[Chapter 210: Apology and Pacification]
When it came to getting paid for services rendered, Hawke never cut corners.
With the truth video exposed, public opinion on Twitter completely flipped.
The video shot by Garcia in Eagle County of Catherine's accusations also came into play.
Sasha edited these videos together, juxtaposing the video of Catherine actively undressing and seducing Kobe against the accusations, creating a stark contrast.
After thorough preliminary fermentation, the news video's share volume exceeded a million in a day.
Under Twitter's guidance, the online discourse increasingly tilted in one direction.
"Accusers should bear the same legal consequences!"
"Just because she's a woman, does that mean she can frame someone at will?"
"That kind of woman has no basic morals!"
"When her lips are moving, others have to run like crazy to prove themselves!"
Traditional media's opinions also shifted direction.
Even though some female publications questioned, "Isn't Kobe Bryant responsible at all?" Catherine was still branded as a "liar."
...
At this stage, the previously silent Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe's sponsors all came forward to show their support.
They stated that Kobe had merely committed a moral misstep and had not violated the law.
The Eagle County police had received the original video sent over by Kobe's lawyers.
Once the FBI accepted the case, the Colorado branch summoned Catherine.
Kobe's fans also began to take action.
Not just in the media and online, after securing some sponsorships, a group of fans headed straight to Eagle County, staging a sit-in in front of Catherine's house. Their aggressive slogans and posters turned her home into a slaughterhouse for public opinion.
The narrative flipped, and accusations rained down.
Catherine, being just a 19-year-old girl, had never seen such a scene -- not to mention the overwhelming pressure.
...
Pelinka and the lawyers, following Hawke's instructions, made private contact with Catherine's side.
Almost effortlessly, both parties reached a settlement agreement.
This agreement did not involve any monetary exchange.
The main feature was that Catherine would publicly apologize, admitting her false accusations and defamation, while Kobe would dismiss the criminal prosecution.
...
On the second weekend of July, Twitter live-streamed Catherine's public apology press conference through text and images, conveniently cashing in on the final wave of traffic from the incident.
The Eagle County Kobe case thus came to an end.
...
On the business jet leaving Eagle County, Kobe's previously tense expression finally eased.
Robert Pelinka looked at the newspaper reports and sighed in relief.
Although many sports media were still condemning Kobe's moral issues and discussing the video, these concerns paled in comparison to the strength of the case.
Vanessa sat with a tense face, not saying a word.
Kobe glanced over at her side.
Vanessa said, "$8 million!"
Remembering that expense, Kobe felt another pang of pain.
Pelinka, worried that both of them were overthinking, quickly reminded, "Before we came here, I talked for a long time with Biles; this spending, we treat it like it never existed. Now that the matter has calmed down, the rest is unimportant."
Kobe slowly said, "But I suspect Twitter is behind all this."
"I suspect so too." Pelinka said with a wry smile, "But what can we do? Twitter is now the hottest media company on the internet, and Hawke Osment is a real tough guy; besides, Twitter's second-largest shareholder, Pacific Investment Group, is wealthy and powerful."
He self-deprecatingly added, "And us? I'm just a manager; you're a sports star."
Kobe thought again of Michael Jackson.
His influence compared to MJ's was on a whole different level -- so far apart.
But MJ found himself utterly defenseless against those media companies and the capital-controlled public opinion.
Public opinion nearly killed MJ.
As for the capital behind it, there was Sony Records and other companies...
With this in mind, Kobe made a wise decision: "Notify the finance manager to pay the final payment to Hawke and Twitter today."
Pelinka agreed: "We don't have the capacity to play the game they're playing, so it's wise to keep our distance."
Kobe nodded slowly.
...
In Los Angeles, Ocean Park Boulevard.
After receiving a call from Brian, Hawke welcomed a special visitor.
Justin Blatt from the San Fernando Valley's Private film company paid a visit.
This company also held shares in Pacific Investment Group, controlled by the Ferguson family. When Hawke handled the Allison Faith and Josh Hartnett selfie scandal, they had collaborated with the Private film company.
The Private film company was also the distributor of the selfie scandal tape.
Therefore, Hawke warmly welcomed Justin and his group.
After casual greetings, Justin got straight to the point: "Old buddy, is the video of Kobe and Catherine Fybel in Twitter's hands? Can you transfer the rights to me?"
Fearing rejection, he quoted an exorbitant price: "Private is willing to pay $10 million for a buyout."
Hawke replied honestly, "The rights are with Kobe; he only authorized Twitter to publish it. I'm tempted by the price, but it's beyond my control."
Justin, involved in the San Fernando Valley business with substantial capital backing, lowered his voice and said, "I have a way; the storage disk containing the video could be stolen, and then you guys can report it to the police..."
Though Hawke was ruthless when it came to business, he had no interest in certain tactics: "Sorry, I can't help you with that."
Before long, Justin took his leave.
...
After exiting the Twitter company and getting back in his car, Jason called San Francisco: "Hawke refused; I can't help you -- this matter ends here, and I've paid my debts."
The person on the other end said, "He's cautious; let's leave it at that."
As the company grew, the potential pitfalls appeared everywhere.
...
The next morning, three shareholders of Twitter held an internal meeting.
Edward observed silently throughout, not speaking a word.
Mary Ferguson asked Hawke directly, "Twitter has become a star company on the internet, and the recent data growth has been considerable, right?"
Hawke responded, "Yesterday's statistics show that globally, registered users are 33 million, with active users surpassing 20 million."
Mary couldn't help but exclaim, "Using star gossip to drive topics and traffic has proven effective!"
Hawke chuckled, "It creates enmity; I heard Dwayne Johnson say that many celebrities love using Twitter but also hate it. Hollywood has even placed me on an unpopular list."
"Don't worry about them," Mary said seriously. "If any of those celebrities dare retaliate, we'll crush them decisively."
Hawke nodded: "Many users have already formed habits; Twitter undoubtedly leads in user numbers among social networks."
Mary was very pleased with this investment and said, "If you encounter any difficulties, just give me a call."
"I will," Hawke replied.
...
Once Mary left, hawke found Caroline and asked her to prepare; they would head to Sacramento.
According to the agreement made during the transition between the donkeys and elephants, the economic development plan laid out by the new governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had passed smoothly in the state assembly.
Twitter was to receive financial subsidies, tax benefits, and interest-free loans as systematic support.
The subsidies would be provided in phases, but the $20 million interest-free loan would arrive within half a month.
...
Before the end of the workday, Hawke received a call from the bank's client manager; the final payment of $1 million for the Kobe case's public relations fees had been transferred.
On the finance department's side, the final payment for the copyright fees also came in.
...
Driving home, as he turned onto 20th Street, Hawke noticed new neighbors had moved into a villa diagonal from his.
After parking in the garage and exiting the car, he saw his neighbor, headhunter Jett Brown, with his model girlfriend, Diana.
Diana was notably taller than Jett, with stunningly long legs -- definitely killing it in the looks department.
Jett waved at Hawke, "Just got off work?"
Hawke nodded and greeted Diana with a glance, signaling to the opposite side, "New neighbors?"
Jett pointed to a man standing beside a box truck, "That should be him; never seen him before."
The man appeared to be around thirty years old, looking quite ordinary -- nothing particularly notable.
Diana casually rested her elbow on Jett's shoulder and said, "Seems like a single guy. I haven't seen a woman here."
She turned to Hawke, asking, "What happened to Erica? Haven't seen her in days."
Hawke vaguely replied, "The detective bureau has been busy with cases; she works a lot and sometimes comes home late."
Jett remarked, "The crime rate in Los Angeles keeps rising. Just three nights ago, a robbery happened in our neighboring block. Two black men robbed a convenience store, and rumor has it the store owner had a violent temper. He pulled out a gun and started shooting; one of the guys had his neck artery shot and was bleeding out, while the other got hit in the chest; I heard his insides were..."
"Geez, shut up," Diana said, disgusted. "Why say all that?"
Jett sighed helplessly: "What I meant is that the community's security is getting worse."
Hawke agreed: "The security in Los Angeles is indeed deteriorating step by step; news reports are not always exaggerative. Crime is spreading into affluent areas."
Jett, feeling short and insecure, said, "Looks like I should learn from you and get a gun for home protection."
...
While the three were talking, the box truck across from them finished unloading and left.
The new resident noticed them, crossed the not-so-wide 20th Street, and walked over.
He smiled and introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Tim Wilson. Just moved in over here."
Hawke and Jett shook his hand and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Tim spoke politely: "Just settled in; please forgive me if there is anything I can't take care of."
Being courteous, Hawke also replied, "We're neighbors. No need to be so polite."
Tim asked, "I heard there was a robbery in the adjacent block a couple of days ago; does our community have a neighborhood watch?"
In response to the increasing number of crimes, communities have formed organizations such as neighborhood defense leagues where permitted by law.
Hawke was unsure, so he looked at Jett.
Jett nodded: "Yes, if you're interested, just go to the community committee."
"I'm not great with guns," Tim explained. "Communities with a watch tend to be safer."
Jett joked: "Don't worry, Hawke here is a sharpshooter."
Hawke waved it off: "Not that exaggerated."
New to the area, Tim said amicably, "I'll head back to unpack; else I won't have a place to sleep tonight."
Hawke replied, "Go ahead."
Once Tim walked away, Jett looked at the villa across the street and remarked, "Seems like the new neighbor won't be hard to get along with."
*****
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