Logan Pierce was a man who believed he had seen it all: power, money, betrayal. But nothing prepared him for the truth hidden behind four black credit cards. When he set out to test the women around him, he expected greed and ambition. What he never expected was the quiet defiance of his housekeeper, Nora, whose choices would shatter his cynicism and drag him into a world of raw humanity he had long forgotten.
From that moment on, Logan’s life was no longer about wealth. It was about a discovery that would change everything. Logan Pierce slammed his tailored blazer onto the leather couch, the sound echoing through the glass-walled penthouse overlooking Denver’s skyline.
His jaw clenched as he muttered, «I can’t take it anymore.»
Carter Hale, his personal assistant of eight years, leaned casually against the marble counter, arms folded. He had seen Logan furious before—corporate boardroom battles, billion-dollar negotiations—but never quite like this.
«What happened this time?» Carter asked, his tone even.
Logan exhaled sharply, pacing like a caged lion. «She raised a glass of champagne, toasted to ‘us’ getting back together, and then—get this—snapped a selfie with the dessert like I was some trophy investment.»
«Am I a man, Carter, or a stock climbing on the market?»
«It was just dinner,» Carter reminded him.
«Dinner?» Logan snapped, stopping mid-stride. «She told me she missed me and my helicopter in the same sentence. Nobody sees me anymore. They only see the money!» His voice cracked in frustration, a rare occurrence for a man who normally carried his wealth like armor.
Carter stayed silent. He knew better than to argue. Then, with a sudden gleam in his eye, Logan froze.
«No, that’s it,» he said. «I’m done with the fake smiles, done with the hidden agendas. I’ll run my own experiment.»
Carter’s brows furrowed. «An experiment, Logan? Every time you use that tone, the stock market trembles or somebody ends up crying.»
«This will be different,» Logan insisted, his voice low but charged. «I’m giving four women unlimited black credit cards. No rules, no limits, just three days of freedom. And then I’ll see who they really are.»
Carter blinked. «You’re seriously going to hand out unlimited cards like candy? That’s not an experiment. It’s a recipe for disaster.»
But Logan’s mind was already racing. «Brielle Summers, of course. She’ll think it’s a grand gesture. Then Tessa Monroe, my sharp assistant, always bragging. She knows strategy. Let’s test that outside the office. And Sloane Vesper—she thrives on appearances, elegance, manipulation. I want to see what she does when there’s no ceiling.»
He paused, his eyes softening almost reluctantly. «And Nora Bennett.»
Carter straightened, caught off guard. «Nora? Your housekeeper?»
Logan’s lips curved. «Yes, the one who hums off-key while scrubbing the floors. The one who once threatened me with a wooden spoon because I stirred her risotto.»
«Exactly,» Carter said dryly. «The one who has never once asked you for anything. The only sane person in this penthouse. And you want to hand her a weapon of mass temptation?»
«Precisely,» Logan replied. «She’s the only one I’ve never been able to read. I want to know what she’ll do with power.»
Carter shook his head slowly. «Logan, this isn’t bold. This is reckless.»
But the next morning, the black envelopes were already on the mahogany desk, names written in silver ink like a king plotting a chessboard. Brielle was first. She strolled in wearing a designer dress that screamed, «Watch me,» her heels clicking across the marble. Logan handed her the envelope with an almost casual smile.
«Is this a breakup present or a reconciliation bribe?» she teased.
«Neither,» Logan replied. «It’s yours for three days. No limit.»
Her lips curved into a self-satisfied grin. «Finally admitting I’m priceless, huh?» She left with the card gleaming between her manicured fingers.
Tessa Monroe arrived next, with a crisp, blazer-sharp posture and a tablet in hand, as if she were already late to a board meeting. She raised an eyebrow at the envelope. «You’re not dying, are you?»
«Not yet,» Logan replied dryly. «Consider it a gift. Three days. Use it however you see fit.» She nodded, hiding ambition behind professionalism, and left with quiet determination.
Then came Sloane Vesper, draped in couture like a magazine cover, sunglasses on indoors though it was barely 10 a.m. She eyed the card with suspicion. «Some kind of trick, Logan?»
«Not at all,» he said smoothly. «Three days. Spend it however you like.» Her smirk revealed she already had a plan.
Finally, Nora Bennett entered, not through the front door but from the side hallway, balancing a dish towel over her shoulder and a bowl of raw dough in her hands.
«Boss, that oven’s making noises again. Sounds like it’s coughing,» she said matter-of-factly.
Logan handed her the black envelope discreetly. She frowned. «You’re firing me?»
«No, it’s a gift.»
She opened the envelope slowly, her eyes widening at the sleek card. «You’re feeling okay? Because yesterday I gave you banana bread, and it was burnt. Badly burnt.»
«Take it, Nora. Three days. Use it however you want.»
She looked at him as if he had just asked her to command NASA. «Seriously? I can buy anything?»
«Anything.»
Hours later, Logan sat with a glass of whiskey in hand, watching Carter scroll through the first wave of transactions.
«Three helicopter rentals,» Carter said flatly. «A $15,000 gown. Bookings at the Mile High Lounge and a gala planner already secured.»
«Predictable,» Logan smirked.
«And Nora…» Carter hesitated, glancing down at the tablet. «Groceries, rice, paint, diapers, secondhand toys. And,» Carter paused, almost incredulous, «200 hot dogs.»
Logan set down his glass, turning slowly. «Hot dogs? 200.»
For a long moment, the billionaire said nothing. Then a slow smile spread across his face.
«Now that,» he murmured, «is something I didn’t see coming.» And deep down, Logan Pierce felt a spark of curiosity he hadn’t felt in years—the kind that could change everything.
Do you think Nora’s choice with the credit card shows her true heart? Yes or no?
Logan Pierce couldn’t get the transactions out of his mind. Helicopters, designer gowns, and gala planners were exactly what he expected from Brielle, Tessa, and Sloane. But Nora Bennett’s purchases—groceries, toys, paint, diapers, and 200 hot dogs—that was something altogether different. By the next afternoon, he had reached the point where he couldn’t sit still.
Curiosity gnawed at him like a restless animal. He told Carter he needed the address of the van Nora had rented. Before long, he was driving a black SUV through a part of Denver he had rarely set foot in. The streets shifted from glass towers and luxury shops to small, modest houses with trimmed lawns and kids’ bicycles left on porches. It felt like a different world entirely.
