knew who had arrived.

Lily Hart looked over and saw the person from the photo, Florence’s first love himself.

With prominent brows and eyes like stars, his face was like a jade crown.

Ethan Harper saw an extra person there, and seeing her standing next to Florence, he mostly understood that she was her assistant.

Ethan looked at Florence and gently asked, "I’ll cook, do you have anything you want to eat?"

Florence shook her head.

"Then I’ll decide what to make."

Florence nodded.

"Then boss... I’ll be leaving now." Lily Hart gathered her things: "I won’t disturb you, I’m leaving now."

Florence nodded: "I won’t see you out."

Ethan made some appetizing dishes for her, but she didn’t eat much. In the end, he gave her a bowl of soup and sighed, "I shouldn’t have told you at this moment."

He was rushed that day after hearing Florence’s words.

Florence silently drank the soup, but when she couldn’t finish it, she set down the spoon: "But if it was kept secret until later, what would that be like."

When she found out about this, she wanted to be alone so she let Ethan leave, but Ethan would come to see her during the day.

Her mood was bad, and she was not in a good state, and Ethan also felt distressed.

Ethan shook his head: "I don’t know, but you know, it would definitely be like now."

Florence leaned her arms on the dining table, holding her head, her brows lowered: "These past few days, I’ve thought a lot."

Ethan looked at her: "If it’s about making me give up on you... or returning to France or something... I don’t want to hear it."

Florence contemplated for a moment: "So you returned because of this."

Ethan nodded: "The situation was urgent at the time, people from my father’s side directly came to me..."

"I won’t blame you for that... but why, later on, didn’t you contact me?"

"I wanted to..." Ethan struggled to speak: "The first year I couldn’t, the second year... I came back several times to see you."

Florence raised her eyes, Ethan saw the tears welling in her eyes.

"When was this."

"I saw you grow so accomplished, achieving your career, glory, I was happy for you."

"Do you think I was happy?" Florence asked him in a tearful voice: "Why didn’t you show up then? I didn’t like those jobs, those people at all; they’re all conceited, hypocritical, arrogant. I hate interacting with them... but..."

She choked: "I had to compromise for the sake of life later on; I don’t like my current life at all."

She really despises her current self.

She wasn’t a gentle and noble person at all, but because of the Gardiner Family name, she had to consider the big picture. She couldn’t pick up the cello she loved again, nor could she realize her original dreams.

And because of having a husband like Luke Gardiner, who married her as a match partner, yet continued indulgently as before outside, why was it that she was the one being talked about and gossiped?

Clearly, Luke Gardiner was the one in the wrong.

Ethan reached out and wiped the tears from her face: "I know everything."

"You don’t know!" She pushed away his hand: "You obviously know me, but I don’t know anything about you — it’s not fair!"

"Blame me." He grasped Florence’s hand, his eyes full of pain: "Florence, you can hit or scold me. I know you’re blocked by anger in your heart and full of resentment, but trust me, I never thought of giving up on you; I’ve always been thinking about you, ever since I left — you were always in my future."

"Liar!" Florence knocked her head against his shoulder, and the bump on her forehead that had subsided became more painful. Her tears flowed directly out.

Ethan cupped her face, lowered his head, and kissed her tear-wet eyes, nose, cheeks, finally ending in an invasive kiss on her lips.

From the moment he returned, he hadn’t let Florence go.

She was his before, and she will be in the future.

——

On the second weekend Florence stayed at Starlight Residence, Christopher Fuller came looking for her.

Florence’s state improved a lot, and Christopher didn’t notice anything unusual. Once he arrived, he started discussing the latest developments in the Fuller Clan.

"Video!" Florence furrowed her brow tightly, sarcastically sneering, "James Fuller is truly scum!"

"I originally persuaded Chairman Sunworth, but then James Fuller sprung up." James Fuller shook his head, all hopes lost.

"I mean, it’s clearly quite critical, yet those father and son can still remain calm." Florence sneered.

"James Fuller had discussions with Chairman Sunworth, but it wasn’t really a discussion, it was more of a notice, for Miranda Sunworth to marry him, and the Sunworth Family to help the Fuller Clan through the current crisis." Christopher said.

"The Fuller Clan is a mud pit right now, anyone who gets stuck in it is doomed." Florence said with a somber face: "How did this kind of thing come up."