The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 331: Life or Death]

Ocean Park Avenue, Twitter Headquarters. The windows of the conference room were covered in a thick layer of dust, blocking out the sunlight.

Hawke sat in a chair next to his chief of staff, Andrew Card. They watched as Caroline exchanged a promotional contract with the deputy campaign manager. The two women shook hands and posed for a photo.

Andrew remarked, "This afternoon, the initial advertising payment will be transferred to the Twitter account. Starting next week, Twitter will proceed with the promotion as planned."

The advertising budget was a staggering $35 million. Hawke adopted an attitude suitable for dealing with major clients and stated, "We will cooperate fully with your team."

With the contract officially signed, Andrew and a few others needed to rush to Fox News to say their goodbyes. Hawke accompanied them to the lobby.

...

Caroline waved her hand to shoo away the flying embers and asked Hawke, "They're clueless about internet and social media promotion. Their plan isn't great."

Hawke reminded her, "This is the client's request, and we have to follow their plan. When it comes to election matters, we don't have experience."

Looking up at the sky, she commented, "The fire isn't out yet."

Hawke replied, "In a few days, once the surrounding blocks have burned down, the fire will naturally die down."

As they walked back, they arrived at the elevator foyer with no one else around. Caroline whispered, "Do politicians and capitalists not care about ordinary people?"

"If it doesn't generate value, they won't care," Hawke said casually. "If it does, they'll weigh the pros and cons."

He glanced at the increasingly mature, ambitious Caroline and said, "You'll be a businesswoman soon enough."

Once in the elevator, they emerged on the upper floor. Peering out the window, they saw more smoke rising in the distance, prompting Caroline to exclaim, "It's like a hellish Los Angeles."

...

That afternoon, Twitter received a $20 million advance from the re-election campaign office. Hawke, who was meticulous about the money, immediately ordered Caroline to assemble a skilled team to liaise with Washington.

...

Brian also called in, informing Hawke that the petition for Antonio's recall had been submitted to the state legislature, and under multiple legislators' efforts, the recall election had been expedited.

Many people had suffered losses from the fire. Everyone wanted a resolution from Antonio. Under normal circumstances, if Brian, as the candidate, won the recall election, he would become the mayor of Los Angeles. If he failed, the mayor's seat would still belong to Antonio.

The recall election was a month away, and by then, the fires in Los Angeles would be extinguished, and water would be restored.

...

The Los Angeles City Council was initiating a review process to reassess the legality of Antonio's signed water resource agreement with the Wonderful Company.

In the local prosecutor's office, four prosecutors, including the chief, had their properties destroyed in the fire. Although they could not shake the interests of their powerful group led by Stewart Resnick, they could exploit loopholes to dismantle certain agreements.

...

With immense pressure mounting, Antonio faced not only the risk of losing his position but also the threat of investigation. It wasn't just Los Angeles; the Democratic Party's momentum was heavily impacted in Sacramento as well.

Over the years, their focus on environmentalism and feminism had been primary causes of the forest fires spiraling out of control.

...

Hawke received word that someone in the Oval Office had unexpectedly added California to their agenda, planning to visit Los Angeles to comfort disaster victims after the fire was fully extinguished.

Since the mid-90s, California had shifted from red to blue over many years, and the Republicans saw another chance to reclaim some ground. There had been countless historical instances of political colors changing from red to blue and vice versa.

Maps of American elections often swapped colors. Politics had never been static.

Hawke was also taking advantage of the situation, stirring the pot to make America's political landscape even more thrilling while seeking personal gain.

As time progressed and society developed, the rivalry between the two parties would deepen, leading to increased divisions in American society.

---

In Los Angeles, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in a business meeting room on the top floor, forty-year-old prosecutor Kamala stared intently at Antonio, who had an unusually serious expression.

Commissioned by important figures from the Democratic Party in San Francisco and Sacramento, she had come to meet with Antonio.

Kamala asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

Despite appearing confident, Antonio responded, "The outcome of the recall election is uncertain, but as long as you support me, I can keep fighting. Although my approval ratings have dropped significantly, the public is fickle. Once we strike at the opposition's vulnerabilities, their attention will quickly shift."

He emphasized, "My two major support bases, women and the Latino community, are still solid!"

Kamala shook her head. "The capital is already engulfed in fierce conflict. We were caught off guard, especially with several legislators feeling compelled to resign... These are all repercussions of the Los Angeles incident."

Antonio defended, "This was a natural disaster. Could anyone else in my position have done any better? Environmentalism and feminism are fundamental to our base here in California. Should we abandon our strengths? Weather factors are entirely out of our control. Even with ample firefighting equipment and water supply, under 50-mile-an-hour winds, could we have contained the flames?"

Not just Antonio, but Kamala and the Democratic leadership in California believed they hadn't done anything wrong.

They hadn't lost to the Republicans; they had lost to the climate.

However, with the situation at this point, stopping the downward spiral was crucial. Kamala had come with a heavy mandate: "The key issue isn't the process, but the outcome. The outcome is that we lost and it's severely affected our reputation. This fire, smoke included, has impacted millions, and the media has gone into a frenzy with their negative coverage. Our base is shaking."

Her stern expression remained unchanged. "Now, we need someone to take the fall, to end the media and public debate, and you are the best choice."

This statement caught Antonio off guard. "You want me to take the fall to restore the party's momentum?"

Kamala replied, "Someone has to sacrifice something."

Antonio closed his eyes but remained silent for a long moment before asking, "Is it just that?"

Kamala had been instructed to convey several conditions: "Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Southern California division needs an executive. Your wife, who works for Disney Studios, will be one of the production managers for two $50 million live-action film projects."

The deal was not bad, and Antonio considered it carefully.

But Kamala wasn't finished. "These will only happen after the incident settles."

Antonio remained silent.

Kamala added, "You and I are both part of minority groups; we have our advantages, but we face many inherent challenges."

"Thanks." Antonio understood that some people had no qualms about tearing others apart.

Kamala dismissed him with, "Think it over and get back to me soon."

Antonio didn't leave. He sat on the couch, contemplating the potential choices before him. After some time, he said, "Tell them I agree."

Kamala responded, "A wise choice."

...

After agreeing to that statement, Antonio felt an inexplicable sense of relief. He stood up and approached the northern window of the hotel, gazing out.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles sky was filled with ash; all he could see was a haze of gray.

"I'm leaving," Antonio said, turning around and exiting the room.

On his way, he instructed his assistant, Gordon, to contact Brian. "I need to talk to that bastard face to face."

Gordon wasted no time connecting with Brian through his campaign manager. They agreed to meet the next morning at the Beverly Business Club.

...

That evening, Brian arrived at Silver Lake Villa specifically to find Hawke.

Erica had readied some tequila and poured a glass for each of them, sitting close to Hawke, eager to listen.

The LAPD had been incredibly busy lately, all thanks to these two.

Taking a sip of his drink, Brian said to Hawke, "Antonio wants to meet with me tomorrow morning."

Hawke replied, "Is he preparing to step back and use that as a bargaining chip for your commitment?"

Brian nodded. "That seems to be the case. The situation in Los Angeles isn't just about the fire; the budget and accounting must contain a series of issues."

Erica interjected, "Isn't the last instance of this sort during Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial recall election when Gray Davis stepped down voluntarily?"

Brian said, "That time, they caught them through the Venice Beach Club, forcing them to retreat. Schwarzenegger wasn't completely clean either, but he reached an agreement after his goals were met."

He looked at Hawke. "I'm facing a similar situation."

"No, your situation is different from Schwarzenegger's. No matter what he did, he could only reach the governor's level and couldn't run for president," Hawke replied thoughtfully. "Our final goal is the Oval Office."

Brian remarked, "You really have confidence in me."

Hawke brushed aside the comment and continued, "Your predicament is entirely different from Schwarzenegger's. He was involved in a gubernatorial recall election, while this recall for the mayor of Los Angeles directly pertains to the presidential race in Los Angeles. It's not just about you; it's about the entire color choice for California."

Behind all these lofty arguments lay Hawke's ulterior motives; he wanted the two parties to fight it out fiercely in California.

If things settled, the situation regarding the Ackerman family would become complicated.

Brian was deep in thought.

From any perspective, this political struggle was far from over.

Hawke thought for a moment and said, "Consult Paul."

Brian, erring on the side of caution, called Paul Ferguson and received the same answer as Hawke's.

Hawke was exploiting the Democrats' core support to shape such a favorable situation.

Any elephant with ambition would never turn a blind eye to this.

*****

/Sayonara816.