Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 27: Therapy Takedown (Part 1 – Setup Show)

The studio lights blazed like miniature suns.  Each of the paparazzi was a calculated weapon meant to make the guests squint, sweat, and falter.

 The host’s voice echoed over the applause as the camera panned from the cheering audience to the polished desk at the center stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she said with a smile that could cut glass, “today’s discussion centers on mental health in the entertainment industry and we have a particular … high-profile case to explore.”

Jaylen sat in the guest chair on the far right, dressed in a tailored black suit with a silver chain gleaming against his shirt collar. He looked calm and not too calm. The crowd murmured, phones already angled to capture every twitch of his face.

Across from him sat Dr. Carver, his former counselor. The man looked every bit the picture of professional authority. He had a gray beard neatly trimmed, wireframe glasses glinting under the lights and hands folded on the top of a leather-bound notebook. But behind that mild smile, Jaylen could see the smugness.

The host turned to the camera. “In recent days, leaked therapy notes have suggested that Mr. Jaylen Cruz suffers from paranoia, delusions of grandeur, and recurring anger episodes that, according to our other guest, make him a danger to himself and those around him.”

The audience gasped at the loaded phrasing. The camera zoomed in on Jaylen. He didn’t blink.

The host turned to Dr. Carver. “Doctor, you’ve worked with Jaylen personally. What did you observe?”

Dr. Carver clasped his hands, projecting an air of solemn authority. “In my opinion, Mr. Jaylen shows clear patterns of narcissistic personality traits and as such, I don't think he is to be trusted. His sudden rise to fame in the musical industry is questioning with this tendency. Its difficult for him to separate reality from his own grand narratives.”

The words hit hard in the air. The audience leaned in.

Jaylen’s System interface flared to life in his peripheral vision.

“ALERT: Forgeries detected. Audio & session notes falsified. Source: Paid directive from Roman Vale. Evidence cache ready for live reveal.”

The host pressed on. “Doctor, there are also claims that Jaylen had… breakdowns during your sessions. That he raised his voice, and made threats…”

“Yes,” Carver said smoothly. “Several times. In fact, one incident was so intense I considered calling security.”

Phones in the crowd lit up with tweets, live streams and comments already flooding in. #JaylenMeltdown was climbing the charts in real-time.

Jaylen didn’t react. Not yet.

Instead, he leaned forward with a steady voice. “You say I had breakdowns. You say I was paranoid. You say I threatened you.” He glanced at the host, then the audience. “But I think people deserve to hear the real sessions.”

Carver’s smile faltered. “Jaylen…”

The System pinged again. “Play Exhibit A – Session Timestamp: 11/12, 3:14 p.m.”

Jaylen tapped his phone, and the studio speakers crackled to life.

Carver’s real voice, “Jaylen, your instincts about people betraying you might actually be correct. The industry thrives on deception.”

Jaylen’s recorded voice, “So when I say I feel like someone’s setting me up, that’s not paranoia?”

Carver:  “No, that’s just pattern recognition.”

The audience shifted in their seats. A few gasps progressively.

The host blinked. “Wait… That’s…”

Jaylen hit play again.

Carver’s real voice: “I wouldn’t call your ambition delusional, Jaylen. If anything, I think you underestimate yourself.”

Carver’s jaw clenched. “That’s private material.”

Jaylen cut him off. “Private material you sold to Roman Vale’s PR team.”

The crowd erupted half in shock and half in disbelief. Phones were up everywhere now. #TherapyLeak was beginning to trend.

The host tried to regain control. “Gentlemen, let’s…”

“No,” Jaylen said sharply with her eyes locked on Carver. “Let’s talk about the timestamp edits in your leaked notes. The words I supposedly said? You stitched them from different sessions and stripped the context. And then you got paid for it.”

The System threw up another command.

“Display Payment Record – Source: Vale PR.”

Jaylen flicked the image onto the big studio screen. A crisp bank statement appeared, showing a $50,000 wire transfer from Vale PR to a “C. Carver Consulting LLC.” The date? Two days before the notes went viral.

The audience exploded in noise boos, gasps, and shouts.

Carver’s face went pale. “That’s… there’s an explanation…”

“Sure there is,” Jaylen said. His tone was like a sharpened steel. “The explanation is you cashed in on my name, my struggles, and my trust to make yourself richer. You tried to assassinate my character on a national scale. And now you’re sitting here, smiling, hoping people believe you because you have a degree and a nice suit.”

The host looked rattled. This wasn’t the segment she had planned.

Jaylen stood, not breaking eye contact with Carver. “Doctor, how much did Roman Vale pay you?”

The question landed like a hammer and there was a dead silence. Even the host didn’t breathe.

Carver opened his mouth but no words came. His eyes darted to the cameras, to the host, and to the audience. He knew the trap had been sprung. Anything he said now would either confirm the lie or make him look worse.

The crowd’s phones caught every second of his hesitation.

Jaylen leaned closer in a low voice but perfectly caught the mic. “Answer it. Right here and now.” He lifted his face.

Carver swallowed hard. “I… think this interview is over.”

He stood, but the damage was already done.

The System’s final ping rolled across Jaylen’s vision.

“QUEST UPDATE: Evidence successfully presented. Public trust shift: +27%. Awaiting final objective completion.”

As Carver walked off-stage under a hail of boos, Jaylen sat back down, fixing his suit jacket. The host was still reeling. He stammered out, “We… will be right back after these messages.”

But Jaylen knew there would be no coming back from this for Carver, at least.

The crowd’s energy was electric, the clips were already going viral before the commercial break even started. And somewhere, Roman Vale was watching this unfold, realizing his latest weapon had just backfired.

The battle wasn’t over. But the mask had cracked.

The host leans toward Jaylen as the cameras fade to black. “Off the record… I think you just broke the internet.”