Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 41: Exposing Vale’s Empire

Jaylen's desk was full of empty coffee cups. There are stacks of documents, and the constant brightness of multiple monitors. On-screen, the footage he had pieced together was playing on a loop. It was the damning breakdown of Roman Vale’s financial empire.

Zee’s synthetic voice pulsed through his headphones.

“Compilation Status: 92 percent. Final rendering in progress.”

Jaylen leaned back, exhaustion tugging at his shoulders. “We are about to pull the pin on a grenade, Zee.”

“Correction: We are about to detonate an entire minefield.”

The video was designed for a surgical strike. It was calm, calculated but lethal. It began with short visuals of Roman Vale smiling on red carpets, cutting ribbons and shaking hands. Then, it slipped into the pull of bank statements from shell companies in Gibraltar, Panama, and Malta.  Fake contracts for artist development programs that funneled money into offshore accounts. High resolution screenshots of internal memos from ValeStream’s special projects division that never officially existed.

And then came Carlis Venn’s testimony. His shaking voice started spilling every dirty detail. The camera zoomed on his sweat-beaded face as he admitted falsifying audits at Roman’s request. Jaylen had watermarked every clip with #EmpireBeneathValeStream.

Zee’s alert chimed. “Final Render: Complete. Encryption signature verified. Uploading?”

Jaylen’s jaw tightened. “Do it. Make it happen everywhere at once. No early leaks.”

The progress bar shot upward, and within minutes, the first wave hit T*****r, then VidCloud and then ShadowTube. The title spread like wildfire, “The Empire Beneath ValeStream.”

Two hours later. The reactions of people were instant. Hashtags climbed trending charts in twenty cities. News commentators were replaying segments in prime time. Independent journalists who had once dismissed Jaylen now messaged him with offers to collaborate.

“Dude, you have turned the internet into a war zone,” muttered Kareem, one of Jaylen’s old friends while calling him via video. Behind Kareem, his phone screen was lit up with news anchors debating the exposé.

“It’s not a war zone,” Jaylen said in a low voice. “It’s the first shot.”

But in the depths of ValeStream Tower, Roman Vale was already moving.

Roman stood in front of a wall-sized LED screen replaying Jaylen’s documentary. His fingers drummed slowly against the arm of his chair. His sharp suit looked like it could cut a glass. His legal counsel, Everett Daws, was pale.

“This is coordinated. He’s got evidence you told me didn’t exist.”

Roman didn’t look at him. “It doesn’t matter what he has. It matters who is willing to use it.”

Everett swallowed some saliva. “The mainstream outlets are picking it up.”

Roman turned his gaze to his assistant. “Get me the list. Every outlet, every journalist and every platform that gave him airtime. I want them all on the blacklist. There won't be interviews, no access and no sponsorships.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, moving quickly.

Roman’s voice hardened. “And send the message out quietly as you work with Jaylen, you’re done in this industry.”

Back at Jaylen’s Studio Zee’s system alerts kept popping, “Mainstream Coverage: Increasing. Hostile Countermeasures Detected.”

Jaylen scrolled through his feed, noting the sudden disappearance of several news articles that had shared his video. Others had slapped on vague pending verification tags.

“They’re pulling strings already,” Jaylen muttered.

Zee chimed in, “Roman Vale has activated Industry Unofficial Suppression Protocols,  effective immediately.”

Jaylen’s phone buzzed. It was a live call from an independent radio host. “Jaylen, I’ve got you live on air, did you expect the backlash to start this quickly?”

“Of course,” Jaylen replied evenly. “You don’t expose a man who has been untouchable for a decade and expect him to just sit quietly. Roman Vale built his empire on fear. What he doesn’t understand…” He paused, letting the air thicken. “is that fear works both ways.”

That clip alone racked up hundreds of thousands of views within the hour.

By evening, Roman’s retaliation shifted gears. Sponsored content began appearing across major platforms, subtly painting Jaylen as “a disgruntled former talent with an agenda.” Old, manipulated photos of him in heated arguments backstage surfaced. Anonymous “insiders” claimed his evidence was fabricated.

Zee flagged the spike. “Detection: Coordinated smear operation.”

Jaylen typed furiously, queuing up another post. “If they want to play dirty, we will play.”

He dropped side-by-side comparisons. The original files against edited versions with  complete metadata timestamps and blockchain signatures. Every post ended with the same hook, #EmpireBeneathValeStream, The Truth is Traceable.

The narrative tug-of-war played out in real-time. For every fake headline Roman pushed, Jaylen countered each with receipts, video logs, and uncut interviews. The audience were hungry for authenticity and was leaning toward Jaylen.

Jaylen and Zee were deep into mapping Roman’s next likely move when Kareem barged in, breathless.

“You’re not gonna like this.” He tossed a tablet onto the desk.

On-screen was an internal memo from ValeStream’s PR division. All the future ValeStream events will include explicit clauses barring attendance or coverage by ‘destabilizing individuals,’ including Jaylen.

Jaylen’s laugh was cold. “He’s banning me from his world. That's Good. It makes it easier to burn it down.”

Zee pulsed. “Strategic Advisory: Roman Vale’s influence is industry-deep. Disruption will require multi-pronged exposure. Suggest infiltration of ValeStream’s upcoming gala.”

Jaylen’s eyes narrowed. “Then we hit him where he feels safest.”

Before crashing for the night, Jaylen scheduled one last post. It was a cinematic teaser with dramatic music. There were flashes of financial documents, and Roman’s smiling face slowly glitching into a singular position - it was unmoving. The final text read, “Episode Two Drops Soon. Vale, I’m Just Getting Started.”

Within minutes, fans had turned it into a rallying cry. Memes flooded the net. Edits of Jaylen as a cyberpunk vigilante trended on ShadowTube. 

At 3 a.m, Jaylen’s phone buzzed again. When he checked, there was no caller ID. He almost ignored it, but the message that followed froze him mid-breath.

A single sentence lit up his screen, “You’ve made your last move.”

And attached was a list of every journalist and outlet that had covered his exposé, each name with a red strike through it.

Zee’s cold voice cut in,  “Roman Vale is escalating to direct suppression.”

Jaylen leaned back in his chair with his eyes narrowing. “Then we escalate too.”

 Roman Vale threatens to blacklist any media platform that supports Jaylen.