The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 144: A Sensation Across America

[Chapter 145: A Sensation Across America]

Inside the apartment, Sterling Van Wagenen opened a computer, plugged in a flash drive, copied the videos stored on the computer, and rummaged through a Federal Express package.

Once the copying ended, he switched to another flash drive to continue copying, and when it was finished, he packed the completed drives into the package, preparing to send them later.

Wagenen stayed calm as he made three copies before finally shutting down the computer. In addition to the two copies he intended to mail, he planned to keep the third in a safe deposit box at the bank.

Checking the time, Wagenen grabbed the package, headed out, locked up the apartment, and walked towards the elevator.

...

Upon reaching the ground floor, he opened the door of a Ford, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. Just then, he heard an unusual sound from the back seat. Before he could turn around, a familiar revolver was shoved against him from behind.

"Don't move, don't scream," the person behind him said, their speech hindered by something in their mouth. "Do as I say."

Sterling Van Wagenen quickly glanced in the mirror at the person wearing a black hood. Thinking he was being robbed, he quickly replied, "Don't shoot, I've got money! I'll give you everything!"

The hooded figure ordered, "Just drive. There's a parking lot less than 500 meters south. Drive into it."

With the gun pointed at his side, Sterling Van Wagenen felt he had no choice but to comply and started driving that way, wanting to speak in the middle.

The man warned, "No chatter. I'm not after your life, just your money."

Feeling a bit relieved, Sterling Van Wagenen drove to the entrance of the parking lot and turned inside, following the instructions to park in a dark corner.

As soon as he parked, the passenger door was flung open, and another hooded figure grabbed the package tossed aside on the front seat, deliberately stating, "The person above told us to pass on a message: don't take pictures of things that shouldn't be taken."

A gasp of shock hit Sterling Van Wagenen as he immediately thought of Lawrence Pope in Sacramento. He feared they might be there to kill him, stammering, "Don't kill me! Please, don't!"

He believed his survival depended on his words. As a director, he knew what to say at moments like this: "Killing me won't solve anything. I have another copy entrusted to friends overseas. If anything happens to me, they're going to release it..."

The two men shared a glance, confirming their suspicions about him.

Suddenly, the person in the back pulled out a box and took out a handkerchief-like object, pressing it to Sterling Van Wagenen's mouth and nose.

The passenger also joined in to restrain him.

Sterling Van Wagenen struggled with all his might.

At that moment, one of them said, "This is ether -- it will only knock you out. If you keep struggling, I might have to kill you."

Hearing this, Sterling Van Wagenen thought of scenes from movies and sagged limp in his seat.

Not long after, the effects of the ether took hold, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The passenger unearthed a laptop from a backpack, powered it on, and handed it to the person inside while watching the outside.

The person in the car inserted the storage disk in the package, clicked on one of the videos, and scrolled back a little. In the disgusting picture, Wagren's figure appeared. Wearing gloves, he

They hurriedly notified Redford.

...

Currently at the San Fernando Valley, Redford was also puzzled and made calls to Rooney, Cheryl, and Sterling Van Wagenen.

His calls to the first two connected, but Sterling Van Wagenen's rang busy.

Just as Redford was about to call the person waiting outside the hotel, he received a call.

"Sir, it's not looking good. We followed Sterling Van Wagenen from the Four Seasons to Griffith Observatory, then from the observatory to Burbank, and now to Century City Plaza. The person getting out of the car isn't Sterling Van Wagenen; it's a woman!"

Redford's head spun. "Who is it?"

"The patrol cars are too numerous; we can't get near. It appears to be Sasha, Director Rooney's assistant, along with a very pretty and fashionable woman we don't know."

The person inadvertently raised their voice. "Sasha ditched Sterling Van Wagenen's car and got into that other woman's car. They met up with a convoy of three cars heading toward Fox Tower."

Redford asked, "Is the car in the middle a black Mercedes?"

"Yes."

Hearing this answer, Redford recognized the situation was dire. "Follow them and keep an eye on what's going on, but don't act recklessly."

The reply was, "Understood, I see our car -- Bailisa is trailing them..."

Redford ended the call and quickly dialed Rooney and Cheryl. "Where are you? We need to meet right away; it's bad -- Sterling Van Wagenen is missing!"

The three agreed to meet in a private room at the Four Seasons.

Redford forced himself to stay calm; perhaps things weren't as grim. That bastard Sterling Van Wagenen loved to stir up trouble...

He apologized to the San Fernando manager and instructed the driver to hurry back to Beverly.

...

At the Fox Television Center, in the office of 11 Channel.

Megan quickly scanned through the videos, her breath heavy.

As a seasoned journalist, she had seen the darker sides of society too many times, causing her to grow somewhat numb.

Viewing that footage reignited a long-buried anger within her.

Turning off the video, she faced Hawke and Brian waiting on the couch and stated, "I need to air this. I must air it, even if it costs my career."

Brian waved his hands. "That's a bit dramatic."

"You've endured some unnecessary pressure in the past," Hawke noted directly. "The moment I got the video, I thought of you."

Megan had indeed taken risks in the past with her reporting.

Brian's demands were simple; he just needed coverage on a significant media platform.

But Hawke's line of thinking was different: "Megan, there are nine videos total. Let's not worry about their lengths; name your price."

Megan replied, "Total price is $1 million. I can't offer more. Even then, I need to take them to the director's office for approval."

Hawke gestured with a polite flourish. "Go ahead, and please do it quickly."

...

Megan made a call, closed her notebook, and hurriedly left the office to catch the elevator to the 11 Channel director's office.

The director's assistant had already opened the office door for her.

"Thanks," Megan nodded and entered Cynthia Rosenberg's office.

Cynthia was curious. "What news could possibly make you set a price of $1 million and risk defying a restraining order?"

Megan opened her notebook, clicked on a video, and presented it to Cynthia. "There are a total of nine videos. Seven of the victims are children."

Cynthia's eyes widened as she recognized some of the people featured. "Robert Redford and Sterling Van Wagenen -- though not top-tier in Hollywood, they're big players. The latter even helped the former establish the Sundance Film Festival."

She switched to another video, and soon remarked, "I know this person -- Lawrence Pope."

Megan looked to her superior firmly. "I want to do this news piece."

Cynthia hesitated before asking, "Who provided the materials?"

"Hawke Osment and Brian Ferguson."

Realizing who was behind it, Cynthia was intrigued. "So that's why you were able to get such a significant scoop. Hawke has seemed slightly blue in the past; why the sudden shift?"

Megan understood Hawke better: "Hawke only sways toward the direction of dollars."

Cynthia nodded, her demeanor turning gravely serious. "This news will put us in tremendous pressure. You should understand Hollywood's nuances; this isn't an isolated incident. The blue party won't be a concern..."

Then she suddenly chuckled. "Fox Television has been alive for less than ten years but already ranks amongst America's top four networks. Though News Corp's support is significant, you need skill, courage, and the proper attitude to achieve this."

Megan understood. "I'll head back now."

Cynthia added, "This news is huge; let it premiere on Ace News, then shift to Fox News for a 24-hour rolling broadcast. I'll reach out to Roger."

Megan nodded vigorously, hugging her notebook as she returned.

...

Back at Ace News, she called out, "Aisha, come here!"

Aisha rushed from the meeting room and approached Megan.

Megan instructed her, "Prepare a video news copyright transfer agreement and expedite the request for $1 million for the copyright transfer. Now!"

Aisha sprang into action.

Thanks to Cynthia's intervention, the financial department operated promptly, directly requesting the account details from the West Coast studio and wiring the funds at lightning speed.

Having signed the agreement, Hawke watched Megan rush into the meeting room with the video at hand.

...

Brian appeared anxious, his hands trembling slightly on the couch.

Hawke patted his shoulder, saying, "You should experience more high-stakes scenarios."

Brian admitted, "I've lived a cushy life, sailing smoothly. I've never encountered anything thrilling like this."

He glanced at Hawke, increasingly appreciative of him as a partner -- someone whose dreams could make him smile awake.

But how could one sleep at night with enemies against them?

Brian quickly said, "The videos you obtained should have all the transfer fees heading straight to your studio."

Hawke remained unperturbed. "That's fine."

They didn't have to wait long before Ace News broadcast was underway.

Considering long-term effects, Megan chose only three of the clips for the news.

However, once aired, it created a sensation across the country.

The names Sterling Van Wagenen, Redford, and Lawrence Pope became hot topics of discussion.

*****

/Sayonara816.