Ruth:From Farm To Queen

Chapter 13: The Day David Became Jealous

The next morning, Ruth came downstairs carrying her notebook and a pen.

She had decided that if she wanted to become successful, she could not depend on David for everything. He had given her an opportunity, but she wanted to prove that she deserved it.

As she entered the dining room, she found David already seated at the table.

“Good morning, sir.”

David looked up from his phone. “Good morning, Ruth. You seem happy today.”

“I want to finish the report you taught me yesterday. I don't want to forget what I learned.”

He smiled. “Good. That is the spirit.”

Ruth sat down and began eating. David watched her for a moment before returning his attention to his phone.

He had barely slept well. He kept remembering her smile from the previous afternoon, and it was beginning to annoy him that he could not control his own thoughts.

He had always considered himself a man who understood what he wanted. Now, whenever Ruth was around, he found himself wondering whether she had eaten, whether she was comfortable, and whether anyone had upset her.

He was beginning to care too much.

And he wasn't sure what to do about it.

“Sir?” Ruth called.

David blinked. “Yes?”

“You haven't touched your food.”

He glanced down at his plate.

“I am not very hungry.”

Ruth looked concerned. “Are you sick?”

“No. Why?”

“Because you are not eating.”

David laughed softly. “So now you are monitoring my food?”

Ruth immediately looked embarrassed. “No, sir. I was only asking.”

“I'm teasing you.”

She relaxed, and he found himself smiling again.

That smile stayed with him long after she left the dining room.

---

At the office, David had an unexpected visitor.

A young man named Daniel arrived to deliver documents from one of the company's partner organisations. He was polite, well-dressed, and friendly. When David asked Ruth to collect a folder from the reception area, Daniel happened to be there.

“Excuse me,” Daniel said when she approached. “Are you Ruth?”

“Yes. How do you know my name?”

“Your manager mentioned that someone would collect the folder. I'm Daniel.”

He handed it to her, then noticed the notebook in her hand.

“Are you learning office work?”

Ruth nodded. “Yes. I'm still learning how to use the computer properly.”

“That's good. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone starts somewhere.”

His encouragement made her smile.

“Thank you. Sometimes I make mistakes and feel as if I'm too slow.”

“Then practise until you get better. You will surprise yourself.”

Ruth appreciated his kindness. She had spent so much of her life being insulted that simple encouragement could make a difference to her day.

They spoke for a few more minutes before Ruth returned to David's office with the folder.

David looked up immediately.

“What took you so long?”

Ruth placed the folder on his desk. “I was talking to the man who brought it, sir.”

“Talking about what?”

She was surprised by his tone. “Nothing important. He was just encouraging me to keep learning.”

David opened the folder, pretending to examine the documents.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Next time, bring the documents straight to me. If you want to talk, you can do that after your work is finished.”

Ruth stared at him.

“But my work wasn't delayed, sir.”

David raised his eyes.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Ruth quietly said, “If I did something wrong, please tell me. I don't want you to think I'm not serious about my job.”

Her words made David feel ashamed.

She had done nothing wrong. He was the one behaving strangely because he had disliked seeing her smile at another man.

“I didn't say you did anything wrong,” he replied, his voice softer. “You can go.”

Ruth nodded and left.

David leaned back in his chair.

What was wrong with him?

Daniel had simply been kind to Ruth. There was no reason for him to feel irritated.

Unless he was jealous.

The thought made him sit upright.

“Jealous?” he muttered. “Of what? I have no right to be jealous.”

He had not told Ruth that he liked her. He had not asked her to be his girlfriend. He was simply her employer, and she deserved the freedom to speak to people without feeling watched.

David rubbed his face.

If he truly cared about Ruth, he needed to learn the difference between protecting her and controlling her.

---

Meanwhile, Vanessa was sitting in a café with Mama Nosa.

She had spent most of the morning thinking about David. She could not accept how quickly he had begun defending Ruth.

“What exactly does that girl have that I don't?” Vanessa demanded.

Mama Nosa stirred her drink.

“Maybe David likes the fact that she acts innocent.”

“Innocent?” Vanessa scoffed. “She knows exactly what she's doing. She has entered that man's life, and now he thinks he can speak to me anyhow.”

“Then stop focusing only on David,” Mama Nosa advised. “Find out what Ruth is doing at the office. If she makes a mistake, it may change the way he sees her.”

Vanessa considered the suggestion.

Ruth was still new to office work. She was learning computers and reports, and Vanessa believed there would eventually be an opportunity to embarrass her.

But she had to be careful. David had already dismissed Tonia after discovering her sabotage at the village outreach.

“I won't make the same mistake Tonia made,” Vanessa said. “I need to know what is happening before I act.”

Mama Nosa smiled.

“Good. Patience can be more useful than anger.”

Vanessa picked up her handbag.

“Let Ruth enjoy herself for now. I want to see how long her happiness will last.”

---

That afternoon, Ruth returned to the study to complete her report.

She had noticed that David seemed unusually quiet after their earlier conversation. She wondered whether he was unhappy with her, but she decided not to let worry distract her.

She opened the document and began working through the instructions he had given her.

This time, she made fewer mistakes.

When she finished, she carried the report to David's office and placed it on his desk.

“Sir, I have completed it. Please check it.”

David opened the document and read through it carefully.

Ruth stood beside the desk, nervously twisting her fingers.

Finally, he looked up.

“This is good work.”

Her face brightened. “Really?”

“Yes. You corrected the mistakes from yesterday, and you arranged everything properly.”

Ruth could hardly hide her excitement.

“Thank you, sir!”

“You should be proud of yourself. You did this on your own.”

For Ruth, those words meant more than he realised. She had grown up hearing that she was useless, that she would never become anything, and that her dreams were foolish.

Now someone was telling her that she was capable.

She smiled at David.

“One day, I will do something that makes you proud of me.”

David's expression softened.

“Ruth, you don't have to become successful to prove your worth to me. You already deserve respect.”

Her smile faded into a look of surprise.

Nobody had ever said those words to her quite like that.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

David wanted to reach for her hand, but he stopped himself. He did not want to make her uncomfortable or take advantage of the trust she had placed in him.

Instead, he closed the folder.

“You have worked hard today. Go and rest for a while.”

Ruth nodded and left the office.

David watched the doorway after she had gone.

He was no longer confused about whether Ruth mattered to him.

She did.

What he still had to understand was what that meant for both of them.

---

That evening, David returned home earlier than usual.

He found Ruth in the garden, sitting on a bench with her notebook open on her lap. The evening breeze moved gently through the flowers, and the mansion was unusually quiet.

“Why are you sitting out here alone?” he asked.

Ruth looked up. “I wanted to read before dinner, sir.”

David sat on the other end of the bench.

“What are you reading?”

“Notes about preparing reports. I want to remember everything.”

“You don't have to study every minute.”

Ruth smiled. “When I was in the village, I used to dream about having opportunities like this. Now that I have one, I don't want to waste it.”

David listened carefully.

He was beginning to understand that Ruth's determination was part of what drew him to her. She did not expect the world to hand her everything. She wanted to work for the future she imagined.

“Ruth,” he said quietly, “if you ever need help, you can ask me. But don't feel that you owe me anything because I gave you this opportunity.”

She turned towards him.

“I know, sir. I am grateful to you, but I also want to stand on my own feet.”

David smiled.

“And I want you to.”

For a few moments, they sat in comfortable silence.

Then Ruth glanced at him.

“Sir, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are you happy?”

The question caught him off guard.

“Why do you ask?”

“Sometimes you look as if something is troubling you, even when you smile.”

David looked at her, surprised that she had noticed.

He could have given her a simple answer. Instead, he decided to be honest.

“I think I've spent a long time doing what other people expected of me. Lately, I've been wondering whether I've been paying attention to what truly matters.”

Ruth considered his words.

“Maybe you should give yourself time to find out.”

David smiled faintly.

“Maybe I should.”

He looked at her again, and for a brief moment, he wanted to tell her everything he had been keeping inside.

But the words did not come.

Ruth returned to her notebook, unaware of the battle taking place in his heart.

David knew he could no longer pretend that his feelings were ordinary.

He was falling for Ruth.

And for the first time in his life, he wanted to be certain that when he finally told a woman he loved her, he would be offering her more than money, a beautiful house, or promises.

He wanted to offer her a love built on honesty, patience, and respect.

Across the city, Vanessa was making plans of her own.

She had no idea how far David's feelings had already grown.

But she was determined not to lose him without a fight.