The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 342: Fool is Me]

Sacramento, State Capitol.

On this day's session, several members of the Republican Party submitted a proposal calling for an investigation into numerous Democratic Party members pushing for new environmental legislation and the Smelt Fish Protection Act.

Inevitably, both sides exchanged heated words, attacking each other to no end.

With less than half of the meeting completed, Speaker Nunez expelled several individuals from the chamber.

...

In California, the division and confrontation continued to escalate.

The expelled members of both parties ended up brawling at the entrance of the Capitol, turning it into complete chaos.

Since the Los Angeles fire, public opinion had been relentlessly attacking each side, leading to an exceptionally fierce clash.

This Republican member was no pushover either; he bit down on the Democratic member's other hand, almost severing a finger.

It wasn't until the Sacramento police arrived that the two were separated.

At least a dozen media reporters captured relevant photos or videos.

...

That afternoon, the incident appeared on multiple internet sites, including Twitter.

Different media outlets reported vastly different stories based on their respective stances.

For instance, Twitter and Fox had largely consistent headlines.

"Faced with multiple members demanding a thorough investigation into the Democratic Party's misconduct during the Los Angeles fire, they retaliated with personal attacks."

However, the Los Angeles Times and NBC reported the opposite.

Meanwhile, Twitter and Fox had not let up on Antonio.

Fox Channel 11 aired an episode - "Antonio and the Mystery of the Missing $15 Million."

---

Los Angeles, District Attorney's Office.

After a second round of questioning, Antonio left the building accompanied by his lawyer.

Dozens of reporters surrounded him like sharks.

The bright flashes made it impossible for Antonio to open his eyes.

"Did the missing $15 million end up in your personal pocket?"

"Did you misappropriate substantial public funds and spend them on gender equality? Was there any illegal financial transactions involved?"

Facing the reporters' questions, Antonio seemed not to hear them. He tightly closed his mouth and entered the car parked by the roadside under the protection of his lawyer and assistant.

...

"Go!" Antonio scowled, urging the driver to speed off. "Those bastards clearly wanted to rip off all the masks!"

He suppressed his anger, "How dare they use the budget for women's rights to target me!"

His lawyer advised, "This can be easily resolved. Speak with the women's rights leaders and have them publicly voice support and protest. If necessary, let them sit-in at the DA's office. Those women are tough cookies; the prosecutors will soon back off."

Antonio said to his assistant, "Help me contact Karen Crowley and Michelle; it's best if we can meet today."

The assistant made a phone call and quickly hung up, saying, "They are available now."

...

They agreed to meet, and thirty minutes later, Antonio met with Michelle and Karen Crowley, two women's rights leaders, at the Green Business Club.

Antonio had worked with them many times before, having appointed them as the head and deputy of the fire department, so he felt this request was a minor issue.

He explained his purpose and made his demands directly: "You both need to publicly clarify your support for me on behalf of your organizations and send some people to protest the DA's office. This will be resolved quickly."

Hearing this, Karen and Michelle exchanged glances, silently reaching an understanding.

Michelle responded, "We barely managed to extricate ourselves from the public scrutiny last time. You want us to jump back in?"

Antonio sensed something was off in her tone.

Before he could speak, Karen interjected, "Sorry, Antonio. We appreciate everything you've done privately, but we can't support you publicly. We are a women's rights organization, and endorsing a man publicly would draw a lot of backlash."

Michelle added, "The last collaboration harmed our group's reputation; we've now agreed to only support women for the mayor position. Men aren't part of our consideration anymore."

Karen said, "Women should support women, not men. Publicly supporting you goes against our fundamental principles."

The two of them effectively leveraged the rapid-fire advantage of women's dialogue. Michelle continued, "Public protests aren't possible. Last time, in supporting you, we clashed with Black women. Many of our sisters face lawsuits for racial discrimination and are on the brink of fines and jail time."

Karen also pressed on, "If your opponents bring more of those Black women in, we won't stand a chance against them."

After their previous confrontation, they thoroughly analyzed the situation, realizing that they only represented feminism, while their opponents wielded not only feminism but also racial discrimination.

They were simply not on even ground.

Antonio looked at Karen, then at Michelle. He initially had a lot to say but saw their limited vision and gender opposition; he instantly lost the will to debate.

"Sorry, then." Karen concluded, signaling to Michelle as they both took their leave.

...

Antonio watched them leave and suddenly recalled what an old friend had said during the formulation of gender equality plans.

That friend had advised him multiple times: among those championing feminism today, very few were capable or visionary; the vast majority were merely a bunch of fools, flying the gender equality flag to demand privileges.

What they wanted wasn't equality but to have the traditional men and women underfoot, unconditionally enjoying all social resources without bearing any responsibility.

"Fool is me," Antonio muttered sotto voce.

Only a fool would expect anything from another set of fools.

As he left, he realized he had made a monumental mistake; collaborating with feminism would lead nowhere good.

---

With the election nearing, across the nation, including California, traditional media from radio to newspapers to television, along with internet media represented by Google, Yahoo, and Twitter, had been embroiled in a brewing conflict.

The Watergate scandal had provided both sides the best example back in the seventies; since then, various advanced tactics repeatedly emerged.

By the time the zipper gate incident erupted, mutual exposure had become a crucial part of election campaigns.

Due to a series of chain reactions stemming from the Los Angeles fire, California's 55 electoral votes had become the focal point for both sides.

The Republican Party aggressively launched a media campaign, aggressively pushing to turn California red once more after twelve years.

The Democrats were gradually implementing their traditional strengths in environmentalism and women's rights. However, Hawke exploited the situation, and they found themselves at a disadvantage in public opinion.

Public attention fluctuated rapidly.

The Democratic Party played its trump card first.

...

In Brentwood, a car suddenly pulled over, and Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio got out from the backseat, angrily striding forward.

His fiancee Gisele Bundchen followed suit, stepping out of the car.

Multiple reporters and paparazzi trailing the couple immediately chased after them.

In front of numerous cameras and recording devices, Leonardo and Gisele erupted into a heated argument.

The former complained that the latter didn't give him any space, causing him a lot of pressure and making life very stifling.

The latter accused the former of constantly cheating and never taking their engagement seriously.

Their quarrel intensified.

Within minutes, Gisele removed her engagement ring and tossed it at Leonardo, walking away without a second glance.

In the meantime, she made a call to arrange for someone to pick her up.

Leonardo also took off his ring, shouting at Gisele, "Our engagement is over!"

These words fell on the ears of surrounding reporters and paparazzi, making them exceedingly excited.

Another wave of stories was about to be fed!

This was Leonardo, and the impact of his broken engagement was no less than that of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's divorce.

...

The Butterfly Company had always followed Leonardo, and as soon as the news was captured, they hopped into their car to call Campos while quickly sending the footage over to Twitter.

...

Leonardo donned two diamond rings and returned to his car, shutting the door and instructing the driver to go.

As the vehicle distanced from the reporters, he pulled out his phone, opened his contacts, and found a name - Celery.

Leonardo dialed the number, and as soon as it connected, he said, "I followed your instructions."

"It's not you who followed; it's you who've always wanted to do this but hesitated. I helped you make a firm decision," came the voice of a middle-aged woman on the other end.

Leonardo casually acknowledged and hung up the phone.

He took out a mirror to check his face, still not fat enough, still looking somewhat handsome.

He called his nutritionist, "Speed up my weight-gaining plan. I want to gain weight faster, especially in my face!"

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, saying to himself, is your face not your most important tool for making a living?

Leonardo, looking at himself in the mirror, pinched his face and pulled on it hard until it distorted, which made him feel a bit better.

---

Ocean Park Boulevard, Twitter.

Edward rushed in, saying, "Boss, we just received news that Leonardo and Gisele Bundchen have called off their engagement. The Butterfly Company sent over video footage, but it's not exclusive."

Hawke wasted no time: "Get the editorial department to release it immediately."

Edward made a phone call: "Send the video directly."

Having followed Hawke for a while, he had developed a sense of awareness: "Boss, for Leonardo to break up at this time, he will definitely grab the headlines of major media. Is it deliberate? Could it affect us?"

"Doesn't matter." Hawke knew very well Leonardo's influence: "Even if we don't release it, other media will. It'll still grab the headlines."

The response speed of internet media far exceeded that of traditional media.

Among all internet outlets, Twitter was the fastest in responding.

Two minutes later, Twitter became the first to break the news and release the video.

"Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bundchen Call Off Engagement!"

*****

/Sayonara816.