The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 269: Media Assault]

"There's news online that your trading company is selling faulty blood draw needles, which might have caused several people to contract hepatitis or HIV," a journalist shouted.

"I heard Rachel has been bullying younger students at school. Is that true?" another reporter pressed.

As Veronica and Rachel stepped out of their house, they found themselves surrounded by media personnel -- mostly entertainment reporters and paparazzi. The questions were relentless and merciless.

Some of the paparazzi shouted even more outrageous claims.

"Veronica, your friend told us you used to sell favors to American soldiers before you immigrated!"

"We spoke to one of your childhood acquaintances who claimed you used to rummage through the trash outside a military base in Korea for food scraps to take home and cook!"

Listening to those absurd accusations, Veronica felt a surge of anger, almost wanting to scream. But she couldn't risk it; if the media caught her reacting, they'd twist it into a story that she was mentally unstable, which would invite intervention from Child Protective Services and threaten her custody of Rachel.

Veronica held Rachel close, feeling like they were drowning in the media storm.

Just then, two men rushed in, parting the sea of journalists and paparazzi.

It was Andy Carroll and his driver.

The two men escorted Veronica and Rachel away from the reporters, leading them to a Lexus. ...

Carroll instructed the driver to take off, turning to Veronica, "I'm sorry I was late. We hit traffic. I didn't mean to scare you."

He had intentionally arrived later than planned so that the reporters would be primed and ready to attack the mother-daughter pair.

"It's fine," Veronica replied, tightly linking her arm with Carroll's. "I might have come out too early."

He wrapped his arms around her, saying, "Don't worry; I've got your back."

Veronica held back tears, vigorously nodding in reply.

...

The Lexus quickly pulled up to the Four Seasons Hotel, where Carroll led them upstairs. "Let's stay here for now. The reporters may hound us, but they can't get into the hotel."

The situation at home had become unbearable -- almost around the clock surveillance by the media. They had no choice but to temporarily relocate to a hotel.

But that wasn't a sustainable solution.

They checked into a business suite, and Carroll helped them with their minimal luggage. Once they were settled, Rachel shut herself in the bedroom, opting to play video games instead of talking with Veronica.

"It's getting late. I'll order dinner," Carroll suggested.

Thinking about the ordeal they just faced, Veronica grabbed his arm. "I need to talk to you. I've felt so anxious lately, with no one to turn to."

Carroll looked at her earnestly. "You can confide in me. I'm your fiancé. We face our challenges together."

Veronica nodded repeatedly, pulling Carroll to sit on the couch. "Since Rachel got expelled from Brooklynn School, the media hasn't left us alone. They keep dredging up my past, printing lies, and my so-called friends have only offered judgment instead of support since I'm in trouble."

Carroll understood the sentiment. "They can't stand to see you suffer, but they loathe the idea that your life is better than theirs."

"It seems that way..." Veronica said bitterly. "I've been labeled the mother of a thief. Other than the Ackerman Charity Foundation you helped connect me with, most of my clients have dropped out of business with Hallasan Company. Rachel made one mistake, and now it feels like the entire society is punishing her!"

She felt suffocated. "And then Rachel's friends keep coming over, yelling at me to free her from my grip. When I tell Rachel she can't go out, she argues with me about it."

Carroll pulled her into a comforting embrace, gently caressing her back. "The environment is crucial! Why do wealthy people live in gated communities? Their kids attend expensive private schools -- their surroundings matter."

Veronica sighed, "I know... I know. I've got a terrible environment right now, and Rachel's situation is even worse."

Melissa Ackerman was rushing to secure blood bags, urging the process along. Carroll suggested, "Let's just leave Los Angeles for good, wipe this slate clean."

Veronica looked up at Carroll with hope. "Could we restart our careers?"

"Absolutely not worse than it is in Los Angeles," Carroll explained. "I mentioned before that the Ackerman Charity Foundation is building a medical center and bio-lab in Baltimore. I'll be the admin and security chief there; I'll have the final say in procurement."

Veronica's face lit up with surprise. "Is it confirmed?"

Carroll nodded. "It's settled. We'll leave behind everything bad here and head to Baltimore for a better future."

He knew what mattered to Veronica. "In Baltimore, there are no reporters snooping, no bad influences for Rachel. She can find her footing again."

That struck a chord with Veronica the mother. "Alright, we're going to Baltimore!"

Carroll added, "You should probably sell the company. If that doesn't work, lay off the staff. The resettlement fees they bring with them are much higher than hiring new people; turn everything into cash you can."

Veronica agreed. "Give me some time; I'll handle it quickly."

After everything she'd been through lately, she found nothing left in Los Angeles worth holding onto.

Noticing her troubled brow, Carroll touched it gently. "Once you get this sorted out, let's take a trip and clear our heads. Let's bring Rachel along. Doesn't she love watching Titanic? We could visit the filming location in Baja California, at Rosarito."

"Sounds good," Veronica replied. "Rachel will be thrilled; I'll book a hotel right away."

To ease any concerns, Carroll didn't object, letting Veronica arrange flights and accommodations.

When they sat down to lunch, Carroll shared the news, and Rachel finally broke into a rare smile.

Veronica felt it was the right decision.

...

After lunch, Carroll had to leave the Four Seasons to return to the Ackerman Charity Foundation's headquarters.

In Barack Bernanke's office, Melissa Ackerman was also present.

Carroll provided them with an update.

Melissa said, "Rosarito is a great choice. We've been monitored by the FBI, so we need to be careful in Los Angeles. Rosarito in Mexico is close enough to transport people back and forth if needed."

Barack turned to Carroll. "Keep an eye on that mother and daughter. Make a plan for what to do if something goes wrong."

Carroll assured, "I'm on it."

With blood bags and organ storage about to arrive, Melissa was in good spirits, advising, "Keep this quiet. Especially avoid letting anyone in our family catch wind of it."

The last time, when her father Buddy Ackerman suffered organ failure requiring a transplant, several family members had contracted a contagious disease, forcing the foundation to search across the U.S. and even globally for matches, and complications arose during the process.

Barack stated, "We won't utilize outside help this time. Information remains within our control. I'll arrange my own team for Rosarito. We won't involve family."

Melissa felt relieved. "That's better."

When it came to family inheritances, the fights could be fierce.

Last time, Melissa had suspected her brother Sean was behind some of the chaos.

Still feeling uneasy, she decided to divert his attention. "You should make a big show of going to Baltimore and let everyone know I'll meet you there. That bastard will definitely compete with me for control of the medical center."

Barack suggested, "Maybe I should go to Baja California instead."

"I have to see to my blood bags and organ storage myself. It's essential," Melissa said.

She wouldn't share medical matters, not even with her most trusted associate Barack.

Melissa wanted to ensure she witnessed two blood bags being drawn and underwent tests to confirm the perfect match.

Barack turned to Carroll. "You need to protect Ms. Ackerman."

"I've got elite personnel on standby," Carroll assured.

...

Beverly Hills, Burton Road.

Edward slipped into a used SUV, driving away from an art gallery. After circling a couple of times to confirm he wasn't being followed, he arrived at Century City Shopping Center, where he traded the SUV for an Audi A8.

He pulled off a fake mustache, removed a wig, and used makeup remover to wipe off the contouring makeup.

Using the intel from Erica, Edward successfully approached Amanda and managed to extract valuable information from her.

He called over a young associate, Michael, stripped the fake plates off the SUV, and had Michael drive it away while he took the Audi back to Twitter, hurrying to Hawke's office.

Upon finding Edward had returned with remnants of makeup still visible, Hawke asked, "Looks like you had some success?"

"Yes, I did. I got Amanda's mother to talk, confirming Rachel was indeed leading the charge, but Nicholas has been planting all sorts of provocative ideas in her head, encouraging her to gain acceptance into school cliques and drive for popularity, even using her admiration for Paris Hilton to egg her on toward stealing."

Hawke rummaged through his drawer, handing Edward Nicholas's file. "Keep tabs on him. See who he's been associating with lately."

Edward accepted the file and exited the office.

...

The next morning, Edward made a phone call and followed it up by sending several photographs to Hawke's inbox.

The photos showed a parking lot where two cars were parked side by side, and three men were exchanging something through the rolled-down windows.

One of the men was indeed Nicholas; of the other two, one shared similarities with him.

The last one was Andy Carroll.

Hawke quickly pieced together that Rachel's troubles were no coincidence.

*****

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