The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 456: These Bastards Actually Learned From Us

[Chapter 456: These Bastards Actually Learned From Us]

Century City, Fox Television Center.

Lamella from the mailroom entered the office area with some mail and knocked on the door of a private office. "Miss Wayne, you have some mail."

Harley Wayne opened the office door, signed for the package, and sat back at her desk, glancing at the sender information. It was an intercity package delivered by FedEx, but no sender information was listed.

Harley, a journalist with a solid reputation earned from covering a series of cases involving the Ackerman family, often received packages containing news tips.

She quickly opened this one and found CDs, USB drives, photos, and paper documents inside.

The photos showed houses burning. Harley had previously reported on the Los Angeles fires and immediately recognized these as homes destroyed during last year's fires.

Most of the paper documents were copies of homeowners' insurance contracts, along with some lawsuit complaints and court receipts.

Looking at the CDs and USB drives, she found videos and testimonies from fire victims whose lives had been devastated.

The burned homes were their only residences, most financed by bank loans. The insurance companies had either refused to pay or had gone bankrupt and fled, plunging these people into despair.

Harley had followed the details of last night's shooting and was familiar with the events. Seeing these materials, she sighed silently.

The Los Angeles fire had ended, but its effects lingered.

The USB drive also contained information on Eunice Insurance Company's stock and management, financial flows during the LA fire, and details about Maria Shriver's charitable foundation.

Harley wasn't a financial expert, but she speculated that the money flows and bankruptcy issues might have skirted legal lines during the fire.

But the law was society's bottom line.

She was still the same Harley, full of a sense of justice, but with age and experience, she knew news was more than just facts.

She examined all the materials carefully and called the chairman's office.

The chairman's assistant asked her to come immediately to report the details to Roger Ailes.

...

Harley hurried upstairs to the chairman's office.

Roger Ailes reviewed the materials carefully and then made a call. "Paul, I've got some interesting information here about Eunice Insurance Company and Schwarzenegger."

The Ferguson family was backing their own candidate in the upcoming governor's race. Their influence over Fox was much greater than that of Schwarzenegger, a political newcomer.

Paul, recalling his conversation with Hawke and Brian, said, "Report according to the situation."

A smile crept over Roger Ailes' face. "You owe me dinner."

Paul laughed heartily. "I'll send a car over to pick you up."

Roger Ailes hung up the phone and looked at Harley. "Report it however you see fit."

Harley knew that getting support from superiors was essential to pursuing journalistic justice. She was no longer a naive girl. "I want to do an in-depth report beyond these materials."

Roger Ailes agreed. "Go ahead."

Harley left the office with the documents and soon received notice that Fox News' noon broadcast would reserve time for her report.

---

Ocean Park Avenue, Coastal Building.

On the 16th floor, Hawke sat at his computer, magnifying a live feed from Los Angeles City Hall.

Approaching noon, hundreds of people gathered in front of City Hall to protest.

Butterfly Consulting had sent a crew so that Twitter could stream video and photos.

In front of numerous media cameras, protesters held banners and posters and chanted passionately, not like the usual professional activists but deeply emotional.

Each person bore painful stories.

They were fighting for their rights.

Insurance companies refused to pay, the media remained silent, and the law offered no justice.

Previously, they couldn't unite.

Today, someone had connected them, and blood had awakened them.

As the camera zoomed, Hawke noticed some held up posters showing gunman Mills wearing a black hood when arrested, with "Hero!" written in bold red letters.

More held the same posters before cameras.

Since the shooting last night and today's press conference clarifying details, mainstream media uniformly labeled Mills as a criminal and murderer.

Media, including the Los Angeles Times on Hawke's desk, called Mills a villain.

Yet they used Mills' shooting incident to criticize Eunice Insurance Company and major shareholder Maria Shriver. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

These views didn't contradict -- one reflected basic facts, the other reflected an agenda.

An ordinary man's rage was unacceptable to the wealthy elite.

...

Hawke browsed Twitter posts from regular users.

Twitter's algorithm had limited tweets attacking Brian, but ordinary users posted freely.

Public opinion was very different.

Many shared photos of Mills in the hood.

"I've studied the case thoroughly; hatred isn't without cause."

"When 19-year-old Mills was denied by insurance and failed through legal channels, how desperate must he have felt?"

"What would we do if we faced what Mills did? Beyond taking up arms, what other options are there?"

"Modern Robin Hood."

"He's my hero!"

...

Former employees at Eunice Insurance also exposed the company via Twitter.

"I worked at Eunice. The Los Angeles fire ruined the company. They had many residential clients' homes burned, so they deliberately shifted assets, let the company fail. Free the innocent kid; the real criminals are Eunice's management and major shareholders."

This was classic class conflict in public opinion.

...

Another voice on Twitter constantly linked the case to Brian and Schwarzenegger.

Because Hawke had prepared Twitter in advance, posts targeting Brian were suppressed, but those targeting Schwarzenegger were widely shared.

"Eunice Insurance's actions are directly tied to major shareholder Maria Shriver, the governor's wife, who benefited from special treatment. Schwarzenegger's careless use of power ruined hundreds of Los Angeles families."

"This is the 'great' governor you voted for!"

"California made Schwarzenegger a superstar and multi-millionaire, and he's ungrateful!"

"Schwarzenegger must be held accountable and resign!"

Not just Twitter, other websites also called for Schwarzenegger's ousting.

...

Hawke switched back to the live video feed and saw Brian, the Mayor of Los Angeles, standing before the crowd, speaking loudly through a megaphone.

The noisy scene made it hard to hear, but Brian seemed to be saying he was gathering info and providing legal and basic aid.

Resolving the issue through legal channels was nearly impossible.

The US insurance industry was notorious for mishandling such cases, a problem that had spread worldwide.

Brian could only seek settlements for some compensation since lawsuits were expensive.

...

At noon, Fox News aired a special report on Mills and Eunice Insurance, detailing the incident from start to finish, including shareholders and management, and fund flows before bankruptcy.

One-third of the funds eventually went as charitable donations to Maria Shriver's foundation.

Fox News directly targeted Schwarzenegger.

...

Edward approached Hawke. "Boss, the main fire is aimed at Schwarzenegger."

Hawke understood why. "I suspect two forces behind this. First, the Ferguson family. This is their chance to pressure Schwarzenegger."

Paul Ferguson was a veteran politician influential in Southern California. Such men acted decisively when opportunities arose.

"The other force supports Mills' shooting. The more Schwarzenegger is attacked, even if rationally we know Brian's not responsible, doubts still grow."

Edward asked, "These forces?"

"Easy to verify," Hawke said as he pulled out his phone and dialed Megan Taylor. "Check where Harley Wayne's noon news source came from."

"Hold on," Megan replied.

Ten minutes later, her call returned. "I found Harley. The package was received this morning via FedEx local delivery. The label has been photographed and sent to your Twitter inbox."

"Thanks," Hawke said, hung up, opened Twitter, viewed the label, and forwarded it to Edward. "Send to Campos. Get someone to investigate."

Edward muttered, "These bastards actually learned from us!"

Hawke said, "This method seems familiar."

He recalled, "The package sent to Erica from New York."

Hawke and Brian had suspected San Francisco was behind that.

*****

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