[Chapter 209: Public Opinion Can Kill]
When Kobe and the others returned to Twitter, they had reached a consensus.
Before getting out of the car, Vanessa pointed to the office building outside and asked, "Are we really going to pay them such a high fee?"
Steve's words had shifted Rob Pelinka's mindset significantly; he took the initiative to take responsibility: "It's my fault. I should have used the money to resolve the issue right away."
Kobe shook his head: "This is not your fault. I've been too naive, thinking that just because I didn't do anything wrong, the truth and facts would be on my side, and public opinion and the law would owe me justice."
His face was full of bitterness: "It turns out I can only play basketball; I'm clueless about everything else... Steve Nutt is way better than me."
It was still the same reception room where they met again.
...
Robert Pelinka asked, "Can you really turn the situation around?"
Ms. Baa was still leading the way, saying, "Regarding Twitter's business secrets, I can only tell you that Twitter spent a fortune to acquire key news material from Eagle County."
At that moment, Kobe had made up his mind. Without any idle chatter, he looked at Hawke and said directly, "Mr. Osment, I want to hire you as my crisis public relations manager, and I delegate your West Coast studio to take full responsibility for handling the media relations of the Eagle County incident."
Edward was somewhat curious about how quickly the other party's attitude had shifted back and forth.
Kobe was young and impulsive; previously, he had been stingy, but now he had come to terms with it and said, "I'm willing to pay $3 million for this."
Pelinka looked at Kobe, and seeing him nod, said, "We are willing to buy out the rights to all news materials related to the Eagle County incident that Twitter acquired for $5 million, and we'll task Twitter to release them exclusively, regardless of the specific content."
Hawke straightforwardly replied, "Call your lawyers. We'll sign a contract."
A whopping $8 million -- Kobe and Vanessa still felt some pain in their pockets, even though they were somewhat prepared for it.
The man was okay with it; after all, Kobe had a big heart when it came to playing on the court.
Vanessa couldn't help but think that the number Catherine Fybel had demanded couldn't be much lower than this.
She asked, "How much can you really change the situation?"
Facing a client who was about to pay a huge fee, Hawke was very professional; he could somewhat guess the other party's thoughts and said bluntly, "If you pay Catherine Fybel compensation and reach a settlement, what will that look like? It seems like the issue could be resolved, but Kobe would carry the reputation of a strong suspect for his entire life, diminishing his worth in the eyes of fans, the league, and businesses."
It was easy to understand; both Kobe and Pelinka nodded slightly.
Hawke continued, "If Catherine Fybel is framing Kobe and he's just guilty of cheating..." He looked at Vanessa, "That's a private matter between husband and wife; you can close the door and resolve it yourselves. Moreover, in Hollywood and the sports world, there are many celebrities who have cheated, and their commercial value hasn't taken a huge hit."
Edward suddenly chimed in, "Buddy, thank goodness it's not a guy you're dealing with; that would be real trouble."
Kobe and Vanessa's faces instantly darkened more than Edward's.
Not long after, the lawyers arrived, and both parties formally signed the agreement.
Kobe paid Twitter and the West Coast studio the initial amounts of $3 million and $2 million, respectively.
...
Edward brought over the video materials, and after seeking Kobe's opinion, he played it on the spot.
After watching, Kobe's expression was quite grim; his emotions were very complex. On one hand, this could prove his innocence.
On the other hand, he couldn't believe he had been filmed without realizing it.
Kobe asked, "Where did these come from?"
"A high-priced acquisition," Caroline said seriously. "As for the specific source, I can't tell you; journalism laws prohibit disclosing news sources, and those who provide news are protected -- it's a basic principle of press freedom."
For the past six months, Twitter had been acquiring news materials.
Pelinka had some suspicions, but the most urgent issue was to get Kobe out of the predicament. He said, "Should we hand this over to the Eagle County police?"
"No, just handing it over to the Eagle County police won't quell public opinion; it will only trigger a new wave of media crises," Hawke said earnestly. "Compared to Catherine Fybel, who is just a hotel receptionist, Kobe is a multi-millionaire, an absolute powerhouse. Even if the Eagle County police announce they have key evidence proving Kobe's innocence, public opinion and the public won't let him off the hook."
Pelinka seemed to ponder this.
Hawke went on, "Let me ask you, if Kobe is innocent, would public opinion rapidly settle? When newspaper sales drop, television ratings plummet, and website clicks decrease... To continue attracting attention, they will question everything; the public inherently tends not to believe celebrities and official statements. They will continue to question Kobe's guilt, and the media will remain biased against him."
He emphasized: "Public opinion can kill! It can lead to someone's social death!"
Kobe and Pelinka -- one was a sports star, the other a manager -- although not experts in public relations, were not completely strangers to media dynamics.
The former suddenly said, "Michael Jackson..."
Hawke turned to Kobe and asked, "Do you want to live the rest of your life in the shadow of public doubt? Do you want to bear the label of a sexual assault suspect forever?"
"No, absolutely not!" Kobe hurriedly shook his head. "That would be terrifying!"
Pelinka also thought of the serious consequences. Just in terms of commercial endorsements, the losses would reach a staggering scale.
Kobe asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Hawke had already considered it and said, "Catherine has already been blinded by money; she will only make one choice -- keep pushing forward. We'll first release two videos of you kissing Catherine, where she is actively involved. This may not change public opinion's direction, but it would provoke Catherine to come out and counter it, pushing her to fabricate new lies."
He reached out to Caroline and took a sip of water that was handed to him, continuing, "The more lies she creates, the greater the backlash she will face when the videos inside the room are released."
Vanessa asked, "Does the video have to be released?"
"The release of the video serves two purposes," Hawke explained. "First, it can shatter Catherine's lies and prove Kobe's innocence. Second, it can effectively shift public attention; the focus of discussions will shift to the video itself."
He added, "Twitter is a reputable media outlet, and the video will be censored."
Kobe and Pelinka exchanged glances and said, "Okay."
Hawke told Caroline, "Get ready to execute this plan."
...
Caroline transitioned from sheep to an elite woman; she left the meeting room, called Sasha and initiated the next step.
The plans had all been prepared earlier, and now that the client had paid, it was time to execute them without fail.
That afternoon, Twitter released another news piece regarding the Kobe incident.
"The site has received new videos mailed in by Kobe's fans, suggesting a possible new story behind the sexual assault case."
Under the news headline were two videos.
The content of the videos showed Catherine Fybel actively kissing Kobe.
...
Once again, Twitter became the focus of the internet.
Eagle County exploded.
In a matter of moments, hundreds of reporters, along with paparazzi, gathered there, crazily digging for news. Although they found some tidbits, those were just verbal accounts, without any photos or videos to show.
Far away in Los Angeles, Twitter not only snagged exclusive headlines and took positions but also continuously exposed exclusives.
These reporters went wild, feverishly digging for scoops while starting to encircle one of the involved parties, Catherine Fybel.
Some sharp-eyed journalists sensed that Catherine might crack under pressure.
While Catherine was on her way to the Eagle County police station for a routine inquiry regarding the video, she was blocked by dozens of reporters.
One reporter asked, "In the latest video released by Twitter, you kissed Kobe -- how do you explain that?"
Juan, mixed in with the reporters, shouted loudly, "Did you willingly engage in relations with Kobe, thinking to make money off this afterward?"
This prompted the other reporters to fire piercing questions, each one more direct than the last.
Catherine had never encountered such a scene. Shocked, she shouted, "I originally liked Kobe and thought he was great, which is why I kissed him, but I didn't expect him to use violence against me!"
...
The next morning, Catherine's remarks faced countless media outlets, both in print and online.
Gradually, voices began to rise on Twitter questioning Catherine.
With so many users involved, it quickly affected other websites.
Public opinion across the internet was impacted.
Seizing this opportunity, Twitter released another video.
This time, the title was very confrontational:
"Catherine Fybel's bruises seem to be fabricated!"
The video was shot outside a locker room at the hotel; it clearly showed that before entering the locker room, Catherine had no bruises on her face or neck, but when she emerged, she was covered in bruises.
Additionally, the video included verification from a third-party organization regarding the authenticity of the video.
...
The internet exploded; public opinion began to turn.
"This woman is clearly lying; her words are not credible."
"The so-called assault evidence is fake -- are the other pieces of evidence even real?"
"She's definitely just after money!"
Even some industry peers, like the Twitter account of the Los Angeles Times, tagged the official Twitter account to inquire about the source of the news.
The official Twitter account replied, stating that the video came from another one of Kobe's fans, who had even more critical evidence and was on their way from Eagle County to Los Angeles.
These messages captured the attention of all those following the Kobe case and the media reporters.
In just two days, more than 50 media outlets contacted Twitter to gain access to official Twitter accounts.
The early announcement of so-called crucial evidence being on the way was like saying, "See you Monday."
...
On the side of Catherine in Eagle County, it fell completely silent.
After two days of fermentation, just as the media and public anticipation peaked, Twitter released another news piece.
This time, there was no headline -- just a video with key areas blurred.
In the video, Catherine appeared eagerly proactive and passionately hot; not only did she take off her clothes, but she also urged the male party not to use protection, claiming that those rubbers wouldn't let her enjoy properly.
Afterward, accompanied by lawyers, Kobe entered the FBI's Los Angeles branch to report the case, presenting video evidence while claiming defamation and malicious accusations.
The FBI announced that they officially accepted the case.
*****
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