Logan and Samantha received calls from subordinates and close friends. After a moment of chaos, they finally understood what had happened and gathered employees to the company before dawn.
They had two urgent matters to handle: first, to remove the exposed project documents from the internet, and second, to contact people in the black market to retrieve the core information about Mercer Group. The first task was manageable, but the second was not so easily resolved. The black market was notorious for its greed.
Logan offered to buy back the information, but the black market demanded an exorbitant price of three billion dollars.
"Three billion dollars? Why don't you just rob me?" Logan slammed his phone in anger, confronting the person on the other end.
The person on the phone chuckled, unfazed. "Mr. Mercer, I am robbing you right now."
After a pause, he continued, "But if you think the information isn't worth three billion dollars, that's fine. I believe someone else would be willing to pay a high price. If I sell multiple copies, I might make more than three billion. By then, Mr. Mercer, don't regret your choice today. Many people have contacted me, showing interest in buying Mercer Group's core information."
"Are you threatening me?" Logan's furious voice echoed through the office. He stood in the middle of the room, his eyes wide with rage.
The person on the phone sensed Logan's anger but remained indifferent. "You can think of it that way if you like. I'll give you a week. Three billion isn't a small amount; it takes time to gather. If Mr. Mercer doesn't want to pay up in a week, I'm afraid I can't help you."
With that, the call ended. Logan stared at his phone, ready to smash it in frustration but managed to calm down at the last moment.
Just then, his assistant knocked and entered, respectfully reporting, "Mr. Mercer, the other board members have arrived."
"I know. I'm heading there now. Have you contacted Lance?" Logan asked while adjusting his already pristine suit.
Since the incident that morning, Logan had been trying to reach Lance but couldn't get through. He had delegated the task to his assistant while he handled other company matters.
The assistant shook his head solemnly. "We still haven't reached Mr. Lance."
Logan frowned deeply but knew this wasn't the time to dwell on it. "Keep trying to contact Lance and look for Xavier; he's been with Lance lately."
Leaving these instructions, Logan strode out of his office and headed to the meeting room. As he entered, he heard chaotic discussions inside.
"What's going on? How did our project documents and core information get leaked?"
"Could it be a hacker attack?"
"Impossible. Our system is top-notch domestically. If someone attacked it, our engineering department would have noticed."
"If it's not a hacker attack, could it be corporate espionage?"
"But if it's corporate espionage, wouldn't they sell the information secretly instead of posting it online?"
"Maybe they're retaliating against Mercer Group. Could this be done by an enemy of ours?"
Hearing these discussions, Logan had a rough idea of what was happening. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
As he appeared, the board members anxiously turned to him.
"Mr. Mercer, you're finally here. What's going on with the data leak?"
"And what's happening with the black market? Do they really have our core information?"
"By the way, has Mr. Lance returned?"
Logan raised his hand to signal for silence and addressed them, "Everyone, please calm down. I contacted the black market just now, but they demanded three billion dollars."
His expression was grim as he spoke.
The board members were shocked.
"So our core information really is in their hands?"
"Heavens, how did this happen?"
"Three billion dollars? Do they think Mercer Group is a bank?"
Someone angrily pounded the table.
Although Mercer Group could afford three billion dollars, it would severely impact their finances, reducing their assets by at least half.
Logan watched the angry crowd without interrupting them immediately. Allowing them to vent could reduce future conflicts.
Sure enough, after a while, the initially furious board members began to calm down and started discussing solutions with Logan proactively.