"Officer, will the gold bars be recovered? If not, the bank will compensate me, right?" Logan asked after the questioning was over, now focusing on his gold.
Just as the officer was about to respond, Sophia and a middle-aged man in a suit hurried into the station.
The man spoke as soon as he entered, "Have they found the hostage? Where is he? And what about the gold bars?!"
The officer turned to Logan. "The bank representatives are here. The older gentleman is the bank's vice president. You can discuss the matter with him directly."
Soon, Mark Bennett, the vice president of the bank, sat across from Logan.
The officer left, leaving only Logan, Sophia, and Mark in the room.
"So, you're the hostage? You're back? The gold bars are gone?" Mark's tone was accusatory, which irked Logan, though he didn't show it.
"You can ask the police those questions. What I want to know is when the bank will give me my gold bars."
Mark frowned and glanced at Sophia, who handed a document to Logan.
"Mr. Logan, your gold bars were stolen by the robbers. If they aren't recovered, our bank is willing to compensate you for 50% of the loss. If you agree, please sign this document."
The incident was already causing a stir online, and if the bank wanted to avoid further reputational damage, they needed to resolve this quickly.
"Fifty percent?" Logan turned his head, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Sophia.
"Didn't you say that if the gold was stolen, it would be the bank's responsibility?"
Sophia avoided his gaze but, remembering Mark's instructions, maintained a righteous expression and said, "The loss of the gold bars was caused by a third party. Our bank's security personnel died in the incident, four dead and two critically injured. We've fulfilled our obligations. We're very sorry this happened, and if the gold bars are recovered, we will give you the full amount."
Logan glanced at the document Sophia handed over.
It was filled with legal jargon, but the gist was that if the gold bars weren't recovered, the bank would compensate Logan for half the value, and Logan would not hold the bank accountable for the loss.
Logan almost laughed.
They were trying to take him for a fool.
Logan eyed Mark, who sat there as if offering to pay half was a generous gesture.
"I recall that the gold bars were stolen while still behind the counter. Since I never received them, the transaction between us was never completed. Your bank losing the gold bars has nothing to do with me."
Mark was a bit surprised that this 19-year-old, after being held hostage by criminals, could remain so calm.
He spoke in a more paternal tone, "Logan, the loss of the gold bars isn't entirely the bank's fault. How about this: we'll compensate you for 60% of the value. Additionally, I have connections with a professor at your university and can secure you a spot in a graduate program. How does that sound?"
"Not interested," Logan responded bluntly.
Seeing that Logan wasn't yielding, Mark's expression darkened. His tone grew more menacing. "Young man, don't be too greedy. I've heard that you don't have any family, that you're on your own. You're still young, and you haven't experienced the real world. You need to learn to compromise; otherwise, offending the wrong people could ruin your future."
"Heh, are you threatening me?" Logan's eyes flashed with cold anger.
Sophia tried to mediate. "Mr. Logan, we're here with sincere intentions to discuss compensation."
"But we are curious—how did you know these people were going to rob the bank? These criminals are ruthless, yet they let you go. Are you sure you don't know them?"
"Are you implying I'm in cahoots with the robbers?" Logan asked, incredulous. Their silence confirmed his suspicion.
Seeing that this conversation was going nowhere, Logan didn't want to waste any more time. He stood up and headed for the door.
"In that case, I'll let the police handle this, and I'll pursue legal action to recover my assets."
If he sued the bank, his chances of winning were high, though it would take a long time. But since he already had the gold bars, he wouldn't be losing anything.
As for the vice president's threats, Logan smirked inwardly, wondering if the man would still be around to make threats in three months' time.
A hint of murderous intent flickered in Logan's eyes.
Just then, his phone rang. The caller ID displayed an unknown number.
Thinking it was just an ad, Logan put it on speaker.
"Hello, is this Mr. Logan? I'm a reporter from CBX News. We'd like to do a special interview with you. Do you have time?"
Logan was taken aback. A local reporter? Why would they want to interview him?
He was about to decline when another call came in.
This time, it was also an unknown number.
"Sorry, I have to take this call."
He hung up the first call and answered the second.
"Hello, Mr. Logan? We're from XX New Media, and we'd like—"
Before they could finish, another call came in.
Confused, Logan hung up and answered the new call.
"Is this Logan? I'm a journalist from Xia Country Central News—"
Even the national news was contacting him?
Logan raised an eyebrow and decided to speak with the Central News reporter.
"This is Logan. What can I do for you?"
"Mr. Logan, would you have time for an interview? People are very interested in how you escaped from the robbers."
Logan hesitated. He didn't want the attention. In the age of social media, netizens were relentless, and any slip-up could be exposed.
Even though killing the robbers could be considered self-defense, he had indeed taken the gold bars.
Catching Sophia and Mark glancing at him nervously out of the corner of his eye, Logan changed his mind and agreed. "Sure."
After arranging the time and place, Logan hung up and continued walking out.
Mark's expression turned to one of regret. He had hoped to resolve this before the media got involved. He hadn't expected Logan to be so difficult.
"Wait! Let's discuss this further."
Sophia tried to grab Logan's arm but he dodged her.
Logan turned to her, his expression thoughtful as if he had just remembered something. "By the way, I provided the police with a lead regarding the robbers' motive."
"What kind of lead?" Sophia asked instinctively.
"When I was held hostage, I overheard the robbers saying that a bank employee had leaked information about my gold purchase, which led them to target those gold bars."
Logan had made it up—he hadn't understood the robbers' conversation. But he wanted to test the woman's reaction. If someone had leaked his information, Sophia was the most likely culprit.
Sophia's heart skipped a beat, and a flicker of panic crossed her face as if she had suddenly realized something.