Chapter 55: Mr. Clancy's Blind Date

After work, Queenie made a special trip back to her apartment to change clothes.
Opening her closet, she found the clothes Benoit had given her, from coats to wool sweaters to dresses, all neatly organized and arranged in order of color from dark to light, showing great thoughtfulness.

But on the outskirts of these clothes were a few different and eye-catching dresses, brightly colored and patterned.

Queenie tried on one of the patterned dresses and was surprised at how good it looked. She then put on a cashmere coat and prepared to go to the date.
Before leaving, she took a glance at the cologne Macy had given her, sprayed a few times, and her face turned slightly red as she stepped out.

In her heart, she thought, it really seems too good to be true.

Entering the designated restaurant, Queenie looked around and quickly spotted Benoit sitting in a booth by the window. He held a glass in one hand and rested the other on the table, appearing relaxed and casual. However, anyone with discerning eyes could tell that he was different from the other customers in the restaurant, exuding a natural sense of nobility.

Queenie stared at him for a moment, her heart beating a little faster.

Why hadn't she noticed before that Benoit, was so handsome?

At that moment, Benoit's gaze turned towards the entrance, and when he saw her, his eyes seemed to tremble slightly.

Queenie instantly blushed and nodded at him, her heart pounding inexplicably.

Approaching the table, before she could speak, she heard Benoit gently inquire, "Are you Miss Lorente?"

As he spoke, he pressed his hand on the table and struggled to stand up.
Only then did Queenie notice that Benoit was quite tall, probably around 6'1".
He stood in front of her, towering over her by half a head, looking handsome and providing a sense of security.

"I am." Worried that Benoit's legs couldn't stand for too long, Queenie made a gesture of ‘please’ and quickly said, "Mr. Clancy, please have a seat. The person who introduced us mentioned that your legs are not very strong."

She thought that by playing along and saying this, Benoit would think she was a considerate woman.
But as soon as the words fell, Benoit's expression darkened slightly.

Sitting behind the booth, looking at him was Manley, in a wheelchair, covering his mouth as he almost burst out laughing.

He could fully imagine how dark Mr. Clancy's face must be right now!

He originally planned to show off in front of Queenie, but he didn't expect to be exposed by her regarding the issue of his leg!

Haha, serves him right!

After Queenie sat down, she realized that Benoit's complexion didn't seem very good, so she asked with confusion, "Mr. Clancy, what's wrong?"

Benoit suppressed his emotions and still wanted to leave a good impression on Queenie, so he tried to lift the corners of his mouth and said, "Nothing, let's formally introduce ourselves. I'm Benoit." As he spoke, Benoit politely extended his hand.

Queenie lightly shook his hand and said, "Hello, I’m Queenie, nice to meet you." After the official introduction, the atmosphere became a bit awkward. Both of them seemed to be unsure of what to say. Despite doing a lot of preparation, their minds were blank when it came to ‘blind dating.’

Benoit picked up the menu and handed it to Queenie, saying, "Miss Lorente, why don't you take a look at what you'd like to eat?" Queenie ordered some pasta and a few snacks.

After ordering, the two fell silent again. They suddenly burst into laughter when their eyes met.

"I used to often hear colleagues say that blind dates can be quite awkward, but I never thought it would be true," Queenie joked.

Benoit, on the other hand, apologized gentlemanly, "If Miss Lorente feels awkward, then the problem must lie with me. It was my unpreparedness that made Miss Lorente feel uncomfortable. In that case, if there's anything Miss Lorente would like to know about me, please feel free to ask."

Queenie pondered for a moment and asked, "Mr. Clancy, what kind of requirements do you have for your future partner?" After the question was asked, Manley couldn't help but feel a cold sweat on Benoit's behalf.

This question was not easy to answer! If he said he had no requirements, it would seem insincere. But if he mentioned his requirements, he might not meet Queenie's expectations. Truly, she was an English teacher, and yet he managed to come up with such a tricky question, hahaha!

Benoit thought for a moment, and a scene from their first encounter involuntarily flashed through his mind, causing him to laugh softly. "Miss Lorente, your question is indeed a bit difficult to answer. When it comes to requirements for a future partner, I believe it is more of a feeling - someone who catches my eye, someone I feel comfortable being with, someone who gives me that instant feeling of certainty that they are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with," he said sincerely.

Queenie felt a slight heaviness in her heart upon hearing his words. Benoit's answer was very genuine. She herself had fantasized about such a scenario.

The two of them were bound together by fate and forced to become husband and wife. In fact, this situation was quite unfair to Benoit, wasn't it?

"What's wrong? Did I not answer well?" Benoit stared at Queenie, who seemed lost in thought.

Her brow furrowed and then he quickly came up with an explanation, "Miss Lorente, there's no need to feel pressured. It's just a feeling that's elusive. Since we're getting to know each other, we should be open-minded. With time, who knows, the feeling might develop."

Feeling encouraged by Benoit, Queenie nodded and said, "Then I have one more sharp question for you, Mr. Clancy. Assuming that we're already married, what expectations do you have for your wife?"

Benoit seemed to catch a glimpse of Queenie's playful side and couldn't help but smile. "If I were to say that I have no expectations for my wife, you might find that hard to believe. However,..."

Benoit stared directly at Queenie, unblinking. "As long as I'm attracted to someone, I accept them completely. It doesn't matter how they look, because I love all of their appearances."

Queenie's heart fluttered, feeling that Benoit was also being "sly" with her, taking advantage of her question to flirt with her. Although she wasn't sure if Benoit was being genuine or not, as a wife, it truly made her heart bloom with joy.

"Of course, if I were to mention any expectations, I would hope that she trusts me, believes in my love for her, and never doubts my loyalty and devotion," Benoit said with an honest smile. "Honestly, I don't think any man would enjoy having their wife constantly on guard, suspicious, and checking their things."

Queenie nodded in agreement. It seemed that she had underestimated Mr. Clancy, who was five years older than her. His answer was perfect!

However, she couldn't help but ask, "Would you expect your wife to be a full-time wife? If her career conflicts with having children and taking care of them, how would you handle it?"

After asking the question, Benoit's gaze deepened. He was somewhat glad that this blind date had happened. It turned out that this girl had many uncertainties and lacked a sense of security towards him.

This was a perfect opportunity to establish their own relationship and build trust during this new phase of their love life.

"What's wrong?" Queenie felt a tinge of unease as Benoit stared at her like that.

These were indeed the questions she wanted to ask herself.

"It's nothing," Benoit smiled warmly at her. "Your question made me suddenly want to say a few words to my future wife. I want to tell my future wife that I will support and approve of any kind of person she wants to become. If she wants to be a full-time wife or mom, I will support her. As a man, I will strive to ensure our family is taken care of monetarily, in order to provide for them and create a stable life.

On the other hand, if she wants to pursue her career, I will also support her and do my best to provide her with assistance and resources. I respect every lifestyle choice she desires and every different life stage she goes through. In my eyes, marriage is about walking hand in hand, supporting each other, and achieving mutual success, rather than sacrificing for one another's sake.

As for what you said about there being conflicts between having children and a career, that means that pregnancy is not suitable to be put on the schedule for now, and it can be put off. As for taking care of the children, I don't think I can confidently say that I can be a full-time caregiver, but I will make an effort to help take care of the children. And with my financial capability, I can hire a nanny to help take care of the children and reduce the burden on my wife, in the future. I wonder how Miss Lorente would rate my answer?"