Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 16: Dr. Carver’s Mind Games (Part 2)

A stern silence fell hoovered throughout the atmosphere. 

Jaylen sat in his apartment.  Right in his vision was the holographic pop of the system's information. His  fingers started trembling over as he watched the full uncut audio file playing on the screen. It was an hour of raw therapy sessions. Dr. Carver’s voice was calm, almost sweet, as he manipulated Jaylen into breakdown after breakdown.

System notification chimed in, “Sub-Quest Progress. Use Proof of Breach to Sue for Defamation.”

Jaylen swallowed the saliva in his mouth. The file was uploaded and was scheduled to premiere in 30 minutes through an anonymous whistleblower channel that was in partnership with the system. 

But Carver wasn’t sitting back either. A breaking clip aired on morning Buzz Live, “New audio shows Jaylen sobbing during sessions. How can someone this emotionally unstable survive in the pressure cooker of fame?” 

The world split like a lightning-struck tree as the clip went viral. Comment sections buzzed like fire when people started saying their views. 

Hashtags like,  #JaylenUnfit, #TherapyLeaks, #CancelDrCarver becoming trending. 

“Stay focused,” Jaylen muttered, pacing the floor. His system pulsed.

“System Alert!!! Side Quest Activated. “Win Anonymous Public Sentiment Poll: +Fame.”

Just as Jaylen breathed a little, the system buzzed again. “System Alert: Side Quest Activated. Discredit Carver’s License via Medical Ethics Channel.”

Jaylen opened a live sentiment poll via a system-embedded platform called EchoDrop. It would sample viewer reactions in real-time once the uncut file went live.

“EchoDrop Poll (Scheduled): Who do you trust more, Jaylen Cruz or Dr. Carver?”

Back-end leaks hinted thousands had preloaded the poll. But Jaylen had more moves to make.

He accessed the system’s Professional Relations tab and selected a dormant contact, EthicsStorm.

The EthicsStorm is a decentralized network of medical professionals and investigators. It cost him 20 reputation points and 2 Talent points to activate them.

The system chimed in, “ETHICSSTORM INQUIRY FILED.

Investigation Launched into Dr. Carver’s Conduct

Estimated Completion: 12 Hours

Potential Outcome: License Suspension or Revocation.”

Jaylen stared at the countdown as the seconds bled into the release time.

When midnight came, the time count was over. The video got launched.

Jaylen didn’t even blink as the footage rolled, he played it. 

He heard Dr.Carver’s voice filtered in through the speakers, “Jaylen, if you want to be taken seriously, you need to stop acting like a whiny child.”

“I’m not acting” Jaylen had responded then. 

“Then why are you crying again? Maybe we should adjust your meds to make you tolerable in the real world.” 

The clip then flowed into another session, where Carver persuaded Jaylen into confessing his insecurities and  then mocked him for having them.

It wasn’t just unethical to act like that. It was inhumane and Jaylen didn't talk about it then because he had no name for himself. 

After some minutes the video had gone viral, reactions of people  started coming in at a fast rate. 

The system buzzed, taking in the real-time statistics, “EchoDrop Poll: 73% Trust Jaylen Cruz. 27% Trust Dr. Carver. [Polling still open]”

People began comparing Carver’s voice in the sobbing clips versus the uncut tapes. They could see the discrepancies in tone, how weird edits were and how distorted the timestamps were. 

The internet turned detective overnight as they started digging deep and commenting on it with questions.

One thread on t*****r exploded, “Audio expert here. These clips were clearly manipulated. Carver is DONE. #TherapyLeaks”

Others dug into old cases and discovered Carver had a pattern. Every celebrity patient mysteriously dropped out after some media episodes.

By 3 a.m., the number one t*****r hashtag trend is now, #CarverCancelled

Jaylen's system pinged. “System Quest Completed: “Win Anonymous Public Sentiment Poll”

+1 Fame Level (Lv5 Reached)

+4 Talent Points

System Bonus Unlocked: “Emotional Resilience Protocol (Passive)”

The new passive lit up  on his stats menu. It  reduced negative press penalties and enhanced recovery speed from reputation hits.

Jaylen exhaled with a half mind resolve. 

But he wasn’t done. He pushed the final piece.

Using the system's Legal Echo module, he filed a civil defamation suit quietly. 

The morning news picked up the ethics inquiry before Carver could even react to it. He had slept for a long time that morning and he didn't even know what was going on until when he woke up.

But already, it was too late because news has started circulating. 

“BREAKING: Celebrity therapist Dr. Carver under review for alleged manipulation and ethical misconduct. License is temporarily suspended.”

The live footage outside Carver’s swanky Beverly Hills clinic showed reporters camping at the gates.

One of them shouted, “Dr. Carver, why did you gaslight Jaylen Cruz? Was this about money or control?”

But there was no answer. He couldn't say a thing even though he was inside. 

Carver’s social media vanished within the hour.

Jaylen’s phone buzzed. It was a call from a blocked number.

He answered, not expecting the voice that followed.

“Kudos,” said a gravelly tone. “You just pulled the plug on one of the biggest media shields in L.A.”

Jaylen narrowed his eyes. “Who is this?” He asked, because he couldn't recognise who exactly called him.

“Elijah Drax,” the man said casually. “Former director of SoundVault Studios. It is a shame that I am the current pain in your ass.”

Jaylen stood frozen.

“I figured since you have got the world’s attention, I would gift you something. Check your inbox... now.”

Drax ended the call at once. Jaylen tapped into his encrypted system inbox. A d******d began automatically. It was an unmarked file labeled, ‘J.UNRLSD_A01 through Z25.’

Jaylen wondered what it was until it was fully downloaded. Afterwards, he opened it and then he saw dozens of his unreleased songs from different eras. Some were raw vocals and others were just polished demos. 

It was his unreleased music archive. “Oh no,” he muttered silently. 

Socials were already on fire again.

Clips of his early draft choruses which were bare, vulnerable and experimental just got leaked to the world. People debated whether they were “deep art” or “proof Jaylen peaked years ago.”

Drax had just flipped the board again.

The system chimed in, “System Alert: New Crisis Detected. “Unauthorized Leak of Legacy Content.”

Recommended Action: Retrieve Copyright & Counter-Claim via Z-Shell Legal Node.”

Jaylen’s hands moved fast. He booted the Z-Shell interface. He had to activate his latest talent jumps. 

He tagged all leaked files with original timestamps, licensing metadata, and distribution IDs from his private system vault.

Within minutes, the system’s bots began issuing DMCA takedowns across streaming sites, forums, and media platforms.

But the damage was already done.

Drax had forced Jaylen into another internet problem. Drax was that one person with creative integrity over the people's perception and he has the control of his own story.

Even though Jaylen knew this about him, he  didn’t flinch.

Jaylen didn't stop reading the comments. As he read, one comment in the crowd stopped him cold, “If these songs were hidden… What else is he hiding?” 

He stared at the screen for a long second, then checked the system’s stat panel. It reads,

“Fame Level: 5.2

Talent: 85/100

Emotional Resilience Protocol: Active

Sub-Quest Chain Initiated: Control the Narrative: The Drax War Begins”

Jaylen cracked his neck and whispered, “Let’s dance, Drax. I am ready.”