[Chapter 450: That Deadly Insurance]
Inside a villa study, a man with short blond-brown hair nad Pearson opened a bag he had brought along and took out so copies of contracts, placing them on the desk in front of Gavin Newsom.
Gavin flipped through them and saw they were all copies of insurance contracts from various insurance companies.
Not having the ti or patience to read them all carefully, he asked, "What are these?"
Pearson replied, "Insurance contracts, property insurance contracts."
He sped up, "Last year, news ca out of Southern California that Brian was interested in running for governor. I took a research team, acting as lawyers, to Los Angeles to look for potential breakthroughs. We mainly found two angles: one was that after Brian was elected mayor of Los Angeles, the municipal departnts signed multiple contracts and cash subsidies with subsidiaries of Hawke Osnt and the Ferguson family..."
Gavin shook his head imdiately, "That's useless. That's how it's done nationwide, and all of it is legal and transparent."
Politics donations were the sa -- talking about it didn't get anywhere.
Pearson emphasized, "The other angle is these insurance contracts! Many hos were destroyed in the Los Angeles fires, and most had accidental insurance coverage. After the disaster, many people filed claims with insurance companies, but unless they were financially strong, most ordinary people's insurance contracts were worthless."
Gavin, being a lawyer, considered the legal angle first: "No lawsuits?"
"There were many lawsuits, news covered them, but public opinion didn't emphasize them, so impact was limited," Pearson pulled out a contract and pointed to an addendum, saying, "Look here, an addendum says accidents caused by others' intentional actions are excluded from payout. LAPD and the fire departnt's investigation concluded the fire was started by a seasonal firefighter who had been fired by the previous fire chief."
Gavin professionally said, "That clause is problematic; insurance policies have too many traps."
Pearson continued, "So insurance companies transferred assets during the fire and declared bankruptcy afterward, making payout nearly impossible. Plaintiffs have a hard ti getting compensation."
He showed a pile of highlighted contracts: "One company, Eunice Insurance, is closely linked to Arnold Schwarzenegger. His wife, Maria Shriver, after pausing work at NBC, co-founded Eunice Insurance, but now the company is bankrupt and unable to pay claims."
Gavin thought of the gathering that had just turned into a ss at San Francisco City Hall square earlier that day.
San Francisco has many LGBTQ mbers and organizations. But in recent years, several LGBTQ people had been shot, making local LGBTQ groups more cautious and rarely acting out impulsively.
It was clear the Mattachine Society from Los Angeles was behind the chaos, aiming to destabilize San Francisco and damage its group's reputation.
Gavin said slowly, "Los Angeles has been too quiet lately; it's ti to stir things up. Find a way to ignite public opinion over these issues."
Pearson asked, "How far should we push it?"
Gavin looked at him, "Do you have a plan?"
"I do," Pearson whispered. "I found a victim..."
Gavin raised his hand to stop him: "Go ahead. Funding will co from overseas foundations."
With money at hand, Pearson didn't say more but got up and left Gavin's mansion.
Gavin looked at a whiteboard on the wall with photos of Hawke, Brian, and Schwarzenegger -- the direct political rivals he would face.
Brian planned to run for governor, and these actions against Maria Shriver would surely raise Schwarzenegger's suspicions.
---
Los Angeles, Woodland Hills.
After a wedding, most guests left, but a group of young people moved to another place to party.
Hawke, Erika, and Brian did not go; they stayed behind with Paul Ferguson.
Also present was Ferguson family's in-law, Congressman Bonson.
Everyone entered the study.
Paul glanced at all present and said, "Our next goal is clear: Brian to run for governor next year."
No one was surprised, including Hawke.
Politics, like business, is about advance or retreat.
Hawke asked directly, "What's Schwarzenegger's status now?"
Bonson answered, "I made initial contact with Schwarzenegger, had a brief discussion. He still has political ambitions and won't drop out."
Paul loosened his tie and tossed it on the desk: "Politics is simply an exchange of interests. We haven't found a breakthrough to sway Schwarzenegger yet. That's our main focus over the next few months."
Mary Ferguson asked, "Schwarzenegger becoming governor partly depends on our push. Can't we force him out directly?"
Paul said, "If possible, it's best accomplished peacefully. Schwarzenegger represents a significant power bloc."
Hawke agreed entirely: "Schwarzenegger is governor now -- not the Hollywood star and candidate we once funded."
Without Ferguson family support, Schwarzenegger's next election might be tougher. But once soone tastes political power, it's hard to give up.
Everyone understood this.
Mary, who had questions earlier, said nothing more.
Carter Ferguson asked, "What about the White House?"
"Of course George Walker supports us, but their influence is limited," Paul said. "It's hard for federal powers to influence California directly. Sotis, a sitting president interfering in a governor's election is unwise."
In the last gubernatorial recall election, forr President Clinton and his wife campaigned for the Democratic Party but did not stop Schwarzenegger's win.
Whether it helped or not is debatable.
Hawke had recently studied Schwarzenegger's details: "Many ho insurance companies bankrupt after the L.A. fires had ties to Schwarzenegger. I suggest looking into that."
Brian looked at Hawke; he'd ntioned insurance last month during a eting.
Paul looked at Carter: "Have your people investigate."
Carter said, "I'll arrange reliable personnel to check tomorrow."
Paul reminded, "Share findings with Hawke imdiately."
Carter nodded at Hawke.
The brief eting ended, and everyone left the study and drove off.
...
On the way back, Erika asked, "Any new leads from Campos?"
"No, I pulled back our people," Hawke said slowly. "No point keeping the search when it's so long without results."
He pondered then added, "The emails likely co from Hillary, the Russians, or maybe San Francisco. No matter the source, we're working on counterasures."
Erika recalled the video: "Besides the Satanic symbols, there's nothing special about it."
Hawke frowned: "Maybe the people themselves are problem? That girl's identity? Or the man in black?"
Erika was indifferent to public cases but eager when enemies lurk secretly: "Should we quietly investigate?"
Hawke shook his head cautiously: "Doesn't matter who's behind it, just know who our potential enemies are."
San Francisco or New York -- wherever, they'd take action.
They intended to make their rivals flat out lose it.
Hawke suddenly thought of Leonardo -- experienced in handling Hillary. He planned to signal Leonardo soon: 'as long as you join us, we won't let you get crushed or fed to the wolves.'
A war was coming.
Hawke used his faction to gain huge profits and, by sharing benefits, secured many Elephant Party mbers. Through the Manhattan AI Project, he controlled hundreds of billions in cash flow.
But this also bound him deeply with the Elephant Party. Changing sides now would be political suicide.
A showdown with Hillary was inevitable.
Hawke didn't need to analyze the video further; he had other sources.
...
At ho, Hawke called Campos: "Recall all personnel involved in the two xico operations back to Los Angeles."
Campos responded, "Understood."
...
Hawke picked up a secure satellite phone and called Hurricane rcenary Company: "Bosque, arrange your work and co to Los Angeles as soon as possible."
Bosque said, "I'm handing over to Andrei now. I'll book flights. It'll take so ti to get to L.A."
Hawke said, "Campos will pick you up at the airport."
...
After hanging up, he told Erika, "Lacking a private jet is sotis inconvenient."
Erika asked, "When will your ordered jets arrive?"
"Few months," he said. Hawke had earlier budgeted and ordered two business jets and three small planes, paid for by the Manhattan AI Project.
He packed the satellite phone and asked Erika, "Have you heard about a Jewish tycoon in New York who bought a private island in the Caribbean? He invites wealthy politicians and celebrities to gather, with dozens to hundreds of girls from around the world, many minors."
Erika said, "Isn't that the Ackerman family?"
Hawke said, "Yes, the Ackermans also have a presence in New York."
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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