L.A. Confidential

"You do that and I'm calling my lawyer. I don't owe you guys anything."

"There's a loan repayment of 500,000 dollars due on your account."

Where was the Yes Sir, any other special requests sir, what can we do for you today sir? The schlep on the phone had no respect whatsoever! Didn't he know who he was? Didn't he know?!

Jäger Johnson swaggered over to the brandy cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Hennessy. Grabbing a scotch glass he poured himself a generous amount and sat on the marble floor of his rented villa. 

He looked around the parlour, opening his eyes to the consequences of the previous night. Half empty bottles of Dom scattered across the living area, remnants of cocaine on the glass table, lingerie that definitely did not belong to him. 

"Shit. SHIT." He muttered to himself, pushing his fingers through his thick blonde hair. 

What the hell was he going to do? There was no money left and he knew it.  

His inheritance was under lock and key until his 30th birthday. Twelve million dollars a year and his dumb ass was too young to start cashing the cheques.

His mind couldn't begin to process the call he received from his step sister last week. His late Father's illegitimate 24 year old kid. Begging for money as per usual. Said her mother needed to clear a 100,000 dollar hospital bill. Where was he supposed to get that kind of money? Did they think he was made of money because he had made a mediocre name for himself in Hollywood?   

Stage three lung cancer and not once had he gone to visit his step Mother. He had his excuses though. Money was tight. Business was bad. It was a difficult time in Hollywood. He needed the space. He needed the 10,000 dollar trip to Abu Dhabi last week. Damn it, there was no loyalty in Los Angeles. Friends come and go and family only show up when they need something. What kind of a life was that? 

Now he owed a ton of money to the bank and who could he call to help me out with a 500,000 dollar loan repayment? At 26 years old, 30 was a long time away. 

Whipping his white Givenchy shirt off, he slapped himself on each cheek, grabbed at his box of Marlboros and disappeared through the sheer white curtains that led to the front porch. Inhaling deeply on his last cigarette, he watched as the tidal waves on the beach crashed and cooled. 

There was a way out of this mess.

A producer gig with Paramount films. It was a one million dollar deal and word was out that the executives were still looking for their perfect match. Jäger Johnson. Movie producer. Yeah he could do it. His Father was a movie mogul who owned a production company for 20 years... produced some of the greatest movies in Hollywood. Jäger felt his confidence lift. Why wouldn't they hire him?  He was Jäger Johnson Junior. Soon to be billionaire. Soon to be King of the world.  There was a movie premiere after party at the Beverly Hills Hotel tonight and unlike any other night he was finally going to put his premiere invitations to good use. 

His best friend Zachary had mentioned the deal earlier in the year and he had seemed incredibly excited about it. Wait, Zachary didn't think he could land a deal like that did he? Zachary was a Law School graduate, what did he know about making movies? Jäger's Father was a legend. A mogul. Jäger was blue blood in Hollywood. The publicity alone would break box office. That had to count for something. Wringing his hands into a tight ball, he thought quickly about what could be done about Zachary.

A deal was a deal was a deal and in Hollywood his soon to be billionaire status had to count for something to someone.