The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 392: Spies

[Chapter 392: Spies]

At Los Angeles International Airport, Hawke stepped out of the terminal and immediately spotted Erica.

Erica was wearing a fitted women's business outfit, her golden-brown ponytail bounced as she walked quickly, reflecting her cheerful mood.

Hawke handed his bag to Edward and stepped forward to embrace his girlfriend, sharing a passionate kiss.

Breathless, Erica separated from Hawke and said, "There are paparazzi nearby."

Hawke took her hand and led her toward the car, saying, "They're all busy shooting stars; no one's paying attention to us."

Once they got into the car, a small convoy of four vehicles rolled out of the airport parking lot.

Hawke asked, "You're not in a hurry for work, right?"

Erica, driving her Mercedes G-Wagon, replied, "I took a day off today."

"Let's stop by Coastal Building first," Hawke thought of Brian's ominous words and felt uneasy. "The cult leader spoke again, and I'm not comfortable; let's make some preparations."

Curiously, Erica asked, "What did Brian say this time?"

While other people's opinions might be disregarded, the cult leader's words were not something Hawke could ignore. He said, "He mentioned Russian spies and suggested they might cause trouble."

Erica recalled past incidents and took it seriously. "You need to be careful and increase the number of bodyguards."

She offered resources for personal use, adding, "If anything happens, just call me. The federal air support team is under my command; I can dispatch them to assist in no time."

Hawke nodded, "I'll do that."

Silicon Beach was not far from Los Angeles International Airport, and the convoy soon arrived at Coastal Building.

...

Hawke went straight to the 16th floor with Erica, and upon entering the office, he told his assistant, Lukat, "Notify Operations Director Caroline and Security Chief Austin to meet me."

Not wanting to interfere with Hawke's work, Erica sat in a corner and flipped through a magazine.

Minutes later, Caroline was the first to enter the office.

She adjusted her bangs slightly and beamed a bright smile from her petite face while her high heels clicked on the floor as she hurried over to Hawke.

However, just a few steps in, Caroline suddenly felt something was off and turned to look at a tall, fit woman sitting on the side.

She may not have looked as beautiful as Megan Taylor, but she exuded an unexplainable presence, like a loaded gun.

Caroline paused in surprise; her smile faded, replaced by a more businesslike demeanor.

The door swung open again, and this time it was Austin.

Hawke asked Austin, "How's the security situation lately?"

"Everything's normal," Austin responded. "The security personnel have been diligent and highly effective."

Caroline added, "Campos checked again; no eavesdropping or spying devices were found."

Hawke nodded slightly and said, "The company needs to keep an eye on Russian spies."

He wasn't worried about Russian spies being sent to take out mid-level Twitter management - it simply wasn't worth it. "Notify all personnel at the supervisor level and above that if they encounter any Russian spies, their proactive reporting will earn them a hefty reward."

Caroline mentioned, "For those few who betrayed the company, the legal team has drafted a civil compensation clause, with claims ranging from $5 million to $8 million based on position and responsibility. This can be added to the notice."

It was unlikely they would actually pay that much, but it demonstrated Twitter's resolve to seek accountability.

Hawke stated, "There will be rewards and penalties; you handle the internal notification."

Caroline glanced at Erica and left the office quickly, her expression steady.

Austin followed behind her.

...

Hawke squeezed in some work and said to Erica, "I have a few pressing issues to take care of first."

Erica smiled at him, "You're busy; I'll take a look around myself."

Hawke quickly browsed through several documents.

Erica stood and walked around the office, noticing that the desk and other prominent spots displayed several photos of herself with Hawke, including a few where they posed with guns.

...

Hawke looked at an internal notice from the Legal Department and saw that Jennifer Huey, in charge of the spy case, had sent a legal summons to BlackRock's leaders, Larry Fink and Robert Kapito. This summons required them to come to Los Angeles for routine questioning about the company's involvement in the case.

This summons was issued by the Los Angeles Federal Prosecutor's Office, and they had to respond.

The notification was accompanied by an addendum stating that since the spy case broke, BlackRock's stock had plummeted, currently down over 20%.

...

Hawke thought of Goldman Sachs and found a letter from them in his office software, signed off, and forwarded it to Caroline.

A few days prior, Goldman Sachs and Twitter had both issued statements announcing Goldman would participate in Twitter's latest round of financing.

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Goldman Sachs' stock rose by over 10% that day.

...

Hawke called Campos, noting that Butterfly Consulting had been keenly monitoring BlackRock's movements.

The two leaders at BlackRock, Chairman and CEO Larry Fink was in Washington, while co-president Robert Kapito was in Los Angeles.

They clearly intended to use both ends to quell the situation.

Twitter and James Murdoch's print media kept stoking the fire of the BlackRock spy case; as long as it continued without resolution, BlackRock's financing and investment would be affected.

Hawke wanted to put BlackRock on the table.

While Twitter might not be able to stomach it, as long as the other side appeared at the table, it would naturally attract a large crowd of diners.

Hawke also looked into the civil litigation situation.

The procedures here were complicated, with evidence gathering, hearings, and mediations needed before the actual court date.

The longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for BlackRock.

---

As the day neared end, Hawke called Erica, who was out touring; they met in the elevator on the 16th floor and left Coastal Building together.

Erica drove her Mercedes G-Wagon toward Silver Lake. "I originally wanted to take you to Beverly Hills to check on your new mansion."

Hawke had purchased the Ackerman family mansion from the federal government. After the results of the previous election came in, he had started renovations.

Since Erica transferred to the Federal Special Operations, her spare time had increased significantly, and she was in charge of the mansion's modifications and renovations.

Hawke planned to settle down there and asked, "Is the remodeling complete?"

Erica replied, "It was done at the beginning of the month, but you've been so busy with BlackRock issues, I didn't notify you."

Hawke wanted to take a look. "It's still early; let's head north on Sunset Boulevard."

As they stopped at a red light, Erica turned to Hawke. "Let's go tomorrow; I've prepared a maid outfit, and the clothes are over at Silver Lake."

Hawke immediately changed his mind, "Let's go to Silver Lake first."

Back at the specimen villa in Silver Lake, Erica changed into a perfectly fitted maid outfit; she put on some black-framed glasses and slipped into high heels.

Hawke quickly put thoughts of the new house and BlackRock aside to enjoy this special night.

---

Santa Monica, at a rooftop bar near the beach.

Two men sat by the window, sipping drinks and glancing outside from time to time.

From this angle, the nearby tallest Coastal Building glowed with neon lights, with the Twitter logo and bluebird standing out prominently at the top.

Russell, sporting a beard, refocused his attention as he downed a glass of whiskey.

Across from him, the middle-aged Alexander merely swirled his empty glass, hardly touching his drink.

Russell reached for the bottle to refill his glass. "Have a drink."

Alexander's large, bear-like hand covered his glass. "You know I've been off alcohol for a long time."

Russell chuckled, "Years ago, when we were at our poorest, we didn't even have alcohol to drink; we had to steal medical alcohol. Then one of the guys got a drinking problem and started stealing antifreeze; now we can drink freely, but you choose not to."

Alexander took the bottle from his hand and set it on the table. "Let's focus on the task at hand."

"What important task could possibly require my involvement?" Russell, identifying as a Lithuanian, had been in LA for eight years and lived like a regular person.

Outside of work, his biggest hobby was drinking.

Alexander said, "The BlackRock spy case has had negative repercussions across the western world. Moscow has made efforts to clarify, but the West remains stubborn. The higher-ups want us to deal with a participant from Twitter internally, getting them to spill details and create a better narrative for Moscow."

Russell didn't understand. "I saw the reports; if Americans, Brits, and French don't believe it, then they don't. Why do we need to prove anything? They've set us up, and now we have to clear our names? Align with them? You're pulling me in for this nonsense?"

Alexander felt similarly but had received orders. "Moscow wants to integrate into the Western democratic world; many high-ups share that sentiment."

Like the director of the presidential office.

"Freedom and democracy?" Russell scoffed, "Let's not even get started on this Angel City, the so-called model of freedom and democracy; what's happened here in recent years that anyone would envy? Those idiots in the top tiers only know how to cater to them, completely focused on kneeling to them; that's how they think they'll integrate into the civilized world..."

Alexander's tone became grave. "Enough! The upper levels' determination is something we can't interfere with!"

Russell, speaking from his past experience, remarked, "The enemy has already infiltrated us!"

"Shut up!" Alexander exclaimed, "You're a warrior. We spend our time and lives fighting for not just individuals or specific groups but for our country!"

Upon hearing this, Russell finally fell silent.

Those spineless people up top wanted to prove to the West that we didn't do these things. What could he do?

Alexander lowered his voice, "Your company has frequent dealings with Twitter, so you can contact their executives. We need to identify a suitable target, recruit them as our informant and expose Twitter's machinations!"

Through gritted teeth, Russell replied, "Even if I disdain the spineless people above, I'll complete the mission!"

*****

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