Chapter 18 Sponsorshipl
Ariella steadied herself and quietly watched him.
In the past, whenever he cried, her heart felt as if it were brutally struck by a heavy blow.
The pain was so intense she couldn’t breathe.
So she ignored whether his crying was real or fake.
For example, now, though Leonel’s face was tear–streaked, his eyes showed no sadness.
He used crying to get what he wanted.
“Leo.”
Her tone was calm.“I’m not blaming you for pushing me.”
Leonel stopped crying instantly.
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She went on, “However, this is only because I wasn’t hurt. Otherwise, I would talk to your dad about your behavior.”
Leonel’s eyes widened, shocked by her cold words.
“Mrs. Hensley, that’s enough!”
Ruth, feeling a surge of sympathy for Leonel, stood protectively in front of him.
“You’ve been home the whole time, so you don’t see how busy Mr. Hensley is. You’re failing at your family responsibilities, and you’re always having these huge emotional outbursts. Plus, you keep pestering him about divorce and trivial things. Isn’t that just too much?”
With Ruth’s support, Leonel stopped crying and even snorted at Ariella.
He seemed to agree with Ruth.
Ariella didn’t want to argue, but since Ruth had spoken, she wanted to clarify something she’d been puzzled about.
“Ms. Herring, helping Mr. Hensley is your job, but why do you always interfere in his family affairs?”
Actually, Ruth was different from Lailah.
Lailah’s ambitions were clear; she wanted to advance.
Ruth had been overly concerned about Jovan since joining the company, but she didn’t seem to have any interest in taking Ariella’s place and becoming his wife.
Ariella truly didn’t understand Ruth.
So, Ariella always remained cautious around her.
Ruth pressed her lips together, a brief look of disdain flashing in her eyes.
She looked disdainful as if she thought the question was ridiculous.
“You’ve always been content as a housewife, so you wouldn’t understand.
“I come from a poor family. If it wasn’t for Mr. Hensley’s sponsorship years ago, I would have ended up married to that idiot from the neighboring village!
“After getting into college, I vowed to repay Mr. Hensley.
“So, besides helping Mr. Hensley with his workload, I also want to make him happy. He saved my whole life; I can do anything for him!
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< Chapter 18 Sponsorship2
Chapter 18 Sponsorship2
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“Mrs. Hensley, I have a sister who got sponsored. After she graduated, she became a housewife. I slapped her ten times. and ended all contact with her.
“She just wanted to rely on a man to live. I think she would have been better off staying in the village, struggling alone, instead of wasting Mr. Hensley’s money!”
She spoke firmly and righteously.
She openly showed her disdain for housewives who didn’t aim higher.
Ariella wasn’t angry.
She was surprised.
After surviving a fall off a cliff and being rescued by Jovan, she felt deeply grateful to be alive. In gratitude, she used her savings to sponsor several girls living in the mountain villages.
Later, when Jovan wanted to take over the Hensley Group, he used sponsoring these poor students to improve his public image.
“You’ve worked here for two years, right?”
Ruth’s expression cooled, and then she sneered, “Mrs. Hensley, what does this have to do with you?”
Ariella’s tone stayed calm, “I thought, after two years as Jovan’s assistant, you should know who started the Hensley Group’s foundation.”
Ruth frowned, a puzzled look on her face.“Are you implying it was you? Mrs. Hensley, don’t be ridiculous. As a housewife who doesn’t bring in any income, how could you possibly influence the company’s foundation? I can’t believe you’d try to pull that off to deceive me.”
Ariella frowned.“A full–time housewife may not earn money, but her work is invaluable.
“Childcare experts, tutors, organizers, psychological counselors, emotional support providers, chefs, etc., you know
their annual salaries.
“A full–time housewife combines all these skills to serve the family, but the husband can’t pay her properly; that’s the
husband’s fault.
“Ruth, you should blame the incompetent husband who undervalues his wife, not the full–time housewife!”
As she spoke, she took Raul’s hand and started to leave.
After a few steps, she turned back.
“Ruth, since you were sponsored to become who you are today, you should have a better understanding of women’s strength. You can pretend not to know about the foundation, but I advise you, don’t be narrow–minded, or you won’t make any progress.”
She held Raul’s hand and walked away slowly.
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Chapter 18 Sponsorship3
A gentle breeze blew, and the sunset lengthened her shadow.
Ruth watched her leave, her heart trembling uncontrollably.
Though she didn’t understand why, those words made her feel a forgotten passion.
Leonel asked, crying.
“Ms. Herring, why didn’t you stop my mom?”
The voice wasn’t loud, but it shocked Ruth, making her tremble.
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When she was young, a beautiful woman was sold by a trafficker to her village. Despite being severely beaten, the woman still resisted and managed to escape.
At that time, she admired that woman and hoped she would have a good life.
But her father and village elders were angry.
“Why didn’t you stop her?”
“Keep searching! If found, kill her, don’t let her escape!”
She saw their crazy, hateful faces and had nightmares for nights.
From then on, she decided to leave that village.
Now, that terrifying question echoed in her ears, and she stared at Leonel in disbelief.
“Why should I stop her? Whether she chooses to live separately or to divorce your father, it’s entirely her decision.”
Leonel got upset and hit Ruth’s back.
“No! She’s my mom, she should stay home and take care of me, love only me. I don’t care, I
want
my
mom!”
He shouted loudly again.
Ruth’s brow furrowed in annoyance.
Just then, Jovan called.
“Where did you take Leo?”
Ruth glanced at Leo, now calm, and replied softly, “Leo is in a bad mood; he asked me to walk with him.”
“Okay, bring him home soon. Please make sure he eats dinner. I’ll be back at nine.”
Ruth said “Okay,” then paused before speaking.
“Mr. Hensley, there’s a foundation event on the 26th, and you need to cut the ribbon.”
“You can go for me.”
“But Laurel Mercer, whom you sponsored, will be there.”
She gripped her phone tightly.
Laurel wrote a thank–you letter to her sponsor, and the sponsor replied.
This reply revealed her sponsor was Jovan.
To this day, Laurel still emailed the sponsor.
So, hearing this news, Jovan, as the sponsor, would react, even if he didn’t want to go.
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Her heart tightened.
She had a suspicion that Ariella, whom she had always looked down upon, was actually the true founder of the foundation.
If her guess had been correct, she would have felt utterly guilty and embarrassed.
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