Chapter 179: The Mentally Ill

[Chapter 180: The Mentally Ill]

In downtown Los Angeles, in the financial district, Hailey sat in her office at the Aon Center. She occasionally glanced at her phone, waiting for a call that never came.

She had already reached out to media outlets and feminist organizations aligned with the blue camp. As soon as Bella Sain stirred up trouble, they would act quickly, aiming to smear Hawke Osment's name and hang him on the gallows of sex crime accusations. The blue party had always held the upper hand in public opinion, especially in California.

She had used similar methods more than once before. It seemed simple and blunt, but it was very effective when dealing with men, leaving them with no room to defend themselves. Hailey herself was a woman, and during her time in Sacramento, her main work had been focused on women's issues.

The feminist movement in California was thriving, and in recent years, she had studied numerous high-profile cases in depth. Women could accuse men of peeping, stalking, or harassment without needing concrete evidence. As long as they dared to stand up and voice their claims, men would have to expend an immense amount of time, energy, and money to prove their innocence.

Even if the women's accusations didn't succeed, they could merely apologize, or even skip the apology altogether. If the allegations came complete with bruises, torn clothing, or signs of an assault, in California, where the blue party controlled the narrative, a man could spend the entire Pacific Ocean trying to cleanse himself of the stains!

What about taking it to the law? Hailey hoped that would happen. People like Hawke Osment would spend a year or more dealing with such lawsuits. Even if they eventually won, it would still be a loss.

Thinking this, she glanced at her phone again. Bella Sain had started work nearly a week ago without any updates.

At that moment, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and answered, "It's me. Any news?"

In a parking lot at Venice Beach, a guy wearing sunglasses sat in his car, watching patrol cars and others driving away from Twitter's office building. He reported, "It seems they've mobilized. Multiple LAPD patrol officers went into Twitter's office building, taking a woman out. Hawke Osment followed them out as well."

"Keep watching," Hailey instructed, then began dialing again. "It's me, Hailey. A serious case has come up at the West Division. You guys can head over for interviews."

On the other end, a female editor at the Los Angeles Times notified two female reporters, who drove straight to the West Division.

Hailey reached out to a women's advocacy organization, preparing to offer "help" to Bella Sain.

.....

West Los Angeles, at the West Division.

In the interrogation room, facing video evidence, Bella Sain was expressionless, stating, "My lawyer will be here soon. I won't answer any questions until my lawyer arrives." This was her legal right as a suspect.

The officers at the West Division obtained no answers from her.

...

In the reception area, Hawke finished writing his statement. As his lawyer, Brian had watched the full video and was formally negotiating with the West Division.

Bella Sain had intentionally accused Hawke of wrongdoing, which had crossed into criminal territory. As the victim's lawyer, Brian demanded that the West Division act fairly.

Hawke had a great relationship with the LAPD and even held a senior exemption card. If he were the perpetrator, the West Division might have considered his case. But it was clear that Hawke was the victim, backed by solid evidence.

Needless to say, the attitude of the West Division.

And Inspector Suzy from the Parker Center Media and Public Relations Office at headquarters called immediately.

...

Minutes later, Erica rushed in.

Upon seeing Hawke, she couldn't help but comment, "I imagined this situation, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

Hawke retorted casually, "After all, I'm going to be a billionaire."

Everyone in the reception area were insiders. Brian added, "This has nothing to do with billionaire status; it's just the continuation of upper-level political struggles."

Erica, being part of the Ferguson family, understood something of the dynamics. She turned to her cousin, "Shouldn't they target you first?"

Brian had long believed he was the primary focus. "I thought so too. By rights and importance, they should have come after me first."

Hawke glanced at Brian, choosing not to comment.

Erica had an epiphany. She looked at her cousin, saying, "Could it be that to them, you don't matter? The truly important person is Hawke."

Upon hearing this, Brian suddenly fell silent, not wanting to engage with this couple.

Hawke remarked, "Those bastards assigned me a highly capable programmer, who also happens to be a corporate spy, tempting yet untouchable. Isn't that disgusting?"

Erica stifled a laugh. Thanks to her mother, she knew a bit about Hawke's company and that Twitter was in desperate need of talent.

Brian found a point to counter the couple: "Why don't you deal with that female spy personally? Take on the gift they sent you..."

Before he could finish, he felt two piercing gazes aimed at him, so he quickly altered his wording. "Just a suggestion."

Erica jokingly remarked, "Next time I take vacation, I'm thinking of traveling to Tijuana. You should join me."

"Tijuana?" Brian knew what that meant.

Hawke knocked on the table, reminding them, "Let's focus on figuring out who's pulling Bella Sain's strings."

Brian nodded, "According to sources, a team from a consulting firm linked to the governor's office is here, but we haven't identified the lead yet. They've come in covertly."

Erica thought of how close Hawke was to being ruined. Her ruthless instincts kicked in. "I'll find a way to have Bella Sain detained in a men's facility!"

...

At that moment, someone knocked on the door from the outside. Brian went to open it.

Officer Milner walked in, shutting the door behind him. "Bella Sain's lawyer has arrived."

Erica immediately asked, "Is there a change in the situation?"

Milner replied, "Her lawyer presented a medical record showing that Bella was diagnosed with a mental illness at the San Francisco Institute of Psychiatry over a year ago."

Hawke shook his head, "This woman came prepared."

Milner nodded slightly, "Yes. According to regulations, we can't detain Bella Sain at the facility."

He then reminded them, "Two reporters from the Los Angeles Times are outside, requesting interviews regarding the accusations involving the CEO of Twitter."

Hawke wasn't surprised. "They're quick to act."

Brian chimed in, "If you hadn't been careful enough, we'd be in a much more passive situation right now."

Hawke asked, "If a mentally ill person has self-harm tendencies, do you have a way to confine her in a partnered mental health institution? We can't just let her go home to harm herself, right?"

Brian recalled the video he had just watched. He opened his notebook, replaying a segment of video where he pointed at Bella, saying, "Look, Bella Sain picked up Hawke's pen and made self-harm gestures. The LAPD considers her personal safety and feels measures should be taken."

Erica remarked, "I remember that some seriously mentally ill suspects are sent to St. Mary's Mental Health Center."

Milner went back to the computer, rewatching the footage involving Bella Sain.

After a moment, he declared, "We can justify denying Bella bail on grounds of preventing self-harm. This way, her medical record becomes her ticket into St. Mary's."

Erica thanked her old partner, "Thanks."

Milner understood his stance well, responding, "Just a small matter."

Once he left, Hawke said, "Once Bella is placed in the treatment center, we should arrange a special program for her."

Erica replied, "While they do provide individual rooms, they do mix genders. Occasional incidents are normal."

Hawke thought for a moment and suggested, "Put pressure on her mentally. There must be a lot of talented individuals in that place. Set her up in a special room, surrounded by some high-profile individuals. If Bella isn't truly mentally ill, I wonder if she'll enjoy it."

Erica mused, "I remember there are a few high-profile individuals held there; they would certainly appreciate a new neighbor."

Brian observed Hawke and Erica, muttering to himself about the absurdities of people attracted to similar people.

He pulled out his phone and began mobilizing his connections to have Bella confined before anything else.

Hawke dialed Edward, asking him to post on the official Twitter account.

Then, he called Suzy, requesting LAPD's assistance in clarifying matters. Empty words wouldn't suffice; LAPD would release edited video footage through official channels.

Twitter would also post the video through official channels.

...

Quickly, Suzy arrived from Parker Center to discuss the specifics of the release with Hawke.

There were two angles of the surveillance video, both clear, but for the sake of the individuals' rights, the faces had to be blurred.

Once everything was settled on their end, everyone else quickly got to work except for Hawke.

Erica went to meet Milner to coordinate Bella Sain's admission into St. Mary's.

Brian headed to negotiate with the West Division and the District Attorney, insisting that even if Bella Sain wasn't mentally ill, she should still be transferred to St. Mary's.

Edward was quick on the draw and immediately posted a tweet along with the related video, which had blurred faces, providing a thorough explanation of the day's happenings at Twitter.

Simultaneously, Suzy had LAPD's official Twitter release a statement and video, delivering an initial explanation regarding the case.

The evidence was undeniable and irrefutable.

...

Half an hour later, Hawke enjoyed the special treatment of the West Division, leaving in the officers' passage along with Brian.

The two female reporters from the Los Angeles Times waiting at the entrance did not get to see the subject.

Soon enough, they received a call from their editor, and they hurriedly returned to the newspaper office.

There was no longer a need to conduct interviews; both the police and Twitter had provided detailed accounts and videos through their official Twitter channels.

This wasn't a case of a male boss harassing a female employee; it was clearly a female employee falsely accusing her male superior!

*****

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