The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 162: Mr. and Mrs. Smith]

Ocean Park Avenue, the Twitter office building.

In less than ten minutes, Hawke received calls from Suzy and Steve Nutt, both regarding Will Smith.

Caroline remarked, "The connections at BWR Public Relations can't compare to CAA." She looked at Hawke and added, "It hasn't been long, and CAA already found your friends and acquaintances."

Hawke replied, "After all, they are Hollywood's top talent agency."

Frank stretched and yawned, asking Hawke, "What do you think?"

"We weren't planning to publish anything tonight," Hawke said. Even if they did, the video he had wouldn't go out until at least tomorrow once the office was officially open.

He continued, "I had them relay that we wouldn't publish tonight. As for what's next, I have a new idea."

Caroline, who had worked with Hawke several times, was feeling a bit lazy with her thinking. "Are you stirring things up?"

Hawke simply said, "We have video of Will Smith and video of Jada Smith. How about creating a special couple's segment? I wonder if the Smiths would be interested."

Frank chimed in, "Using a text as a free advertisement?"

Just as he finished speaking, Hawke's phone rang with an unknown number.

He answered it.

On the other end was Will Smith's agent, James Locke, wanting to meet with Hawke in person.

Hawke chatted with him for a while on the phone, suggesting they come directly to Twitter's office.

After hanging up, he asked Frank, "What's the deal with CAA's James Locke?"

Frank switched to his know-it-all mode, saying, "Back in my glorious days, he was just a junior assistant in the mailroom."

"I've dealt with him before," Caroline interjected. "He's one of CAA's senior partners. Like Brian Lord and Richard Lovett, he's a very rational guy."

She thought for a moment and added, "CAA's success comes from high-level agents who are rational and can keep the stars in check."

Hawke nodded slightly, saying, "Let's make sure the security personnel are prepared just in case."

Frank wasn't feeling loyal. "I'm going back to sleep."

Edward pulled out a handgun and slapped it on the conference table in front of Frank. "Take it."

"I don't need it; I'll stick with you guys." Frank grabbed coffee from the coffee machine.

Caroline touched her head and revealed her small sharp teeth, feeling that this wasn't enough. She said to Hawke, "I think I'll get a gun permit too."

Hawke looked at her skinny arms and legs and pulled out a can of pepper spray from his briefcase, tossing it her way.

Edward left to find the security team downstairs.

The security at Twitter consisted of personnel selected by the Ferguson family, handpicked by Erica.

Each person had a concealed carry permit.

The security team opened the gun cabinet and retrieved their weapons.

Two of them even climbed to the rooftop to set up long guns.

If there was an attack, the West Division could respond in under ten minutes.

As a major tech hub in Silicon Beach, police patrols were also frequent in the area.

...

It wasn't just Hawke who was cautious.

Will Smith and James Locke were equally on guard.

As they got into the car, Bilaal tucked away the revolver that had been on the armrest.

James Locke and Maha Dakhil both took note of this.

Once the car started, they exchanged glances, and Maha said, "I asked Suzy in detail. Erica Ferguson was assaulted in the Silver Lake community recently. One of the gunmen not shown on video is Erica's boyfriend, Hawke Osment. He took down 13 armed men, all trained ex-Mexican police."

James was worried that emotions might run high, so he patted the driver's seat and pointedly said to Bilaal, "If things get messy, we'd be in serious trouble."

Will Smith sighed, "I never planned to draw a gun. If money can solve it, it's not an issue."

As they arrived at Ocean Park Avenue, they spotted the small blue bird and the Twitter logo from afar while Bilaal drove closer.

James was the first to exit. He turned to Bilaal, reminding him, "You stay in the car."

Bilaal shrugged without a word.

...

When Will and Maha got out, the three approached the office building.

Three people were waiting at the entrance to greet them. Two were sturdy-looking security guards in uniforms, each carrying a handgun.

The other was a somewhat handsome black man in a custom business suit, looking a bit intimidating.

Edward recognized Will Smith and gestured them to follow. "Hawke is waiting for you upstairs."

The group entered through the front door, took the elevator upstairs, and went into a conference room.

There were three more people in the conference room. James noticed something odd about the combination: a young couple and a scruffy old man.

The woman was decked out in designer clothes from head to toe, looking like a luxury display.

The man was ordinary-looking, with a mild demeanor.

After brief introductions, they seated themselves on opposite sides of the conference table.

James directly addressed Hawke, "Earlier on the phone, you mentioned you acquired some video about Will from freelance reporters?"

Hawke, who had devised a new plan, replied, "Twitter is newly established and has been purchasing entertainment news at high prices, receiving dozens of leads. I only learned tonight that we bought Will's video at a premium, then I had someone tally the other news we received, and there are two more stories related to Will."

Will Smith couldn't help but say, "What? Two more?"

Hawke made a gesture at Caroline, who promptly turned on the projector and clicked the mouse on her laptop to play the video.

The video didn't feature two men but rather a man and a woman, with the man being Will Smith and the woman being Brigitte Moynahan.

Will recognized the scene immediately, remembering that it had happened over a week ago at Warner Bros. studio.

James held Will's hand, motioning him not to speak.

Hawke reminded them, "The next video involves Mrs. Smith. Should I play it?"

Will gritted his teeth, "Play it."

Caroline switched to the next clip, showing a man and a woman in a garden. The woman was Jada Smith, and the man was rapper Nate Dogg.

Not everyone was like Broderick, keen on seeing someone else with their wife. Will shouted, "Turn it off!"

Hawke nodded slightly at Caroline.

Caroline shut off the video.

Will's forehead was slick with sweat, and he felt his pulse racing as he stared at Hawke. "You're doing this on purpose!"

"I have nothing against you; why would I target you?" Hawke replied honestly, stating that they bore no animosity. "I work in internet media, and I need hot news, so when someone sells it to me, of course I'll take it."

There couldn't be that much coincidence in the world.

Let alone Will Smith, even Hawke didn't fully believe himself.

But after it aired, Will understood that his current knowledge wasn't much different from back then.

Will confirmed, "You're out to get me!"

At that moment, the young woman interjected, brandishing her sharp horns and showing her small teeth. "If you two didn't engage in this, the paparazzi wouldn't have captured it, and if the paparazzi don't catch anything, it naturally wouldn't be sold to us."

She quickly smiled, her sharp teeth reflecting the light like some demon. "You should really look for the reason within yourselves!"

Will wanted to argue, but James held him back, stating, "What's done is done. We come with a willingness to resolve this matter."

Maha specifically noted, "Suzy and I have known each other for many years. Mr. Richard Lovett, the CEO of CAA, is an old friend of Mrs. Mary Ferguson. There's business between us as well."

After some light pressure, James used the most sincere approach possible. "Regardless of how much you acquired these videos for, Will will repurchase them for $5 million. We owe your company a favor."

Maha promptly added, "Will and Jada have two children; this news could severely harm them. We can't let the kids suffer, right?"

In that moment, Hawke felt like the villain forcing them into a corner.

Given the role of a villain, he was ready for that perception. "You three are on the right side; you've placed my company in a moral conflict."

Hawke raised his hand to interrupt James. "You know better than we do what the consequences would be if the video of Will and Duane Martin is released. Hollywood mainstream productions won't cast a gay man as the lead."

Will glared at Hawke. "You want to publish it? You want to ruin my acting career?"

"On the contrary, Twitter wants to work with you, sincerely." Hawke replied calmly. "After James called me, I combined what he said with these three video recordings and suddenly came up with a show concept that could rock the world."

James inquired, "What kind of concept?"

Hawke looked at Will. "You and Jada reached an open marriage agreement a while back, right?"

Now that they had the videos, it would be pointless for Will to deny it, so he casually replied, "Yes, it's been a few years."

Hawke asked, "Hasn't there been anything caught on camera?"

Maha seized the opportunity to press. "There were some, including many top-tier media, but we managed to handle it all."

Hawke nodded slightly. "With that said, there's bound to be quite a few rumors out there about your relationship, both inside and outside the industry."

Will Smith remained silent, but ever since they got married, rumors of infidelities surrounding them hadn't ceased.

If it were just infidelity, he wouldn't have been so anxious.

"How about this? Let's collaborate on a show." Hawke was an unashamed opportunist; he got Will's video and wanted him to cooperate. "Will, you and Jada can come on Twitter for a guest segment. We can do a live stream, a red table talk where you and Jada can open up about your relationship."

While there were many stars exposed in scandals, it was extremely rare for stars to discuss an open marriage on air.

The potential impact could be even greater.

Hawke was just making an attempt; if Will Smith didn't agree, they wouldn't waste time on previous plans.

Will didn't hesitate to reject. "Not a chance!"

Hawke said, "Infidelity isn't unusual in Hollywood; open marriages are common too. I've heard that Bruce Willis and Demi Moore were like that and half-public about it..."

Will stiffened his neck, insisting, "I refuse."

"Understood." Hawke turned to James Locke. "Let's end it here."

James stated, "We arrived with the utmost sincerity."

Hawke replied, "I invited you both to collaborate sincerely, too."

James understood his implication. "So if Will rejects your invitation, you'll expose the video of him and Duane?"

"Twitter is a legitimate social media outlet with a sense of social responsibility." In response to the earlier lofty tone, Hawke matched it just the same. "The public has long been misled, and we have a responsibility to tell them the truth. This is the very essence of press freedom."

Will was enraged. "Despicable! Shameless!"

Caroline, the young woman, jumped in again. "Ha! Telling the public your true colors is despicable and shameless? You're openly deceiving society, creating a false image of a perfect couple. What's that?"

Will found himself at a loss for words.

Caroline raised her chin. "The media has the duty to supervise society and public figures; this is granted to us by the news legislation!"

Edward quietly gave Caroline a thumbs-up.

The handsome black man suddenly remembered that Caroline wasn't just a meek little sheep; back when they first met, she had a sharp tongue and was always mocking.

At that moment, Maha asked Hawke, "So it's a one-on-one discussion of marriage, including infidelity and open marriages?"

Hawke confirmed, "That's the main content."

James and Maha were far more rational than Will, observing from a third-party perspective.

The former remarked, "This doesn't just concern Will; it involves Jada too. We can't make decisions unilaterally."

Hawke pondered briefly. "I can wait until tomorrow morning at eight."

James understood that the other party could publish at any time, so there was no need for a long discussion. He nodded, saying, "See you tomorrow."

Maha shot a glance at Will Smith, and they followed her and James out together.

...

Hawke pulled out his phone and called Erica. "I probably won't make it back tonight; some things came up. You should head home right away."

Erica didn't ask any questions. "I'm leaving now." Then she asked, "Is it serious?"

Hawke chuckled softly, "I can handle it."

After hanging up, he turned to Edward. "Notify all security to return to work; triple overtime pay."

Edward pulled out his phone to make calls.

Hawke cautioned, "No one is to leave the company until noon tomorrow."

...

Downstairs, Bilaal started the car.

As Will was about to speak, James' phone rang.

He answered it, hearing CAA CEO Richard Lovett on the other end. "Regarding Will, I just spoke to Mary Ferguson. She said that Pacific Investment Group is just an investor and doesn't interfere with normal business operations."

James felt a headache coming on.

After hanging up, he looked at Will. "Ultimately, this decision rests with you."

Will's face was expressionless. "My mind is a bit jumbled; help me analyze it."

"The current situation is clear." Richard's call had crushed James' last hope. "Time is extremely tight; it's best not to use covert tactics. Even if we wanted to use force, we may not stand a chance against them."

Maha glanced at the nearby buildings. "This is the Silicon Beach Tech Park that Los Angeles is heavily developing. A direct attack here would mean facing SWAT and the FBI."

James didn't consider that option. "Hawke Osment only gave us two choices. If we don't collaborate, he'll expose the video of you and Duane. Your career would plummet; mainstream productions won't use you any longer, and you wouldn't be considered for any heterosexual roles. You'd only be able to take on supporting roles in the future."

There wasn't a single leading gay star in Hollywood, especially not one in the spotlight.

James continued, "If you collaborate, it won't significantly harm your career. Infidelity has never been a problem in Hollywood, and open marriages aren't that unusual. You and Jada would face some backlash, but it could also generate prolonged media attention."

Maha initially wanted to mention the kids, but thinking of some things she had heard, she ultimately held back.

This couple didn't seem to care; why should she as an agent worry about it?

Will was a sharp-minded star; now he had to make his choice.

Should he gamble on mutual destruction, ruining his career, while Hawke timely released the video and then closed the doors?

They could easily rebrand and launch another site.

But he'd be cast aside by mainstream audiences.

Hollywood was currently showcasing another black star, Denzel Washington, he was not irreplaceable.

The group didn't return to CAA. Will Smith called Jada, while Bilaal drove them to Calabasas' Dream Castle.

...

Compared to Will, Jada Smith was much more decisive.

Thinking of the selfie scandal with Allison Faith, she saw it as an opportunity -- a fantastic chance to expand her recognition and influence!

Jada wanted to be an independent, free woman, not merely an appendage to Will Smith.

To achieve that goal, she needed her own career.

She desired the benefits of being Mrs. Smith, but she wanted her own individual career too.

Hollywood has always been at the forefront of the times. This new type of good wife, of course, wanted it all.

The Smiths reached an agreement.

Without waiting for the next day, James called Hawke on behalf of the Smiths.

...

The next morning, James and Maha accompanied them to Twitter to finalize a series of follow-up matters.

Last night, Hawke had outlined the plan's framework, asking Caroline to work overnight to draft a detailed agreement.

They discussed for half the morning and signed a formal collaborative contract.

As the saying goes, if you can't resist, you might as well lay back and enjoy.

Stars have never feared a surge in media attention.

*****

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