[Chapter 185: Bullying]
The next morning, the Los Angeles Tis hit the stands with news about Brian.
Despite being one of North Arica's top three newspapers and not indulging in wild speculation like tabloids, its claim that Covina's mayoral candidate underwent an AIDS test would naturally leave the impression that he was particularly disreputable.
Legally, it wasn't a big issue; there were no regulations against AIDS patients running for office.
However, the invisible discrimination was ever-present.
Brian did provide clarifications, but their effectiveness could only be described as middling.
In the office, Edward entered holding a stack of gossip newspapers, dropping them in front of Hawke and Brian.
Hawke picked up a popular edition of the National Enquirer. On the front page of the second section, he saw Brian's photo.
He shook his head in admiration. "Man, you really know how to enjoy yourself, hanging out with three models at once."
The photo background was a private beach, with four people in total; the man was Brian, and the other three were obviously models based on their figures.
They lay on the sand, with Brian positioned over one model, hands firmly on either side of her bosom -- clearly the pose of a lewd wolf.
Edward frowned, "You're hooking up with models and didn't bring along? That's just not cool."
Brian's face darkened, looking like it might rain. "I didn't even know Hawke when I was having fun back then!"
Hawke remarked, "All of your past indiscretions are about to be exposed."
"It's definitely those bastards' doing! Their team is clearly out to create chaos," Brian resolved. "We need to act quickly."
Hawke stated, "You'll need your people to handle the operational side."
Brian fully understood the implications this had on his future. "No problem."
He then asked, "Have they located Grant's people yet?"
Even with the four nas and faces, finding them in sprawling Los Angeles was no easy feat.
"Not yet," Hawke had a corresponding strategy. "This team ca to stop you and assist Owen Nester's campaign, so they must have connected with Owen. If we follow Owen, we're bound to find sothing." ŕÅ𐌽𝔬ʙËṦ
Brian quickly pulled out his phone and called another assistant, Beacon, who was in touch with the security company controlled by the Ferguson family.
Edward looked at Hawke, hinting, "Boss?"
This guy was excellent at driving and tracking others, so Hawke nodded slightly at him.
...
Edward imdiately exited the office, grabbed the keys to a regular sedan, and drove from Twitter straight to Covina.
Along the way, he called Campos.
As Edward exited the highway and drove into Covina, he noticed a two-ter tall artificial orange sign greeting him at the main entrance of the town.
Covina was famous for its oranges and citrus processing.
He had heard Brian ntion before that this enormous fake orange at the intersection was a publicity stunt created by Owen Nester for the elections.
Edward parked near the city hall and spotted Campos.
The two exchanged distant glances without greeting each other.
...
Inside the city hall, Owen, in his forties, had a burgeoning belly and sparse hair but carried an air of authority.
After signing a docunt, he waved to the driver. "Let's head to the school."
The two exited and boarded a Lexus heading to East Covina Middle School.
...
Edward and Campos had great synergy, following closely behind.
However, contrary to their expectations, the Lexus stopped at a school entrance.
Owen's expression soured as he walked into the school alone.
Edward and Campos didn't dare get too close, parking their cars from two different directions and using binoculars to monitor the situation.
Soon, Owen ca out, leading a stocky brown-haired boy from the school.
They both got into the car, which then drove off from the school gate.
A pair of xican mother and son erged from the school.
The boy stood at the door, filled with resentnt as he watched the Lexus drive away.
Seeing the situation, Campos called Edward. "You head after Owen while I check on the mother and son."
Edward drove closely behind the Lexus.
...
Waiting until the xican mother and son boarded an old Ford, Campos followed after them.
After about ten minutes, the Ford stopped in front of a small diner, and the mother and son got out to enter.
After a mont, Campos also walked into the diner.
The xican woman stood behind the counter, while the boy had put on a waiter's uniform.
Upon seeing the newcor with a xican face, the woman greeted warmly. "Hello, how can I assist you?"
Campos glanced at the nu. "One xican pancake, one xican grilled at, and fries. And a Coke, please."
The woman smiled. "Just a mont."
She handed the nu to the kitchen, and when Campos paid, he discreetly peeked inside, seeing an elderly couple working in the kitchen.
This was clearly a small family-run diner.
After taking a seat, it wasn't long before the boy brought over a tray of food and set it down.
Campos tipped him two dollars casually and asked, "Such a young kid working, not going to school?"
"Thank you," the boy gratefully accepted the tip and added, "I've got so things today, ca back early."
Campos noticed the bruise on the boy's face. "Did you get into a fight with your classmates?"
The boy didn't respond, anger etched on his face.
"It's okay. I was bullied a lot by white bullies in school when I was younger," Campos said, sothing very common in middle school experiences. "Bullying is prevalent; you need to fight back."
Being of similar descent, the boy quietly replied, "I can't beat him."
Campos offered, "Are there any other xicans in your class? Try to unite them; if you band together, you can fight back. Ignoring the bullying will only make it worse."
The woman at the counter suddenly called out, "Rod, we need you back in the kitchen."
"Thanks for the tip," the boy turned and headed back to the kitchen.
After finishing his al, Campos left the diner, taking out his notebook to jot down the restaurant and the boy's na.
He always adhered to Hawke's advice, to observe, listen, and take notes, believing that such details might co in handy later.
As night fell, Campos and Edward called each other to report. They hadn't achieved much today.
They shifted shifts with Carlos and Garcia and returned to West Los Angeles.
...
Three days later, Edward finally had a discovery.
Owen Nester drove solo to the Los Angeles financial district and entered a club.
After waiting a few minutes, he observed a new Toyota Alphard pull up, from which four individuals stepped out.
Edward recognized them imdiately as the faces in Brian's file, three n and one woman.
He hurried to call Campos and Hawke.
...
Inside the club, Grant and the four entered a eting room to et Owen Nester.
Owen smiled as he said, "The action against that bastard Brian has been very successful. His negative press is everywhere; his clarifications didn't work at all; he hasn't dared show up in Covina lately."
Grant appeared cautious. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Brian's easy to deal with, but that man behind him is the real trouble."
"That's right; you ntioned that before," Owen had lived in Covina his whole life, and his perspective wasn't particularly broad, so he hadn't really taken much heed of the individual Grant's team spoke of. "What was his na again?"
Hailey replied solemnly, "His na is Hawke Osnt, the founder and CEO of Twitter! Note that his expertise lies not in business but in business consulting!"
Owen's brow furrowed in confusion. "Like you guys?"
Grant confird, "We've attempted an operation against him before, but failed."
Now Owen took things a bit more seriously. "Why are we attacking Brian so much? Apart from clarifying through formal channels, they have not taken any other action."
"That's exactly what we're concerned about," Augusto added. "We're waiting for their next move."
Madison said, "Hawke's notorious for hiding in the shadows and using cunning sches to sabotage people."
Hearing how grave the four sounded, Owen felt uneasy. "When will you be in Covina?"
Grant said, "No rush. We first need to see what Hawke Osnt plans to do."
Owen insisted, "Please hurry; that bastard Brian's campaign office will be set up soon."
...
A business vehicle entered the club's parking lot.
In the backseat, Hawke and Brian both grabbed binoculars and peered through the specially coated glass window toward the club.
It didn't take long for them to spot the Toyota Alphard Edward had ntioned.
After waiting about half an hour, the four erged from the club and got back in their car.
Hawke clearly observed and declared, "That's definitely them."
Brian had reviewed the photos multiple tis already. "It's absolutely them!"
Hawke grabbed his phone and made a call, "Cross-track without being spotted."
Another individual exited the club, and Brian alerted Hawke, "That bald guy is Owen Nester."
Having seen Owen's detailed dossier, Hawke recognized him instantly. "That's a match."
...
In order to track them, besides Campos and Edward, there were four other cars dispersed at nearby intersections.
Before long, news trickled back to them.
Edward called in saying, "Boss, we found their lair. All four have rented an office in the E&Y Tower in the financial district. We're concerned about alarming them, so we didn't inquire about which floor they're on."
Hawke instructed directly, "You, Campos, and the others take turns keeping tabs on their movents and their vehicles."
"Got it," Edward hung up.
...
Hawke switched off his phone and turned to Brian. "We've located them; have you found suitable personnel on your end?"
Rembering being exposed by those bastards for days, Brian grinned maliciously. "I've got people and vehicles ready. We've even prepared several withdrawal plans for both success and failure."
In other places, the Ferguson family might not have such power.
But here, in their stronghold of Los Angeles, things were different.
...
The plan was clear-cut, but things rarely go as planned. Edward and Campos monitored those four for days, yet they rarely left their lair, leaving no opportunity for the right move.
Brian grew anxious. The dia attacks were piling up, putting imnse pressure on him.
No one could remain calm while being publicly vilified daily.
He approached Hawke urgently. "What's the plan now?"
Hawke pondered carefully, shifting perspectives, "This ti, they initiated the offensive. We've yet to respond effectively. They might be waiting for our next move."
After a mont of contemplation, he added, "Isn't your campaign office about to launch? We need to make a bigger move."
*****
/Sayonara816.
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