When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 87

Before Henrietta could respond, the chef eagerly spoke up. “Ms. Sargent, would you mind giving me your contact information?”

At this point, Henrietta had little choice but to agree. “Alright.” She gave her number to the chef. Setting down her spoon, she felt it was time to leave.

“Well… Mr. Nash, I should be going now.”

Aside from dealing with Cheryl, they hadn't spoken at all during the meal. Now, Yosef was offering to have desserts delivered to her family home, which sounded very much like a polite rejection. A parting gift, but no marriage alliance.

Yosef paused. “Do you have something to attend to?”

Henrietta managed a polite smile. “Something like that.”

Yosef glanced at his watch, then back at her. “Is it important?”

Henrietta was taken aback by his question. After a moment's thought, she said, "It's manageable. But your time is valuable, so I won't… take up any more of it."

Yosef simply looked at her for several long seconds before speaking. "I'm not in a rush. Besides, hasn't our date just begun?"

Henrietta’s eyes widened slightly. “What?”

It hadn't started? She thought it was already over.

Yosef seemed to realize what she was thinking. Brushing it aside, he picked up his wine glass and explained, “I wanted you to have a proper meal before we started talking.”

Now Henrietta felt embarrassed, suddenly recalling that she hadn't eaten much on her last blind date. A wave of awkwardness washed over her.

Fortunately, Yosef raised his glass to her. “Shall we consider this our first formal introduction?”

Now that he mentioned it, it was. Henrietta raised her own glass. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he replied.

Henrietta blinked. No requirements?

“I don’t expect much from love,” he clarified. “A marriage of mutual respect is sufficient. Is that acceptable to you, Ms. Sargent?”

She snapped back to the present. “What a coincidence. I feel the same way.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Heartbroken? Because of your ex-boyfriend?”

Henrietta lowered her gaze and was silent for a moment before shaking her head. “It’s a long story. I’m looking for a suitable partner, an ally. Mutual respect is all I need. But there are some things I need to be clear about upfront.”

“Go on,” Yosef said.

“You must know what happened at my birthday party,” she began. “That was just the beginning. In a few months, there will be a much bigger storm, and I may lose some dignity in the process. But I won’t sacrifice my revenge against that scumbag just to maintain appearances. So, Mr. Nash, if you choose me, it could damage your reputation.”