The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 301: When Two Dogs Fight Over a Bone, a Third Runs Away With It]

On the highway from Orange County to Los Angeles, a bulletproof Mercedes cruised smoothly. Inside the car, Hawke was scrolling through text messages from Campos.

After a brief glance, he said, "I understand the situation. What do you plan to do next?"

Megan smiled and replied, "I think we're on the same page. I'm heading back to Fox 11 to take my leave request seriously and to fulfill the current director Cynthia Rosenberg's commission. I need to calm this storm and show everyone that I can lead 11."

Hawke reminded her, "Cynthia's daughter is studying at USC Film School and has been brought onto the set of War of the Worlds as an intern production manager by Tom Cruise. That's a position where she can learn a lot."

Megan smiled, looking at Hawke, "I couldn't have done this without you."

Hawke didn't say much; he knew he would need the support of the network's public relations.

With Megan in the director's seat, his plans benefited significantly. He wanted to stir up the intense conflict between the red and blue factions during the election year, especially in California and Los Angeles. Fox News was the biggest player in the elephant party's media landscape.

The two continued discussing their next steps as Edward drove the Mercedes to the Fox Television Center.

Megan leaned in and gave Hawke a passionate kiss on the cheek, "Wait for my good news."

Hawke said, "Call me if anything comes up."

...

Megan adjusted her bag as she stepped out, straightening her dark business outfit, and walked briskly into the television center.

On the floor where Fox 11 was located, many were surprised to see Megan back. She headed directly to the director's office. Cynthia Rosenberg was waiting for her, having been contacted the day before. "Feeling better?"

Megan sat across from her, "Much better. It won't affect my work."

Cynthia responded straightforwardly, "A lot's been going on at 11. I'm heading into intervention treatment soon and don't have the time or energy to handle this. I'm leaving it to you."

Megan had returned for this exact purpose. "I'll take care of it as soon as possible."

Cynthia warned, "The chairman's office has been keeping an eye on what's happening at 11."

"I understand," Megan stood up, grateful, "Thank you."

Cynthia waved her hand dismissively, "Nancy's situation wouldn't have gotten this far without Tom Cruise's help."

Nancy was her daughter, and this was Cynthia's last wish.

Megan smiled, "You're my mentor and best friend; it's what I should do."

...

Leaving the director's office, Megan returned to the Ace News team to stabilize the base. Next, she called Britney to arrange a meeting in Beverly Hills.

Since the incident, Britney had been staying at Paris Hilton's house, with Fiona accompanying them.

Thanks to Hawke's influence through Paris and Fiona, Megan had no trouble convincing Britney to meet. Britney decided to stop attacking Manninger Jenkins through the media and would focus on seeking justice through legal means.

As events unfolded, Britney's father, Jamie Spears, had completely ruptured their relationship, with Britney refusing to meet him again.

Because of her public persona and personal image, Britney couldn't directly accuse Jamie.

Megan took this responsibility upon herself, "I can assure you, Fox News will concentrate all coverage on Jamie Spears for this incident. We will reveal his true colors to the world."

Paris reinforced this, adding, "Jamie nearly ruined Britney's life."

Britney lowered her head, not saying much.

Megan understood Britney's mindset better than Paris did. "We'll use public sentiment to make Jamie anxious, creating public scrutiny that could influence judicial decisions, and file for a court order to keep Jamie away from you."

She held Britney's hand, "This is best for both of you, preventing any more intense conflict."

Larry Rudolph wanted to send Jamie to prison, but he had reservations. If they pushed for that, what would Britney think?

The girl's feelings couldn't be measured like anyone else's.

If Britney redirected her resentment toward him, she would likely terminate the management contract, costing him millions.

Larry glanced at Megan, recognizing that this well-known Fox host was clearly thinking more comprehensively, agreeing, "That's the best way to handle this right now."

Britney finally nodded, "Okay."

Megan directly asked, "Do you have any news about Jamie that could make him the focus of media attention?"

Britney looked at Fiona, who handed her a USB drive.

Britney hesitated for a moment before handing the drive to Megan, saying, "Dad... this is the video of Jamie drugging me."

"Thank you," Megan said, "What's the news licensing fee? Give me a number."

Neither Paris nor Britney cared much about this small sum, casually tossing out a figure.

...

Megan returned to the Fox television center with the USB drive and entered the Ace News team office, immediately instructing her assistant, Aisha, to gather all the heads for a meeting.

After returning to her office, Megan reviewed the video on the USB drive.

The footage had been captured inside Britney's home, documenting Jamie entering, conversing with Britney, going to the kitchen to prepare the drug, and repeatedly coaxing her to drink.

Drawing on her extensive news experience, Megan recognized this story was undoubtedly going to blow up.

Britney was at the height of her fame, and with the latest news about her being drugged making waves online, she needed to capitalize on this moment.

However, no media outlet had ever published videos or pictures of Jamie actively administering poison.

Megan copied the video and brought the USB drive into the conference room.

Soon enough, Ace News finalized that the video of Jamie drugging Britney would be the night's headline.

That wasn't enough; Megan contacted Caroline, ensuring they would push hard on Twitter to generate online buzz.

Once she finished distributing tasks, she left the conference room and returned to her office.

...

Manninger had already resigned and was out of the race for the director position. Naturally, Megan's focus shifted to her next competitor -- Renee Russell.

Before leaving Orange County, she had already reviewed Manninger's mass email on the internal OA system, read the related news online, and discussed the situation with Cynthia.

She had a clear plan.

Megan picked up the phone on her desk and called the 7 O'Clock News team. When someone picked up, she said, "This is Megan. I need to speak with Renee."

A moment later, the call was transferred. "What do you want?" Renee's voice was wary.

Megan got straight to the point. "Let's meet."

There was a brief hesitation before Renee responded. "Fine."

"Break room," Megan said before hanging up. She grabbed her phone and headed out.

...

Five minutes later, they sat across from each other at a coffee table in the Channel 11 break room. The other staff members instinctively gave them space.

Renee was older than Megan, but stress and time had aged her more than a decade beyond her years. She smirked. "You really picked the perfect time to come back."

Megan remained calm. "I recovered faster than expected, so I returned."

Renee eyed her suspiciously. "What did you do to Manninger?"

"You're overestimating me," Megan deflected. Then she shifted gears. "Let's talk about your situation instead."

Renee's expression darkened. "You think this is new? At Fox, plenty of people have done worse."

Megan nodded. "Sure, but usually, those things stay behind closed doors. Your mistake didn't just come to light -- it left evidence, and now the board is involved."

Renee was silent.

Megan didn't let up. "Take medical leave. Stay out of the public eye for a while. The media moves on quickly, and people forget."

Renee, being in the news business herself, knew that was true. If she stepped away for a bit, the scandal would die down.

But she wasn't ready to surrender. "And while I'm gone, you slide into Cynthia's position? Convenient."

Megan shrugged. "You can refuse to take leave. But then the board will launch a formal investigation. Cynthia or I will oversee it. You'll be fired."

She leaned in slightly. "And if that happens, the reason will be made public. You'll never work in media again -- not here, not anywhere. No network will touch you. Even outside this industry, you won't get hired. Your mortgage? Your car payments? Your retirement? All gone."

Renee clenched her jaw, saying nothing.

Megan continued, "Remember Christensen? The top male anchor at Channel 11? Fox fired him over a scandal. Last I heard, he was living under a drainage pipe in Skid Row."

Renee did remember. She had read the articles.

After a moment, she asked, "Can you guarantee I keep my job at Fox?"

"You just need to take leave," Megan said. "When you come back, you'll still be the executive producer and host of the 7 O'Clock News. You'll even keep your title as deputy director."

Renee knew that if she agreed, Megan would have no remaining competition.

But if she refused… did she even have a shot?

Megan glanced at her watch. "You have thirty minutes to decide. Let me know."

She didn't wait for a response. She stood, left the break room, and returned to her office.

Her immediate priority was getting Renee out of the picture. If Renee wasn't around to stir up trouble, Megan's path to the director's chair would be much smoother.

...

It didn't even take twenty minutes.

Renee called her. "I'll take medical leave," she said, her voice resigned.

She submitted her request to the director's office that same afternoon. Cynthia signed off on it within thirty minutes.

That night, Ace News broke a major headline -- Jamie poisoning Britney. The scandal exploded, dominating the news cycle.

Renee's situation was officially buried.

*****

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