Chapter 176: How to Dispose of Hawke

[Chapter 177: How to Dispose of Hawke]

At the head of the table, the black leader Sesco said nothing, completely handing over the authority in the conference room to Grant.

The latter's gaze focused on Steve Nutt. "I understand you are very familiar with Hawke Osment?"

Steve knew that this guy from Sacramento had ulterior motives and answered straightforwardly, "We've worked together twice."

Grant replied, "Now that you're part of the Democratic Party, it's your duty to serve the bigger picture for us in California. Brian Ferguson and Hawke Osment directly caused the passive situation back in Sacramento; we need to get rid of him."

He fixedly gazed at Steve. "This is your opportunity to shine."

Steve was no longer the baseball star who first collaborated with Hawke. The experiences of the last six months, especially his two collaborations with Hawke, had opened his eyes and developed some social and political insight.

He joined the Democratic Party because his style and contributions aligned better with them.

But that didn't mean he was willing to sacrifice his promising future for anyone.

"Sorry, I consider Hawke Osment a friend. While I'm standing with the Democratic Party, I have to remain silent."

Grant glared at Steve.

Steve was unfazed, staring back like a sharp sword.

If this were Governor Gray Davis in attendance, he might have reservations; but Davis' lackeys were a different story.

Grant couldn't sway Steve's allegiance, so he turned his gaze to Will Smith.

Will was even sharper than Steve, not giving Grant any chance to speak: "I have a flight to Asia in an hour to promote Bad Boys II; I can't be bothered about things here in Los Angeles."

Grant pressed on, "Will, you're just going to let this go?"

Will, quite astute, wouldn't believe that a piece of paper could bind Hawke Osment and Twitter. He chuckled, "Those are all promotional needs for Bad Boys II, resulting in a weekend box office of $55.11 million."

"I need to rush now; I'll see you later," Will stated as he rose and left the conference room.

...

Spike Lee made some small talk before chasing after Will Smith outside. "You are so disrespectful."

Will shrugged, "I can't screw myself over."

When it came to avoiding an agreement, even Hawke Osment, that despicable villain, would think of ways to wriggle out.

For instance, the paparazzi having copies of footage that got stolen or hacked.

That video was a ticking time bomb.

...

As Will and Spike left, Steve Nutt took that opportunity to make his exit as well, preferring not to get involved in this mess.

His aim in joining the Democratic Party was to seek personal gain, not to be used as a pawn.

Steve understood well that while Hawke Osment could elevate him to saint status, he also had the means to destroy that very same status.

...

Inside the conference room, Grant felt a bit dissatisfied.

Sesco remarked, "The association is just an ordinary civil organization, lacking sufficient leverage."

Grant nodded in agreement. "I don't expect much; I just thought that if they were willing to help, things might become simpler."

He waved his hand and prepared to leave.

...

Meeting up with his assistant Augusto outside, Grant stepped into a business vehicle and had the driver return to their temporary office in Los Angeles.

The phone rang just then, receiving a call on Grant's phone.

He answered and listened for a moment, stating, "The two African Americans you recommended aren't reliable; those old-timers and their foolish counterparts can't be trusted. Owen, if we want to deal with them, we have to rely on ourselves."

The voice on the other end responded, "Last time, Brian Ferguson relied on Hawke Osment. He's nothing more than Osment's puppet. We can't act directly against the Ferguson family, that would lead to a vicious cycle, jeopardizing our safety too. But we can preemptively cut off the hand controlling Brian! Make Brian unable to compete with me for the mayor of Covina."

Grant vowed, "I'll ensure he is dealt with first."

The other side added, "I'll be waiting for your good news."

With the call concluded, Grant turned to assistant Augusto. "Let's head back and convene immediately."

...

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Aon Center building downtown.

Grant entered the temporary office and gathered his team for a meeting.

In the small conference room, apart from Augusto, there were also Hailey and Madison.

Grant sat at the head of the long conference table and announced, "Our primary objectives are twofold: on one hand, support Mayor Owen's reelection to defend the Democratic Party's absolute strength in Los Angeles; on the other hand, deal with the mastermind behind the last incident -- Hawke Osment!"

"If it weren't for Brian Ferguson and Hawke Osment, Sacramento wouldn't be in such a passive predicament," he said, looking at his three subordinates. "Let's hear what information you've gathered."

Hailey was the first to speak, "Hawke Osment's Twitter company has become a superstar enterprise on the internet over the past two months. According to our data from relevant agencies, Twitter has registered over 20 million users worldwide."

She paused slightly, glancing at her documents, and continued, "He has a long-term, deep partnership with Fox, and he rarely appears in public, so public backlash wouldn't have much effect and could easily alert him."

Grant nodded and looked toward Madison. "What about you?"

"I confirmed through an LAPD insider that the person who filmed Erica Ferguson with Dwayne Johnson during the yacht incident was Hawke," Madison explained. "Later, he collaborated with the LAPD to dismantle the Mexican drug Mule gang's influence in Los Angeles. Camila, the Mule gang's leader, orchestrated an attack on Erica's villa with 21 gunmen, all of whom were wiped out."

Madison intensified his tone, "Reliable sources indicate that twelve of them died at the hands of Hawke Osment."

Augusto chimed in, "So armed attack isn't a viable option?"

Madison affirmed, "Unless we can launch a large-scale strike and take him out in one blow, we will face fierce backlash from the Ferguson family. Hawke isn't just Erica's boyfriend; the Twitter company he founded has the Ferguson family as its second-largest shareholder, and they are financially tied."

Grant pinpointed the key: "The connection between Hawke Osment and the Ferguson family."

Madison replied, "We indeed need to consider this angle."

Grant stared at the wall for a moment, saying, "The key lies in the relationship between Hawke and Erica. If these two can turn against each other..."

Hailey interjected, "When women fall out due to relationship issues, they become enemies who wish the other dead."

"And let's not overlook the greed of capital," Madison added. "Once Erica and Hawke's relationship deteriorates, the Ferguson family will undoubtedly look for ways to swallow Twitter, turning them into enemies."

Grant made a decisive remark, "Great, we approach this scenario focusing on Erica and Hawke's relationship to thoroughly break them up."

Augusto interjected, "Hailey, given your romantic experience, you're more suited for this."

Hailey put on a charming profile and pronounced, "I could step in myself as the third party. With my vast experience, I'm confident I can win over Hawke Osment."

"Forget that; never use our approach to think about how those rich families and politicians behave," Grant directly dismissed her. "You interact too infrequently with families like the Fergusons. The males in large families generally have multiple mistresses; Erica has been raised in that kind of environment, making it difficult to foresee her ideas. She has faced life and death tests with Hawke, and even if there's a third party, as long as her position isn't threatened, there's plenty of likelihood she would ignore them."

He was also thinking of his capable subordinates' safety: "Erica might even encourage you to step back, and with her way of doing things, that encouragement might involve a gun."

Hearing that last part, Hailey backed off from stepping into the ring. While the pay for this job was high, her life was paramount.

Grant had been deep in thought and began to formulate an idea: "With Erica being a star officer promoted by the LAPD, she counts as a semi-public figure. Despite the murky stuff going on privately, they still care about base reputation and dignity..."

The other three nodded in agreement.

Grant continued, "We have studied cases handled by Hawke; he is quite adept at dealing with public relation scandals, able to turnaround situations through unexpected actions."

Hailey understood instantly: "Get Hawke caught up in a massive sex scandal?"

Grant looked extremely serious. "Twitter's popularity is immense, and if its CEO and founder were involved in a sex scandal, it would undoubtedly become a sensational topic. Would the Ferguson family continue to support him for the sake of digntiy and profit?"

The answer was obvious.

Grant added, "If I recall correctly, Twitter is currently hiring."

Madison interjected, "They mainly need architects and programmers fluent in Spanish and French."

Augusto reminded, "At the end of last year, we went to San Francisco to handle that case with the female black prosecutor, dealing with a Mexican-American programmer who graduated from Stanford with a perfect match for the position. We also had evidence of her engaging in corporate espionage."

Hailey similarly recalled, "We didn't handle it at the time, thinking it might come in handy later."

Grant made a swift decision, instructing Hailey, "I need you to head to Silicon Valley today. Go meet Bella in person and tell her that if she handles this, not only will we wipe the slate on old debts, but I can also assure her a six-figure bonus."

"I'll book a flight right away," Hailey said as she gathered her things.

Grant then told Madison and Augusto, "You two need to keep a close eye on the movements of Twitter and Hawke Osment."

The two immediately left to start their tasks.

Once the work was assigned, Grant returned to his office and called Sacramento. "I'm starting actions here. We expect to see initial results within a week."

*****

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