CHAPTER 190: CHAPTER 190: DON’T LET ME SEE YOU

After a long night, Florence Fuller finally rested at the farmstead by dawn.

The next day, she slept until she naturally woke up, and as soon as she went downstairs, she saw Old Mr. Gardiner gathered around the small water tank, looking at the fish inside with obvious delight.

Luke Gardiner was sitting on the sofa with a tablet, looking at some documents. When he noticed her coming down and then looked at Old Mr. Gardiner, he felt a bit guilty.

"Florence is down," Old Mr. Gardiner said excitedly. "The car must have broken down last night, and you must have had a tough time."

"It was alright," Florence Fuller replied.

"Come and see Grandpa’s fish," Old Mr. Gardiner waved her over. "Luke, this child, is quite thoughtful indeed, bringing my precious fish along with a chess record. Isn’t it beautiful?"

Florence recalled the dead fish dumped in the wild.

"But the two have been raised together since they were young, as companions. Luke only brought one. See, this little guy seems a bit unhappy," Old Mr. Gardiner said.

"Hmm," Florence Fuller poured a glass of water to drink. "Next time, have him bring the other one over as well."

Luke Gardiner exchanged a glance with Florence Fuller, making a zipping motion across his mouth.

Secret.

As she came down, the kitchen auntie prepared a meal for her. Old Mr. Gardiner and Luke had already eaten, and after watching the fish, Old Mr. Gardiner took Luke to the yard to study the chess record.

She ate slowly, and suddenly, Luke rushed into the dining room and sat next to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Grandpa wants me to arrange for someone to bring the other fish over," he said.

"Didn’t you have your assistant prepare a new one? Just send it over," she replied.

Luke pointed out the issue, "My mom sends him a video of the fish every day. Although I’ve already informed the old house, he noticed in today’s video that the fish seemed to have grown bigger."

Florence Fuller: "..."

Luke Gardiner: "What should I do?"

"Aren’t you usually the smooth-talker? You’re telling me you can’t handle Grandpa?"

"I’m just afraid he’ll be angry," Luke pondered. "You have no idea how happy he was this morning when he saw the fish on the table in the living room."

"So now there are just two options: confess yourself... or..." Florence gave him a sideways glance, "I can help you explain."

Luke Gardiner looked at her, not responding.

"How can I do it without getting a beating?" He asked, "Old Mr. Gardiner’s cane hurts, you know."

Florence Fuller: "Tell the truth."

"He’ll beat me to death if I do."

"Is one fish more important than having you as his grandson?"

"Hmph!" Luke scoffed. "You know there are lots of fish in the big pond at the old house, right?"

Florence nodded.

"What makes those two special is that they were selected and cultivated from among so many in that pond. Old Mr. Gardiner said their colors would change as they grow."

Luke had just casually chatted about the fish with Old Mr. Gardiner this morning when he told him this.

The affection in his tone was evident, and Luke even thought at the time, no wonder those two are the only ones to have such a large scenic fish tank at the old house.

Luke wasn’t sure if the fish Edward Johnson bought as a stand-in would be the same breed as those specially bred ones.

There was just the difference between dying sooner or later.

"Then, good luck," Florence Fuller said.

"You can’t just leave me hanging like this. How about this..." Luke negotiated with her, "Old Mr. Gardiner has always been fond of you. You can be more subtle about it. Let’s bear the brunt together."

Florence Fuller wouldn’t have it. "You were the one who insisted on bringing them, and one died. It’s not my problem."

"Consider it a favor I’m owing you. Next time Gardiner Clan seeks a collaboration partner, we’ll prioritize you and ensure fair profits. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"Then let’s plan how to break it," Luke Gardiner looked at her seriously, "so I don’t end up too badly off."

"Deal what!" Old Mr. Gardiner entered, holding a chess record, puzzled by their conversation, "What do you mean, ’not too badly off’?"

"Grandpa, how did you get in?" Luke was surprised.

"I told you to get a cloth to clean the chessboard. Why is it taking so long?" Old Mr. Gardiner glared at him, "And why are you sticking around Florence while she’s eating?"

Luke suddenly remembered, "I’ll go get it now." He got up and only took a few steps when he heard Florence’s voice, "Grandpa."

His steps halted, feeling a sense of foreboding.

Weren’t we going to discuss this first?

"Yes," Old Mr. Gardiner responded.

Florence Fuller: "Luke Gardiner managed to kill one of your fish. The dead one was dumped on the road last night."

Old Mr. Gardiner: "!"

Luke Gardiner: "..."

Old Mr. Gardiner stood up abruptly, angrily pointing at Luke, "I knew you couldn’t have brought just one. So the other one was already killed by you. Clever, you immediately arranged for a replacement at the old house, didn’t you? You think I’m a fool? I watch these fish daily; wouldn’t I know their appearance?"

Luke Gardiner felt both bewildered and guilty.

Bewildered towards Florence Fuller.

Weren’t we supposed to discuss it first? How did it get exposed so directly?

Guilty towards Old Mr. Gardiner.

Luke hurriedly explained, "Grandpa, I didn’t know that fish was so delicate. I checked the information. They should be fine for two hours or more. I didn’t know the car would break down midway, so I was delayed for that long. Maybe it was just fate for that fish; look, the other one is doing perfectly fine."

Old Mr. Gardiner squinted, "Fate, huh?" He raised his cane, "I think it’s fate that you’ll get a beating today!"

"No, no, no!" Luke pleaded with him, "Please, mind your health, you’re just getting better!"

"It’s all your doing, you unreliable, troublesome child!" Old Mr. Gardiner lifted his cane, chasing after Luke, "Stand still, don’t run."

Luke looked imploringly at Florence, who leisurely got up, "Grandpa, Luke only wanted to make you happy by bringing the fish over. He never expected one would die; he did it out of concern for you."

Old Mr. Gardiner, breathing deeply in anger, waved his hand at Florence and lamented, "That fish was difficult to groom out from the pond, rare and precious. A man’s joy is hard to come by, and this unworthy grandson just had to infuriate me."

"Make him compensate you," Florence supported Old Mr. Gardiner to sit down, "Chasing him around isn’t productive. His skin is thick; after you hit him, you’ll regret it once your temper cools down. If he gets hurt, how will he be here to care for you?"

Old Mr. Gardiner glared at the hapless Luke, "Get lost, get lost! Don’t let me see you."

Luke chuckled, "Grandpa, I’ll go clean your chessboard now."