Chapter 188: A Long Night

[Chapter 189: A Long Night]

Under the night sky, Covina gradually quieted down.

In a car at the intersection, Hawke glanced at the huge orange sculpture.

Beside him, Brian picked up a camera, pointed it at the sculpture, and asked, "Why is he still not here?"

Hawke checked his watch. "We'll start in two minutes."

Brian nodded and then asked, "Is this angle and technique good?"

"Yours is just a backup; it may not even be used," Hawke said, pointing at the front of the car. "The Savior knows more about this, and he's ready."

A light flickered in the distance, and when Brian checked the time, he turned on the camera.

...

A motorcycle sped toward the enormous orange sculpture. The light glinted off its smooth orange surface, causing Michael, who was driving, to squint against the glare.

It seemed to distract him, as he didn't turn the motorcycle and barreled straight ahead.

With a jolt, Michael rushed onto the curb, crashing through the flower garden fence. The motorcycle tires skidded on the freshly watered lawn, and with a thud, he fell off, sliding across the grass towards the orange sculpture, stopping next to it.

It seemed that he was about to miss the orange sculpture, and the fall would be wasted.

The talent from Compton hastily stretched out his arm, trying to grab the sculpture as if it were a lifeline.

His arm collided with the sculpture, and the sound of bones breaking echoed.

Michael let out a scream; his arm was fractured.

...

Brian saw it all clearly through the camera lens, taking in the sight of the injured man. "This guy is really dedicated; it looks like his arm is broken. Let the Savior know to give him a bonus!"

Hawke remarked, "The Savior really knows how to find talent!"

"He's really talented!" Brian added, not holding back on the money, "Double the pay!"

...

Nearby, Edward saw his old buddy crash hard and rushed to the passenger seat, saying to Frank, "Hurry up and call 911!"

Frank had come to watch the spectacle but fumbled with his phone while asking, "Are you guys still paying me for my role?"

As he spoke, he dialed 911.

...

Before long, a patrol car arrived to handle the incident.

Soon after, an ambulance arrived as well.

Edward donned a reporter badge from Fox 11 and grabbed the camera, moving in to capture all the details that would help Michael.

Since someone was paying, Michael quickly boarded the ambulance and was taken to the hospital.

He had a fractured upper left arm and required surgery.

...

Edward acted as Michael's relative and paid for his medical expenses.

Taking advantage of the empty hospital room, he stated, "Double the pay."

When Michael heard that, the pain in his arm seemed to disappear. "Twenty thousand?"

Edward whispered, "The money is in my hands; we'll wait for things to settle down."

"Got it." The Savior's boss was generous, and Michael felt revitalized, as if he weren't wounded at all. "Let the reporters come interview me!"

Edward replied, "Just focus on healing."

Not only did Edward pay for the medical expenses, but he also hired a professional female nurse through the hospital, ensuring round-the-clock care for Michael.

...

Leaving the medical building, Edward climbed into the bulletproof Mercedes and asked, "Boss, where to next?"

Frank chimed in automatically, "Next stop is definitely the Fox Television Center."

Hawke was busy copying the uploaded videos and photos on his laptop. "Go with him."

Frank pointed ahead, issuing orders. "Drive!"

As they drove, Edward asked, "Is the lawyer coming tomorrow?"

"You guys are tricking them out of their money -- don't forget, I get my cut," Frank interjected. "I helped call 911!"

Hawke replied, "You also need to give something to your ex-wives."

Frank retorted, "You guys need to give me cash."

"Hey, you bastard, I saw a tweet from Salma Hayek today," Edward said deliberately. "Guess what she posted."

Frank scoffed sarcastically, "She was holding a whip, whipping you while picking cotton."

Edward was furious, raising his voice, "Salma publicly announced her new relationship with Francois-Henri Pinault, the Chairman and CEO of the French PPR Group. Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Brioni -- those brands are all under PPR. He's younger and richer than you... once again, you've been dumped!"

Frank fell silent.

Hawke added salt to the wound, "In the future, you could write a memoir titled My Ex-Wives and Ex-Girlfriends. By the way, you can't own property. The beneficiary for the memoir can be me; I wouldn't mind taking on that heavy burden."

Frank teased back, "Why do I have to know two despicable bastards like you?"

...

The Mercedes arrived at the Fox Television Center. Hawke grabbed the storage drive and went upstairs to Channel 11, looking for Megan Taylor in the Ace News team.

Entering the office, he saw Megan with her arms crossed, looking at him. "I thought you went missing."

Hawke replied, "I ran into some issues recently. Someone set me up."

He briefly mentioned the situation with Bella Sain.

"Your company was just starting to get better, and this shit happened." Megan sighed, "You were almost done for."

Hawke handed the storage drive to Megan. "I found the roots of the mastermind behind it and am planning a counterattack. Take a look."

Megan wasted no time; she plugged the storage drive into her computer and opened the video, which revealed someone riding a motorcycle, rushed onto the curb, fell on the lawn, and hit his arm on the reflective orange sculpture.

Hawke moved behind her, placing his hands on the chair. "That person has already been taken to the hospital."

In her usual fashion, Megan replayed the video, pausing it intermittently.

Soon, she paused it again right as the motorcycle was approaching the sculpture, reflecting its light. She asked, "Is this related to the sculpture?"

Hawke confirmed, "The person who erected the sculpture."

Megan's journalistic instincts kicked in rapidly. "Is the sculpture legally documented? Did it undergo a safety verification? The nighttime reflection could endanger public safety, ultimately leading to injuries."

She pointed at the screen. "The primary issue lies with this sculpture."

Hawke nodded; working with Megan made everything more efficient.

"There are also some photos that can serve as material," he reminded her. "Wounds from the victim's arm injury, damage to the motorcycle, close-up shots of the orange sculpture at night, plus daytime comparison pictures of the sculpture."

Megan examined the photos, analyzing carefully, and directly stated, "I'll handle the news."

"Alright, I'm giving you these videos and photos," Hawke said, preparing to leave.

But Megan grabbed him, standing up and taking off her outer jacket. "Do you still want this to be on the news?"

Hawke understood immediately, scooped her up, and placed her on the spacious desk.

...

Before Ace News aired, Hawke left Channel 11 and returned to the car downstairs.

Frank sniffed the air. "There's a perfume scent and the aroma of having just been with a woman."

Hawke raised an eyebrow. "You can smell that?"

Frank instantly put on an air of superiority. "Don't forget, I've been with more Hollywood starlets than you've ever seen."

Hawke ignored that comment, pulling out his phone to call Eric Emerson. "It's me. Do you have time? Let's meet; I need your help with something."

...

Minutes later, both sides met at a speakeasy in Century City.

Hawke stated directly, "I have a job here. I need a Mexican actor over 35 years old and a young Mexican actor under 20 years old. They should be reliable and real father and son are best. The remuneration will be generous."

With Brian's substantial campaign funds, Hawke gestured. "The two can earn at least fifty thousand, plus there are performance bonuses."

Eric thought for a moment. "I'll ask my agent to look around."

Hawke insisted, "As soon as possible."

"I'm on it," Eric rushed off.

Hawke then called Sandra, asking her to check on the transfer procedure for Eastside Middle School.

...

In Covina, City Hall.

A Lexus pulled up at the front entrance. Owen instructed the driver and hurriedly got out, rushing inside.

Inside the lobby, Arnold, wearing glasses, waited for him and asked, "What's going on?"

Owen replied, "Things don't look good. Those four can't provide us any assistance."

Arnold pushed up his glasses. "The situation may worsen."

"What now?" Owen asked immediately.

Arnold said, "I recorded something from Fox's Ace News."

The two entered a conference room, and an assistant came over to turn on the video recorder and television.

Soon, Fox 11's Ace News aired a report featuring the orange sculpture Owen funded.

It showed someone crashing into the sculpture on a motorcycle, attributing the incident to the glare of the sculpture and stating that the reflection caused the accident and the injury.

"It's clear that the driver was at fault; how is that the sculpture's problem?" Owen lamented, a few hairs slipping from his thinning scalp.

Arnold commented, "That's true, but the media has a narrative to push. Fox 11 seems biased. I smell a conspiracy."

Owen paced back and forth. "Look into which hospital the injured party was taken and personally go there to offer them some money to sign a non-disclosure agreement."

Arnold agreed that the situation shouldn't be delayed, grabbing his briefcase. "I've already inquired and will head there now."

He left, driving to the hospital, only to be told the patient was asleep after taking sleeping pills and painkillers.

Arnold had to call Owen back and informed him he'd have to return tomorrow.

But this was a long night.

...

West Los Angeles, Nordstrom.

Several cars slowly approached, stopping near a villa.

Leading the team, Milner picked up his walkie-talkie and said, "Follow my lead."

Tonight, they received a tip that someone was engaging in illegal activity here.

The LAPD didn't go fishing for these types of illegal actions as actively as the FBI, but they were still very much within their jurisdiction.

*****

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