Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 5: Useless No More

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? Grinding everyday. Delete it. This one ‘Can’t stop, won’t stop’? Delete it too.”

Jaylen chuckled, nervously. “Y’all are ruthless.”

“Image is war,” Vale said flatly. “And you’ve been losing in that.”

……..

Four hours of work later, Jaylen emerged from his bathroom like a different man.

Gone was the torn hoodie and chipped sneakers. Now he wore fitted matte-black cargos, designer boots with silver-tipped toes a layered drop-shoulder leather jacket, and a chain with a crescent star pendant.

Even his face looked different. It was fade trimmed, brows arched, jawline sharp under perfect lighting.

He didn’t look like a try-hard rapper anymore.

He looked like a star now. Tasha snapped a new profile picture on a DSLR, uploaded it, and began typing rapidly across his social media. “I have updated your BIO. Press push distributed. Hashtag bank locked in too.”

The new Bio is now, “They buried me. Forgot I was a seed.” Hashtags are now, “#JaylenRising #ZillonaireStar #NextRenzo.”

As they worked, Jaylen watched his numbers spike in real time.

His views became 2.1 million and his retweets became 60K. Fan Edits starts Piling in.

The internet had flipped. From “#UselessJaylen” to “#WhoIsJaylenCruz.”

One fan’s tweet went viral, “I feel like I’m witnessing the birth of a legend in real-time. Jaylen Cruz is now the next Renzo Blaze fr.”

Another fan's tweet went viral, “This dude came back from public humiliation with bars. I’m invested.”

Even the skeptics started changing tone, “Okay… I made fun of him last week. But this guy’s got something.”

Jaylen leaned back on his creaky mattress, still overwhelmed by surprises. 

“Is this… real?” he asked.

“It’s yours. All of it,” Zee answered. “But it won’t last if you don’t fight harder.”

Just after that, Zee buzzed with a new task. “NEW QUEST: BURN THE MASK. Objective: Rebrand fully within 48 hours. Reward: +3 Fame, Unlock Z-Scan (Reveal Secrets of Rivals) Note: You’ve shed your skin. Now build your story.”

Jaylen stared at the glowing quest text.

“Let’s go.” He hurriedly imprinted.

…….

That evening, his phone buzzed with a direct invite. Jaylen tapped the screen and froze.

“INVITE: CloudZone Podcast – with Vixie Valen. Followers: 2.3M. Status: Live Interview Offer. Time Slot: Tomorrow, 6 PM

Note: Host previously mocked you on Episode 14 of his podcast titled: Parasites in the Industry”

Jaylen’s eyes narrowed.  Vixie was a blonde, sharp-tongued, mega-influencer. She called him a rotten leech feeding on his girlfriend’s fame. Laughed at him when the slap video went viral.

And now? Now she wanted him on her live show. Jaylen knew she had called to humiliate him on that live show. 

“She smells blood in the water,”  Zee said. “Thinks she’s inviting a soft target. She doesn’t know you’re a blade now.”

Jaylen’s lips curled into a slow, icy grin.

He hit “Accept.”

He leaned back with his eyes gleaming under the dim light. “Tomorrow, I won't be walking into a trap. But rather I will set her trap on fire.” He clenched his fist. 

Jaylen Cruz walked into the CloudZone studio elegantly.  The glass walls reflected his new persona back at him. He was on black-on-black streetwear. He had a silver chain glinting against his chest. Jaylen now has a quiet confidence in every step he makes. But beneath the surface, his instincts were sharp.

This wasn’t just an interview. For him, It was an enemy territory, because that woman once mocked him. 

“Mr. Cruz,” said the assistant at the door, “Vixie’s just finishing up the previous guest. You’re on in five.”

Jaylen nodded with his eyes scanning everything, the ring lights, the sound techs, and the fancy equipment. Jaylen now reeked of influence and  money. All these to boost someone else's brand.

But not today.

He checked the floating Z-System interface in his peripheral, “Fame Rank: Level 2

Z-Credits: -2 (Debts active)

Quest in Progress: Burn the Mask

Bonus Triggered: Face-Slap Opportunity Detected

Potential Target: Mia Lennox.”

Jaylen clenched his jaw.

Vixie Valen has 2.3 million followers. She is a Professional clout-harvester. She had called him a “parasite on pop culture” and “the sad story no one asked for.”

And now, she wanted him to play humble for the clicks?

Nah! He would give her what she never thought.

……………

The podcast studio smelled expensive with the bright bulbs and beautiful settings.

“Jayyyyylen Cruz!” Vixie said in soft and low voice as he walked in. She wore a platinum-blonde wig that was as sharp as a blade. She stood from her podcast chair and hugged him, not too warm and  not too cold. The camera was already rolling and she was acting. 

“Welcome to the Zone, baby. You’re trending harder than Mia’s last scandal.” Her voice was tentative as she spoke. 

Jaylen smirked. “That’s not hard to beat.” 

She laughed on cue. “Oop! Spicy already!”

The interview began. They covered his freestyle, the diss track and his sudden glow-up. Vixie leaned into every juicy detail.

“So like… did you plan this redemption arc? Or did you just get lucky after your ex made you go viral?” She asked.

Jaylen raised a brow.