The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 239: Verbal Agreement]

Los Angeles, Police Department.

Erica sat in her office, flipping through the files in front of her. There was a picture of a middle-aged man stuck on the top, next to which was printed his name -- Douglas Coster.

He had been summoned by the FBI today and was supposed to return to his rented hotel in Burbank afterward. Coster came from BlackRock and was rumored to be quite skilled in corporate acquisitions.

Erica hadn't seen details about how the acquisitions would work, but she had certainly witnessed the brutality of corporate warfare.

Decades had passed, yet the nature of business competition in America remained the same. Erica wasn't well-versed in corporate battles and didn't have thoughts as complicated as Hawke's. Her logic was simple: if Douglas wanted to get rid of her boyfriend, then she had to get rid of Douglas.

But figuring out how to do that required a plan.

Coming from a family of police officers, Erica had inherited the LAPD's esteemed traditions. Her first plan revolved around setting him up.

She pulled out her phone and made a call, instructing her family's security company, "Keep an eye on the target at the Burbank hotel. Notify me immediately if they go out again."

She then called Hawke, who was over at Pacific Investment Group, discussing investment matters with her mother.

...

Federal Bank Plaza, Pacific Investment Group.

In the meeting room, Hawke met Peter Thiel again, along with Reid Hoffman, who was specially introduced.

Mary Ferguson, the host, stated directly, "Peter and Reid are here from San Francisco to discuss Twitter."

Peter Thiel didn't beat around the bush and told Hawke, "Last time we met, we talked about Twitter's investment and development. Twitter is growing rapidly, with an ice bucket challenge that has nearly every celebrity in America participating."

Hoffman chimed in, "Peter and I participated too and even made a donation to Tom Cruise's charity foundation."

Hawke smiled, "Tommy should be grateful for your support."

"Twitter is now undoubtedly the number one social media platform on the internet," Mary said. The Pacific Investment Group, under her control, was the second-largest shareholder of Twitter.

She deliberately asked Hawke, "I presume Twitter has surpassed 40 million registered users globally now?"

Hawke replied, "It surpassed 40 million last month."

When Peter Thiel and Hoffman arrived, they were mentally prepared, knowing that with Twitter's popularity and the number of active users, its valuation might balloon into astronomical figures.

But if they didn't act now, Twitter's market value would likely continue to climb.

Peter Thiel stated, "My Clarium investment firm, along with Reid's foundation, is interested in investing in Twitter."

Mary didn't speak but turned to Hawke. After losing the wager, all matters related to Twitter's investment and operation fell under Hawke's responsibility.

Twitter needed external funds and resources to grow further, and Hawke pondered, "A couple of months ago, the BlackRock office in San Francisco discussed financing cooperation with me. They proposed many unrealistic conditions. After some drawn-out discussions, I refused them, and something quite unpleasant happened afterward."

Peter Thiel nodded, "I've heard about it. To be frank, BlackRock doesn't have a great reputation in the investment circle. Their dealings often lead to some uncomfortable events."

"So, I hope Twitter attracts partners and allies, not enemies," Hawke stated. He didn't harbor too many illusions about these investors but didn't shy away from accepting help. "I want partners who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Twitter."

Hoffman didn't want to involve himself in BlackRock's matters but also didn't wish to miss the opportunity to invest in Twitter. He turned his gaze to his companion.

Peter Thiel showed more decisiveness than Hoffman, stating after a slight pause, "Investments, shares, and shared interests will naturally bind us together. We are indeed partners and allies."

Mary interjected, "You both come from San Francisco, so I assume you know more about BlackRock and Douglas?"

Hawke's stance was clear: investing in Twitter was possible, but first, they needed to align with him.

Twitter was about to secure interest-free loans from the governor's economic development plan, along with a series of policy subsidies; the finances could hold out for a while.

Peter Thiel understood what Mary and Hawke were implying but remained silent for a moment, exchanging glances with Hoffman.

The Clarium investment firm was one of the sponsors backing Arnold Schwarzenegger, inherently leaning towards the red camp.

From a profit perspective, investing in Twitter would yield greater returns.

He nodded slightly at Hoffman, and seeing his companion had no objections, Thiel said, "I will assist Twitter in addressing BlackRock's fierce attacks."

Hawke replied, "Cooperation can uncover common ground amid differences and identify shared interests."

Hoffman chuckled, "Exactly, shared interests."

"There are a few points I must make clear first," Hawke said slowly. "Twitter's financing will adopt a dual-class structure, establishing a board of directors, with a management team led by me retaining independent operational rights."

These weren't new ideas and were quite common in Silicon Valley; Peter Thiel and Hoffman had no objections.

Hawke continued, "In terms of public opinion management, Twitter will also maintain its independence. Every once in a while, I'll plan an event similar to the ice bucket challenge, keeping Twitter constantly visible in users' sights."

Regarding further plans, there would be measures targeting so-called marginalized groups that were comparable to corporate viruses. For instance, Twitter would control the number of female employees and those from minority groups, among others.

These were all principled issues that could easily ruin a giant corporation with a glorious history.

In a social media space like Twitter, any increase in the number of female employees could lead to significant internal strife.

In such a social media environment, getting things all mixed up and causing chaos could be easily imagined.

Once they reached consensus on these principled issues, they could then push forward on investment and financing matters.

During this time, Hawke discussed the marginalized community plan promoted by BlackRock.

Peter Thiel and Hoffman had heard some whispers about it.

In California, this was part of the overall trend of social development.

After half an afternoon of discussions, they reached a series of verbal agreements.

This was merely the beginning.

Next, professional third parties would need to be hired to evaluate Twitter, work on the dual-class structure design, financing amounts and ratios, shareholder rights and responsibilities, and so forth.

All of these would take time and careful negotiation.

Hawke, Mary, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman agreed on the next meeting time, with the latter two leaving afterward.

...

After sending them off, Hawke noticed Erica had arrived, waiting at the entertainment room.

Mary called both of them into her office for a chat.

Hawke asked his girlfriend, "Not busy today?"

"No cases," Erica replied as she grabbed three cups of coffee. "I'm planning to set up Douglas."

Mary looked at her daughter, slightly disapproving, "Hey, dear, you're a police officer, a star officer at LAPD!"

Erica chuckled and honestly replied, "Even star officers can frame people, especially enemies."

Hawke didn't mind and asked, "What exactly are you thinking?"

Erica stated, "It's pretty much about guns and drugs. Right now, Douglas is holed up in the Burbank hotel, remotely directing his subordinates by phone..."

Following her line of reasoning, Hawke considered, "According to Tim, Douglas's visit to Los Angeles isn't just for acquiring my shares in Twitter; he is also responsible for executing the marginalized community plan."

"The marginalized community?" Erica asked. "The groups you mentioned last time, like homosexuals and transgenders?"

Hawke said, "Not just them. It also includes privileged black individuals and women."

Mary interjected at this moment, "This marginalized community plan is very troublesome. I reported it to Paul, and they discussed it; it's not easy to handle."

Hawke warned, "I believe this plan must be taken seriously, as it could disrupt the current dynamics between the two parties."

Mary asked, "It seems you have some unique perspectives?"

"Indeed," Hawke asserted confidently. "Actually, I've handled many similar cases before."

Erica added, "Steve Nutt's saint plan and the selfie scandal involving two Hollywood stars are typical examples."

Mary had researched the cases handled by Hawke and, after a moment of thought, remarked, "If you went to the Donkey side, you would be able to do plenty."

But Hawke replied, "Thinking about having to work with a group of gay men and transgenders in the future feels terrifying."

Mary made a note to mention this to Erica's grandfather Paul, hoping that some higher-ups would listen to Hawke's insights.

Hawke then returned to the main topic, "According to Tim, the implementation of the marginalized community plan will hinge on traditional media, the entertainment industry, and emerging online media. BlackRock will seize the opportunity in Hollywood and use Hollywood films to steer the narrative."

He said, "If we figure out which Hollywood filmmakers Douglas has interacted with, we might be able to track his movements."

Erica remarked, "That's going to depend on you and Brian."

Hawke picked up his phone and texted Eric Emerson, Dwayne Johnson, and Tom Cruise, asking them to look into whether any recent Hollywood projects had dealings with BlackRock and its affiliated foundation.

...

Eric Emerson had limited connections and got Kathryn to help ask around; unfortunately, there were no leads.

Dwayne Johnson managed to gather some news, saying Warner Bros had allegedly contacted the BlackRock Film Foundation, but he hadn't figured out which film team it was yet.

Just before closing time, Tom Cruise called in.

"Regarding your inquiry, I mobilized my network and even utilized my Scientology contacts to gather some information," said Tom Cruise, who had been riding high lately and was particularly attentive to Hawke's case.

He stated, "John Travolta heard from director John Woo that Ang Lee has a new film project that seems to have received support from BlackRock."

*****

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