The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 223: Can't Drop the Ball]

On Ocean Park Avenue, at the Twitter office building, Caroline and Sasha arrived with their assistants at a small meeting room. Once they entered, they discovered that in addition to Hawke and Edward, there was also Tom Cruise sitting there.

Both assistants felt a bit excited; after all, the biggest star in Hollywood for the past twenty years was right in front of them. Caroline gave a strict look toward them, and the assistants immediately quieted down.

Hawke was flipping through a notebook in front of him when he looked at Edward and said, "Please brief us on the basics."

Edward turned on the projector, and the Twitter interface appeared, showing the list of accounts they followed. It was the official Twitter account of the Cedar-Sinai Hospital's ALS research institute.

Edward stated, "The institute released the video as planned." The group turned their attention to the newly registered Twitter account, where there were over ten tweets primarily introducing ALS and related studies. According to Hawke's request, they even shared videos showcasing the daily treatments and lives of ALS patients.

The goal was to make everything flow as naturally as possible. Although anyone paying attention would know that this was a carefully orchestrated operation once it started, they needed to create the impression that it was spontaneous to the public.

Edward clicked on a video featuring a teenage girl with ALS. The girl was unable to stand but remained strong, brimming with a desire for life, and tried hard to make a victory gesture toward the camera.

In the video, she spoke, "I have many dreams yet to fulfill. I want to go to Yellowstone Park, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Caribbean, but my body won't allow me to. I also want to take a picture with my favorite movie star -- I really like Tom Cruise, but unfortunately, I can't go see his movies in person anymore."

Hawke realized that the institute was not very familiar with using Twitter and had forgotten to @Tom Cruise. He pulled out his phone and called Dr. Kurt directly to briefly explain the situation.

Soon, the institute posted again, tagging Tom Cruise's official Twitter account with a tweet featuring the girl's video. Tom Cruise logged into Twitter on his laptop.

Hawke reminded him, "Just wait a moment."

Tom Cruise nodded, "Sure."

Hawke then asked, "How are we preparing on the media side?"

"I've gathered contacts for dozens of media outlets that are based in Los Angeles," Edward replied. "As soon as Tom makes a public response, we will ready the news for release."

Without needing to ask, Hawke knew that the Savior had contracted this job out to his informers. Edward had staff to handle matters as well. To ensure their commitment, the economic incentive needed to be compelling.

...

As the meeting approached its end, Tom Cruise made a public response on Twitter. He liked and shared the tweet from the Cedar-Sinai ALS Institute and began drafting a comment.

Of course, such a public statement was beyond Tom Cruise's writing skills. Hawke had Caroline draft it for him.

"I've got this," Caroline said with a smile, showing her small incisors. She quickly tapped away on the keyboard, mimicking Tom Cruise's speaking style, crafting a short tweet.

After Tom Cruise approved it, she sent it out. The tweet simply expressed Tom Cruise's concern for the girl and the ALS community, promising that he would make time to visit them at the Cedar-Sinai Hospital as soon as possible.

Caroline explained, "The simplest and most straightforward language works best here."

Hawke agreed, saying, "Make sure it hits the trending news section."

...

Sasha and Caroline each got busy. By noon, news about Tom Cruise had entered the trending news section on Twitter. The headline was highlighted in red: "Tom Cruise Likes and Shares ALS Girl's Tweet, Promises to Visit Hospital."

This news was algorithmically pushed in front of many people, and thanks to Tom Cruise's massive fanbase accumulated over the years, it steadily climbed up the trending news list.

Tom Cruise's tweet began to be widely shared, especially by his fans, who spanned multiple generations and demographics. It was no exaggeration to say his popularity was universal across old and young alike.

After years of hard work, this superstar had almost dropped the ball a few times but managed to bounce back, with his long-established fan base playing a crucial role in that recovery.

...

Before Twitter's business day wrapped up, Tom Cruise asked Hawke, "When am I going to the Cedar-Sinai Hospital?"

Hawke replied, "Wait a day. Traditional media takes too long to respond; we need to give them some time."

Tom Cruise considered this and agreed. Today's news could be immediately published on Twitter, even without the platform needing to be there personally -- users would upload content directly to Twitter.

Television stations couldn't keep up with Twitter's speed. Traditional paper media was even slower, often taking until the next day to publish.

...

The next morning, many entertainment media outlets published articles regarding Tom Cruise's Twitter activity.

The once-overlooked Cedar-Sinai ALS Institute suddenly received interview requests from over ten media outlets.

The superstar's influence was clearly evident at this moment. Hawke had previously discussed this with Dr. Kurt, and the institute temporarily declined all interview requests.

Edward's team sprang into action. He called Michael and the ugly trio of DaShawn and others.

The four of them spread out across Los Angeles, making calls to various entertainment media news hotlines, providing news tips.

The content was naturally that Tom Cruise would be visiting the Cedar-Sinai Hospital soon to meet with the loving fan suffering from ALS.

Media who received the calls showed great interest. Tom Cruise's news would always draw attention once it appeared in the media.

...

Under the night sky, Michael, a Black man on a motorcycle, arrived at the designated parking lot to meet Edward.

From a distance, he waved and called, "Savior, over here!"

Edward quickly walked over and asked, "Did it go smoothly?"

Michael pulled out some cash from his pocket and said, "I made a few hundred dollars from a dozen phone calls. It was so easy!"

A few months ago, he had crashed his motorcycle into an orange sculpture of Covina, earning more back then but at a higher cost.

Edward chuckled, "Working with my boss is not just about making money; it's also about making it through legitimate channels."

Michael nodded eagerly and asked, "You called me over for something else?"

Edward pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Michael, saying, "No rush right now. I might need your help soon, but after we wrap up this job, I need you to find out about this woman."

Michael glanced at the paper. The streetlight was dim, and he could only make out the name at the top: Maria Collins, with a note about a daughter named Dorothy beneath it.

Finding people was no big deal for him: "I got it."

Edward reminded him, "Wait until I finish this task first."

"Understood." Michael hopped on his motorcycle and rode off.

Edward got in the car and returned to Twitter, ready to accompany Hawke to Cedar-Sinai Hospital the next day. He needed to get some rest for the night.

...

On a regular morning in August, journalists from nearly thirty media outlets gathered at the Cedar-Sinai ALS Institute.

Channel 11 of Fox Television even brought their broadcast truck.

At the entrance of the institute, Dr. Kurt stood with his team, waiting for the agreed guest to arrive.

Just after 9:30, an ordinary business van pulled up outside the institute. Tom Cruise opened the back door and stepped out with his assistant.

Dr. Kurt immediately approached and shook Tom Cruise's hand.

Flashes from cameras lit up the scene.

Inside the van, Hawke looked out at the tinted windows and told Edward, "Let's go to the side entrance."

Edward steered the vehicle to the side, and the two got out of the business van, changed into the prepared volunteer vests and ID tags, and through Dr. Kurt's assistant, they quickly blended in with Tom Cruise and his group.

...

Tom Cruise was a competent actor. When he first entered the institute, he appeared relaxed.

However, once Dr. Kurt began showing him around the wards, he became increasingly serious, displaying a somber expression after visiting a few patients.

Tom Cruise then went to meet the fan in the hospital room and fulfilled her dreams of taking a photo and getting an autograph with him.

He also encouraged the girl to bravely fight her illness.

With a pre-agreed script, combined with Tom Cruise's acting skills and star power, the atmosphere of the event was particularly warm.

The girl was so moved that she began to cry.

Tom Cruise consistently cheered her on, like a hero suddenly appearing in her life.

Not only Hawke, the planner, but also the media personnel present, as well as Dr. Kurt and others, all knew that this was a show. Yet, they also knew that such a performance could help these patients.

The doctors and patients at the institute were very cooperative with Tom Cruise's visit, having been informed of the plan in advance by Hawke.

As far as the visiting segment was concerned, it deserved full marks.

...

At the conclusion, there was a donation ceremony, where Tom Cruise donated DVDs of all the films he had starred in, along with a charitable fund.

This was typical for such events.

Everything appeared to be well arranged.

But Hawke had prepared a twist.

Just in front of the institute, at the end of the donations, Tom Cruise faced the cameras of numerous media reporters and, recalling the script Caroline had written, said excitedly, "Just under an hour ago, a 12-year-old girl told me she would not give up, even if all she could do was blink to express her thoughts! Such strength is admirable!"

He looked at Dr. Kurt and the others, "Here, I see that everyone wants to help them. The doctor told me that illness may freeze their bodies, but it cannot freeze hope! We are their hope, and hope comes from the caring and assistance of more people!"

At a critical moment, Tom Cruise didn't forget the script and continued, "My power alone is limited, but I am willing to step up to help them, to bring them more hope. I have decided to establish an ALS charity foundation, a completely open charity foundation, to assist all ALS patients!"

*****

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