Chapter 1 Not the Housekeeper

The sun was blazing when Noelle Quinn came home with a bag full of groceries. It was Sunday, and her son, Zayne Fuller, had been asking for fresh chicken wings. As such, she dragged herself under the scorching sun to get them. When she unlocked the door with her hands full, the laughter in the house suddenly stopped. Noelle froze. Without telling her, her husband, Clifford Fuller, had invited a group of friends over to the house. He was sitting on the couch, pressed close to his secretary, Lola Perez, with Zayne beside them. There was a smear of lipstick on Clifford's neck, and the three of them looked like a perfect family. Everyone turned when they heard the sound, and suddenly, all eyes were on Noelle. "Who's this, Mr. Fuller? Your housekeeper?" someone blurted out. Lola covered her mouth to hide a snicker. "You've got it wrong. This is Mr. Fuller's wife, so we should call her Mrs. Fuller." The crowd's eyes widened in clear surprise as they sized Noelle up from head to toe. Almost instinctively, Noelle glanced down and checked her outfit, suddenly self-conscious. As a full-time housewife for six years, Noelle spent her days doing household chores and caring for her child. Comport and practicality had long become her only criteria when she was choosing clothes. But she could see the obvious disdain and unspoken judgment in their eyes. Even Clifford's gaze held nothing but lingering disgust. "Why don't you ever bother to dress up, Mom?" Zayne complained, frowning. "Look at Ms. Perez. She's always so stylish in her pretty dresses and heels. She's even an amazing amateur racer!" Pursing his lips, he continued, "Unlike you, you just cook and clean. You don't know how to do anything else." Just then, an awkward tension filled the air. Noelle never expected her own son would humiliate her in front of so many strangers. Her heart sank, and her gaze turned cold as she looked at Zayne. "Zayne, are you judging me?" Zayne wasn't intimidated. He defiantly straightened up and shot back, "I'm just telling the truth! It's embarrassing to have a mom who can't do anything, and I'd rather have Ms. Perez as my mom!" Clifford, who'd remained silent until that moment, snapped, "Zayne!" Even if Zayne disliked Noelle, those words should never have been said aloud. Noelle's eyes reddened, and her heart ached sharply. "Zayne, I'm asking you. Did you really mean that?" Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Lola's voice was sweet as she chimed in, "Zayne's just a kid, Mr. Fuller. There's nothing much he knows. "Mrs. Fuller, surely you're not petty enough to hold a grudge against your son, are you?" She shot Noelle a smug look. Noelle clenched her fist, and just as her barely contained anger was about to erupt, Clifford flatly cut in. "That's enough. Go make dinner. No point fighting with a kid." Zayne immediately plastered on an innocent smile. "Yeah, I didn't mean it, Mom. Hurry up and cook. I want barbecue chicken wings!" Noelle fell silent for a moment before picking up the groceries and walking into the kitchen, shutting out the noise from outside. By the time she finished cooking and opened the kitchen door, the guests were almost gone. Only empty glasses and a complete mess were left. Lola stepped out of the bathroom, smiling. "Thank you for cleaning up, Mrs. Fuller. Zayne suddenly wanted Willdenese food, so Mr. Fuller said we'd all eat out tonight." Noelle looked at Zayne and Clifford, and the latter avoided her eyes as he asked, "Why don't you come with us?" Zayne immediately protested, "No! I want dinner with Ms. Perez, Dad! Plus, Mom's cooked, and if she doesn't eat it, it'll just go to waste. That'd be wrong." Noelle let out a short, bitter laugh. For six years, she'd cooked almost every meal, stretching every dollar while Clifford built his business from the ground up. Now that his business was finally moving on the right track, he was tangled up with Lola. Even Zayne was siding with Lola. Noelle walked to the trash can and threw the plate of steaming barbecue chicken wings inside. Then, she coldly announced, "Zayne, from now on, you'll never taste my cooking again." Zayne scoffed, "Who cares? Dad's rich, so I can eat out every day. I don't want to have the food you cook. "Let's go, Ms. Perez!" He grabbed Lola's hand and left with her without turning back, while Lola shot Noelle a smug look. As Noelle's heart throbbed with ache, Clifford frowned at the wasted food. "Have you lost your mind?" Her expression was calm, though her heart felt hollow as she said, "Clifford, let's get a divorce." His frown deepened. "You really have lost your mind." Without another word, he turned and walked away, choosing to ignore her anger entirely. She watched the door close behind him and waited until her emotions settled for ten minutes before dialing a number. On the other end, that person answered with excitement, "Noelle, does this mean you're coming back to train with the national team? The intensive closed-door training camp runs for three months. Are you sure you're ready?"