The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 367: The Common Issues of Black Celebrities]

After reviewing the materials, Hawke thought of Leonardo DiCaprio and specifically searched for his recent news. He found a close-up photo of Leonardo emerging from Los Angeles International Airport. Leonardo appeared slightly heavier, but he was far from out of shape. When examining the stills and posters from The Aviator, Howard Hughes looked charming and showed no signs of self-destructive behavior. All of this did not meet the Oscar-winning standards Leonardo set for himself.

Hawke pulled up a photo of Jamie Foxx and placed it on his desk, then took out a picture of Heath Ledger and placed it beside it. He paused for a moment and then put the poster of Million Dollar Baby on top of the two photos.

...

Edward returned at that moment and said, "All the things were moved into Eric's film studio. That guy is preparing to lock himself away for a few days to go through the materials thoroughly."

"He's very dedicated to film," Hawke said as he picked up the photo of Jamie Foxx and handed it to Edward. "Ask your black friends if they've heard any bad rumors about him."

Edward took it from him. "Jamie Foxx? This guy isn't a star from Los Angeles or Southern California. The people I know might not have any connections with him, but I can have them look into it."

Hawke thought for a moment before calling Caroline. "When you were in BWR, did you keep an ear out for any negative news about Jamie Foxx?"

Caroline responded directly, "Black male celebrities, as long as their sexuality isn't an issue, surely have been with a string of women."

Hawke recalled some things Edward had often said. "Just like those guys who run off when their girlfriends have kids, right?"

Caroline said, "Most black men have a tendency to sweet-talk before getting intimate, but when the women get pregnant, they run off quicker than you can say 'boo.'"

"Got it," Hawke said, beginning to formulate a plan. He hung up and called Campos. "Find a few entertainment specialists and dig up details on the women Jamie Foxx has dated... especially those who had brief relationships with him."

Campos responded, "Understood."

...

At quitting time, Caroline was fortunate enough not to have to work overtime. She took the elevator down, got into her brand-new Porsche Cayenne, and exited the underground parking lot.

As soon as she turned onto Ocean Park Boulevard, her phone rang.

Caroline pressed the Bluetooth button. "Amanda?"

The caller was Amanda, a former assistant who had worked with Caroline and Sasha, and who had once launched a coke attack against Hawke. She had quit the company before the Robert Redford incident.

"Hey, Caroline," Amanda's voice came through the car. "I heard you're an executive at Twitter? I just happen to be near Twitter now, are you free to grab a coffee?"

Caroline had just exited the office. "Sure."

Amanda continued, "I'm at Ocean Cafe in parking lot number three at Venice Beach."

"I know that place, I'll be right there," Caroline said as she drove into parking lot three.

...

The Ocean Cafe was right by the parking lot. Approaching December, the tourists were sparse, so there weren't many customers inside.

Amanda was sitting at a small round table, nervously stirring her drink with her hands.

The glass door opened from outside, and a woman walked in.

Amanda lifted her eyes to see Caroline and waved to her, quickly sizing her up.

Caroline wore a ladies' suit with no visible brand logos but appeared to be custom-made. The handbag she held was a limited edition Hermes from the current season. One wrist boasted a rose-gold bracelet adorned with emeralds, while the other wore a Cartier watch that sparkled with diamonds.

This woman looked more glamorous than before.

The difference was in the makeup on her petite face, which was much lighter, giving off a strong, professional aura.

Seeing Caroline thriving while she had struggled since leaving BWR, Amanda felt a pang of discomfort worse than a knife cutting through her heart.

And then there was Sasha, who supposedly held an executive position at Twitter too. Amanda suddenly recalled something Michelle had said: women should help women.

Over a year ago, Caroline had interacted several times with the FMF due to her repeated collaborations with Hawke.

Sometimes Caroline personally went, and sometimes Amanda was the intermediary.

The slogans and philosophies of the FMF often captivated women for specific causes, like female privilege and women helping women.

Having been influenced by all this, Amanda joined the FMF. Since her public relations job was demanding and she couldn't participate frequently, she ultimately resigned from BWR.

...

Caroline quickly walked over, giving Amanda a once-over. The clothes Amanda wore were all last season's designs, not belonging to any top brands. The sleeves were frayed, and a thread was sticking out in one spot.

The bag resting beside her on the chair was the same one Amanda had carried before she resigned.

After spending over a year at Twitter with various people, Caroline could easily tell that Amanda hadn't been faring well.

She ran a hand through her bangs, her smile bright as always. "Long time no see."

Amanda smiled back. "I just read the news and saw you became a tech hotshot, Twitter's Operations Director."

Caroline laughed modestly, "Just a high-ranking employee."

"Sasha is also at Twitter?" Amanda asked.

Caroline nodded slightly. "Yes, she came over with me."

Amanda said wistfully, "If I had known, I wouldn't have resigned back then."

Caroline didn't respond but ordered coffee from the waiter.

As the waiter brought over the coffee, Caroline added a bit of sugar and cream, stirring it slowly.

Amanda felt the pressure and awkwardly said, "I saw online that Twitter is hiring..."

"Yes," Caroline said, familiar with her former assistant's conversation style.

Amanda asked, "Is it still possible to apply?"

Caroline held a powerful position at Twitter, just below Hawke, and was also on the board, but she understood her own role well. She was the boss's right-hand person.

She folded her hands and leaned over the table, saying, "You can send me a resume, and I'll hand it over to HR."

Amanda's face expressed urgency. "You know what I'm capable of."

Caroline's smile remained unchanged, and if it weren't for their past connections, she wouldn't have said this.

Among the resumes thrown at HR by the Operations Director, hers would be different from the ones submitted directly by others.

Amanda's smile stiffened slightly; it seemed women didn't always help women... After spending too much time in feminist organizations, she felt like she had been brainwashed and wasn't as sharp as before.

From their previous exchanges, it wasn't hard for Amanda to deduce that even if she passed the hiring stage, she would end up as a regular employee.

In BWR, Sasha ranked below her.

At Twitter, given that Sasha had once worked beneath her, the drop in status was hard for Amanda to accept.

Keeping a forced smile on her face, she made an excuse: "I fondly remember the pleasant times I worked with you and Sasha. I miss it."

Caroline took a sip of her coffee before saying, "You have my number; feel free to call anytime."

"Okay, thanks," Amanda said, thinking about her mission, preparing to find an appropriate point of entry.

...

At that moment, Caroline's phone rang again. She quickly took it out to answer: "It's me. Is there something?"

It was Megan Taylor on the other end: "I'm off work. Do you have time for dinner?"

Caroline responded, "You pick a place."

Megan replied, "I'll call you shortly."

...

"Sorry, I have a bit of an urgent matter," Caroline said as she put her phone away and laid a bill on the table. "I need to run."

At this, Amanda became disoriented, saying, "Alright, we'll talk another time."

...

Caroline grabbed her bag, sliding on her high heels, and left the cafe.

As she got into the Cayenne, she pondered for a moment and called Sasha: "Has Amanda contacted you since she resigned?"

Sasha thought for a moment. "No, I heard some of our former colleagues say she hasn't been doing well in her new job. Is she looking for you?"

"Yeah," Caroline summarized briefly, reminding her, "I'm not sure what happened this past year, but she seems less spirited than before."

Sasha was sharp: "I get it."

Caroline hung up and noticed a text had come through with a restaurant address. She glanced at it before heading toward West Los Angeles to meet Megan Taylor.

...

Ever since it escalated into a security company and signed security agreements with various departments under the Los Angeles City Hall, Butterfly Consulting also moved to a new location.

Belonging to the Ackerman Charitable Foundation, their new site was a private dock near Venice, accompanied by an office building and a large piece of land, available in the FBI's sale catalog.

Hawke directly had the security company purchase it.

Such a low-priced asset acquisition would be rare in the future.

Inside the office, Betty, Fiona, and Elena sat in front of their computers searching for any past news about Jamie Foxx.

Outside, two cars parked by the entrance, and Juan and Lareya called out to the new four Mexican hires, who quickly came over to help unload newspapers from the van into the large conference room on the first floor.

In the building, everyone who wasn't essential to urgent matters had been prompted by Campos to come and review the entertainment publications from the past few years in search of news about Jamie Foxx.

Using the contacts built at Butterfly over two years with media and tipsters, Campos found a few people who had left Jamie Foxx's side.

Some of them had even left Los Angeles.

For those nearby, Hierro drove over to pay visits.

For those farther away, Carlos and Garcia took a plane to arrive overnight.

Campos was well aware that Butterfly's primary purpose was not to make money but to accomplish the tasks and duties assigned by Hawke. Everything else came second.

*****

/Sayonara816.