Chapter 194: Victory

[Chapter 195: Victory]

The bright sunlight illuminated the Covina City Hall, with many citizens making their way towards it.

On either side of the hall, two voting locations, one blue and one red, had been set up. Today was the election day for the Covina mayor.

Under the watchful eyes of media cameras, Brian pulled out a ballot marked with oranges and dropped it into the red ballot box. A security team belonging to the Ferguson family stood behind him, ready to respond to any unexpected events.

Meanwhile, Owen Nester, wearing an electronic tracking wristband, cast his vote into the blue ballot box. The election had officially begun.

A Black man shot a glance at Owen and raised his middle finger before confidently striding towards the red ballot box. A woman behind him spat on the ground and remarked, "These disgusting creatures don't even spare transgender individuals!"

Over by the blue box, Owen came across his old buddy Rhea from the orange processing plant. He was a crucial part of his support base.

"I always believed you all would back me," Owen said to Rhea.

Rhea glanced at Owen's wristband and replied, "I came here to say one thing -- sorry."

Owen's expression darkened. "Those are all falsehoods. I can't believe you can't see through these tricks."

"Honestly, it doesn't matter." Rhea nodded toward the new cables strung on the telephone pole. "Last time you campaigned, you promised to improve internet broadband, but by the end of your term, nothing happened. Your opponent, Brian, hasn't even officially won yet and has already resolved the fiber issues. Do you know how much that saves me in costs for my shop on Amazon?"

With new options available, he clearly had to think of his own interests. Rhea strode towards the red ballot box, shook hands with Brian, and then cast his vote.

By 9:30 AM, lines had formed at both ballot boxes. The number of voters in this mayoral election far exceeded the last one. After all, the citizens of Covina found the drama just too enjoyable to miss.

The final act certainly wouldn't be overlooked. The line at the red box was more than three times longer than at the blue box. The outcome was apparent.

This was just a small-town mayoral election; the voting would end by the afternoon, and no tricks could be pulled. The counting personnel wouldn't be able to cheat either, given the significant disparity in line lengths.

...

Across from the City Hall, Hawke and Edward sat on a bench, watching the voting unfold. Edward, having participated throughout, remarked, "Boss, if Arnold Schwarzenegger were to pull out $10 million and hire us to help him, he would definitely succeed in his recall election."

Hawke shook his head, "Schwarzenegger has his trusted team; he wouldn't hire us."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Edward asked, "Is Brian really planning to run for president in the future?"

Hawke replied, "His grandfather was a senator, his uncle is a senator now, and his cousin only knows how to eat, drink and have fun. For the third generation to step up, they can't let Erica do it, so it has to be Brian."

He paused for a moment and added, "If he doeswell here in Covina, he'll have a constituency. The next step is to run for city council or state legislator, or even further -- congressman, senator, or Oval Office."

Edward grasped the key point, "So when he gets to higher places, we can collude with officials and businessmen?"

Hawke affirmed, "Of course."

...

At 3:30 PM, voting came to a close. The accounting firm responsible for the counting formally sealed the ballot boxes.

The next morning, they began counting the ballots in the City Hall lobby, allowing observers to watch the process on a large screen set up outside. The results would be announced at 2:00 PM.

After lunch, Hawke accompanied Brian into the City Hall. The other candidate, Owen Nester, hadn't shown up; instead, Arnold came in his place.

The outcome was evident.

At precisely 2:00 PM, the results were officially announced.

"Candidate Brian Ferguson received 78.85% of the votes and is officially elected as the new mayor of Covina."

Brian pumped his fist in the air and cheered, then turned around to hug Hawke. "We did it!"

Hawke smiled and said, "Congratulations, Mayor Brian."

Around them, applause erupted, welcoming the new mayor as Arnold and others made their exit.

Soon after, Brian approached the City Hall entrance and delivered a brief victory speech.

...

Because of Owen Nestor, there were media reporters outside, so Hawke did not go out. Instead, he called Edward and left the city hall through the side door.

Bryan won the election and the plan was successfully completed.

Hawke got into the business vehicle, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. Not long after, Brian returned to the car and instructed Sandra, who had just gotten in, "This weekend, I'm throwing a party at my mansion in Malibu to treat the whole team."

Sandra nodded and picked up her phone to make calls.

Brian looked at Hawke, "How can I thank you?"

Hawke deliberately hid behind and said, "Please don't be like this. I have no interest in men."

"I'm Brian, I'm a man, I like women!" Brian responded, pulling out his phone to make calls. "Transfer $2 million to West Coast Studio. Also..."

He thought for a moment and decided, "Buy the best firearms on the market, from M4s to FNs to AKs, as well as sniper rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Get the most expensive and the best, and deliver them to Santa Monica."

They responded, "I'll send someone to do it right away."

Brian ended the call and said, "So, how about that? Am I generous enough?"

Hawke chuckled lightly, "The Pentagon released news a couple of years ago saying Lockheed Martin was testing a new type of fighter jet. If you're sincere, send me one."

Brian sighed, "You're selling me out at this point."

...

Once back at the campaign office, a call came from the bank's client manager; the West Coast Studio account had just received a deposit of $2 million.

As for the firearms, Brian was happy to send them over, and Hawke was glad to receive them.

Aircraft, of course, had been a joke.

Hawke reminded Brian, "We still have some bills to settle; let's pay them off quickly."

Brian understood, "I have all the cash ready. Have the Savior accompany Beacon to collect it."

...

Edward entered the office, listened to Hawke for a bit, then followed Beacon out. They picked up the cash, and Edward drove away alone. During the journey, he called Michael to set up a meeting at Michael's place.

Michael, with his arm in a cast, was resting at home.

Edward drove around downtown Los Angeles, checked for any followers, and then entered the apartment complex where Michael was renting.

Upon seeing him, Michael said, "A few days ago, the lawyer held the first mediation with Owen's side. They're willing to compensate me with $50,000."

Edward locked the apartment door and asked seriously, "What do you think?"

Michael responded, "I'm following your lead."

"$50,000 is too little. If we delay a little longer, we should be able to get over $100,000." Having been around Hawke for over a year, the once small-time hustler had become quite persuasive as he said, "Our goal has been reached; we shouldn't be too greedy."

He opened the bag he brought and pulled out the cash, placing it on the table. "Originally, the boss promised $10,000, but because you did exceptionally well, here's $20,000 cash for you."

Michael confirmed that his old friend had truly come up in the world. "If there's any work like this again, keep me in the loop."

Edward reminded him, "Remember to watch your mouth."

Michael agreed, "You know me; I never speak out of turn."

Edward needed reliable hands. The other crew could only handle low-end work, and their identity as homeless individuals limited them greatly.

He said bluntly, "I'll help solve your job issue; just do a good job. We're not far from Compton; don't go down the wrong path."

Looking at the $20,000 in front of him and the potential for more in the future, Michael felt optimistic about his prospects. "Call me if you need anything."

...

Edward didn't stay long. He went downstairs to contact the Navarro father and son.

Just as he made the call to set up a meeting, his phone rang.

It was Deborah: "Are you coming back today? I call you every day, and you just say you're busy with work. You've disappeared for over a week."

Edward, feeling helpless, explained, "I'm really working here; I can't get away."

Deborah, dissatisfied, repeated, "Can you come back to Brentwood today?"

"No time today." Edward thought for a moment, "I'll see what tomorrow looks like. I'll call you then."

Deborah didn't say much else and hung up.

...

Edward sighed and started his car, driving to a nearby parking lot. After confirming there were no tails, he parked in a discreet spot and made a call.

Before long, the Navarro father and son drove up and got into Edward's car. They knew Edward was a driver from their last encounter.

Edward glanced at Young Navarro: "Are you healed?"

Young Navarro pointed at his reddened nose, "Except for the bridge of my nose, the rest are just flesh wounds. I'm young, so I'll heal quickly."

Edward handed the bag from the passenger seat to Old Navarro: "The boss is very pleased with your performance. On top of the agreed $50,000, he added another $30,000."

Old Navarro opened the bag, counted the cash, and confirmed it was all real. He quickly said, "Thank you."

Young Navarro leaned in for a look and exclaimed, "Sir, you and your boss are both honorable people! A hundred times better than those perverts in Hollywood!"

"There are good people in Hollywood too," Edward responded. "Director Emerson is a good person."

Young Navarro recalled that artistic director and said, "He called me a couple of days ago and asked me to audition for the crew next month. He went over the character script and requirements in detail."

Edward grinned widely, "I hope you will become a big star soon."

*****

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