18. Logan
18
LOGAN
I arrive at the office the next morning amped on anticipation. Last night with Serena was incredible despite Chaz’s unwelcome interruption. I can’t stop thinking about how she looked at me, how she trusted me, and how her lips felt against mine.
But as much as I want to dwell on those memories, I need to focus. There’s work to be done, deals to close, and a company to run.
I push open the office's glass doors, greeted by the familiar hum of activity. The reception area is as pristine as always, the floor-to-ceiling windows letting in the morning sunlight. My assistant, Grace, looks up from her desk as I walk in.
Normally, she’s all business, greeting me with a quick rundown of my schedule for the day. But today, there’s something different in her expression. She looks... hesitant.
“Morning, Grace,” I say, keeping my tone casual. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
She hesitates, fiddling with a stack of papers on her desk. “Good morning, Mr. Pierce. Before we go over your schedule, there’s something you need to see.”
I narrow my eyes, catching the unease in her voice. “What is it?”
She glances around as if making sure no one else is listening, then lowers her voice. “Have you checked social media this morning?”
I frown. “Not yet. Why? What’s going on?”
Grace bites her lip and then pulls out her phone. She taps the screen a few times before handing it to me. “It’s about last night. There are some… articles circulating. They’ve been spreading quickly.”
I take the phone from her, my stomach tightening as I scroll through the screen. The first headline hits me like a punch to the gut: *“CEO Logan Pierce Spotted with Mystery Woman: Gold Digger or New Flame?” * Below it is a picture of Serena and me from last night, our kiss outside the restaurant captured in perfect clarity.
My mind races as I process the implications. It only gets worse as I scroll down, reading more headlines: *Who is Serena Mitchell? The Broke Party Planner Looking for a Rich Savior,” * and *“Logan Pierce’s Latest Arm Candy: A Businesswoman or a Social Climber?” *
“Unbelievable,” I mutter under my breath, growing angrier as I scroll through the comments.
The article is filled with baseless speculation, twisted half-truths, and outright lies. They’re painting Serena as some kind of opportunist, someone who’s only interested in me for my money.
And it’s not just the articles; it’s the comments, too. People who don’t even know her are tearing her apart, making judgments based on a single photograph.
“There are some people defending her,” Grace says softly, her voice pulling me back to the present. “But... for the most part, it’s pretty negative.”
I can feel the heat rising in my chest, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. Serena doesn’t deserve this. She’s hardworking, independent, and the last person to chase after someone for their money. She’s proud of what she’s built with her business, and now these vultures are trying to tear it all down based on nothing more than gossip.
“Grace, get in touch with someone from our PR team,” I say, my voice firm. “I want all of this taken down. Every article, every post. I don’t care how they do it—just make it happen.”
She nods, already pulling out her phone to make the necessary calls. “I’ll take care of it right away, Mr. Pierce.”
“Thank you,” I say, handing her phone back to her. “And Grace?”
She looks up at me, waiting.
“Don’t let anyone else in on this unless absolutely necessary. I don’t want this blowing up any more than it already has.”
“Of course,” she replies, her expression serious. “I’ll keep it discreet.”
As Grace hurries off to make the calls, I reach for my phone and dial Brant’s number. He picks up after the first ring.
“Logan,” he says, sounding like he’s already been up for hours. “What’s up?”
“I’m assuming you’ve seen the headlines?” I ask, not bothering with pleasantries.
“Yeah, I saw them. It’s a mess, man. I didn’t expect them to go after her like this.”
“Neither did I,” I admit, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “But they have, and we need to do something about it. I can’t let them drag Serena’s name through the mud.”
“I’ve already got my team looking into it,” he says. “We’re tracking down the sources of the articles, trying to figure out who leaked that photo. This kind of thing doesn’t just happen on its own—someone had to have tipped them off.”
“Chaz,” I say, the name slipping out before I can stop it.
“It’s possible. He was there last night, and we both know he’s not above pulling something like this.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” I mutter, anger flaring again at the thought of my brother stirring up this kind of trouble just to get back at me. “But whoever it was, we need to get this under control. Serena’s already dealing with enough. She doesn’t need this on top of everything else.”
“I’m on it, but Logan, you need to be prepared for the possibility that we might not be able to take everything down. Once something like this is out there, it’s hard to put the genie back in the bottle.”
“I don’t care,” I say firmly. “Do whatever it takes. Pay them off if you have to. Just get it done.”
“Understood,” Brant says. “I think you should talk to Serena about this. She needs to know what’s going on.”
“I will,” I promise.
Serena’s strong, but I know this is going to hurt her. And the last thing I want is for her to think I’ve dragged her into something she didn’t sign up for.
We end the call, and I sit back in my chair, staring at the screen before me. The headlines, the comments—they’re all just noise, but it’s noise that has the power to ruin lives.
I know how ruthless the media can be, but seeing them go after Serena like this, knowing that she’s being attacked for something she didn’t do, makes my blood boil.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I need to keep my head clear and focus on fixing this. I’ve dealt with crises before, but this feels different. This isn’t just about me. It’s about Serena. And I won’t let anyone hurt her, not like this.
My phone buzzes on the desk, and I glance down to see a message from Grace:
PR team is on it. Will update ASAP.
I nod, then pick up the phone again, this time to call Serena. She needs to hear about this from me—not from some headline or social media post. The phone rings once, twice, before she picks up.
“Hey,” she says, her voice warm and sexy. Just hearing her eases some of the tension in my chest.
“Are you busy? There’s something we need to talk about.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and I can practically hear her frowning. “I’m not too busy for you. What’s going on?”
I take a deep breath. “Serena, there’s something you need to know about last night. Some photos of us were taken, and... well, the media has gotten ahold of them. They’re spinning this whole story about you, and it’s not pretty.”
There’s a long silence on the other end, and I feel my heart sinking. “What... what are they saying?” she finally asks.
“They’re calling you a gold digger, saying you’re only with me for my money.” The words taste bitter as they leave my mouth. “They’re spreading lies about your business, too, saying you’re broke and looking for someone to bail you out. It’s all bullshit, but they’re running with it.”
I hear her take a shaky breath. “Logan...”
“Don’t,” I say quickly, hating the hurt I can hear in her voice. “Don’t believe a word of it. None of it’s true, and we’re going to take care of it. I’ve already got my PR team working on getting everything taken down.”
She’s silent again, and I wish more than anything that I could be there with her, to hold her and tell her it’s going to be okay. Finally, she speaks. “Thank you, Logan. I... I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. This isn’t your fault, Serena. We’ll get through this together, I promise.”
She takes another deep breath, and I can hear her struggle to control her voice. “Okay. Okay, I trust you.”
“Good,” I say, relief washing over me. “I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening, but in the meantime, try not to look at any of the headlines. It’s just a bunch of noise.”
“Easier said than done,” she says with a small, humorless laugh. “But I’ll try.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” I say. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Okay,” she agrees.
We hang up, and I stare at the phone in my hand for a long moment, my thoughts racing. Serena’s trust means everything to me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means going up against the entire media machine.
I’ve dealt with difficult situations before, but this... this is different. This is personal. And I won’t let anyone drag Serena down.
I start pacing, trying to keep my thoughts in order. My phone is buzzing nonstop with updates from Grace and Brant, but nothing is moving fast enough for my liking.
The media storm surrounding Serena is growing by the minute, and I feel like I'm running out of time to put out the fire.
As I’m about to sit down at my desk, the door to my office swings open without a knock. I glance up, expecting Grace or one of my team members, but instead, Nikki Westerheide is smiling back at me.
She stands in the doorway, looking as polished as ever in a tailored navy dress that screams old money. Her blonde hair is perfectly styled.
“Nikki,” I don’t bother to hide my surprise. “What are you doing here?”
She steps into the office, closing the door behind her with a soft click. “Well, I thought we could talk,” she says with a smirk. “It’s not every day your fiancé is seen all over the place with another woman, after all.”
I freeze at her words, feeling a cold rush of frustration. “You’re not my fiancé, Nikki.”
She snorts and shakes her head.
“I know, Logan,” she says, holding up her hands in mock surrender. “Trust me, I know.”
There’s a moment of silence between us until she sighs and crosses her arms, leaning against the edge of my desk.
“But our families, they’re pushing for it. They’ve been pushing for it for years, and now... well, they’re not going to just let it go. We have to do something about this.”
I shake my head, more irritated than ever. “I don’t care what our families want, Nikki. I’ve already made my choice, and I’m engaged to someone else.”
The words come out with more force than I intended, but I need her to understand that this charade is over.
“I figured as much, but you should know... I overheard our mothers talking, Logan. Your family isn’t backing down. They’re going for the jugular.”
“What do you mean by that?”
She meets my gaze, her expression serious. “All the photos, the slander... it’s from them. They orchestrated everything. I heard your mother talking about it. She was pretty mad, Logan, and she said they would do everything they could to make sure you changed your mind.”
I close my eyes, trying to rein in the anger boiling inside me. I suspected that my family was behind the smear campaign against Serena, but hearing Nikki confirm it... it’s infuriating.
They’re willing to destroy an innocent woman’s reputation just to force me into a marriage I never wanted.
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask.
Nikki and I have known each other our whole lives, but we’ve never been close. Our relationship has always been more of an arrangement between our families than anything else.
She shrugs, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Because, Logan, I think it’s cool that you broke free and did what you wanted to do. I’m not going to be a part of taking you down just to satisfy our parents’ ambitions.”
Her words take me by surprise. Nikki has always played the role of the dutiful daughter, the one who followed the rules and did what was expected of her.
Hearing her speak like this, I realize there’s more to her than I ever gave her credit for.
“So you’re here to help me?” I ask, still trying to wrap my head around this sudden turn of events.
She nods earnestly. “Yeah. I’ll do whatever I can to help you out. I’m not interested in marrying you, Logan. Never have been. But if there’s one thing I hate more than our families’ manipulations, it’s seeing someone’s life ruined by a lie.”
“Thank you, Nikki. I appreciate it.”
She waves off my gratitude with a flick of her hand. “Don’t mention it. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll be there.”
As she turns to leave, I call after her, “Nikki, if they find out you’re helping me...”
She stops and looks back at me with a wry smile. “I know, Logan. But trust me, I’ve been dealing with them my whole life. I can handle it.”
With that, she’s gone, leaving me alone in my office, my mind racing.
What an odd turn of events.