The Wolf of Los Angeles.

An inconspicuous Ford Focus arrived in Century City and quietly turned into the back door of the Beverly Business Club.

The car stopped at the already empty entrance. Betty and Fiona, who had put on makeup, got out of the car together and met Edward, who was waiting at the door. Under his guidance, they went into the nearby reception room.

Hawke was already waiting there. When he saw the two of them come in, he stood up, shook hands with them, and said, "Please, have a seat."

Betty sat down to Hawke's left and said, "Fiona and I went through several makeup sessions, there shouldn't be anyone behind us."

Hawke looked at Edward, who had already received several messages.

He said, "I'm sure no one's here."

Hawke asked Fiona, "Why are you in such a hurry to meet? Something important has happened?"

“Not at the moment.” Fiona adjusted her wig slightly, a hint of shame on her face. “It’s because of some personal issues.”

She didn't know how to start the conversation, and her face grew increasingly ashamed.

Hawke waited a moment, then said gently, "Tell me what difficulties you have."

Fiona bit her lip and said, "I can hardly continue in this job. If I continue, there will be problems."

Betty sighed softly, not daring to interrupt in front of the big boss.

Fiona said, "When I first joined the Sisters Parade, I did quite well. With the support of overseas funds, I successfully became one of the many vice chairpersons. Although I had power, there was Michelle ahead of me, so I wasn't very prominent. I did a good job and won the support of many people."

Hawke realized that Fiona was experiencing the psychological problems that undercover agents often face.

The job of an undercover agent is inherently unique, often involving immense mental and psychological pressure.

However, Fiona's situation also has its unique aspects.

She forced a smile, a smile tinged with helplessness: "I never imagined that one day I would suddenly become the chairperson of the Sisterhood Parade, the leader of Cthulhu in California, and rise from an undercover agent to the head of an organization. It was all so unexpected."

Hawke frankly admitted, "I hadn't expected that either."

Fiona rubbed her face: "I can accept these things, and I'm trying my best to do them. The pressure is within my tolerance. But starting in the second half of last year, the situation suddenly changed."

At this point, a hint of struggle appeared on her face, but remembering the generous treatment Hawke had given them since the recruitment process began, she said firmly, "Sirius, who is preparing to run for president, has been using various methods to win over the marches, including donating funds for the event, giving them honorary titles, and raising their social status, etc."

The other party adopted the simplest and most effective strategy of winning me over, which is not complicated. That's why Fiona was under great pressure: "The most crucial point is that Sullivan, one of Silla's campaign managers, has sent me gifts many times through an overseas company. Some of the gifts are quite valuable, and because of my position, I can't refuse them."

Hawke nodded in understanding; sometimes refusing money from someone means standing on the opposite side.

Fiona continued, "I could accept it once or twice, I didn't think it was a problem, but they kept using money to pressure me, and I felt a lot of pressure."

There were some things she didn't say directly: would she take the money and do the work? If she did, it would inevitably harm Hawke's interests.

Human will is limited in the face of money, and if the money keeps pouring in, Fiona can't guarantee that she won't change her stance and thoughts.

Hawke understood her perfectly. After a moment's thought, he said to Fiona, "It's not easy for you to have persevered this long. I can't ask you to do any more."

Hearing this, Fiona breathed a sigh of relief and said, "For the past two months, I've been worried that I wouldn't be able to withstand the financial offensive from Sillari and would end up betraying them."

Hawke, who was skilled in managing money, knew perfectly well how powerful money was. Without any hesitation, he said directly, "How about this, you secretly promote the others you've secretly placed in the parade to key mid-level positions, and then resign from your position as chairman of the parade under the pretext of health problems."

Fiona replied, "I've already arranged their positions."

Hawke, having considered things more thoroughly, said, "Go to Irvine Medical Center. I'll arrange for a renowned psychiatrist there to prescribe a diagnosis of depression and paranoia for you, so that you can leave the parade normally."

Regardless, Fiona played an extremely important role in the social movements he spearheaded.

Although resigning as chairman at this crucial juncture would inevitably arouse Sylvie's suspicion, Hawke didn't care much; what he said before was just to give an explanation on the surface.

Your employees aren't machines; they need rest and recovery time too. They can't be treated like perpetual motion machines.

Fiona said, "I will follow your instructions."

Hawke thought for a moment and then said, "You've been under too much work pressure these past two years. After you leave the parade, take a break for a while, travel to other places, and relax."

He looked at Edward: "Notify Roger Keane of the Foundation to allocate a special bonus from the Overseas Special Fund and transfer it to Fiona when she goes on her trip."

The group quickly agreed on Fiona's retreat plan.

Betty and Fiona then left the Beverly Business Club.

The latter returned to the parade and began arranging his work as planned, making an appointment that same day with a renowned psychologist at Irvine Medical Center.

Hawke immediately instructed Campos to arrange Fiona's follow-up matters.

After she leaves the parade and goes on vacation to East Asia, she won't return for at least six months.

This also helps to avoid some potential risks.

Hawke then went to the West Coast Investment Fund to discuss the investment with Roger Keane.

For large companies, the subprime crisis was already very evident last year.

The Ferguson family’s Pacific Investment Group, Hawke’s West Coast Investment Fund, and Goldman Sachs, with which they have been working for a long time, began their investment operations a year ago.

The financial tsunami is about to erupt.

Lehman Brothers is seeking financing and acquisition negotiations; if these fail, it will have no choice but to seek bankruptcy protection.

In comparison, the internet was less affected.

The impact on Hollywood was even greater, with many Wall Street investment institutions reducing their investment in Hollywood films, leading to a shortage of funds in Hollywood.

For example, Spielberg, who heads DreamWorks, has been pandering to Indians, eagerly awaiting their investment.

Hawke's investment fund secured funding from Abu Dhabi and Malaysia for the film project.

James Murdoch has taken the helm at 20th Century Fox, and Hawke had previously reached an agreement with him to secure a portion of the investment in Avatar by leveraging the advantages of the leading social media platform on the internet.

This sci-fi blockbuster required a huge investment; like most Hollywood commercial film projects, 20th Century Fox needed to finance more than half of its budget. When Hawke returned to his office at the Coast Building, he received a video from Africa.

He turned on the video, in which an Indian man named Wenna recounted his relationship with Abedin in detail, and presented relevant photos and documents, verbally describing the email scandal.

Edward also watched it, and after watching it, he said, "Boss, it doesn't seem as impactful as Puff Daddy."

Hawke closed the video playback window: "In terms of public opinion, this kind of event, which directly involves federal law and operating rules, is certainly not as fun as the bragging party event, and there's not enough juicy gossip to watch."

He briefly explained: "But its political influence is enormous. As a member of Congress and head of the Budget Committee, Hillary Clinton violated federal security regulations by using private emails with her assistant to publish work-related information involving national secrets, which is enough to warrant a congressional hearing."

Edward grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Should we still send it out through Tom Emer?"

“Let’s leave it for now,” Hawke said simply. “Someone in Washington has revealed that Hillary has taken a series of actions against Tom Emmer, attacking his policies on elderly care, education, and healthcare. It’s a battle on the front lines, but there are also behind-the-scenes maneuvers. We still don’t know what this woman is planning.”

Edward said, "Last time, Sillaly pulled off a three-way smear campaign against Tom Emer, and the victim Stamp's legal team has already sued Tom Emer."

Hawke backed up the video and handed it to Edward: "Tom Emer handled this matter well, finding many witnesses. He also cleaned up the mess back then, so the negative impact he suffered was not too great."

Edward carefully put away the backup and made wild guesses: "Seraphim won't keep messing with Tom Emer in this kind of thing, will she?"

Hawke said, "Let's see how things go first. These aren't urgent. Things given away voluntarily aren't worth much."

How to ruin one's opponent has long been a key theme in elections.

Sillari now serves as the vice chair of the budget committee, and she holds a significant vote in the review of many projects that require funding from the budget committee.

Hawke wanted to get rid of her.

The following morning, in the meeting room of the Sisters Parade Association, Fiona convened a meeting with the vice chairpersons and secretaries-general, presented her medical test report, and resigned from her position as chairperson, citing the need for rest.

Those she publicly arranged to participate in the march will gradually leave.

Those who sneaked in and were in key positions will remain at the march.

The next chairman will be elected through an election process.

Several qualified vice chairpersons immediately began to scramble and lobby.

Although the parade is just a non-profit organization, it is huge in scale and influence, involving interests from all sides. Among the many vice chairpersons, none of them have received strong support from behind-the-scenes forces like Fiona did when she took office.

Elections involving vested interests are generally modeled after federal elections.

Forming cliques and attacking each other are basic operations.

Once the election mess started, the function of the parade was rendered largely useless, and various daily activities came to a standstill for a time.

Following Hawke's arrangements, Fiona temporarily left North America for a vacation to relax. After receiving a large bonus, she embarked on a six-month tour of East Asia.

…………

Washington, D.C., the Capitol Building.

Upon receiving the notification, Abedin rushed into Silali's office and said, "Madam, the situation in Los Angeles has changed."

Sila put down the file in her left hand, rubbed her temples, and said, "What happened now?"

Abedin quickly said, "Our people at the Los Angeles parade just reported that Fiona has resigned as president due to illness, and several vice presidents are vying for the position. The parade is currently embroiled in internal strife, and all the activities we assigned have been suspended."

Sillali asked in surprise, "What's wrong with Fiona's health? Has she spoken to Sullivan about it?"

“Depression and sudden mental disorder.” Abedin has already contacted Sullivan: “Fiona did not inform Sullivan. Our people reported that Fiona’s mental state has indeed been poor for the past two months, but her resignation came without warning.”

Seraphim tapped the table lightly with the pen in her right hand: "Something's not right. Is it possible to contact Fiona? I need to see her in person."

Abedin said, "I can't get in touch with her. I asked people over there, and they said Fiona went abroad to recuperate."

"Fuck!" Seraphim rarely lost her temper, slamming her pen on the table. "What is this woman doing? Doesn't she know this is a crucial moment? She just suddenly left..."

But Cillac was ultimately a rational person. Her anger dissipated with her words, and her mind immediately cleared: "Did Tom Emer or Hawk Osment bribe Fiona?"

Abedin said, "Sullivan also speculated about this."

Seraphim picked up the pen that had fallen to the ground and recalled the situation of the march: "The march and the monsters of the diversity movement are mortal enemies. Fiona had been at the forefront of fighting against the monsters. The two sides can be described as irreconcilable enemies."

“Yes.” Abedin’s assistant had more detailed information: “Fiona launched multiple attacks against the Matasin Association and minority rights organizations. Her car and house were splattered with excrement by demons and monsters, and she received numerous death threats via email.”

Sylvie became suspicious and naturally stopped believing it: "The Fiona of the past was a steadfast and brave Cthulhu warrior, but now she is a deserter, or more likely a traitor."

After Abedin presented the information, his superiors were responsible for making the decision.

Sillari prepared for the worst: "In the worst-case scenario, Fiona is bribed by Tom Emer or Hawk Osment and completely betrays us. In that case, the parade will be transparent to them, and all our plans for the parade will have to be stopped."

Abedin explained, "It's all stalled; they're busy vying for the chairmanship."

Upon hearing this, Seraphim felt a pang of nostalgia for Fiona, since the parade had actually been effective when Fiona was in charge.

These Cthulhus only fight amongst themselves.

Hillary had given up hope of the march, saying, "Pass the word that the march will be removed from our election campaign and that we should have no further contact with it for the time being."

She immediately changed the subject: "You should inform Sullivan and tell him to expedite the operation in Minnesota."

Sullivan had prepared beforehand by going to Tom Emmer's hometown in Minnesota, hoping to find a breakthrough there.

Abedin went out to work.

Hillary sat at her desk with a furrowed brow. In a normal election contest, she was evenly matched with Tom Emer and even had an advantage in reputation.

In this way, the key to victory or defeat actually lies in the level of individual competition.

Sillari, drawing parallels with Tom Emer, concluded that he was definitely not clean, and who knows how much unseen dirt was hidden behind him. (End of Chapter)