My Obsession: The Stone Brothers, #4

My Obsession

Rachel Foster

Copyright © 2018 by Rachel Foster

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Contents

My Obsession

My Obsession

1

O

liver

I wandered listlessly through the party, not paying much attention to anyone. That was the one thing I hated about Hollywood. Everyone here was the same. They lacked character and personality. Sure, they were all experts when it came to getting into character for a set, but when it came to interacting with any of them outside of their movies, it was boring and a waste of time as far as I was concerned.

I considered actors and actresses to be idiotic and vapid. So many of them were convinced they were the next hottest thing to ever walk the Earth, and I grew tired of the constant need to try to impress me.

The fact of the matter was that I had a name for myself in my own right. I wasn’t an actor, but I was rich. I was part of a famous family, and I had more money at my disposal than most of these actors would see in their entire careers.

Still, I made a point of showing up at these afterparties. There were always plenty of drinks to be had, and it was always a good thing to be seen with the people the rest of the world was enamored with. It made me part of the famous crowd, it put me in the forefront of people’s minds.

I might be one of those people who was famous because of the fact my family owned a chain of banks across the country, but I wasn’t going to let that put myself below any of these suckers who would do anything to be on the big screen.

The movie premier itself hadn’t been that good in my opinion, and I was glad I showed up for reasons other than the entertainment. In all honesty, I was looking to speak with the production company. I knew there were issues with the family business, and I was looking for a way to get us another source of income.

Working for the cartel had brought us a lot of money over the years, but over the past few months, things hadn’t been exactly good with them. They were all bitching about the fact we raised the fees for laundering their money through our banks, and my dad wasn’t bending on where he stood with that.

From what I understood, that was creating problems for my brothers working in Chicago and Florida – and New York, too, for that matter. I was one of the few brothers out of the eight of us who didn’t require much of our father’s supervision, so I didn’t know many of the details of what had gone down in Chicago or Florida, but I knew they were all worried we were going to lose the cartel’s business entirely.

So, I was going to do my part and try to get us another client. Being one of eight, we all worked together to keep the business afloat, but we weren’t exactly good at communication with each other. Our mother had passed in childbirth with our youngest brother when I was just three years old, and our father had turned us over to being raised by nannies and hired help.

He himself raised us all to be cold, calculating individuals. We were to honor the family above all else, proving our loyalty to the Stone Dynasty more than even each other. We stood for the family name, and while several of my brothers had recently fallen in love and chosen women to have in their lives, I knew they would be expected to choose the family over those women if it ever truly came down to a real decision.

But, I kept myself out of all that. I wasn’t the kind of guy to settle down, and I wasn’t worried about what they were doing. All I cared about right now was finding another client. Whether my father felt the need to supervise me or not, it never hurt to be on his good side, and that’s most of the reason why I was hunting for someone to bring into the business fold.

Mr. Frontier, how nice to see you again, you remember me? I walked boldly up to the CEO of the company, holding out my hand and giving him my most disarming smile.

He gave me a blank look for a moment, then his face lit up with recognition.

Ollie Stone! Of course! he said, and I laughed. We had met a few months prior at a party, and I gave him my full permission to use my most informal name. I had a feeling there would be reason for me to get something out of him at some point, and I could now see what that was.

I hadn’t said anything about it before, but that’s how it worked with investors. There was no reason to bring up anything to them until I was ready to make a move, and that’s what I was doing now.

I had a proposition for you, and since you are such a busy man, I feel that I better get right down to the point, I told him as I put my hand on his shoulder.

I like that. There’s no reason to be wasting either one of our time, he said with a laugh, clapping me on the back as he did so. What do you have in mind?

Well, we’re looking for new investors. You’re familiar with the bank and my family name, what would you say to bringing in your finances? It would be excellent for your company, you can’t deny that, and think of the potential for your projects in the future! I beamed.

Wow, that’s not what I thought you had in mind, he said as he cleared his throat. I appreciate the fact you would be interested in working with us, but I’m not sure the company is going to be making that big of a switch right now.

I had a feeling you would say that, and I wasn’t expecting you to give me an answer right away. So, I was hoping for the chance to talk to you. A business meeting, businessman to businessman. I would be far better able to show you what we could do for you so you could make a much more informed decision, I told him. I know you won’t be disappointed.

He hesitated, but I expected that.

Come now, you’ve heard of my family, and there’s no denying we know what we’re doing in the business world. Think of what could happen if we were to join forces. It’s just a meeting. You’ll have time to think about it before you even arrive, I pushed.

Oh, alright, he said. But I’m not going to make any promises to you or your father. I assure you, I have full respect for all that you do, but I have to think of what’s right for my own company.

Understood, I said as I shook his hand. I’ll have my secretary be in touch with you to set up a date.

Sounds good, he said. He gave me a nod before disappearing into the crowd, and I immediately pulled out my phone to text my dad and oldest brother.

We may have another big fish on the hook. Give me a few hours and I’ll explain everything.

I hit send and slipped my phone back into my pocket. That would make both of them happy, I was sure, and now I needed another drink. I was getting sick of being in the presence of so many idiots out of Hollywood, and though I tried not to think about the conversations that were going on around me, it was nearly impossible.

Not that I was any beacon of morality myself, but I hated the shallow conversations and the need for popularity so many of the actresses and actors had. Even those who weren’t in the movies and merely produced or directed fed into the bullshit, and I had little patience for it.

Heading to the bar, I was eager to get the drink and get out of there. I would head home, unwind for a bit, then get a hold of my dad and tell him of my success with the production company.

But, out of the corner of my eye, I happened to see the hottest woman I’d ever witnessed. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. So, I turned to the bartender.

Who’s that? I asked with a nod in the woman’s direction. She glanced over her shoulder then looked back at me.

That’s Miranda Vines, only the hottest new actress from that drama Emergency 911. It premiered last month, but she’s certainly racked up a fan base here at the bar, she explained.

I see, I said, intrigued by the beauty of the woman across the room. I had heard of the show, though I’d never watched it myself. Now that I knew who this woman was, I recognized her from the commercials and posters. But, I wasn’t going to just forget about her now.

I paid for my drink and headed across the bar. She might be worth my time.

At least for the night.

2

M

iranda

I was already annoyed with the fact that I had to be at the party in the first place. I had no interest in these kinds of things, and the fact that I had to make an appearance for the sake of my production company made it even more of an inconvenience.

Why don’t you mingle around a bit more? You never know who you’re going to meet at things like this, and you might find someone hot to take home with you for the night, Casey, my co-star and the closest thing I had to a friend in Hollywood, encouraged.

Come on, you know how I feel about the men in Hollywood. They’re all so shallow, and I don’t want to have a relationship that’s going to end in just a few years. That’s how it goes for all celebrities, I said.

Not all of them. There are plenty of celebrities that manage their relationships in Hollywood. You just have to have the right attitude about it and put in the time and effort to make it happen, she said.

I want to have the kind of relationship that my parents have, back home, I insisted.

Come on! You aren’t in Indiana anymore! You need to come around to your life of fame, seriously! she said. Why don’t you go over there and talk to that guy. He’s been staring at you all night, and you never know where it’s going to lead.

He’s a douche! I said. You know he is. Hard pass on that one. In fact, I doubt there’s anyone at this party I would care to give a second of my time, and that’s really all there is to it.

You’re impossible, Casey replied. You are the hottest thing in Hollywood right now, and you have your pick of the lot. All you have to do is bat your eyes and swing your hips a bit, and you’re going to find love, I promise.

I might be the hottest thing right now, but I’m not going to be on top forever. No one ever is, then everyone is going to forget about me, and I’m going to move back home and have my post-celebrity life in peace, I insisted.

That’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard! she rolled her eyes. You don’t want to wind up forgotten and having people wonder what the Hell happened to you. Think of the famous people. Betty White, Jennifer Anniston! You don’t have to disappear!

They’re both still in the business, I replied. I’m not sure I’m going to stick with it that long. This isn’t quite the life I want to live forever. I mean, it’s good for now, but when I think about being old and wanting to settle down, I can’t imagine it in Hollywood.

Suit yourself, but I think you’re being too hard on yourself. You’re going to be bigger than you are now, and if you don’t succumb to the drugs and alcohol problems so many have, then you’re going to be just fine, she said. And speaking of fine, that guy over there is might fine, and I think I’m going to see how far I can get with him.

Knock yourself out, I said with a shrug. I made an appearance, and I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to hang out here. I’m going to find Mr. Frontier and make sure he knows I showed up, then I might head home.

For being at the top right now, you certainly don’t know how to act in Hollywood, Casey said with another roll of her eyes. But if that’s what you want to do, then do it!

I’m going to, I said. Don’t be mad at me, I’ll see you on set in the morning.

I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed is all. I would love for you to fit in here, and you aren’t. I mean, you are, but you aren’t. You could be so big, but you do have to work it a little bit more with the public if you want that to happen, she said.

I’m not worried about that, I told her. I don’t care what the public thinks. I’m getting enough fame with the show to take care of myself and put money away for the future, so I’m not going to stress about being as famous as possible now.

Suit yourself, Casey shrugged again. But I’m going to get out and have some fun tonight. You know we work so much, we might as well have some fun while we have the chance.

Like I said, knock yourself out, I told her, putting my hands up and showing her I meant no harm. I’m’ not saying that you’re doing anything wrong, it’s just not for me.

She sighed and shook her head, walking off and muttering something I wasn’t able to hear. I tried not to let it bother me, but it was difficult not to let her get under my skin. She meant well, I was sure of it, but there were plenty of times when I wasn’t sure if I could truly call her a friend.

That’s how it was with everyone here in LA. Especially Hollywood. It seemed they were all out for their own best interest, and the more they could do for themselves, the more they were going to try. I wasn’t sure what she thought I would be able to give her if I were to hang out at the