Chapter 5 A New Low

Clifford's eyes widened. He'd never seen such a lunatic side of Noelle. But he recovered almost instantly and snapped, "Fine, let's get a divorce! I have money, power, and plenty of women who want to be with me. As for you, you're just an old hag who's spent six years toiling away as a housewife. No one would ever want you! Noelle shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We'll meet at 9:00 am tomorrow, and if you don't show up, I'll walk straight into your office." "I heard there's a big contract signing tomorrow morning. You wouldn't want a scene, would you?" She sneered. For a brief moment, Clifford felt like he was staring at a stranger. After she left, Zayne tugged on his sleeve and whined, "Dad, are you really going to divorce Mom? She's useless, but at least she's obedient and takes good care of us. Just keep her at home." While Clifford was simmering in rage, Lola slid her hand up his shoulder as she chimed in with false concern, "Mr. Fuller, couples fight all the time. Mrs. Fuller has misunderstood, and if you could just set your pride aside to coax her, I'm certain she'll calm down." Lola had willingly become Clifford's mistress, but he had always warned her never to let Noelle find out. Now that Noelle had finally demanded a divorce, Lola was determined to make sure that the couple never reconciled. Instead of soothing him, her words only fueled his anger and made his face turn grimmer. "I'll never coax her or indulge her selfish games! Do you think she'll divorce me? This is nothing but her way of flaunting the little power she has as Mrs. Fuller. He sneered, "Just wait until tomorrow. She'll realize very quickly that this is a divorce she can't afford." … The next morning, Noelle stood outside Clifford's office building with her lawyer, Georgia Fox, at her side. Clifford had barely slept the night before, and he arrived looking exhausted. By contrast, Noelle looked radiant with flushed cheeks. She wore a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly. His throat tightened as it struck him that he and Noelle had barely touched each other since Zayne's birth. Whenever he came home after work, she'd be exhausted and disheveled from tending to Zayne, so he'd never had the desire to make out with her. But today, she was dressed sharply and burning with defiance. And somehow, he actually felt slightly unsettled. But Noelle didn't notice his odd behavior and tossed the divorce papers onto the table. "If there are no objections, sign." Clifford skimmed through the contents as his frown grew deeper. She wanted half of their house and compensation for the years she'd spent running their household. He snorted. "Half the house? On what grounds?" Noelle's expression turned cold. "Do you have dementia? I put up half the down payment with my savings when we bought the house years ago, and now that it's doubled in value, I should get my share." "So that's your game, huh? We can get a divorce, but you can forget about the house. And all that talk about compensation for the past six years is just absurd. Zayne's your child, so you have the responsibility and duty to care for him. "I covered every expense, every bill, and took on all the pressure. You should be grateful that I don't demand repayment from you," he said, giving her a mocking glare. That smug look on his face was almost comical, so Noelle laughed. His expression darkened. "You're cheating on me, aren't you? Only a fool would throw away the comfort of being Mrs. Fuller and demand a divorce. "If you don't divorce me, I'll give you an allowance of 5,000 dollars a month. No, 8,000 dollars. That's more than enough to sustain a decent life." Noelle's laughter rang sharper. "Clifford, you refused to hire a housekeeper because you got used to my cooking and needed my help in raising Zayne. You didn't want any strangers in the house, so for five years, I've been working as a housekeeper for you and Zayne. "I didn't want to make things ugly. My parents are gone, but even a worm would turn. Don't push it, Clifford." Beside them, Georgia shifted uncomfortably, biting back words. She'd dealt with plenty of men in her career, but this was a new low. Clifford paused for seconds before saying, "If you insist on a divorce, fine, but you won't get a single dollar from me. You've lived in the house for six years without paying a dime in rent, so you have no right to anything. "And if you insist on proceeding with a divorce, you won't get Zayne's custody." Noelle smiled at that. "Don't worry. I do not intend to fight for Zayne." With an arched brow, she turned calmly to Georgia and said, "Please draft a new agreement which states that I'd leave with nothing. "I, Noelle Quinn, have been married to Clifford Fuller for six years and have borne him a son. Out of these six years, I've spent five toiling away as a housekeeper, all while helping him structure his company and secure clients. After contributing half the down payment for this house…" She paused, and her face paled slightly. "I will walk away with nothing. Consider whatever I owe as future support for Zayne Fuller. From this day onward, he is no longer my son." Noelle's declaration rang with conviction. She meant every word she said. If Clifford wanted to hold her back with money, she'd walk away with nothing. That was the fastest way out for a divorce. For an instant, Clifford felt a flicker of panic before it quickly vanished. He was certain that Noelle would never get a divorce. She'd always stayed loyal and poured her whole being into him and Zayne, so there was no way she'd walk away just like that. This had to be some act and a desperate ploy to draw them back in. He impatiently snapped, "I know you're jealous of Lola's degree, her talent, and her looks, but there's nothing between us. She's just a colleague—" "Why won't you sign, Clifford? Are you afraid to let me go, or are you just unwilling to lose your unpaid housekeeper?"