The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 440: Three Big Challenges

His demeanor weakened, "But I never said anything about it, absolutely not!"

Hawke laughed, "See, Brian thought about it, and because he thought it, Erica and I got attacked in Africa. The problem clearly lies with him, the leader of the Curse Cult."

Brian tried to defend himself, "Sometimes it's an unconscious act, not a deliberate intention. I even dream about it. How could I control that?"

Hawke's smile disappeared and his face turned serious, "The problem is getting worse. You even manage to curse through unconscious thoughts and subconscious dreams."

Brian had no strength to argue, shrugging his shoulders, "Should I get a prefrontal lobotomy?"

"No, keep that ability to curse your opponents," Hawke said seriously. "Have you started planning your next move?"

Brian chose a more conservative approach, "I'm preparing to run for governor."

He came today to formally inform Hawke, "The Ferguson family is rooted in California, so running for governor seems like a better opportunity."

Talking about serious matters, everyone got serious. Hawke had anticipated this and considered related aspects, even preparing some steps in advance, like the campaign with feminist and LGBTQ groups.

He said directly, "Running for governor, our advantages are obvious, but the difficulties must be considered first."

Brian smiled, "That's why I came tonight to hear your advice."

Hawke listed the most probable challenges, "Whether running for senator or governor, one major issue you'll face is the feminist question."

Brian's success in running for mayor of Los Angeles was largely due to the impact of the Los Angeles Fires. It was the key factor in his victory.

The truth was, Brian's performance wasn't better than his predecessor Antonio, but the Los Angeles Fires made Antonio look worse.

Antonio's strategy wasn't wrong -- he courted the feminist vote and had a solid base among the Mexican-American community.

But no one expected Hawke's group to play by different rules.

Brian said, "We climbed up using the Los Angeles Fires, stepping on feminist support. If I run for governor, feminism will inevitably become an obstacle."

Erica interjected, asking Hawke, "Don't you use the LGBTQ community to counter feminism? It worked pretty well, didn't it?"

"The LGBTQ community might gain advantages in several direct conflicts, but in terms of broad influence and numbers, it can't compare to feminism," Hawke clearly stated. "We need to launch a movement to stir up the situation in California, especially Northern California."

Brian nodded, "Northern California, centered around San Francisco, is our main competitor."

Hawke took a sip of his drink and said, "That brings us to the second point. After the political collapse caused by the Ackerman family involving former Speaker Nunez and Willie Brown, the Nelson family rose completely. The Democratic Party's resources in California are shifting toward the Nelsons. Jerry Brown, supported by the Nelson family, has made a comeback and shouldn't be underestimated."

Jennifer reminded, "The Nelson family is backed by the Getty family and Pacific Electric Company."

Hawke added the third point, "Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to run for reelection. Usually, he would participate in the race. It's best if you can handle Schwarzenegger and even get his backing."

Brian, wanting to be a candidate, must first get past Schwarzenegger.

Everyone present knew how difficult this was.

Schwarzenegger was an Austrian immigrant, and according to the American Constitution, he couldn't run for president. Governor was the peak of his political career.

In the last recall election, Schwarzenegger was an ally, but now the two sides are subtly opposed.

People's positions change with interests, just like countries.

Brian said, "The first step is to deal with Schwarzenegger."

Hawke said, "The best way is to persuade Schwarzenegger to voluntarily withdraw and support you instead." He was less optimistic, "But that's unlikely."

Brian looked at Hawke, "Do you have a good idea?"

"Not yet," Hawke knew it was very hard to make a likely reelection candidate give up his political future.

Erica offered a tactic, "After New Year, Ronald is going to marry George Walker's niece. Schwarzenegger will definitely attend the wedding..."

Knowing Erica's usual style, Hawke said, "Honey, we're not going to do one of those bloody wedding things."

"Hear me out," Erica looked at him, "I mean let grandpa talk to Schwarzenegger."

Brian said, "I will consult grandpa."

Hawke, having finished eating, wiped his mouth with a napkin, saying, "Gather as much information as you can about Schwarzenegger and his close associates and send it to me first. I'll take a look."

Brian asked, "Do you have any leverage?"

Hawke shook his head, "Not at the moment."

Jennifer then looked at Brian, "Your brother is getting married?"

"Don't be jealous. It's a political marriage," Brian said. "He's reluctant but has no choice."

Hawke barely remembered Ronald.

Brian explained, "He enjoys the wealth and convenience provided by the family, so he has to bear some responsibilities. Ronald doesn't want to go into business or politics; he just wants freedom, so he has to sacrifice through marriage."

This political marriage was arranged last year when George Walker came to Los Angeles to campaign, formally linking with the Ferguson family.

Hawke recalled the woman was Walker Sr.'s granddaughter, Lauren, a model and actress who had dated Leonardo DiCaprio; she walked the red carpets at Cannes and Venice film festivals this year.

Erica said, "I've met Lauren twice. She's very ambitious and wants to develop her career in film and modeling."

Brian shrugged, "We'll see after they get married."

Such political marriages are common in big families. The Nelson family's alliances are involved in many areas.

Since human civilization formed, many things haven't changed for hundreds of years.

...

After dinner, the four went to the study to continue their discussion.

Hawke mentioned another important matter, "Do you have a successor for the Los Angeles mayor position? How confident are you about the election?"

"My deputy, Jim White from the Department of Public Administration, you know him," Brian said. "He's my uncle, has a good reputation in Los Angeles, but will need Twitter's support."

Hawke remembered and said, "I'll keep using the Los Angeles Fires issue. The Democrats want to take back Los Angeles, but won't succeed in the short term."

Near ten p.m., Brian and Erica left Beverly Hills.

...

Erica called Hawke to the underground storage's cold room to pick out some items they brought back from Africa to share with friends.

Because of the attack, they didn't manage much game and didn't shop in Africa.

The items here were gifts from the Ethiopian government, including elephant trunks and various wild animal meats.

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In Africa, these were the least valuable.

Hawke also picked some to offer others to try.

For example, that old bastard Frank always had to get some.

When Hawke first came to Los Angeles, that guy had helped him a lot.

---

The next day, Brian arrived early with Jim White, bringing over some information.

Although the next governor's race was far away and the mayor's seat wouldn't be open anytime soon, Jim wanted to build a good relationship with Hawke in advance.

Having witnessed Brian's election process, he knew one thing: Hawke, who controlled the biggest social media platform, might not help him win but could certainly ensure his loss.

---

Around noon, Hawke had Raul drive to Venice Beach to deliver meat to Frank.

Surprisingly, Frank wasn't by his RV.

Hawke called him, and after a moment, Frank came over from the Venice Beach wearing red swim trunks, accompanied by a beautiful woman in a bikini.

Hawke vaguely remembered she was a lifeguard member.

The beautiful woman greeted, "Long time no see, Hawke."

Hawke, not remembering her name, smiled and replied, "Long time no see, you look even better."

Seeing Raul, Guti, and Morentes carrying insulated boxes, Frank asked, "What's that? Food?"

Hawke said, "I went to Africa; Ethiopia sent some meat. There's a lot, so you can help eat some."

Frank showed interest, opened the RV door, and placed them in the freezer, asking, "Is there lion meat? I've never tried lion meat."

"There's hyena meat," Hawke joked.

Frank shook his head, "I heard that stuff smells bad."

Hawke prepared to leave, "When you have time, I'll take you to try lion meat."

"Okay, I'll remember," Frank waved to his companion and then leaned closer, "I have something to tell you."

*****

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