The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 160: Using Money as a Hammer]

Straining in awkward positions for so long, Campos felt his feet going numb.

But upon seeing Will Smith and Duane Martin, he perked up and adjusted his lens for the clearest shot.

The sound of Juan hitting the shutter echoed beside him.

Through the lens, Campos noticed something off about the two men's movements.

They removed their towels and moved forward, disappearing behind a window.

Campos cursed inwardly -- just as he thought he would miss the most exciting shot, the men reappeared behind another window.

Los Angeles, bathed in bright sunshine year-round, had houses that prioritized lighting and large windows and doors in their designs.

Thanking the architect silently, Campos kept filming.

Behind another window was a couch; Will Smith was leaning over it, while Duane held him down.

[A/N: The above was quoted by Will Smith's assistant Bilaal Salaam.]

Having filmed this scene was more than enough.

As the two remained unnoticed, Campos turned off the camera, telling Juan, "Let's go."

Juan nodded but moved his legs to get up. After being in such a cramped position for too long, he stumbled, grasped the frame instinctively, and sent the camera crashing to the metal frame below.

A series of not-so-loud thuds rang through the night.

The street was quiet and narrow, and this small noise found its way into the open windows of a nearby vehicle, grabbing Bilaal's attention.

Bilaal turned his head toward the noise and spotted the water tower in the park, catching sight of the two men climbing down.

Though dark, he could make out a camera bag slung over one of their shoulders.

Bilaal threw open the car door, bolted toward them, brandishing a revolver, yelling, "Stop! You two, don't move! I'm armed!"

"Go!" Campos ignored him entirely, urging Juan to retreat quickly.

They were over twenty meters apart, and that punk held a small revolver; unless he had the marksmanship of a seasoned detective, he wouldn't hit them.

Jumping off the water tower, Juan retrieved the damaged camera and bolted after Campos.

...

Bilaal hesitated to fire; if the issue blew up, they'd have far bigger problems to manage.

He pursued the two over the fence while dialing Will Smith's number to alert him. "Two paparazzi just took shots; they could have recorded something. You better think of a way to handle this!"

Will Smith, still fending off Duane, asked, "You were outside the whole time. What could they possibly see?"

Duane interjected, "They climbed up the park's water tower and shot us sneaking."

Will's instincts kicked in, as he unconsciously glanced through the window, dimly aware of a tall structure looming in the night sky.

He realized this wasn't good. "Get those guys!"

"Not possible!" Bilaal panted, "They're in a car and taking off. I got the license plate...."

Duane caught a hint of urgency in Will's voice, asking, "Will, what's going on?"

"Nothing, stay calm," Will responded into the phone. "Make sure to remember the plate number. I'm hanging up now."

With long strides, Will paced, restless, as he reached for the phone to call his agent. "It's me, Will. I've been shot at by paparazzi! Yes, it's extremely serious! If it gets out, I'm done for!"

...

Century City, at CAA, James Locke snapped upright in surprise, promptly standing from his chair. "I need to know what exactly happened!"

"I was with Duane, and someone very likely filmed us!" Will declared urgently.

"Damn it!" James swore and quickly composed himself. "Stay calm; you need to come to CAA immediately. I'll be here; you're one of our top clients, and we will mobilize every resource to assist you."

Will replied, "Bilaal noted down the license plate. Can you check for me who they are?"

This task wasn't challenging for CAA. James quickly pressed, "Tell me the license plate number."

After a brief pause, Will provided the number, and within a few minutes, news came back declaring the plate was fake.

This was a common tactic used by paparazzi.

James wasn't surprised. He quickly called his team to initiate an emergency response.

CAA offered comprehensive services to its major clients. Besides their primary agents, stars had additional co-managing agents.

Maha Dakhil, who dealt with media affairs, rushed back from an Oscar afterparty upon receiving the call.

Will Smith was hightailing it to CAA.

...

On Fountain Street, Hawke was watching the Oscars with Erika when he received a call from Campos and immediately began reaching for his coat.

Erika asked, "Is it an emergency?"

Hawke paused, still planning to share a word. "A key moment in a future billionaire's career."

"Then go," Erika tossed him the keys to her Mercedes. "Be safe."

Hawke caught the keys, tucked his gun in his pocket, and got into his bulletproof Benz. As he pulled away, he called Edward for an update.

Next, he dialed Caroline. "Get to the office right away."

Caroline complained, "I was just about to go for a beauty sleep."

Hawke dangled a carrot before her, "Do you want to be a CEO with a million-dollar salary?"

"I'm on my way!" Caroline recognized she had been PUA-ed but was pleased to comply.

...

Being the nearest, Edward got to the office first, following Hawke's instructions to wake Frank up from the RV.

Minutes later, Hawke and Caroline arrived at the office one after the other.

There were people on duty inside the Twitter building.

The four of them entered a small meeting room, and Hawke laid out the situation briefly.

His phone buzzed again, and upon answering, he stated, "I've just confirmed news; we've also acquired the video of Jada Smith and Nate Dogg."

Caroline perked up, pacing in her red high heels in the meeting room. "This means we have two copies of Will Smith's scandalous videos, with one featuring him with a man. The other shows Jada Smith and the rapper..."

Frank cast her a glance, warning, "Don't get too excited; Will Smith has hundreds of millions of assets. If he's caught onto this, he'll find a way to track you down. CAA is the top-tier agency in the industry and can exert pressure through various channels."

Hawke had already considered that. "Money can indeed make a lot of things happen. Since Twitter just launched, our development heavily hinges on this strategy."

Although Frank was older, he noted, "You guys are taking too many risks."

Hawke declared, "The marketplace is just another battlefield."

The front desk personnel buzzed in. They announced a Mexican freelancer had arrived to trade news, claiming to have an appointment with Caroline.

Caroline stepped out to negotiate and purchased two videos alongside bonus photos, swiftly returning to the meeting room.

Edward connected a projector to his laptop and played the video footage.

The Smiths seemed to enjoy a particularly open lifestyle.

...

At CAA headquarters in Century City, Will Smith sat in a meeting room, the anger on his face having faded.

The situation had escalated, and now all he could do was come up with a solution.

Maha Dakhil, who had been briefed on the situation, was busy making calls, having already dialed out dozens of times.

She was doing everything possible to prevent the video from being made public tonight.

As long as the video hadn't been released, there was still hope.

James Locke was also making calls, specifically hiring someone to check with the paparazzi in Los Angeles.

But the feedback was discouraging; all the paparazzi were busy watching the Oscars, with no one following Will Smith.

James shook his head at Will and sat down to think.

Maha finished her calls and said, "I've called every media outlet in Los Angeles, big and small. If they receive something, they will definitely inform us."

That was CAA's confidence.

Will didn't waste words, directly stating his demands: "The video cannot leak."

"Absolutely!" James took over, analyzing the situation. "Based on what we know, there are three possibilities. First, the paparazzi didn't capture anything substantial, so there's nothing to sell."

Maha cautioned, "We shouldn't rely on that luck."

James continued, "Second, the paparazzi did get something, but they didn't come to a favorable agreement, or they don't know how much to sell it for, so the video's still in their hands. The last possibility, which we dread the most, is that the footage has been sold to a media outlet we're unaware of, and they are planning to orchestrate a media storm."

Will said, "Whether it's the second or third possibility, I don't want to see it happen."

Maha glanced at her watch: "We don't have much time; we must find a solution quickly."

If they could have even just a night, they could strategize carefully.

James was acutely aware of the urgency. "Our biggest advantage is holding absolute resources."

Will understood: "Money isn't an issue."

"Those paparazzi are almost certainly still in Los Angeles." James conceived a plan: "We could throw money at them to flush them out!"

Maha looked at him curiously.

James explained, "Contact all major communication companies and have them send out a message to all mobile phone users in Los Angeles..."

"That will put me in the spotlight and pique the curiosity of the public media," Will thought, wanting a quiet resolution.

James was more pragmatic: "Given how it's escalated, preventing the video from leaking is our top priority. Think about your roles on screen, think about your public image. If that video is made public, do you think there will be any major productions wanting you as the lead? The same audience that supported you will turn against you!"

He added, "Let's nail down the video, and the following excuses and justifications will be easy to find."

Will thought for a moment and nodded, "Let's move fast and use money to flush them out."

James made more calls and reached out to other senior partners to expedite the resolution.

That evening, just as the Oscars wrapped up, mobile users in Los Angeles received a text message.

*****

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