The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 191: The Story Grows More Exaggerated]

After lunch, Hawke and Brian returned to the office building.

Staff from the campaign team were gathered together, whispering among themselves.

"God bless, our chances of winning have increased significantly," a girl gossiped. "Owen Nester reportedly was arrested by the LAPD for solicitation."

A middle-aged man chimed in, "I overheard at the coffee shop that Owen solicited ten transsexuals."

A woman sitting down remarked, "Is Owen really that bold?"

Hawke and Brian heard the chatter but didn't react, heading straight upstairs.

The staff on the first floor only dealt with routine tasks and wouldn't participate in the real competition.

Back in the office, Hawke received a call and informed Brian, "Eric has found the candidates. I'll meet him this afternoon; they're a real father-son duo; we don't need to fake anything."

Brian nodded, "I have also found someone to cooperate with the filming."

Hawke checked the log and called Edward. "Follow up on the lawyer and the court and strive to get the subpoena served to Owen today."

Brian made a call as well.

....

West Los Angeles, West Division.

Accompanied by a lawyer, Owen emerged from the West Division's front entrance looking unusual and uncomfortable.

Dozens of cameras pointed at him, shooting nonstop.

A reporter from Fox 11 asked, "Mayor, you were forcibly subpoenaed by the LAPD for solicitation?"

Other media outlets picked up information from their sources and asked, "Was it true you had to post bail to leave the station?"

"Were you placed under any travel restrictions?"

"Are the criminal evidence posted on Twitter authentic?"

Owen's face darkened; he said nothing.

He lacked experience in handling the media, so he simply closed his mouth and got into the vehicle driven by Arnold and Fowler.

Those pesky journalists continued unabated, snapping wild shots of the car.

The most aggressive even ran in front of the windshield, filming inside.

It took a long time for the Lexus to squeeze through the assembly.

Yet more persistent reporters on motorcycles chased after them.

Owen pulled up the car's window, hoping to escape the turmoil.

Arnold asked, "What's going on? There are tons of stories online about you; they claim you were caught soliciting, and some websites are reposting tweets containing so-called evidence."

"Someone is framing me!" Owen concluded. "Last night, during the LAPD's crackdown operation, they confiscated a ledger with my name on it. The madam and some prostitutes also said they provided services several times, and the total amount involved exceeded twenty thousand dollars..."

Fowler, who had a tendency to speak his mind, chimed in, "Bro, you were caught playing around?"

Owen slapped the passenger seat, admonishing, "Shut up!"

Fowler didn't dare say more, but he was still muttering in his heart, because his brother had taken him to a very interesting place, and the women there were as obedient as dogs.

Those that are disobedient can still be tamed.

Arnold added, "I suspect it's the opposition's doing, though I have no proof."

Owen no longer lived in blissful ignorance. "They're behind it; no need to doubt." He inquired, "Have there been any updates from Sacramento?"

"No. They couldn't pull resources and only sent two people to handle the fallout with Grant's team," Arnold mentioned, having made multiple calls throughout the day. "There's a fierce power struggle going on, and the recall election is imminent. We're merely pawns, and they could toss us aside at any moment."

Owen felt everything spiraled out of control since Grant's team fell apart. He faced unprecedented challenges.

He asked Arnold, "What should we do now?"

Arnold recalled everything Brian had done post-scandal. "We need to clarify with the media, find ways to distract Covina citizens, and dig up dirt on Brian. A guy like him must have a ton of skeletons in his closet. It's just a matter of mutual exposure, we can reveal each other's secrets!"

Fowler couldn't help but interject, "This is too troublesome. If you ask me, I'll do it the same way as the first election. I'll take my boys and stand in front of the competitor's house with guns. If he still doesn't know what's good for him, we'll just shoot him with a gun!"

"Shut your trap!" Owen snapped, genuinely furious. "Do you realize the implications of taking out Brian Ferguson? He's a direct descendant of the Ferguson family; if we pull that stunt, we won't face mere LAPD officers but SWAT teams cleaning house! Even if we manage to escape, the FBI would be pursuing us nationally!"

The Lexus exited the highway, nearing Covina's intersection.

Owen spotted people taking photos of that orange sculpture.

Recalling last night's news, he asked Arnold, "How's the injured person faring?"

"I've been busy dealing with your situation." Arnold couldn't get free and sent someone else to check on the hospital. "They transferred the patient; I haven't learned where yet."

As Owen gazed at the sculpture, it stood as a reminder of his prior pride, now looking like a potential pitfall.

He suspected that the injury incident was orchestrated by Brian and pondered aloud, "With Fox 11's news coverage, have there been no new developments?"

Arnold replied, "Not for now."

"Find that person quickly," Owen ordered.

As the car passed the orange sculpture, he considered suggesting its demolition but held back.

If they demolished it, he would become a laughing stock.

Owen instructed Fowler, "Find some people to repaint the orange, then build a guardrail in front."

...

At City Hall, Fowler pulled out his phone to arrange the work, but the construction team wouldn't get there until the next day at the earliest.

Owen opened the car door and stepped out.

Deafening noises erupted nearby, as numerous citizens had gathered to witness the scene.

"Owen turned out to be a criminal."

"I heard he had to pay a large bail to get released."

"Would you want a criminal mayor?"

Rumors would morph into tales, growing progressively sensational.

Hawke understood the dynamics; it wasn't about making things up. As long as it was passed from mouth to mouth, it would ultimately evolve.

He had witnessed that firsthand during the Sundance Film Festival when Winona Ryder ended up stealing a nuclear control box.

And the rumor's origin was merely a casual remark about Winona Ryder being a kleptomaniac.

The truth didn't hold importance, just as Hawke couldn't clear Brian's name from the cloud of suspicion.

The same applied to Owen.

Each uttered sentence felt like a knife, deeply piercing Owen's psyche.

He had no choice but to pretend he hadn't heard and rushed into City Hall.

Among the crowd, someone texted: "He's back, in City Hall."

...

At Brian's campaign office, Sandra hurried upstairs.

She found Hawke and said, "Owen's back; he's at City Hall."

Hawke instructed, "Impersonate City Hall staff and call his wife; aren't they on bad terms?"

"Sure." Sandra produced a spare phone and dialed Owen's wife, Helen.

...

In a villa on Covina's east side, Helen fumed, yelling at her son, "Pratt, get your car; we're going to City Hall!"

"I still have to go to school," Pratt replied.

Helen glared at him and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

"I'm coming," Pratt quickly ventured out to grab his car keys.

The mother-son duo hurried out.

...

At City Hall, Owen was surprised to see the two before him. After verification by the lawyer, he signed the receipt.

They delivered civil lawsuit documents and a subpoena.

The person who crashed into the orange sculpture last night filed a civil compensation lawsuit, totaling up to $850,000 after including medical expenses, loss of wages, and other costs.

As the third-party personnel left after delivering the subpoena, more camera shutters clicked outside.

They photographed and, after leaving, returned to a nearby van, utilizing a wireless card-equipped computer to instantly submit the pictures, while companions sold them to Twitter in exchange for checks.

...

Quickly, a Twitter user named Michael, with a black avatar, tweeted out.

"Seeking legal justice!"

Underneath the title, key screenshots from last night's car crash were showcased, along with images of his broken injury site, photos from hospital surgery, payment records, and pictures of Mayor Owen with the third party leaving City Hall.

Accompanying the images was a description of the incident's sequence, including details about the major compensation claims.

Even though Caroline didn't grasp Hawke's specific reason for the insistence on including the amount, as the ever-compliant Miss Baa, she followed Hawke's instructions to the letter, without any discounts.

The backend program's algorithm prioritized pushing this information first to Covina and surrounding users.

Michael's injury claim news spread rapidly across Twitter, mirroring the buzz around Owen's solicitation scandal, becoming easily accessible news for all Covina residents.

...

At that moment, tensions boiled within Covina City Hall, where a domestic explosion unfolded.

In the front hall, Helen looked incredulously at her husband, smashing a large decorative vase in her fury, shouting, "Owen Nester, you're disgusting! Is this what you call loyalty to marriage? I married you when you were broke, and today, you've risen thanks to my family's wealth, and this is how you repay me?!"

She summed up all her fury in one word: "Scumbag!"

Owen retorted, "Let me explain; they're framing me! Framing me! Those bastards want to ruin my reputation!"

Helen coldly laughed, "Framing? Last month, there were strands of a woman's hair in your car, blood stains on your clothes, and the lingering perfume scent -- are they all 'framing' too?"

She had suspected for a while but hadn't wanted to believe it. "Do you dare swear on your mother's name that you've never fooled around with other women?"

Upon hearing that, Owen fell silent.

If only Helen hadn't been so dominating in their marriage...

"Disgusting!" Helen yelled, picking up a cup and smashing it onto the granite floor.

Having aired their grievances in front of so many in City Hall, Helen turned on her heel and said, "You can expect my divorce settlement!"

She exited the City Hall, entering her car but she didn't act angry.

Helen wanted to publicly break up with Owen because she had noticed over the years that Owen occasionally had blood on his body after attending some parties.

She hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it before.

But the situation of this year's election seems to be like a huge wave sweeping towards Owen. 

*****

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