Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 230 Logan's Discovery

Friday afternoon, Morgan Trust Bank.

The marble hall echoed with the deep, solemn sounds characteristic of money: the scratching of pens across bills, the dull thud of gold nuggets sliding across velvet, and hushed, cautious conversations.

Logan sat behind his counter like a priest guarding a temple of money, scrutinizing every number and every signature.

Thanks to Torrari, Mr. Coster eventually arranged a decent position for Logan, which was to be in charge of the issuance and receipt of gold coins and bullion in the foreign affairs area.

This is a transactional job. The main tasks are to verify the authenticity of incoming deposit and withdrawal slips and to arrange for customers to retrieve gold coins from the treasury.

So Logan was able to wear a snow-white lace shirt and was also dedicated to his work, but Mr. Howard still didn't think much of him.

It was a dull afternoon. Logan sat behind his counter, sorting through a stack of receipts and carefully categorizing the documents onto another report.

Just then, the busy work was suddenly interrupted by a series of rhythmic footsteps.

Two gentlemen approached his counter, dressed expensively yet understatedly in fine British wool, their clothes impeccably tailored, but in an almost invisible shade of dark gray and black.

Their faces were expressionless, and when their eyes swept across the bank lobby, it didn't seem like they were admiring its grandeur, but rather assessing the passageways and the lines of sight.

Logan immediately tensed up. Mr. Howard had said that these people weren't ordinary clients coming to do business; they were "executors" for certain important figures.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. What business do you need?" Logan's voice remained as steady and professional as possible, as flawless as that of a seasoned veteran.

The leader glanced coldly at Logan and handed him a document.

His voice was equally steady, yet equally cold: "We need to withdraw an asset, entirely in the form of gold coins."

Logan took the document; it was a standard asset withdrawal instruction, but when he saw the amount and account number, his fingertips felt a slight chill—five hundred thousand US dollars. All to be converted into American Eagle gold coins.

This is an extremely unusual request.

Logan had been told by Howard and other senior Morgan managers that large cash withdrawals were rare at the time, and a respectable businessman would use checks, drafts, or promissory notes to make his business payments. Even at international counters, most customers would at least choose gold bars.

Demanding large amounts of physical gold coins can only mean three things: paying someone who can't access the banking system, completely circumventing any audit trail, or... it could be someone looking for trouble.

“A considerable sum, sir.” Logan maintained his smile, beginning the routine verification of the seals and signatures, while seemingly casually asking, “It seems you have a particular fondness for gold. Is it to be shipped overseas?”

“It’s just asset allocation,” the other party interrupted abruptly, refusing to provide any additional information. “Please process this as soon as possible. We’re in a hurry.”

The word "asset allocation" struck Logan like a bolt of lightning. He suddenly remembered Howard's earlier warning: You sit at this counter not only to verify the authenticity of the notes, but also to watch out for any unusual, large-scale asset flows.

Logan calmly opened the thick leather ledger and quickly checked the account information.

This was a newly established and complex trust account, far beyond Logan's ordinary access level to see its full picture. However, he could see several large sums of money flowing into the account recently, all approved by Mr. Koster.

Logan frowned slightly, then said to the two men, "Gentlemen, such a large withdrawal of gold coins requires additional authorization from the senior manager in charge of foreign affairs. Please have a moment, I will process it immediately."

Logan then picked up the documents, gave the other party an apologetic look, and strode towards the small, glass-enclosed office of the vault manager, Philip Howard.

Mr. Howard, wearing glasses, was checking the figures on the ledger when he saw Logan walk in through the glass door. He then waved to him, signaling him to push the door open and come in.

“Mr. Howard, your authorization is required.” Logan placed the document on his desk, trying to sound casual, but deliberately emphasizing the amount and method. “The client wants to withdraw assets worth five hundred thousand dollars, and all of them must be in gold coins.”

Howard adjusted his glasses, took the documents Logan handed him, and frowned when he saw the withdrawal method. "Gold coins? Did the client specify the purpose?"

“They called it ‘asset allocation,’” Logan repeated the abrupt excuse.

Howard pressed his finger on the account name on the stack of application documents, then picked up a small notebook and used his other hand to search for the corresponding account in the notebook.

A short while later, Howard's brow relaxed, and he muttered softly, "Koster's client..."

Immediately, he picked up the phone receiver and handset and dialed an internal number.

"Hey Charles. Your client wants to offer $50 in gold coins this time... Is that alright?"

After Howard finished speaking, he listened intently to the voice coming from the receiver, then nodded and said, "Oh, Mr. Gould's... Okay, I understand!"

After hanging up the phone, Howard held up the withdrawal slip and looked at it again, then took off his glasses and looked up at Logan. "Go ahead and do it! There shouldn't be any major problems."

Logan nodded. "Then I need your authorization!"

Howard pulled out his authorization seal and muttered, "A bit odd, but it's in accordance with regulations. Who can understand the thoughts of rich people? Maybe they feel more at ease keeping it under the bed." He expertly stamped the document without giving it any further thought. "Go and get it done. Don't keep the client waiting."

Logan took the document, feeling slightly puzzled. He thought to himself that Howard always told them to be careful, so why didn't he go out and check it himself when faced with such a large withdrawal?

However, this strangeness is only slight.

Logan comforted himself, thinking that perhaps $50 in gold coins wasn't a big deal for Morgan Bank.

Logan then picked up the authorization documents, turned, and left Mr. Howard's office. On his way back to his counter, Logan's gaze swept across the bank lobby. The two men sat in the lounge area like statues, their eyes fixed straight ahead, their patience almost excessive.

Seeing Logan return, the two stood up together in unison.
“Authorization complete, sir. I’ll arrange for someone to go to the vault and count the gold coins right away,” Logan replied with a smile.

The two maintained a somewhat oppressive silence, and the one in the lead nodded.

Logan beckoned to an intern who was running errands and instructed him, "Go to Vault Three and tell Mr. Anderson to prepare to count the five hundred thousand dollars worth of Eagle Gold Coins. The counting process must be slow and absolutely precise." He deliberately emphasized the last few words.

Turning to the two, Logan said, "Your request will be fulfilled shortly. Please sit back in the lounge area and wait a moment. Our vault manager will take you to the cashier area to retrieve the coins."

The two gentlemen exchanged a glance, then left the counter in silence.

Logan lowered his head and recorded the transaction in the ledger. As he wrote, he recalled the name he had just heard Howard say—Gould.

Could this be Jay Gould, the famous stock market speculator?
What does this guy need so much money for?
Thinking about the stock market, Logan suddenly thought of Larry. He realized he'd been working there for a while and should find an opportunity to talk to Larry; working at Morgan Bank was just too depressing.

While I was lost in thought, a clear female voice spoke from above, "Hello, I would like to withdraw $1 in Eagle Gold Coins!"

Logan frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Why is it another coin withdrawal request?" He looked up at the person and was instantly taken aback.

The woman had shoulder-length black hair, wore a well-tailored coat, and had a slight blush on her cheeks from walking quickly. She was also carrying a handbag.

As she took out a bearer negotiable draft and handed it to Logan, the woman looked at him, a slight look of surprise on her face…

“It’s you? Your name is… oh, right! Anna!” Logan stood up unconsciously, his words a little hurried.

This woman was the one Logan accidentally bumped into a few days ago on his first day at work, and Logan had been thinking about her constantly these past few days.

The woman was a little stunned, but then she recognized Logan and her expression relaxed. "Oh, you really weren't lying to me. You really do work at Morgan Bank."

Logan grinned foolishly and nodded. "I even said I'd apologize to you later... but I haven't run into you since."

The girl named Anna looked at Logan, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, I accept your apology... hurry up and get me the money."

"Oh, oh! Okay!"

Logan stared at Anna, his hand already frantically reaching for the pen on the table, nearly knocking over the ink bottle in the process.

Anna smiled slightly at his flustered appearance.

Before long, Logan had finished verifying the draft, nodded, and said...

"I will arrange for you to cash out at the cashier in a moment. You can go to the rest area now... However, it shouldn't be necessary, because it will be done very quickly. Just wait here at the counter for a while."

Anna nodded, watching Logan hurriedly run to personally hand over the verified documents to the cashier's counter to place the order, and then rush back.

After completing the transaction, Logan, with a smug smile on his face, stood at his counter and said to Anna,
"Hey, I really can't believe it! Miss Anna, you came here in person to collect the gold coins, and it's quite a large sum... Don't worry, it's all taken care of for you."

Anna nodded, looking at Logan's red hair and pretty lace shirt, and read out the metal name tag on his chest.

Logan Stone...you're Irish?

Logan nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes! And you?"

Anna smiled and said, "My name is Anna Herder, and I'm from France."

Anna Herder, Anna Herder!

Logan kept repeating the name in his mind, his face beaming with an barely suppressed smile.

(End of this chapter)