Chapter 340 - 340: Breaking the Rules
[Chapter 340: Breaking the Rules]
Before long, Irene quickly arrived at the park entrance. She parked her car, grabbed her bag, and entered the park. Near the rose garden square, she spotted a blonde woman holding a Sports Illustrated magazine in the distance.
Having seen photos of Harley, Irene approached and asked directly, "Are you Harley Wayne?"
Harley, who had already noticed Irene, recognized her instantly and frowned as she asked, "Are you Irene from Caltech?"
"That's right, it's me," Irene replied.
Harley felt a mixture of surprise and understanding. She had done some digging on Irene last year and found out that she was Guerrero's girlfriend.
"I went searching for you at Caltech, but you vanished," Harley stated.
Irene explained, "I found some things that Guerrero left for me, and I realized he didn't die from suicide. I worried those people would come after me, so I had to leave the school."
Her hatred radiated from deep inside: "I want revenge for Guerrero! The things I've got are connected to big names in California politics. They made Guerrero look like he took his own life. I've been quietly investigating them for the past six months, but I couldn't get close. I've tried everything and only found the sorrow of the small people."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
At that moment, Irene recalled Guerrero, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can only choose to go public and try to ruin them, but I don't trust those media outlets. They all smeared Guerrero! I saw your report on Fox News about the Venice Club. No one else dared to report it. You were the only one who stood up despite the pressure. I trust you with this!"
Based on the information in the email, Harley conducted her own investigation, even bribing a janitor at the Orange County Ackerman Medical Center with a handsome sum.
She was certain the names and details in the email were genuine. "Besides the email's contents, do you have any other documents?" Harley asked.
Irene replied, "Yes, Guerrero recorded some photos and videos at the Venice Beach Club."
Harley felt a surge of excitement. "Where?"
"Can you ensure this will get reported?" Irene asked.
With a rare sense of justice among reporters, Harley declared, "I swear, even if I get busted up, I'm going to do this!"
Irene led the way. "Follow me."
...
They exited the park, got into their cars, and drove northeast until they reached Pasadena, entering a five-story building. In a third-floor apartment, Harley looked at several videos and corresponding photos on the computer.
Irene stated, "These are all that Guerrero secretly left behind. If I hadn't sorted his gifts, I wouldn't have found them."
The computer's speakers blared cries from a girl begging and the sounds of sadistic abuse. This wasn't mere intimacy; it involved violent mistreatment. One older Black man brandished a skinning knife.
Harley flashed back to a news story she'd seen about a gruesome transaction in a chaotic part of Southeast Asia. For $10,000, someone could have a living person delivered for their pleasure. The local police later discovered many bodies without skin.
Such insane behavior wasn't unheard of globally, yet it was happening in America, which touted itself as the beacon of humanity.
The perpetrator stood high on the beacon, torch in hand. Harley recognized the older Black man as former California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, one of the prominent figures in the state. She was also familiar with others in the videos; the older white man was state senator Miles, and the middle-aged Latino man was former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio.
Harley remembered the last time the Venice Beach Club caught fire. Fox News had been pressured heavily until they released Guerrero and Broderek as scapegoats, ultimately burying the incident. Just exposing these three could trigger a huge earthquake in California.
Los Angeles had just endured a massive fire. Did it really need an 8.0 earthquake on top of that? Harley made her decision -- she would use public opinion to wash away the darkness and filth that the fire couldn't burn away.
If Fox didn't dare report it, Harley would upload the information onto Twitter and to websites outside America. Those girls shouldn't just disappear quietly from this world.
Closing the video, she flipped through the photos and looked at Irene. "Are you willing to give an interview? Don't worry, I'll blur your face."
Irene answered, "I'm not afraid."
---
Ocean Park Avenue, Twitter Headquarters.
Edward answered a phone call and informed Hawke, "Boss, Harley and Irene met successfully. She got everything from Irene, and they left Pasadena. Harley temporarily placed Irene in a house in Burbank."
Hawke nodded. "Tell Campos to have someone watch around the clock. I don't want any unforeseen circumstances."
He prepared for this year's political landscape since last year, taking advantage of the ongoing two-party rivalry. Just like how he dealt with the firefighters in New York, he stirred the pot using his media resources and even leveraged Brian Ferguson's connections to exploit the situation for greater effect.
If the two parties weren't divided enough, Hawke would push for faster fragmentation in California during the elections. The elections were the perfect cover to hide behind.
Pulling out his phone, he called Brian and asked, "What's the situation over there? There's still no news on the media front."
Brian replied, "The paperwork is completed, and the district attorney's office will be on its way shortly."
"Got it," Hawke acknowledged.
...
Inside the city hall office, Brian hung up and pressed a button, calling in his assistant Beacon. When Beacon entered, Brian inquired, "Are the materials ready?"
Beacon reported, "Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, we only traced seven departments from city hall with $15.7 million of funds unaccounted for."
Brian had no interest in looking into legitimate municipal subsidies; they were all lawful dealings. He said, "Send it to the district attorney's office and give it to Prosecutor Blinder."
Beacon acknowledged and then left.
...
On the other side, Hawke dialed Megan Taylor's number casually, saying, "Honey, the show is about to start."
Megan, having had in-depth conversations with Hawke about this, replied, "Are you coming over tonight?"
Hawke responded, "I'll head to your place right after work."
---
West Los Angeles, Kemanda Travel Agency.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio, having taken on all responsibility, was idle during this time. He could no longer appear and campaign for the donkey party in the upcoming California election. He would be joining Pacific Electric's Los Angeles branch next year.
Using this downtime, he thought of going on vacation.
Today, Antonio visited a travel agency to discuss potential trips to New Zealand.
...
In the parking lot outside, Lareya sat in the car, checking his camera while keeping a watchful eye on the travel agency's entrance. In the driver's seat, his collaborator Elena pulled out camera badges for Fox 11 and handed one to Lareya while donning the other herself.
A text came through, and Elena glanced at her phone, saying, "They're on their way."
Lareya powered up the camera.
...
In just a few minutes, a car labeled as part of the Los Angeles district attorney's office turned onto the street and parked near the travel agency. The occupants seemed to hesitate before finally exiting.
At that moment, the glass door of the travel agency opened, and Antonio walked out.
Prosecutor Blinder and assistant prosecutor Nikola quickly approached Antonio. The former introduced himself and presented legal documents, explaining, "Sir, there are several public funds with unspecified dispositions, and the prosecutor's office has the right to question you."
...
Meanwhile, Lareya moved closer with the camera to capture the exchange.
Elena was in the car, clicking away at her camera.
...
Antonio's expression darkened, but he composed himself, scrutinizing the documents carefully. "You shouldn't get involved in matters that don't concern you," he warned.
Blinder gestured for him to proceed.
Internally, Antonio fumed at Brian for breaking his promise. However, he kept his anger in check, pulling out his phone. "I need to call my attorney."
Blinder made no move to stop him. "That's your right. Go ahead."
Although such questioning was typically superficial and would last only an hour at most, Antonio sensed the danger lurking in the air. He first called his lawyer and then informed a colleague of the situation.
After that, he climbed into his car and followed Blinder to the Los Angeles district attorney's office. During the drive, Antonio briefly considered calling Brian but ultimately refrained.
The fact that the new administration would not pursue the prior administration's actions was a well-known rule in American politics.
Now, the elephant party's fools had broken that unwritten rule!
Antonio remained clear-headed. During his term, he'd committed plenty of questionable acts; should anyone challenge the status quo, he would certainly face significant challenges.
He wondered about the significant political shifts occurring over the past two years. The usually conservative elephant party was behaving much more aggressively than before.
...
Behind the two cars, Lareya and Elena followed closely.
Elena accelerated slightly, weaving through traffic to remind her partner, "Hurry up and make copies to send to Fox 11!"
Lareya connected the camera to his laptop and copied everything from the recordings onto a USB drive. Using a wireless card, he first emailed it to Butterfly.
When they reached the Los Angeles district attorney's office, Elena found a suitable spot to park and then made a phone call.
A little over ten minutes later, someone approached their car, collected the USB drive, and quickly headed to Fox 11 News.
*****
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