The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 40: Divorce

Beverly Shopping Center, Parking Lot

Hawk lowered the car window, eyeing the Samantha Beauty Center in the distance. “She’s been inside for forty minutes. Based on what I’ve heard, Deborah should be out in about ten.”

“Boss, your intel is impressive,” Edward said with admiration.

In the passenger seat, Jacqueline, her belly padded to look pregnant, asked, “Should I head down now?”

Hawk handed her a Cartier necklace. “This is the evidence. Use it wisely.”

The necklace was rented from Big Papa’s Art Shop.

Jacqueline took it, opened the car door, and said, “I’m going in.”

Hawk reminded her, “If things go south, retreat immediately. Edward and I will cover you.”

Jacqueline gave him a puzzled glance before walking toward the beauty center.

Hawk pulled on a Dodgers baseball cap and motioned for Edward to follow Jacqueline at a discreet distance.

“Not taking pictures?” Edward asked.

“No need,” Hawk replied. “Jacqueline’s job is to provoke Deborah. If her face shows up in the tabloids, it could cause trouble.”

Edward frowned. “Why this approach?”

Hawk explained, “Deborah can tolerate Downey’s infidelity or drug use—those are common in Hollywood. But the idea of a child threatens her claim to his estate.”

That clicked for Edward. “Ah, a kid means hefty child support—direct competition for Deborah’s share.”

Hawk nodded, scanning the area for other paparazzi. Thankfully, Downey’s recent scandals had cooled, and no one else seemed interested in the couple.

Jacqueline stood near Deborah’s car outside the beauty center.

Minutes later, Deborah emerged, sunglasses on. She immediately noticed Jacqueline—her striking looks and apparent pregnancy impossible to ignore.

Jacqueline stepped forward. “Deborah, can we talk for a moment?”

Deborah cast her a frosty glance and headed for her car.

Jacqueline raised her voice. “Don’t you want to know whose baby this is?”

Deborah kept walking. Similar scams were all too common in Hollywood.

But Jacqueline pulled out the trump card: the Cartier necklace dangled in front of Deborah.

Deborah stopped in her tracks. She recognized it instantly—it was her wedding anniversary gift from Downey. She’d worn it once before stashing it away in the wardrobe. When it later went missing, Downey had brushed it off, saying it would turn up eventually.

Here it was, right in front of her.

Jacqueline’s voice turned soft. “He gave this to me.”

Years of suppressed anger boiled over. Deborah didn’t even question the story. Downey’s lies, countless broken promises, and repeated betrayals came flooding back.

Jacqueline protectively placed her hands over her fake belly. “Can we talk privately now?”

Deborah, seething but composed, nodded toward a nearby Starbucks. “This way.”

Inside the café, Deborah tried to assert control. “You have two options: take a payout and terminate, or I’ll make sure someone takes care of it for you.”

Jacqueline, playing her part with practiced finesse, responded, “That night, there were eight or nine of us. He was too high to care. As for the others, I have no idea...”

Deborah’s face darkened further.

Jacqueline lightly touched her belly. “I’m keeping this baby. With him, I won’t need to work another day in my life.”

Deborah held back her rage. “You’re just trying to destroy my family.”

“I couldn’t care less about your family,” Jacqueline said sharply. “I came to warn you. Someone in our circle has HIV. I’m lucky to be clear, but I can’t speak for the others from that night.”

Deborah’s mind reeled. Her hands trembled.

She thought of Downey’s betrayals, the public humiliation, and his reckless lifestyle. She thought of the front-page photo of him with a producer’s wife.

Continuing down this path, Downey was heading toward bankruptcy—a fate many Hollywood stars had suffered before.

If he were an ordinary man, she would’ve left long ago. His multimillion-dollar fortune had kept her tethered.

But now, her long-buried thought resurfaced with force: divorce.

As the wronged party and the higher earner, Deborah could claim the majority of their assets.

Her resolve solidified. She said a few curt words to Jacqueline before heading to her car and calling her lawyer.

“Sophia, I want a divorce. Use all the evidence we’ve been holding onto.”

“Finally!” Sophia exclaimed on the other end. “This is the right move to protect yourself. I’ll make sure you get most of the assets.”

Deborah then called her private doctor to schedule a checkup before driving back to Brentwood to pack her things.

Jacqueline returned to the Mondeo, handing the necklace back to Hawk. “She lost her mind, then regained it. I can’t tell what she’ll do next.”

“Follow her,” Hawk told Edward.

They tailed Deborah’s car to Brentwood, where she parked and stormed inside.

Downey, sipping a drink, greeted her with a smile. “Hey, honey, back so soon?”

Deborah exploded. Grabbing his glass, she flung its contents in his face.

“Are you crazy?” Downey shouted, standing up.

Deborah picked up the entire bottle and poured it over his head.

Downey snapped, shoving her away. She stumbled back into a shelf with a loud crash.

“You’ve lost it!” he yelled.

“And I’m divorcing you,” Deborah shot back, storming off to her room to document her bruises.

“Fine, go ahead!” Downey roared.

Cole stepped forward with a towel, trying to calm him down, but Downey waved him off. “If she wants a divorce, let her have it!”

Cole wisely stayed quiet as Downey changed clothes, his frustration boiling over.

“I need my stuff,” Downey barked. “Get me some. I’m done with this crap.”

Cole nodded and left to fetch his boss’s fix.

From a distance, Hawk watched through binoculars as Deborah drove away with her son.

“She’s gone,” Hawk said, signaling Edward to move out.

Jacqueline, sitting in the backseat, mused, “Did I just ruin a family?”

“You saved a woman and her child,” Hawk corrected.

They dropped Jacqueline off first. Along the way, Hawk called Cole.

“Let’s meet,” he said.

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