Chương 126: Chapter 126: Brand Trust Crisis
[Chapter 127: Brand Trust Crisis]
Century City, Beverly Beauty Center.
Since the second floor was off-limits to unauthorized personnel, Hawke could only wait in the lobby on the first floor. Sarah Parker had already gone upstairs.
She had booked a lot of beauty treatments, and getting beauty injections was just one of them. Caroline came downstairs and sat next to Hawke, a bit shaken. "That needle was so long, putting it in your face is just terrifying! After it's done, your whole face swells up and the muscles are so stiff you can't show any expression!"
Hawke teased her, "If you keep wearing that heavy makeup, you'll look like that pretty soon."
"I don't want that!" Caroline shook her head vigorously. "I don't want injections; I'd rather turn into a sheep."
Hawke deliberately prodded, "Go ahead, give a few bleats."
Caroline quickly shifted her seat away from him, distancing herself from the bastard. "Your clothes and things have improved, but your taste is still as bad as ever."
Hawke knew how to hit her where it hurt. "I came to Los Angeles in March, and by November, guess how much I had earned in just eight months?"
Caroline fell silent, not wanting to engage further.
With no one else in the lobby, Hawke leaned in and asked quietly, "What happened with Brad Pitt?"
"I was going to give you the info," Caroline showed her teeth, not wanting to be pushed around. "But now I don't feel like sharing it."
Hawke was unfazed. "About the commission, we never signed any contracts."
Caroline quickly dug into her bag and pulled out a stack of documents, handing them over. "After this, I'll never work with you again, I swear!"
"Who's your god of oaths in the sheep community? A succubus or Satan?" Hawke opened the documents and skimmed through them while keeping up the banter.
He focused on the parts about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Since Aniston was the target, all of Pitt's past scandals were just yesterday's news to her. Hawke found the part he wanted -- Pitt and Aniston had hired a nanny.
In his past life, Pitt had been a prime gossip target; to some extent, the gossip kept him at the top of the A-list. Some of the stories were about Pitt and his nannies. Caroline had some connections and had even gotten photos.
In the pictures, the nanny looked pretty average, plain even, and seemed to be of Mexican heritage, lacking any real allure. This could have been intentional on Aniston's part.
Hawke took out the nanny's photo and handed it back to Caroline. "Find out her name, where she lives when she's not working, and her ethnicity."
Caroline, being in PR, immediately grasped Hawke's implication. "No way, you're telling me Pitt would go for her?"
She couldn't comprehend. "Forget Aniston; every other girlfriend Pitt has had was prettier by several times!"
Hawke replied directly, "You little sheep, you just don't understand men."
Caroline rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, sarcastically bleating, "Baa--!"
Hawke emphasized, "This person is key, understand?"
With commission hanging in the balance, Caroline was all business. "Don't worry, I'll figure it out fast."
With that, she took out her phone, clicking her heels as she moved to make a call.
...
Hawke headed to the front door. The security personnel there specifically pointed out, "The front door is for entry only, please exit through the side door."
Hawke feigned innocence. "My car is at the front door."
The guard stood firm. "Company policy, please cooperate. Thank you."
By the time Caroline finished her call and returned, Hawke asked, "I heard from Sarah that Broderick was leaving Los Angeles?"
Caroline responded, "I think he's off to handle something for his boss. He should be back in about a week."
Hawke noted it down.
...
As it neared 4 PM, Sarah Parker completed her beauty treatments and came back downstairs, preparing to head back to Sherman Oaks.
Hawke approached her, leaning in to say, "The car is at the front. We'd better leave through the front; my team looked it over, and there shouldn't be any issues."
Sarah wore a hat with a scarf covering her face. Just as she was about to speak, the director of the beauty center beside her chimed in, "Ms. Parker, the front entrance is on Beverly Boulevard, which is busy. You should follow our arrangement and use the side door."
The woman glanced at Hawke, who was unfamiliar to her. With a professional smile, she added, "Sir, please trust the Beverly Beauty Center's proper arrangements."
Sarah had been here numerous times; nothing had ever gone wrong. She waved at Hawke and said to Caroline, "Have Sophia drive the car to the side door."
The director led several people to escort Sarah out while Hawke followed.
Caroline turned back and slowed her pace to walk with Hawke, saying, "Celebrities are always like this, hanging onto inexplicable quirks and oddities."
Hawke understood that mindset well. "After all, they put in so much effort in other places, and when fame finally hits, they want to show their power -- those sacrifices wouldn't be worth it otherwise."
...
Across from the side door of the Beverly Beauty Center stood a six-story commercial building.
A group of Mexican workers was repairing the rooftop sign. One of them felt his phone vibrate, immediately grabbing his tool bag, hiding behind a ventilation duct, pulling out a camera with a prepped telephoto lens aimed at the side door.
A group walked out of the beauty center, heading to the waiting nanny's car. Campos's camera lens precisely caught the woman in the center, snapping away.
...
Hawke and Caroline had just reached the door when Hawke noticed Sarah's dress strap was loose. He mentioned to Caroline, "Her dress strap is undone."
Such matters were delicate for a man to point out. Caroline hurriedly stepped forward, gesturing as she said, "Sarah, fix your strap."
Sarah, who had been keeping her head down under her wide-brimmed hat, looked up and turned toward Caroline.
Caroline quickly walked behind her and re-tied the slightly loosened dress strap.
"Get in the car," Hawke urged. "Hurry."
They all quickly piled into the car. Edward drove the business car that kept close behind.
Hawke had quietly checked Sarah's schedule and knew that starting the day after tomorrow, she had several important meetings, two of which were with the Golden Globe judges.
The nominations for the Golden Globes had yet to be announced, and the demands weren't as strict as the Oscars; it was the perfect time for private meetings.
These fell under routine PR matters, which were not under Hawke's purview.
He looked at Sarah's swollen and stiff face, deliberately saying, "You should avoid going out for the next week. It would be troublesome if you got photographed looking like that."
Since he referred to her appearance critically, it put Sarah a little off. She replied, "These meetings are private; I have to meet with the judges."
Caroline chimed in, "It's hard to get them out, and ditching could offend people."
Hawke left it at that and kept silent.
When they reached Sherman Oaks, Hawke got out early, hopped into the business car that had been following them, and took off.
...
On the nanny's car, Sarah asked Caroline, "Is he busy with my affairs these days?"
Caroline, who earned a cut, naturally stood up for Hawke. "Yes, he's found a breakthrough to hit Jennifer Aniston."
She didn't forget to highlight her role. "I've found a lot of the info he needs, and we'll soon start targeted actions."
Sarah was pleased and said, "You take care of the locations for the meetings with the judges."
...
In the business car, Hawke pulled out his phone and made a call. "How did the shots turn out?"
Campos replied, "There are quite a few that clearly capture her face."
Hawke instructed, "Make several copies and store them in different places. I'll have the Savior pick one up tonight."
"I'm making backups now," Campos responded.
Hawke added, "Starting tomorrow, divide your team into two groups. Follow Sarah Parker and Caroline Jones; the target is Sarah Parker. Find a way to get her face in a frontal close-up."
Now that the target was clear, and with Hawke providing a general schedule, Campos felt confident they could handle it without any issues.
...
Just three days later, Campos sent good news -- both sides agreed to meet at the safe house.
When Hawke and Edward arrived at the safe house, Campos was already there with a notebook and photos.
Edward picked up a photo and glanced at it, fist-bumping Campos. "Buddy, you did great this time."
Campos replied candidly, "Compared to what we did in Mexico, this work is neither dangerous nor complicated."
Those honest words left Edward momentarily speechless.
Hawke pulled out a chair and sat, first reviewing the photos.
Every photo featured the same person: Sarah Parker.
The first few shots showed Sarah leaving the Beverly Beauty Center.
She wore a hat atop her head and a scarf around her neck, and while a few shots captured her head turned up, they weren't particularly clear, but one could discern her swollen face.
The other set was a sequence taken when she exited a private club.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew open Sarah's hat and scarf, revealing her entire face.
The angle was perfect, and the shots were exquisitely clear -- images of Sarah's swollen and stiff facial features appeared across many frames.
The laptop contained a video shot by Campos's partner, Garcia.
Due to the angle, the video wasn't as clear as the photos, but it still highlighted Sarah's swollen and stiff face.
Hawke selected the clearest photos and handed them to Edward. "These aren't needed."
Edward was confused by the directive. "Boss, we took these to expose the situation, right? These are the clearest ones!"
Campos didn't speak but leaned in to listen carefully. Only when one thrived successfully in America could they return for revenge.
"Our goal isn't to take down Sarah Parker," Hawke explained patiently to both his subordinates, now eager to learn. "The ultimate target of this venture is to shift towards Broderick. In the process, if we can make some extra cash, why pass that up?"
Edward chimed in, "We create problems, then we resolve them."
Hawke nodded, "You're absolutely right, but you overlooked something. The photos I plan to discard are too clear and would complicate problem-solving. We need to maintain control of the situation."
Campos seemed to learn something. "So those close-up photos would complicate exonerating Sarah?"
Hawke replied, "That would unnecessarily increase our workload."
He then pointed out several photos that depicted Sarah's swollen, stiff features but weren't overwhelmingly clear. "These will suffice for creating issues."
Edward asked, "Boss, should I contact the media?"
"No, you can't go," Hawke slowly shook his head. "A lot of people know there's a cute black guy at the West Coast Studio."
Edward scratched his head. "Didn't know I was so famous."
Hawke pushed the photos toward Campos. "Savior, find contact info for some suitable large publications to hand over to Campos. Campos, you'll contact the media and sell the photos tonight. Remember to sign a publication agreement. The publication must buy the rights and print them."
Currently, Broderick wasn't in Los Angeles, making this timing perfect.
This was an entirely new field, and Campos asked, "What if they refuse and we need to switch to another?"
Hawke replied, "There are plenty of entertainment media outlets in Los Angeles -- someone will eventually agree."
Campos collected the photos and asked, "What about the video? Aren't we selling that too?"
"Find a reliable assistant and sell the video separately," Hawke instructed. "Remember, the video and photos are independently sourced by different freelancers, so the copyrights belong to different creators, and you'll have no ties between yourselves."
The news photography business of the West Coast Entertainment Studio would inevitably be gradually sidelined as it developed, much like Hawke himself had essentially stopped participating in it, only sometimes receiving tips to step in for a quick snap.
The problem-making came from the Mexican paparazzi.
Hawke and the West Coast Studio were responsible solely for solving the issues.
Meanwhile, Butterfly Consulting was encouraged to be self-sufficient; selling the rights repeatedly would help generate additional income.
...
By the time darkness enveloped the sky, Campos quietly left the safe house, contacted Garcia, handed over the video, and as per Hawke's orders, he reached out to the Los Angeles Nine.
This was a television station that mainly focused on entertainment.
That night, Campos contacted the National Enquirer. Because he held photos linking the Beverly Beauty Center and the private club, he comfortably sold them for $3,500.
On the other side, the video proved challenging for Garcia, especially without legal status which left him lacking confidence -- the video fetched only $1,000.
As it got late and was non-explosive in nature, Los Angeles Nine relegated it to the morning's entertainment news.
...
Hawke dismissed Edward, preparing to head back to the studio to rest when Caroline called.
She stated bluntly, "I got the info on Pitt and Aniston's nanny."
Hawke glanced at his watch. "Find a laid-back bar, grab a drink, and chat."
Caroline said, "Meet me at the Iris Bar on Olympic Boulevard. I'll be right over."
By the time Hawke arrived, Caroline had already secured a booth.
The bar wasn't crowded, rather quiet, but the drinks were pricey.
Hawke casually ordered a bottle of Don Julio tequila, poured them both a glass, and clinked with Caroline, "Thanks for your hard work."
Caroline took a sip of her drink. "I thought you'd only mock me."
"I can pay you too," Hawke reminded. "You've probably made $100,000 from me by now, right?"
Caroline tilted her chin defiantly. "That's what I deserve."
Hawke extended his hand. "So, where's the information?"
Caroline brought out a printed document. "I have everything written down here."
"Tell me." Hawke raised her glass again.
Caroline took a drink and started, "The nanny's name is Lucia Sodi, a first-generation Mexican immigrant, 32 years old, married, residing on Oveira Street, a Mexican community, with a son, and has no criminal record."
Hawke made a note of it and lifted his glass. "To drinks."
Caroline took a sip, but as Hawke poured her another drink, she suddenly grew wary. "You're not trying to get me drunk with some ulterior motive, are you?"
"You?" Hawke shook his head deliberately. "Aren't you bold? You showed courage spreading your legs at William Morris!"
Caroline couldn't very well tell him that taking his money had sapped her strength.
Hawke bluntly stated, "I have a girlfriend."
"Why did I not know this?" Caroline raised her tone without realizing, as if watching her cash fly away: "When did you get a girlfriend?"
Hawke looked at her incredulously. "You're not secretly in love with me, are you?"
Caroline scoffed, "Knock it off. I'm simply concerned as a business partner."
With that, she raised her glass and downed it in one go.
"It's getting late. I'm leaving," Hawke said, placing money on the table without looking back at Caroline and walking straight out of the bar.
...
Caroline didn't move, picking up the bottle of tequila and pouring herself another glass.
She returned to her rented luxury apartment and fell asleep immediately.
When the sun rose the next day, Caroline still hadn't woken.
It wasn't until her phone rang repeatedly that she groggily came to.
As soon as she answered, Sarah Parker's frenzied voice came through the line. "What are you doing? Why aren't you answering your phone? Something very serious has happened! Hurry over here!"
Caroline was still in a daze. "Calm down, Sarah. What's happened?"
"Damn it! You don't know?!" Sarah was frantic. "Haven't you seen today's newspaper?"
Caroline quickly found an excuse, "I'm a bit sick; I took some medication last night and slept like a log."
Sarah nearly shouted, "My appearance! My post-injection look! It got captured by the reporters! Those bastards at the National Enquirer put it on the front page!"
As Caroline walked quickly toward the bathroom, she replied, "I'm heading over right now. Have you contacted Sophia?"
Sarah said, "Hawke has already notified her. If it weren't for Hawke's call, I wouldn't have known how serious this was."
She accused, "Caroline, you've been negligent."
Caroline couldn't defend herself. "I'm coming over now." She asked, "What about Hawke?"
Sarah answered, "He's on his way. This is really serious! If the media confirms that I had beauty injections, the ads I did for Lancome's Radiance Essence will turn into a joke, and it'll spark a brand trust crisis..."
Her voice trembled. "The consequences are too severe."
Caroline paused, considering the best comfort she could offer. "Don't panic, Hawke is here. It's not a big deal. He'll find a way out. Remember Saint Steve? Think of the selfie scandal; Hawke has created miracles more than once."
Hearing this, Sarah calmed down a bit. "Hurry over and take me to the club that Hawke mentioned. He's waiting for me."
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
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