The velvet ropes pulled tight around the entrance to the Moonstone Lounge. It beautified the edifice as it glittered like gold chains wrapped around the privileged. Paparazzi flashes lit the pavement like flash lights. It caught glimpses of designer dresses, their high-cheekbone smirks, and laughter that echoed throughout the Lounge.And somewhere in that centre of the glamor, beauty, and Gucci perfume, stood Jaylen Cruz.He kept to one corner as he hugged the shoulder of his friend. His friend was a twitchy second-tier influencer named Rico Flame. Rico barely had twenty thousand followers, but his manager had made an alteration to the guest list to grant him an entrance, and Jaylen slipped through behind him."You better not talk to anyone unless they talk to you first," Rico hissed under his breath. “Act like you belong.” His voice was stiff. Jaylen nodded, adjusting the collar of his clearly thrifted made-real leather jacket. His shirt clung to his chest with nervous sweat, and t

The call rang! And rang! And rang!“Yo, Rico,” Jaylen said, pacing his narrow apartment barefoot with his voice shaky but hopeful. “Man, I know what happened last night was wild. But I need to talk to someone. I’m still trying to get my music…”Before he could finish saying what he intended, Rico ended the call. Jaylen blinked. He stared at the screen. “Call failed.” He tapped again and he was taken straight to voicemail.He tried Nikki next. Then Trell and then Aysha.Each call rang once, but none picked up their phones. And when he tried again, it's wasn't going through. Maybe that had blocked him.He scrolled through his contacts like a gambler with nothing left to bet. All those names, “industry friends,” influencers, stylists, dancers, fellow “dreamers” are gone in a night. He was ghosted as if he never existed.“You’re a ghost in this industry…” Mia’s voice echoed in his head like a curse. Even though he hates it, that was his reality. He tossed his phone across the room. It b

Jaylen hoping those he had ordered for would arrive to help him. ……..Two hours later, a black SUV pulled up outside his building. Jaylen stepped out and seeing them, he knew they were who he had ordered for. A man in a leather trench coat stepped out first. He was tall, bronze-skinned, wore night sunglasses and a beanie tucked under wild curls.“Name’s Vale,” he said, eyeing Jaylen from head to toe like he was raw meat. “You’re famous. But you’re still broke. Let’s fix that.”Behind him stepped a petite woman holding a digital clipboard with a sleek bun, pierced nose, red lips and she has zero patience.“Tasha,” she said. “I run brand stories. Right now, your story screams, ‘Pity me.’ We’re about to change the narrative.”Jaylen stepped aside, stunned, as the pair entered his apartment and got to work with him like a hurricane team.Vale dug through his closet. “Why do you still own cargo shorts?” He asked. Before he could reply, Tasha scanned his socials. “These captions? Grindin

Jaylen wasn’t just performing. He was claiming territory.“Blake Voss had my name in his mouth,Cool - now it’s in everyone’s, no doubt. Kissed my girl, beat me like trash, Now watch me make your career collapse.” The final bar dropped like a nuke.Vixie’s eyes widened in shock. The internet was in Chaos with comments like,“NOOOO HE CALLED OUT BLAKE???”“He just triggered a celebrity war.”“This freestyle will live in infamy.” “#JaylenVossChallenge LET’S GO.”Jaylen ended the verse, not with a shout, but with a breath. He tossed the mic gently onto the host’s table and turned to the cameras.“Let this be the start,” he said. “I’m not just here to survive. I’m here to take everything back.”“LIVESHOW MODE COMPLETE. +5 Talent Points Earned. +500,000 Views Registered. +Massive Audience Retention Achieved. Skill Upgrade: Live Presence from Level 1 - level 3. Social Stat: Charisma Boosted. Performance Record: Viral Benchmark Achieved.”Just after the system gave him his reward for compl

Inside his system feed, a warning suddenly flared. “DANGER DETECTED: AGENTS DEPLOYED. Roman Vale has initiated countermeasures. Expect attacks from PR handlers, tabloid leaks, legal traps, and paid influencers. Phase 1: Career Sabotage Incoming.” Across the city, in dimly lit conference rooms and penthouse suites, Roman’s agents whispered. “Take him down quietly. But thoroughly.” Jaylen Cruz had just made his most dangerous enemy yet. ………. Jaylen woke to something smelling like chaos. His phone buzzed non-stop. Ping after ping. Texts, emails, trending hashtags, even missed calls from people he hadn’t spoken to in years. He rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep until he saw the headline flashing on his screen, “Jaylen Cruz: Violent Past and Stolen Lyrics?” He sat up fast. His heart thuds slowly. “Zee,” he muttered. “What the hell is this?” “Sabotage,” Zee replied flatly. “Welcome to Phase One.” Jaylen clicked open the article. It was a full exposé, fabricated timeline, twiste