He gave his credit card to four women to try out – the things the maids bought left him speechless.
Chapter 1: The Tycoon’s Test
Arthur Vance’s penthouse sits on the 60th floor of a skyscraper overlooking the Hudson River. Arthur, 45, is a hedge fund tycoon with a net worth of over $2 billion. He’s handsome, cold, and suffers from a severe paranoia about being manipulated.
After the mysterious death of his first wife three years ago (the case was ruled an accidental drowning), Arthur decides to find a new wife. But this time, he wants perfection. He doesn’t believe in love. He believes in “tests.”
Today is judgment day.
In the luxurious living room, three beautiful women sit on Italian leather sofas.
Tiffany: A hot Instagram model.
Sarah: A sharp, ambitious lawyer.
Emily: A gentle, saintly kindergarten teacher.
And the fourth person, standing timidly in the corner, holding a broom, was Maria. Maria was Arthur’s new maid, a Latina woman in her 50s, quiet, hardworking, and with sad eyes.
Arthur stood before them, holding four American Express Centurion credit cards – the symbol of ultimate power.
“Ladies,” Arthur said, his voice deep but calculating. “I want to find a life partner, not a gold digger, but not a fool who doesn’t know how to spend money. This is the final test.”
He handed each of them a card.
“There’s no limit on this card. You have three hours. Go buy whatever you want. Anything you think is necessary for our future lives. Your choice will determine who wins.”
The three young women’s eyes lit up. They took the cards and hurried away.
Arthur turned to Maria. He tossed the fourth card onto the kitchen counter.
“And you, Maria. Tonight I want to throw a winner’s party. Take this card to Whole Foods. Buy the most expensive ingredients: caviar, Wagyu beef, truffles. Don’t skimp on the money. And remember to bring the receipt. If you’re short a penny, you’re fired.”
He smirked. He wasn’t giving Maria the card to test her. He just wanted to see how a poor woman would tremble holding unlimited financial power in her hands. That was his sick pleasure.
Maria bowed her head, taking the black card with her rough hands. “Yes, sir.”
Chapter 2: Luxury Goods
Three hours later.
The girls returned. Arthur sat in his armchair, sipping his whiskey, his iPad displaying real-time transaction notifications.
Tiffany arrived first. She was carrying a dozen orange Hermès handbags.
“I bought three crocodile Birkin bags,” Tiffany said coquettishly. “They’re an investment, darling. Their value increases over time. I know you like luxury.”
Arthur nodded. A girl who knew how to maintain her image, but was a little frivolous.
Sarah, the lawyer, arrived next. She wasn’t carrying a handbag. She placed a stack of files on the table.
“I used my card to buy shares in a biotechnology company that’s preparing for an IPO,” Sarah said confidently. “I want to double your money. I’ll be your right-hand woman.”
Arthur smiled. Intelligent. Ambitious. A good partner.
Emily, the kindergarten teacher, arrived last. She hadn’t bought anything for herself.
“I… I went to the children’s hospital,” Emily said, her eyes welling up. “I’ve paid the hospital bills for 10 children with cancer who are waiting for surgery. I think… compassion is the most precious thing.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow. A bold move that challenged morality. He needed a wife with a saintly image to save face in the public eye.
“Excellent,” Arthur clapped his hands. “All three have interesting options. I’ll consider them.”
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
Maria stepped in.
She wasn’t carrying any groceries. No caviar, no Wagyu beef.
She only held a small yellow envelope in her hand.
Arthur frowned. Anger began to simmer. He hated it most when subordinates disobeyed orders.
“Maria! Where’s the food?” he yelled. “Where have you been for the past three hours? I saw the bank statement. You spent $150,000! What on earth did you buy at the supermarket that cost that much? Are you planning to open a restaurant?”
The three girls looked at Maria in astonishment. An old maid spending $150,000 in one afternoon? Was she crazy? Surely she must have stolen something to run away but then foolishly came back.
Maria walked slowly towards Arthur. Her usual timid demeanor had vanished. Her back was straight. Her sad eyes now blazed with unwavering determination.
“I didn’t go to the supermarket, Mr. Arthur,” Maria said calmly.
“Then what did you buy?” Arthur stood up and approached her. “Give me the envelope! If it’s plane tickets or jewelry for you, I’ll have you thrown in jail immediately!”
Maria placed the envelope on the table, right next to Tiffany’s Hermès bags.
“See for yourself. These are the things you need most right now.”
Chapter 3: The Death Bill
Arthur snatched the envelope and tore it open.
He pulled out three payment receipts.
First receipt:
Beneficiary: “Black Eye” Private Detective Agency.
(Translation)
Case: Data recovery from deleted security camera hard drive (October 12, 2020).
Amount: $50,000.
Arthur’s hands began to tremble. October 12, 2020. That was the day his ex-wife died. He had personally erased all the security camera data from the mansion that day.
Second Receipt:
Beneficiary: Boston Independent Forensic Laboratory.
Service: Hair and nail sample testing (Sample holder: Elena Vance).
Result: Positive for Thallium (Heavy metal poison).
Amount: $20,000.
Arthur recoiled, bumping into the edge of the table. Elena Vance was his ex-wife’s name.
“Where…where did this come from?” He stammered, his face drained of color.
“I kept a lock of her hair,” Maria said. “When you ordered her immediate cremation without an autopsy.”
Third Receipt:
Beneficiary: Federal Law Firm “Wolf & Partners”.
Service: Witness protection fee and transfer of evidence to the FBI.
Amount: $80,000.
Arthur dropped the receipts to the floor.
“Who…who are you?” he hissed, looking at Maria as if she were a monster. “Maria is incapable of doing these things!”
Maria took off her thick glasses, untied her messy bun, revealing long black hair that was half-dyed silver. She wiped away the dark makeup from her face with a tissue.
“My name isn’t Maria,” she said, her voice sharp. “I am Dr. Isabella Vance. I am Elena’s twin sister.”
The room fell silent. The three girls huddled in a corner, terrified.
“Elena is an orphan!” Arthur yelled.
“That’s what you think. We were separated from a young age. When Elena died, I knew it wasn’t an accident. She was a great swimmer. I spent three years investigating you. I had plastic surgery, changed my voice, and even got a job here as a maid to find evidence.”
Isabella pointed to the stack of receipts.
“I didn’t have the money to hire top experts to recover the hard drive you smashed and threw into the lake (I dived down to retrieve it). I didn’t have the money to hire the best lawyers to fight you. But today…”
She smiled coldly.
“…Today you gave me the Black Card. You gave me the weapon to kill you, Arthur. I used your own money to buy evidence to send you to jail.”
Chapter 4: The Final Twist
Arthur looked at the credit card on the table. He had been too arrogant. He thought money could buy everything, even obedience. He never imagined that money could also buy justice.
“Do you think you’ve won?” Arthur laughed maniacally, his hand reaching into his desk drawer. “The FBI isn’t here yet. I’ll kill you first!”
He pulled out a silenced pistol.
The three girls screamed.
“Die!” Arthur pointed the gun at Isabella.
But Isabella didn’t flinch. She pointed to Arthur’s phone on the desk.
“Look at the phone, Arthur. A message from the bank.”
Arthur glanced at it. A message from American Express.
“Fraud alert: $80,000 transaction at Wolf & Partners Law Office. Transaction location: FBI Building, Manhattan District.”
“I didn’t just make the payment,” Isabella said. “I swiped my card in person at FBI headquarters 30 minutes ago. When that transaction was made with such a large sum of money at such a sensitive location, plus the accompanying documents…they triggered an arrest warrant.”
BANG!
The front door of the penthouse was blown open.
The SWAT team rappelled down from the helicopter onto the balcony and stormed in.
“FBI! PUT DOWN YOUR GUNS!”
Arthur was pinned to the floor. The powerful black card fell from his pocket, lying haphazardly next to the worn canvas shoes of the “maid.”
Chapter Conclusion: The Bills Paid
Arthur Vance was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and financial fraud. The evidence from the hard drive (recovered with his own money) was irrefutable: video of him putting poison in his wife’s drink and then drowning her in the swimming pool.
The three female candidates were released, but they also learned a harsh lesson about vanity.
Isabella stood before the court, watching the prison van carrying Arthur away.
She held the black card – the evidence in the case – in her hand.
She recalled the moment Arthur handed her the card and said, “The things the maid buys will leave me speechless.”
He was right. He really was speechless when he saw those receipts.
Isabella broke the card in half and threw it in the trash.
She had used the devil’s money to buy him a ticket to hell. And that price, to her, was entirely worth it.
