The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 142 Instigating Rebellion
As long as Hawke made a brief analysis, it would not be difficult for people present to find that their side was in an absolute disadvantage.

Hawke summed up the current situation: "We have been completely suppressed in the media, we have no solid evidence at the legal level, we are excluded and targeted by almost all Hollywood bigwigs, and our funding remains at an unknown compensation rate, which requires us to advance funds."

He tried to be as optimistic as possible: "The only advantage is that Brian got three victims to come forward and accuse him."

Edward didn't think it was a big deal. How often had his boss not faced such a Shura scene?
Caroline has worked with Hawke many times and it is very easy for her to act like this.

Brian's assistants Bacon and Sandra were frowning.

"Everyone understands the basic situation." Hawke took the initiative without hesitation: "Now we will start targeted work deployment."

He looked at Brian and said, "Without solid evidence, there will be no progress on the LAPD side. You are pushing the three victims to formally file a lawsuit, which will divert their energy on the legal level."

Brian reminded: "Caroline just said that the other party will target them..."

Hawke said: "How many millions of dollars can we give them? There are loopholes everywhere in this area, and it is impossible to prevent it. Therefore, we have to open up a new battlefield. Considering the ages of Van Wagren and Robert Redford, these things can't have happened in recent years. There are definitely not only three victims. We will continue to work on the victims whose identity information we have, and continue to search for those who we don't have."

Caroline knew more and interjected, "Potential victims are easy to find. If you compare the works directed by the two of them, all underage actors at that time, whether boys or girls, were likely to have been harassed or harassed."

Brian said to the two assistants, "You guys do this work."

Hawke looked at Caroline and said, "Contact the Parents and Teachers Association in Los Angeles and ask them for assistance, not limited to media and legal assistance. Then, based on the situation of the three of them, write a media notice and add some evocative photos to it. Mobilize your resources and connections in the media in a big way and try to create media opinion."

Caroline thought for a moment and said, "Isn't this your style of manipulating public opinion in the past?"

"Now that my opponents know that I'm working with Bryan, they will definitely study my style." Hawke knew that the media was not on his side this time, and the previous methods would be of little use: "This will attract their attention."

Now, even Brian couldn't figure out what Hawke really wanted to do.

Hawke said to everyone, "Bribery and instigation are the most common means used in this type of incident. They will definitely contact you. If so, firmly refuse first and then ask for a deposit depending on the situation. Do you understand?"

There were no fools among the people present, and they all understood what Hawke meant as soon as they heard it.

Hawke said, "Everyone, get to work."

Everyone followed his instructions and started working separately.

Brian saw that there was no one else here and asked, "Can this be enough?"

"No." Hawke said honestly, "We are at a huge disadvantage. There are loopholes everywhere. We will definitely lose if we rely on these alone."

He walked towards the security room, waited for Brian to catch up, and said, "If we want to win, we need to rely on other means."

Brian asked, "Do you have a plan?"

Hawke said: "Let your people secretly monitor each person involved. Don't be too careful. If you are discovered, just pretend you don't know."

The two entered the security room and discussed for a long time.

During this time, Hawke had been staring at the surveillance screen. He pointed to a picture and said, "They came really fast. Did you see that? This car has been parked for more than ten minutes, and the people in the car have not gotten out."

Brian didn't expect to get results on the first day of the surveillance installation.

Glancing at Hawke, he sighed that everyone was proficient in different things.

Hawke picked up his bag and said, "Okay, I should go out and let them see me contacting the media with the most cooperation."

Brian understood: "Fox Channel 11."

Hawke left the villa, got into the Mercedes, and drove along Beverly Boulevard straight to the Fox Television Center.

Someone was following him from behind, and because Hawke had noticed it in advance, he quickly discovered that there were at least two cars following him in a cross-section.

Hawke pretended not to know as he parked the car in the basement of the Fox Building, took the elevator to Channel 11, and went directly into Megan Taylor's office.

Megan was reading the news copy for tonight, and when she saw him come in, she said, "Is there any important news?"

Hawke put the manuscript he brought on the desk and said, "Can you interrupt me?"

Megan took it up and looked at it carefully, frowning slightly, and said, "This news is not certain. There are no photos, no videos, and no third-party witnesses."

Hawke said directly: "Change the way of broadcasting, and call it reprinting news from other media."

In fact, this is not in compliance with the regulations. It was Hawke who brought it. If it were someone else, Megan would not even consider it: "You are helping me get into a lot of trouble."

"Your boss will never give you any trouble." Hawke specifically asked Bryan, and Fox's position was clear: "She will turn a blind eye."

"It won't happen again." Megan put it away. How the news is presented and how the audience sees it are all carefully designed by the program team.

Although the media cannot pre-set their stance in formal news reporting, the media and those who make a living from the media all live in the real world. Nowadays, how many news reports do not have a pre-set stance?
Megan said, "Come to my house tonight?"

"I want to, too." Hawke couldn't possibly drag her down: "But I took a somewhat dangerous job, and there are a few tails following me."

Megan stood up and walked towards the door.

“Don’t let anyone knock on the door,” Hawke warned.

Megan opened the office door and told her new assistant, Aisha, who was sitting at the door: "I have something important to discuss. Don't let anyone disturb me."

Aisha replied, "Yes."

Megan came back and locked the office door, but before she could turn around, Hawke pushed her behind the door.

Not long after, Elsa discovered that the office door was shaking at different rhythms, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

Not far from the exit of the Fox Building's underground parking lot, in a Hyundai parked on the side of the road, a mixed-race black man picked up his cell phone and made a call.

When the call was connected, he said, "Target No. 2 entered Fox TV station as expected."

"Keep staring at him."

That night, neither side stopped.

Sasha started running around in the afternoon, collecting information on the three child stars and their family and friends, and was busy until nearly 11 o'clock before she went back.

When she got near her home, her cell phone vibrated. It was a call from an unfamiliar public phone.

Sasha didn't answer the call, but hung up and deleted the call record.

She parked her car in front of her house, took out her key, opened the mailbox, took out a thick document bag, and returned home.

Sasha took out a bottle of water and drank half of it in one breath. She felt much better and went to the desk. She opened the file bag and took out the thick documents inside.

It contains all of Rachel Wood's information, including her family and financial status, her performance in school, etc.

Sasha read it first, then took out some paper, organized the materials, and wrote in her own style. She was busy until after 1 a.m.

The next morning, Sasha took the information and went straight to the Beverly Four Seasons Hotel.

Director Van Wageren has a long-term room in the hotel, which is large enough to temporarily serve as the liaison center here.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Rooney Chasen arrived at the hotel and met Sasha waiting in the lobby.

As she walked towards the elevator, she asked, "Is there a harvest so soon?"

Sasha said: "There is an important discovery."

Rooney nodded: "Let's talk upstairs."

The two went upstairs together and entered Wagren's private room. Sasha took out the sorted information and handed it to Rooney: "Yesterday I found two of Rachel's old neighbors before she moved, and by the way, I went to the middle school that Rachel attended before she transferred to another school, and collected some information that Wagren didn't know."

Rooney glanced at her watch and said, "Let's get to the point."

Sasha said quickly, "Rachel's mother could be persuaded because her new home owed a large mortgage, and the financial products she purchased caused a serious deficit. She may face a serious financial crisis after the New Year."

She then said about Rachel: "When the subject was studying at the original Palm Tree Middle School, she was not disciplined in her daily life. She had been dating boys since she was 11 years old. During her three years at Palm Tree Middle School, she had at least eight boyfriends, no more, no less!"

Rooney was very satisfied: "You did a great job."

Sasha added, "I can go find the boys if necessary."

The door opened at this time and people came in one after another.

Walking in front was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, with gray hair and a serious face. It was Van Wageren.

Next to him was a handsome old man who looked to be about 60 years old, with outstanding temperament and elegant demeanor. He was Robert Redford, Wagner’s close friend.

Following the two men was a woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Wagner's lawyer Cheryl.

Wagren looked worried and asked Rooney, "Are there any progress?" Rooney shook the information in her hand and said, "There is significant progress."

Cheryl suggested, "Let's have a meeting first to talk about the current situation."

Rooney called Sasha over and said, "My assistant discovered the situation and she knows more."

Five people entered the meeting room together.

Sasha repeated what she had just said.

"This discovery is crucial." Cheryl spoke from a lawyer's perspective: "If Rachel herself is not disciplined, her words will have very low credibility in court."

Rooney's thinking is different from that of the lawyer: "I don't think we need to go that far. Rachel is a good breakthrough point. They are after money. We can spend a little money and turn the situation around with the information we have."

Robert Redford thought the same thing as she did: "It's better to get it over with as soon as possible."

Cheryl nodded slightly and said no more.

In the end, it was up to Wagren to make the decision. He thought about the other people involved in this matter, especially Pope from the governor's office, and said, "Yes, get it done as soon as possible."

Rooney said: "Next, Sasha and I will go to meet Rachel and her daughter. Rachel is a little-known child star, and she may have to pay more than just money."

Redford understood what this meant: "Tell them that I am involved in the preparation of a mainstream production with a production value of tens of millions of dollars, called "Charlotte's Web", and the first female lead is a little girl."

"Okay." Rooney's confidence soared, and he said specifically, "Everyone, I informed you yesterday that the opponent is not only Brian Ferguson, but also Hawke Osment's West Coast Media Entertainment Studio. This guy single-handedly promoted Steve Nutter and created the selfie scandal. I carefully studied several of his cases last night. He is particularly good at using the media and public opinion."

Wagren also learned about it specifically: "He is indeed a guy who is very good at using public opinion. Whether it is Steve Nutter or the selfie scandal, he mobilized the media and used public opinion to achieve a reversal. We must pay attention to him."

Redford is confident: "They have no say in this matter."

Because this not only involves many forces in Hollywood, but also some important figures in the media circle.

Both Redford and Wagner were well aware of the nature of the incident.

This is not a simple case of infringement.

Rooney then said: "Since yesterday, I have mobilized a group of capable people to secretly follow Hawke. He went to Fox TV."

Redford frowned. “It’s the one mainstream media outlet we can’t influence.”

Cheryl reminded: "Last night, Channel 11's Ace News reposted the relevant report. They don't have any clear evidence. I will send them a lawyer's letter this morning."

"Keep an eye on them," Wagner said.

"Robert, contact the media again today." Rooney suggested: "We don't need an overly noisy public opinion environment."

She looked at Cheryl again: "Keep a close eye on the legal issues."

Cheryl nodded slightly.

Rooney finally said to Wagren: "Behave yourself recently and don't do anything out of line."

Wagren said, "Don't worry about me."

Cheryl said to Sasha, "Let's go find Rachel and her mother."

Everyone took action.

Redford went to another room to make some phone calls, the first of which was to the Los Angeles Times, followed by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and other newspapers.

Several other TV networks also called.

The last call was made by Redford to Pope.

In Sacramento, Pop was driving out after finishing his business.

He received a call from Redford, stopped the car on the side of the road, and asked, "You haven't figured it out yet?"

Redford said: "Don't worry, they don't have any evidence. In two or three days at most, this matter will be reversed."

Pope said: "I am waiting for your good news."

Redford hung up the phone, came out of the room, and saw Wagner staring at the movie poster frame on the wall.

This is the poster of the movie "Lolita", which is also his favorite.

Redford warned his old friend: "Take care of yourself during this time, and don't use your useless things to mess around."

Wagren said, "You don't know me yet? I know what's important."

Just as Redford was about to leave, he remembered something else: "I asked you one last time, inviting those people to have fun together, and you didn't record it?"

"How can I record a video?" Wagren said, "Isn't that asking for trouble?"

Redford nodded: "It's good for you to know."

Wagren made up his mind that no matter who asked him, he would just say no.

Anyway, he hid it very well.

…………

On the other side, Sasha drove Rooney to Paramount Studios.

Rooney closed the information in her hand and asked, "Have you met anyone from West Coast Studios?"

"I followed Caroline before and met two people. It seems that there were only two people." Sasha played an honest and reliable person and said what she knew: "One is Hawke Osment, and the other is black and born in Compton."

Rooney became interested: "People from Compton are basically assholes."

Sasha thought of the dirty things that Hei Xiaoshuai had done and said, "That black man is really a bastard."

"Hawk Osmond has instigated Caroline to rebel and plotted against me." Rooney had a strong desire for revenge: "Find an opportunity to instigate his subordinates to rebel, and you may get unexpected rewards."

Sasha nodded: "I'll try."

Rooney put down the information and called Rachel.

She knew how to get the person out, so she called him and said, "Hello, I'm the production manager of Charlotte's Web. We're interested in inviting Miss Rachel Wood to play the leading female role..."

The man on the other side asked, "You didn't lie?"

Rooney said: "We can meet now. If you have time, you can come to Paramount Studios. I will wait for you in the crew studio."

The other side was ecstatic: "Okay, we'll be there right away."

Sasha's car drove to Paramount Studios. Because Redford had greeted them in advance, the two of them successfully entered the crew studio and borrowed a producer's office.

Not long after, Rachel Wood and Mrs. Wood arrived here together.

First they entered the studio, then the producer's office, neither of them suspected anything else.

When she saw Rooney, Mrs. Wood hurriedly asked, "Do you really want to invite Rachel to be the heroine? I've read Charlotte's Web, it's an excellent novel."

Rooney got straight to the point: "I do intend to invite you, but as far as I know, Rachel is in some trouble, and the crew doesn't like actors with trouble."

Mrs. Wood was no fool, and she understood what was going on: "Are you here for that bastard Van Wageren?"

Rooney did not answer her question, but said: "Do you know how many popular child stars are vying for this role? Do you know how much the salary is? The investment in this project is over 5000 million US dollars, and the heroine's salary is as high as 300 million US dollars. If Rachel gets this role, your family's financial crisis will be solved smoothly. Rachel will have a bright future and will be promoted by big directors and producers."

Mrs. Wood didn't say anything. Rachel reached out and pulled her, wanting to shake her head, but she was afraid to speak because of her mother's stern look.

Rooney added: "You came out to sue Wagren just for money. Don't say you don't have evidence. Even if you did, we have ways to delay this lawsuit for half a year or even longer. Can you hold on?"

She went straight to the point: "How many boyfriends did Rachel have in school? She had her first time a long time ago, right? Do I need to find all the boys she dated and describe to the media how they did things? Do you think the public and the court will believe what a promiscuous girl says? Are you really ready to face the lashing and beating of the American media and public opinion?"

Rachel lowered her head, no longer having any thoughts.

Mrs. Wood hesitated for a moment: "Can everything you said be realized?"

"Of course." Rooney smiled: "The crew can even sign a contract with Rachel first."

Her smile suddenly disappeared: "But after signing the contract, you must follow my arrangements."

Mrs. Wood thought about it for a long time and then said, "Okay, I agree."

(End of this chapter)