The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 164: New Mission, New Goals]

Santa Monica, Ocean Park Boulevard.

Hawke stepped out of the makeshift gym located on the basement level of the office building. He went upstairs to his office, took a shower, and changed clothes in his suite. When he emerged, Caroline arrived just in time to deliver breakfast.

It was a very exquisite meal, fitting her usual taste perfectly. Caroline sat on the couch, tilting her head as she watched Hawke eat the breakfast she had brought. A smile crept onto her face as she noticed how seriously he was enjoying it. But then, a serious issue crossed her mind.

For quite some time now, she had been bringing Hawke breakfast every morning, specifically choosing expensive, high-end options, and it had cost her a fortune. She wondered if she could get reimbursed.

Hawke logged onto his Twitter account to check the latest news. He switched between several major news sites and saw that the Smiths' Red Table Talk episode was trending at the top of the news cycle. The Will Smith of now was different from the one over a decade in the future; he had already begun to fall from grace and was now nicknamed "the Fresh Prince" more ironically.

The discussions on Twitter were vibrant and intense. "Open discussions about cheating, open conversations about open marriages; Hollywood stars continuously lower my standards of understanding."

"This couple just released cheating videos; the so-called Red Table Talk is just a crisis management stunt."

"The movies from Valley are nowhere near as outrageous as this couple."

"Reality certainly outshines fiction."

"Twitter revealed Smith's cheating videos, and they're live-streaming on Twitter! I seriously suspect that Twitter has even worse secrets about them."

...

After finishing breakfast and rinsing his mouth, the workday had just begun when he received a call from Erica's mother.

Mary Ferguson got straight to the point, "Based on your activity on the internet, it seems you've wrapped up a phase, right?"

Hawke replied, "Today should be a bit more relaxed."

"I'll come by your place to take a look." Mary had been observing everything happening lately from a distance.

Hawke welcomed her warmly: "Come by anytime."

...

Half an hour later, a Rolls-Royce Phantom belonging to Mary Ferguson pulled up at the office building. Hawke had been waiting for her at the entrance.

They went upstairs to the conference room, and Mary immediately asked, "How many registered users are there now?"

Hawke had just checked the statistics that morning. "12.45 million and still growing rapidly."

Mary smiled, "I remember a month ago, that number was only 30,000."

"Exactly." Hawke mentioned another matter, "I finalized the investment agreement early; Pacific Investment Group's $5 million investment was utilized effectively."

Despite the Pacific Investment Group being controlled by the Ferguson family, with Mary herself as the CEO, their initial agreement was a gamble; they had agreed that user numbers must rise to 200,000 by May.

Mary clearly underestimated Hawke. She wondered if Erica's judgment was that sharp. Yet, considering her husband Carter's choice to forsake daughters from prominent families for her, it made a sense.

Her husband's eyes were keen, so of course, their daughter would also have sharp instincts.

Mary completely recognized Hawke's capabilities and looked toward the future: "You've won. I'll have the rest of the agreement finalized quickly; you'll hold absolute control."

The early stages of social media often required burning through cash like crazy, and with the approach Hawke had taken, it would be impossible for him alone to manage.

Even if one had insight and capacity, breaking through in such a complex society was incredibly tough.

Mary suggested tentatively, "If you're willing to bring in investment now, with Pacific Investment Group backing, securing a valuation of over $100 million for Twitter shouldn't be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Hawke recognized where Erica had developed such habits. "There's no rush. Over the next six months, I'm confident I can double or even triple the number of Twitter users."

The user count signified a leap in company valuation. Mary nodded, "Do what you need to do; I'll help shoulder the pressure."

Hawke candidly remarked, "My methods can be pretty wild."

Mary dismissed this, "Every new company aiming to grow must experience bloody struggles; every drop of blood from competitors solidifies the foundation of the company and strengthens its power."

From her personal experiences, she reminded him, "Rules only restrain those who should follow them, not us."

Hawke understood the implication in her words: "If those old-school guys dare take revenge, I'll cut off their hands."

Mary nodded, "Call Brian if you need support."

Hawke was fully aware that this support extended beyond legal assistance.

Mary Ferguson followed Hawke to tour several departments including operations, editing, and technology before leaving shortly thereafter.

...

In the afternoon, Hawke attended an interview session, convening a brief meeting with the heads of various departments. The most urgent mission Twitter faced was to capitalize on the surge of traffic stemming from the cheating scandal and the Red Table Talk.

This operation not only led to a significant increase in user numbers but also helped Twitter build a genuine reputation across North America.

Freelance journalists were now approaching to sell news.

For operations, Hawke was inspired by Will Smith's agent, James Locke. When the buzz and traffic dropping, he planned to contact telecom companies, promoting through mass text messaging.

Additionally, he was serious about security. This was a top priority.

Hawke had no doubt that someone would attempt to storm Twitter's office with a gun in the future. Consequently, all security personnel had professional credentials.

If anyone attempted to storm the office armed, they could shoot back.

...

That evening, Hawke went to a safe house in Santa Monica with Edward to meet Campos.

"You did well this time," Hawke praised first, then asked, "How's the personnel situation?"

Handling the one million dollar reward poorly could lead to losing morale.

"Everyone seems stable," Campos summarized his management approach.

Hawke slightly nodded, "That's good." Considering the troubles caused by the recent incidents, he stressed, "We need to reinforce personnel training. No more basic mistakes like that."

Campos noted, "I've put together a new training program. In addition to tracking, investigation, and filming, I've got people with legal permits starting to practice shooting at a range."

Hawke agreed, "Excellent, depending on anyone else in critical situations is not as dependable as relying on ourselves."

Campos mentioned, "During this time, we've started to pick up some smaller jobs. What about you, boss?"

Hawke had come with a new objective: "Keep an eye on Leonardo DiCaprio; he's engaged to Gisele Bundchen, but from what I know, Leonardo will absolutely not marry Gisele. They could break up at any moment."

Campos pulled out a small notebook and wrote down Leonardo and Gisele's names.

Chasing after trending news was perfect for celebrities. The night before the Red Table Talk, Hawke had been contemplating this direction. He recalled a few suitable candidates, "How about socialite Paris Hilton? Check her boyfriends from recent years and prepare a detailed list."

He vaguely recalled first seeing Paris and her infamous night in Paris in 2005, but from the male party's account, the tape was made before Paris turned twenty, meaning it was shot back in 2001.

What was this guy's name? Hawke couldn't remember. Even though everyone enjoyed such tapes, who cared about the leading man's name?

However, he thought that just looking at the photos might jog his memory.

Campos asked while writing, "Should we follow Paris Hilton?"

Hawke considered this socialite's usual style, replying, "A follow wouldn't hurt; stay focused on identifying her boyfriends."

"I understand," Campos nodded.

Currently, the Butterfly company had limited manpower; Hawke set forth just these two tasks.

The first was time-sensitive and needed to be published as quickly as possible; the second could proceed discreetly. It would be best to obtain a recording.

Campos left promptly.

...

Hawke and Edward returned to the company.

Edward hadn't been to Brentwood for several days. He told Hawke he was in a rush to go find Deborah.

...

Hawke switched cars, leaving the office and quietly making his way to West Los Angeles to enter Megan Taylor's home.

Her house had plumbing issues. Hawke, being a good Samaritan, rushed over to prepare and help her fix it.

At 9:30 PM, Megan arrived home, driving her BMW 7-series.

As soon as she walked in, Hawke's eyes lit up.

Wearing a white shirt and a fitted skirt, black stockings, and those sky-high heels, she also wore a pair of non-prescription glasses perched on her nose.

Hawke joked, "I checked; your plumbing is fine."

Megan took steps toward him, stating, "There's one place you haven't checked."

"I'll grab the tools," Hawke stood up to meet her.

Megan smirked, "Normal tools won't do; you've got to use the lamp pole of lamp pole of the god of war."

Hawke charged forward.

...

The two tangled together passionately, almost as if they had gone mad.

Megan was against marriage, neither wanting to tie the knot nor have children.

When Hawke had inquired about her family, she showed no desire to discuss it. He stopped asking.

Once the plumbing was cleared, Hawke grabbed a bottle of water from the liquor cabinet and sat down to chat with Megan.

Megan asked, "You won't be providing me with news anymore?"

Hawke replied straightforwardly, "The paparazzi was my only option when I first came to LA; now I have better choices."

He thought for a moment, "I'm sure we'll have collaborations in the future."

Megan nodded, "Hopefully, they'll be massive news that rocks the world." She never hid her ambition around Hawke, stating, "I want to win a Pulitzer Prize."

Hawke laughed, "I think the Nobel Peace Prize might be easier."

Megan wondered, "How could that happen?"

"As long as you become the owner of the Oval Office," Hawke stated as a fact, "They'd hand the Nobel Peace Prize to you, even if you ignited battles left and right."

Megan provocatively asked, "Is there a Nobel Prize for Biology?"

"There's a Nobel Prize for Medicine," Hawke informed her.

Megan said, "I want to study a new discipline: the lamp pole of god of war and genetics."

*****

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