The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 261: Gaining Weight, Not Brains]

In a sleek black Mercedes, Edward took a turn off Sunset Boulevard, quickly entering the territory of Beverly Hills. After making three bends, he arrived at Beverly Drive.

Paris Hilton's mansion wasn't located in the most luxurious part of Beverly Hills on North Sunset Boulevard; it was situated on Beverly Drive, not far from the villa where Brian resided. As they drove along Beverly Drive, Hawke took in the surroundings. He had set up a temporary office in Brian's villa while dealing with the issues regarding Wagenen and Redford, so he was somewhat familiar with the area.

This part of the community had a semi-open layout, with relatively relaxed management, allowing vehicles to come and go without much hassle. Paris's mansion was a large H-shaped structure with white walls and red tiles, standing out among the surrounding properties.

...

Hawke drove straight into the villa's courtyard and parked in front of the entrance. Paris was already waiting at the door, joined by a blonde woman.

"Looks like it's Britney Spears," Edward noted as he parked.

Hawke stepped out and greeted Paris, "Let's talk inside."

"Follow me," Paris led the way into the guest room.

She introduced Britney, "You should know her, my good friend."

Then she turned to Britney and emphasized, "Brit, this is Hawke Osment, the founder of Twitter and West Coast Media Entertainment Studio. He helped me sort out my last situation and even crafted a career strategy for me."

Britney stepped forward to shake Hawke's hand, "Hi."

Hawke replied politely, "I'm a fan of yours."

The pop star's breath reeked of alcohol and smoke, which caught Hawke off guard. He quickly turned back to Paris and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Ready to go." Paris handed over a document folder, "Everything you need is in here."

Hawke took it, opened it, and flipped through the contents, locating details on the San Fernando Valley manufacturers. He pulled out his phone, snapped a few photos, and sent them to Brian via MMS while calling him to check if anything was going on with the manufacturers.

The Pacific Investment Group held stakes in several major manufacturers around the valley.

As Hawke continued to look through the information, he focused on the neighbors. The closest residence belonged to a rising star from a new TV series -- Rachel Bilson. She had a well-known boyfriend, Hayden Christensen, known for his role as Anakin Skywalker.

Diagonally across was a larger villa inhabited by the famous elf prince, Orlando Bloom. Additionally, celebrities like Jessica Alba and Kate Beckinsale lived nearby.

Though these individuals weren't A-list Hollywood stars, they all had a certain level of wealth that allowed them to live in the Beverly area without managing to buy the top-tier mansions.

Hawke asked, "Have you checked with the neighbors?"

"The police department questioned them; that seems to rule out any suspicions," Paris replied.

...

Just then, Hawke's phone rang -- it was Brian.

"I checked with the two partnering companies; it seems they haven't made a move," Brian said on the line.

"Thanks," Hawke replied.

Brian was busy and ended the call quickly.

...

Hawke put the materials away, feeling less convinced that the San Fernando Company was involved, which made the situation a bit concerning. Thankfully, the case fell under Erica's jurisdiction; he hoped to gather more information from her.

"How about this: I'll head back to dig deeper, and if I find something, I'll call you. If I can't help, you can keep your payment," Hawke said.

Paris looked at Hawke with confidence, "I believe you can stop the video from going public."

Without further comment, Hawke said goodbye, motioned for Edward, and they left the villa.

...

Paris saw them off until they got into the car and then turned her focus back inside.

"Can't see what's so special about him," Britney spoke up, her tone critical.

"Your ability to judge character is more unreliable than your boyfriends!" Paris teased, then added, "As your friend, I'll remind you not to underestimate Hawke. Just think about it -- a regular guy from Wyoming without any background or connections but has managed to build such a career. That takes strong capability!"

Britney simply shrugged, "The papers said he's just lucky. I read some financial news about someone who bought stocks and became a millionaire when the prices surged. It's just luck."

Paris raised an eyebrow, "You actually believe something like that?"

At first, Paris enjoyed their fun outings together, but with her career taking off, she realized Britney wasn't the brightest.

'If she had a fraction of the talent she uses for singing in critical thinking, she wouldn't be in this mess,' Paris thought.

Despite Britney's shortcomings, Paris still valued their friendship. "Haven't you run into a lot of unfortunate situations lately? The media has been slandering you continuously. Hawke specializes in resolving complicated issues; why not hire him for a comprehensive strategy to clear those obstacles in your career?"

Britney shook her head, "I can handle it."

"You?" Paris wanted to say more but restrained herself, "You only make things worse."

Britney replied stubbornly, "Let's wait until things get worse to bring Hawke in."

Defeated by her friend's naivety, Paris chose silence.

Originally, she planned to help Britney out of friendship, but she didn't expect that Britney only gained weight in the past few years, and didn't grow in brains at all. Recently, Britney had been complaining to Paris but still believed she could fix her problems, especially since many involved her family.

...

As they left Paris's mansion in the armored Mercedes, Hawke noticed several police cars parked by the roadside, with officers interviewing locals about events in the vicinity.

No matter where they were, police needed to conduct thorough canvassing to solve cases.

Hawke pulled out his phone and asked Erica, "You around Beverly Drive?"

"Just left Lindsay Lohan's place; she reported a burglary," Erica answered.

"Is it a recent incident?" Hawke inquired.

"No, I can't pinpoint an exact time, but it definitely wasn't within the past week," Erica replied quickly. "Lindsay discovered three sets of lingerie, two designer outfits, and three pieces of jewelry were missing. The last time she used those was over a month ago; she found out only today while cleaning her wardrobe."

She then asked, "Are you out in Beverly Drive too? How did your talk with Paris go?"

Hawke replied, "No leads. What's your location? I'll come find you."

Erica provided him with an address: "I'll be waiting here."

Hawke relayed the address to Edward, who turned around at the intersection, headed for the other end of Beverly Drive.

...

Before long, they spotted Erica's Mercedes G-Wagon parked at the side of the road.

Edward stopped the car, and Hawke waved over to Erica.

She had her partner drive while she hopped into Hawke's Mercedes.

"Any leads?" Hawke asked.

Erica shook her head, "I don't know how long ago the incident occurred, and there are no useful clues to go on."

Hawke added, "I asked Brian to check in San Fernando, it might not be the San Fernando Company involved."

"I checked too; it doesn't look like it," Erica said, then observed Hawke. "You took on Paris's case?"

Hawke shrugged slightly, "Not confirmed yet. Crisis management and strategic planning I'm good at, but investigations are still your domain."

"I'll let you know if I get any leads; then you can call Paris to accept her commission. You catch the perpetrator, and I'll handle it on my end," he stated plainly.

"Half the pay goes to me," Erica teased.

"Deal. The boyfriend sponsors the girlfriend's living upgrades," Hawke replied.

Erica shifted the conversation back, "I really feel like there's something critical being overlooked, but I just can't figure it out."

Hawke commented, "I'm no investigator; you need evidence for your work while I don't."

"Savior," Erica joked, tapping the dashboard. "Could you drive slowly down Beverly Drive? I need to absorb the surroundings; maybe it'll click."

She added, "As for Lindsay Lohan, we can't confirm if it's related to what happened with Paris yet; the timing is too far apart, and there are no valuable clues at her scene."

Edward drove at a moderate pace, and Hawke stayed quiet, listening.

Erica continued, "As for Paris, things were a bit messy. It was clearly not a seasoned thief, and we managed to lift a couple of incomplete fingerprints, but they didn't match anything in the system, which means the culprit likely doesn't have a record."

Hawke chimed in, "Typically, newcomers would leave evidence; if they're here, they stand out."

As they passed by Paris's mansion, Hawke glanced out, noticing on the opposite side near Orlando Bloom's villa a group of teenagers walking with backpacks on the sidewalk.

One girl spotted their car and gave a thumbs-up, trying to hitch a ride. Edward ignored them, continuing forward while saying, "Those kids look somewhat familiar."

"Where have you seen them before?" Hawke asked.

Edward had a good memory, "A few months ago, we came from Sherman Oaks after helping Sarah in the awards season; we bumped into them. Couldn't recall everyone, but the girl trying to stop us definitely stood out; she's got that pancake face!"

Hawke looked back at the kids. Just then, both he and Erica seemed to turn in sync, glancing at that direction.

*****

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