The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 179: Frame-up]

With Caroline out on a business trip, Edward went to meet Campos, leaving the top floor exceptionally quiet.

Hawke suddenly heard a knock at the door, snapped his pen shut, casually placed it on the desk, finished closing Brian's file, and picked up a newspaper to cover it, saying, "Come in."

The office door opened, and Bella Sain walked in, wearing a chiffon top and pencil pants, stepping in high-heeled work boots.

She also held the company-issued USB drive.

Hawke asked, "What's up?"

"Boss, I have made breakthroughs with the algorithm," Bella stated as she placed the USB on the desk. "Harland and Kasim are busy interviewing and won't be back for a while; I need backend authorization to continue the development."

She stepped forward a bit, maintaining her earlier serious demeanor, "I'm having a creative surge; I can't afford any delays."

Hawke, though not versed in programming, understood that inspiration was equally crucial for programmers. Picking up the USB, he caught a faint whiff of her perfume.

Bella quickly scanned the office, finding nothing unusual, and quietly shifted her position.

Hawke pulled out his laptop, powered it on, and was about to plug in the USB when he noticed Bella had circled around to the side of the desk.

She likely intended to introduce the algorithm, yet Hawke instinctively heightened his awareness.

This was a habit formed after repeatedly dealing with complications and encounters involving attacks.

In the closed office, they were about to overstep a safety distance.

Hawke moved his mouse to open the USB drive.

As Bella noticed his attention on the screen, she pretended to stumble on her high heels, leaning toward Hawke as if to catch herself.

Her hand reached out to press on Hawke's waistband.

Hawke felt the odd movement.

Most people's first reaction would be to reach out and help a woman, demonstrating basic gentlemanly decorum.

However, Hawke pivoted his feet, sliding the wheeled office chair away.

He swiftly reached under the chair, pulling out a compact Glock 19, letting it drop lightly to his side.

With a thud, Bella fell to her knees, bracing herself against the floor; the neckline of her chiffon top slipped down, exposing ample skin.

She pushed herself back up, kneeling while looking at Hawke.

At this point, hesitating would only cause him to miss the final opportunity.

Bella reached for her collar, tearing the chiffon top, ripping off her bra, and grasping her breasts tightly.

She then slammed her head toward the desk edge, leaving an impression mark.

Seeing all this, Hawke quickly realized Bella's intentions.

Though he didn't intervene, he instead pushed off the floor further to distance himself.

At this moment, he recalled something that Brian said.

Last night while drinking, Brian had warned him to be careful of being set up.

"That jinx!" Hawke cursed inwardly, "That cursed cult leader!"

All of this was Brian Ferguson's fault!

Bella dared to take this route, clearly not planning to leave unscathed.

She ripped open a leg of her thin pencil pants, taking a pen from the desk and shoving it somewhere.

Bella had previously noted that the pen had noticeable fingerprints on its lacquered surface.

The pen cap had a clip, and after utilizing excessive force, Bella let out a cry, wincing in pain.

Hawke sat in the office chair, watching like it was a show.

Two individuals alone, a pretty female employee accusing her male boss of harassment.

The former in disarray with signs of injury, could easily seek out a women's rights organization and media to expose the boss and bring significant trouble, with no clear way for him to defend himself.

It could even spiral into a long-term lawsuit.

Against the company? Or personally?

Hawke inclined towards the latter.

Bella shoved the pen down her pants pocket, then slammed her forehead against the desk edge.

The blow was severe enough to prompt tears and snot to flow freely.

Hawke had already pulled out his phone, calling security: "Have someone come up; remember to bring two female staff members."

Bella heard Hawke's voice and looked at him in shock.

There was no sign of panic or anxiety on his face.

Hawke Osment, this jerk, seemed to treat her as though she didn't exist at all.

Bella saw no way out, pulled out her phone, and dialed 911, crying and sobbing, "Help! Help! Someone come help me; I've been raped... quick, save me!"

The operator asked questions, and Bella quickly relayed her address.

Hawke could determine at this point that the woman didn't have any weapons, casually replying, "You're talented and have a bright future ahead; why resort to these tactics?"

Bella, in tears, shouted in rage: "You heartless bastard! Just because I'm attractive, you think it's okay to assault me and harass me! You jerk, you'll pay for this!"

Hawke was very curious about who was pulling the strings of this puppet.

He also dialed 911 himself, reporting that someone was falsely accusing him.

It was quite evident; they were clearly using the opportunity of Twitter hiring to set up a technically competent female programmer, one whom even Harland and Kasim, along with most of the tech department, recognized.

If it was an average person, they could easily fall victim.

Footsteps were faintly heard outside.

Bella crossed her arms, shrinking into a corner and trembling with fear, as if she was terrified beyond reason, shouting, "Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! Please, stop hurting me; I'm your employee, you can't do this to me..."

Just then, another knock sounded on the office door.

Hawke stated, "Come in."

Security Supervisor Austin and his assistant Jerry entered the office with two female employees.

The four of them glanced between Hawke and the disheveled, bruised Bella Sain, unsure of how to proceed.

Their first instinct was that the boss had been involved in a typical office scandal with a pretty employee.

Such incidents were all too common.

A boss who didn't engage in such dealings couldn't be considered a good boss.

Austin puffed out his chest, assuming a grim demeanor, with one hand resting on his holstered gun and taser.

As high-paid security working for wealthy clients, Austin was well aware that he was expected to smooth out such troubles.

Jerry worked in tandem, discreetly preparing the stun gun.

The two female employees swiftly organized their thoughts upon witnessing the scene.

Bringing in fearsome security personnel would definitely intimidate Bella.

What role would these two women play? They would surely comfort Bella, persuading her to accept the boss's compensation and the harsh reality.

Women weren't supposed to accuse male bosses in the workplace; that was the rule in America.

In just a few breaths, the four individuals had completed their mental conditioning.

Bella continued to cower in her corner, shouting forcefully, "Don't come closer! Don't come any closer..."

Hawke then instructed, "You don't need to interact with her; just guard the entrance."

Austin and his three colleagues stationed themselves at the office door.

Hawke stood up and moved to the window, pulling out his phone to call Brian first: "You damn jinx! They've made their move; it was an ambush; you are my lawyer as well as the company's, so hurry over."

Brian, curious, asked, "What happened to you? Which method did they use? A shooting? That shouldn't happen."

Hawke briefly explained, "They falsely accused me of rape."

"Oh?" Brian sounded a bit surprised, "You didn't really go that far, did you?"

Hawke clarified, "No."

Brian reassured, "I understand; I'll head over right away."

Austin's walkie-talkie crackled to life; he acknowledged it, turning to Hawke: "The LAPD is on their way."

Hawke glanced out the window, spotting the patrol cars and said, "Let them up."

...

Before long, two LAPD officers, one male and one female, accompanied by company security, reached Hawke's office.

The older officer, Nick, recognized Hawke immediately, recalling him as the friend of Chief Johnson and the boyfriend of LAPD star officer Erica Ferguson.

The moment Bella saw the two officers, she rushed over, sobbing, "Please take me away; I've been assaulted!"

She pointed at Hawke, "He tried to rape me! He's the one; he used his position to harass me..."

Hawke spoke to the officers, "Officers, I'm Hawke Osment, CEO of Twitter. I am being falsely accused and defamed by this Ms. Bella Sain."

Disregarding Bella's theatrics, he added, "My office is equipped with surveillance cameras; it will clearly show the truth."

Bella's accusations fell silent as she stared at Hawke, unable to comprehend his words.

...

The office also had a meeting room; Hawke opened the door and pulled footage from three minutes before Bella entered until now onto a storage disk.

The cameras had multiple angles; he captured footage from other angles too and copied those as well.

Then, he made two additional copies.

One was for immediate use; the other stored securely in his modified safe.

...

Outside, Bella searched frantically, not spotting any visible cameras in the office.

She may still hold onto the hope that Hawke was somehow dragging this out to devise an alternative plan.

Retrieving the storage disk, Hawke returned to the office, connecting it to his computer, flipping the monitor towards everyone to view together.

Seeing Hawke actually pulling up the surveillance footage left Bella speechless.

Hawke gestured to Austin.

As they all viewed the footage, they subtly encircled Bella.

Soon, all of Bella's actions appeared on the screen.

It wasn't just the video; the audio was recorded as well.

Austin and Jerry exchanged glances, thinking to themselves about Hawke's peculiar hobby of installing such high-resolution cameras. Were all his meetings recorded too, just to relive them later?

Officer Nick received two notifications from the command center about the incident between both parties reporting to the police.

With the facts clear, he relaxed, knowing he wouldn't be in a tight spot.

Bella fell silent, ceasing her protests, her gaze fixed on Hawke instead. When she came in, she paid special attention to the surveillance cameras and found nothing. This pervert was clearly hiding something and had ulterior motives.

A female officer, due to issues handling the suspect, called for backup.

...

Before long, two additional female officers arrived, bringing along an oversized coat for Bella to wear as they escorted her downstairs.

Bella glared at Hawke, "Pervert! You're a pervert!"

The two female officers ushered her out of the office.

Nick accepted the storage disk Hawke offered, stating, "Mr. Osment, you might want to come down to the station too."

Hawke replied, "My lawyer should arrive shortly, and I will head to the West Division as soon as possible after meeting up with the lawyer."

Nick nodded, waiting for Hawke's attorney.

Hawke called Austin and the others over: "The news of this incident will likely spread throughout the company. You need to take a copy of the footage down, so everyone understands what led to this."

*****

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