The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 197: New Revenue Channels]

In the morning, sunlight flooded the bedroom, turning the curtains into a golden hue.

Hawke woke up, feeling as though two massive mountains pressed down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

He quickly understood what was weighing down on him.

Megan raised her head, revealing a satisfied smile. "Good morning, dear."

Hawke kissed her forehead, saying, "I haven't slept this comfortably in a long time."

"Is it because you missed me as a pillow?" Megan teased. "Or is it because Erica's too fit to cuddle?"

She wrapped her arms around Hawke's neck. "You can come find me anytime."

But Hawke replied, "I'm just worried about getting shot."

Megan shifted a bit, the roundness pressed into a flatter shape. "What did you do this time?"

"Nothing much, just helped Brian get elected as the mayor of Covina," Hawke said, naturally omitting specifics. "It involved the election, and the other side might get violent."

He then asked, "I haven't heard from Gretchen in a while; has she had any conflicts with you?"

Megan shook her head. "No, she went to Fox News, so we don't have any conflicts of interest anymore. It's hard to see her, though. Last time, I heard Cynthia, the director of Channel 11, mention that Gretchen was working on a big story. Cynthia got the scoop from Roger Ailes."

Hawke immediately thought of that journalist named Harley and, after some reflection, chose not to ask.

The risk was too high, and he didn't want to drag Megan into it.

Megan instead inquired, "What, you still want to get back at Gretchen?"

Hawke shook his head. "I'm not interested in her."

He glanced at the time. "It's almost noon. Time to get up; after lunch, you have to go to work. Young people need to work hard."

After having lunch prepared by Megan, Hawke thought about Frank's dog's keen sense earlier and decided to shower before heading out with her.

...

Megan drove him over to Twitter.

Once he arrived, he headed upstairs, and the reception promptly informed the operations director's office.

On the fourth floor, Caroline stood in front of a dressing mirror, checking her outfit for the day, before stepping out toward the elevator.

As Hawke came around the corner of the elevator, he spotted Caroline immediately.

Ms. Baa was sporting honey-blonde bangs, dressed in pink Chanel, wearing a Cartier watch, and sporting red stilettos.

The way she walked reminded him of a little sheep's hooves tapping on a stone path, making a gentle clip-clop sound.

Caroline's doll-like face lit up with a smile. "Boss, you're back!"

Hawke nodded slightly, looking her over, and couldn't help but frown. "The last business elite look was great; why did you switch back?"

Her demeanor shifted; she recalled clearly that Hawke had previously said he preferred little sheeps over black goats.

Had she made another wrong move?

Caroline momentarily looked a bit dazed.

After going through his usual briefing, Hawke walked toward his office.

Ms. Baa flashed a slight grin, sharpening her little canines, and followed him.

Once inside his office, awaiting Caroline's entrance, he asked, "Ms. Baa, is there anything important?"

Caroline replied, "Two executives poached by Glimmer International have joined us, and they improved our video-sharing structure. We've also reached an agreement with Yahoo, allowing both our websites to drive traffic to each other."

Hawke nodded and then asked, "What about the Spanish-speaking market?"

"I sent a marketing team to Mexico to discuss collaboration with their telecommunications department," Caroline explained in detail. "The push in the Spanish market is going relatively smoothly..."

After listening to Caroline for a while, Hawke inquired, "What about funding?"

Caroline's expression grew serious. "The company has no other revenue yet, aside from the $5 million from Will Smith. The promotional costs are eating through funds quickly, and we can't sustain ourselves for too long at this rate."

"I'll figure something out for the funds." Hawke was well aware that financing was an essential path forward.

Without outside investment or going public, social media couldn't genuinely scale. But before that, he aimed to raise Twitter's valuation as much as possible to maximize benefits.

That meant burning through cash.

...

Once he finished with Caroline, Hawke called Campos, arranging to meet.

Edward arrived shortly after.

Hawke decided to invite him along to the safe house.

Half an hour later, they met at the safe house in Santa Monica.

Hawke asked, "Is the aftermath of Brian's campaign all cleaned up?"

"Everything's handled," Campos replied, having taken part in a range of filming and surveillance activities. "The press reports were paid in full."

Hawke said, "Good. Let's withdraw the team from Covina; Brian can manage the remaining issues by himself."

There were still loose ends to tie up, like the Pratt bullying case and Owen's intimidation interfering with justice, which will not have any results in the short term.

Pratt would most likely face actual sentencing.

Owen wouldn't fare much better.

Hawke then asked, "Are your people still tailing Harley?"

Campos detailed, "Carlos and Garcia have been following her. The acting class Harley's attending recently started. She goes to the Super Star Training School every day, with classes Monday through Saturday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon."

He'd done quite a bit of work. "To keep tabs on Harley, I sent a female subordinate, who got in the class. She's had some contact with Harley, but since Harley's an investigative journalist, I worry about her spotting my person, so I instructed them not to get too close. As it looks now, there's been no unusual activity."

"Keep at it, but don't let her catch on," Hawke instructed. "If Harley runs into danger, step in if you can, though ensuring our people's safety is the priority."

Campos agreed.

Hawke pondered for a moment before adding, "Next, we're looking for new high-revenue channels."

In recent days, he'd been planning Brian's business while spending his spare time skimming through news focused on the entertainment and sports world.

The reason was simple: entertainers and sports stars posed a minor threat, had significant fame, and held assets to play with.

They were the most achievable targets.

Campos also thought of the entertainment sector, mentioning, "There's no sign of Leonardo and Gisele Bundchen's engagement being called off."

Hawke picked up a Sports Illustrated he had glanced at a few days ago, pointing at two figures on the page: a black man and a white woman. "Last month, Tiger Woods proposed to Swedish model Elin Nordegren. They've gone from dating to engaged, and it seems they'll hold their wedding either at the end of the year or next year. Keep an eye on this tiger."

Campos immediately grasped that Hawke intended to dig up Tiger Woods' news.

Flipping through that same Sports Illustrated, Hawke came across a story about Kobe Bryant, the star of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The article mentioned that Kobe was recuperating from an injury at a resort in Vail, Colorado, and was preparing for knee surgery.

Hawke said, "Send someone over to watch Kobe, focusing on his relationships."

Campos noted that down as well.

Hawke continued flipping through Sports Illustrated, spotting soccer news. David Beckham, the Manchester United superstar, was rumored to be breaking ties with the club after a flying shoe incident and was expected to join Real Madrid soon.

Although the European transfer window hadn't opened yet, rumors of Beckham and Real Madrid were rampant.

Hawke recalled seeing Tom Cruise the night before and was reminded of Beckham. "If David Beckham transfers to Real Madrid, send a few people to Madrid to watch him, again focusing on his relationships."

He casually provided a reason, saying, "I ran into Beckham's buddy Tom Cruise, who mentioned that Beckham's relationship with his female assistant is rather complicated."

Campos noted that, then asked, "Boss, is that it?"

"That's all for now." Hawke handed over the Sports Illustrated, saying, "As before, gather news footage and send it to Twitter."

Campos gathered up the magazine and his notebook, being the first to leave the safe house.

At that point, Edward interjected, "Boss, if the paparazzi gets the video, do we want to expose it?"

"Not necessarily; it depends on the situation." Compared to the helplessness he once felt when selling videos, Hawke now found himself with newfound confidence. "If those involved are willing to pay, we can accept their PR."

Otherwise, it would be a matter of the public's right to know, which was sacred and inviolable.

Hawke and Edward soon left the safe house.

...

Shortly after, Brian called Hawke again.

Hawke instructed Edward to drive them to St. Mary's Rehabilitation Center.

The three met at the front of the center, and Hawke entered Brian's business vehicle.

Brian remarked, "She'll be out shortly."

Hawke replied, "Once she leaves North America, this matter will be over."

Bella Sain, who once plotted to frame him in the office, had provided Grant's team's information.

Hawke agreed to sign a non-disclosure, but she had to leave North America.

Before long, a small side door opened, and Bella Sain walked out, dressed normally.

Two of Brian's subordinates greeted her, and they exchanged a few short words.

Bella then got in the vehicle, which headed straight for Los Angeles International Airport.

Brian deliberately asked Hawke, "Aren't you going down to say goodbye?"

Hawke shook his head. "If you hadn't called, I wouldn't have even come here."

He called Edward, "Let's go."

The two vehicles left the rehabilitation center and returned to downtown Los Angeles.

Bella's vehicle arrived at the airport, where one of the female subordinates collected the boarding passes and accompanied Bella all the way to the gate.

Bella didn't cause a scene; she remained quiet.

She had seen the news about Hailey's team's accident on TV.

Bella understood: staying in North America meant certain doom.

She boarded the plane, ready to start a new life in Brisbane.

*****

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