[Chapter 364: Betrayal]
As the party ended, Hawke stepped out of the bustling hall filled with Secret Service agents and imdiately called for his bodyguard.
Though he wasn't certain if Elizabeth Carter's words had any truth to them, he chose to err on the side of caution and directly contacted Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
Card quickly coordinated several agents to follow Hawke and Brian. If anything were to go wrong during their ti in Washington, it would reflect poorly on the host, George Walker Bush. If he couldn't even protect the guests he invited, who would want to cooperate with him?
Hawke opted not to return to the Willard InterContinental Hotel where they had been staying; instead, he stayed at the Hilton, reserving several new rooms.
...
Entering a business suite, Brian asked, "What happened?"
"We're preventing anyone from causing us trouble," Hawke replied, briefly explaining Elizabeth Carter's situation.
Brian thought for a mont and said, "That makes sense, better to avoid any complications." He habitually added, "What if soone does try to shoot..."
Hawke tensed at the ntion and quickly interrupted, "Buddy, you should keep your mouth shut."
"I'm not the cursed cult leader anymore!" Brian retorted. "Since you and Erica went on vacation to Florida, no accidents have happened, right?"
Hawke pointed out a painful fact: "Because you kept your mouth shut."
He quickly changed the subject, asking, "Elizabeth Carter claims to be a strategic planner. What exactly does she do?"
Brian pulled out his phone. "I'm not sure, let ask."
...
After about ten minutes, Brian ended the call and said, "She's the Vice President of the renowned Peterson Strategic Consulting Firm and was one of George's strategists in the election, but she's mainly responsible for the Midwestern operations and hasn't been to Los Angeles."
He continued, "Elizabeth recently took on a new job; several Democrats are preparing to push for a new round of gun control legislation next year. They want to shake the foundations of the Republican Party. The election is over, and the results can't be changed, so they're already preparing for the mid-terms and four years from now. The Peterson Company has been hired by the National Rifle Association to lobby against this bill."
"I see," Hawke understood. "Those lawmakers need to consider the voters in their districts, and since public opinion is influenced by dia, the likes of Twitter can put that influence right in the voters' faces, unlike traditional newspapers and TV channels."
Brian added, "She wants to leverage Twitter's influence."
Hawke recalled their brief exchange in the banquet hall. "This woman asked to et tomorrow. hlman has also scheduled to et at the Hilton so I can have a chat with her first. If Peterson is willing to pay, it could be a lucrative deal."
---
Inside the Willard InterContinental Hotel lobby, a waitress set down coffee beside two male guests, whispering, "The targets haven't returned."
The bald man nodded slightly.
The waitress departed normally.
The bald man added sugar to his coffee, whispering, "Let them leave quickly."
The younger man pulled out his phone and made a call: "Withdraw now."
He put away his phone and looked at the bald man. "Do you think they've gone sowhere else and will co back?"
The bald man replied, "I never agreed with this thod. But it's insisted by the higher-ups. Not everyone is like them, letting their crazed desires ruin their careers over a woman."
The young man lowered his head, asking, "Then why push forward?"
The bald man explained, "Many people are suspicious that Brian Ferguson's fiancee has gathered more evidence from the Ackerman family and is secretly hanging onto it for when it's needed..."
The young man realized, "The actual target this ti is the new mayor of Los Angeles?"
"Yes," the bald man confird. "It seems the other side is cautious."
The young man inquired, "What about the police?"
The bald man waved his hand. "Let them withdraw. I'll personally handle Edwards."
...
As they spoke, several agents wearing blue FBI jackets suddenly entered the hotel lobby.
They headed straight for the front desk, showed their credentials, and went upstairs.
The young man watched as they entered the elevator, saying, "They aren't looking for us, are they?"
"Let's go," the bald man took a sip of his coffee and stood to leave.
The young man automatically followed him.
They climbed into the sa car, and the bald man had the young man drive. He pulled out his phone, dialing a number: "Things have changed. The FBI is here."
The person on the other end asked, "Have we been exposed?"
The bald man responded, "No, I had soone pull out early."
"Got it, hurry up and leave." The call ended.
The bald man gazed out at the gloomy Washington night sky.
---
The following morning, Hawke received a call from Andrew Card: the FBI had found nothing unusual.
He thanked Card, finished breakfast, and arrived at the cafe by the scheduled ti.
Elizabeth Carter had already arrived.
She wore an all-black won's suit, her pale skin stark against her bold red lips, giving off a particularly stern vibe.
Perhaps that was her survival technique in the workplace.
Hawke sat across from her and indicated his watch. "I have another appointnt in half an hour."
"I know, hlman scheduled a eting with you," Elizabeth stated with an air of control, diving right into the topic. "I assu you've gathered so information about and my work?"
Hawke replied, "That's right, you're a strategic planner and a political lobbyist."
Elizabeth's stern face revealed little emotion. "I just took on a new job to dismantle the Democratic gun control proposal. However, with the frequency of shootings in North Arica increasing, calls for stricter gun laws have beco a societal norm. If this bill passes, it will directly affect the midterm election results."
Hawke listened without responding.
Elizabeth continued, "This job needs strong dia platform support, but most dia outlets back the Democrats."
Hawke leaned back in his chair, saying, "Twitter can provide that support, but there are conditions."
A smile broke on Elizabeth's stern face. "Give a ti and your room number. I had a blood test last week, and I'll bring the results with ."
Hawke frowned, wondering if it was too direct.
Elizabeth was straightforward. "Convincing politicians relies on more than just interests; you have to rely on your body too."
That was her foundation for success in Washington.
"You're mistaken," Hawke slowly shook his head. "Twitter is a business, not a charity. While I can help with your promotion, you need to discuss fees with my marketing director."
Elizabeth appeared slightly disappointed. "Understood."
She suddenly asked, "Do you support gun control?"
Hawke didn't answer; instead, he said, "From what you've learned about , you should know I have faced multiple attacks; I survived thanks to the gun I had in hand."
Elizabeth didn't press further.
...
Hawke excused himself and found Brian to chat briefly, then they both entered the eting room.
A mont later, campaign manager hlman ca in.
The main goal of this eting was to discuss George W. Bush's new economic developnt plans as he was about to enter his new term.
This involved a plan to support the internet industry.
In Hawke's previous life, he had seen reports of the federal governnt providing massive subsidies like a $50 billion package for the airline industry and $8 billion for Intel along with over $10 billion in low-interest loans.
Twitter, of course, wouldn't receive the sa level of treatnt.
During George W. Bush's second term, a strong push for internet industry developnt would be made, offering a subsidy package worth $2.5 billion.
As the internet company that contributed the most during the election, Twitter would enjoy a share of $1.7 billion from this package.
This package included federal grants, tax credits, and special business subsidies.
Half of the funding would co directly from federal grants.
Additionally, Twitter could apply for a total of $3.5 billion in ultra-low interest loans guaranteed by the federal governnt.
In terms of policy, Twitter would also be supported.
Hawke wanted to establish a "Mobile App Alliance" to promote the Android system and the Twitter mobile app.
Twitter would collaborate with the Federal Communications Commission and the Departnt of Comrce to co-host an industry conference next year.
Hawke also provided a program called "Stargate" for artificial intelligence developnt.
The federal governnt would review this plan, and if approved, special funding would be allocated for its developnt.
The developnt of artificial intelligence would require significant financial investnt, and of course, Hawke aid to use federal funds for that.
As for the smaller projects involved, once they returned to Los Angeles, Hawke planned to dispatch a professional team to negotiate with the federal governnt thoroughly.
---
On Capitol Hill, in an office.
Chief of Staff Andrew Card had just left, and Republican Whip Tom Emr stood at the office door, looking particularly upset.
Assistant Wilshire hurried in, asking, "Tommy?"
"This is betrayal, a serious betrayal!" Tom Emr slamd his hand on the desk, the sharp pain causing him to quickly retract it and shake his hand, exclaiming, "George has betrayed !"
Wilshire inquired, "What happened?"
Tom Emr replied, "That bastard violated his promise to ; he's appointing his mistress Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State!"
Wilshire was stunned. "How could he do that!"
Tom Emr quickly suppressed his anger, sitting behind the desk. "What do you think we should do?"
Wilshire carefully held back an opinion.
Tom Emr asserted, "No one can toy with without facing consequences!"
Wilshire asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"Let think it over carefully," Tom Emr gripped the chair arms tightly. "There's sothing fishy about what's happening in Los Angeles; there's definitely insider knowledge we're unaware of; you call Brian Ferguson."
Wilshire searched through contact information, dialed a number, and reported, "Can't get through."
*****
/Sayonara816.
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