Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 6: The Podcast Trap

“Luck’s when hard work and timing meet up for drinks.”

“Oh, you’re poetic now?” she teased.

“I’ve always been poetic. Y’all just weren’t listening.” He expressed warmly. 

The audience watching live flooded the stream with laughing emojis, fire reactions, and heart comments.

Jaylen was cruising, owning the mic and controlling the tone.

Until…. Vixie turned to the producer and gave a subtle nod.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said with a sugary sweet voice. “We’ve got a little surprise for you tonight.”

Jaylen’s stomach dropped slightly, but his face didn’t flinch.

“Joining us live is someone who knows you better than most…” 

The screen behind them lit up. Written on it was, Incoming Call: MIA LENNOX.

Jaylen leaned back slowly like he wasn't concerned and he got this. 

The viewers went wild and comments exploded. 

 “Noooo she’s calling??”

“Jaylen keep it cool”

 “DRAMA INCOMINGGGG”

Mia appeared on screen. Her hair was flawless, her makeup was soft and a fake vulnerability painted across her face like foundation.

“Jaylen…” she said with a faint pout. “I-I just saw the stream and I wanted to say… I never meant for things to go that far. I was hurt too. I was scared.” She imprinted with her emotions throbbing. 

Vixie’s eyes gleamed. “Wow. Real talk. That’s mature of you, Mia.”

Mia kept the performance going. “People are trying to pit us against each other, but we were close once. I still care, Jay.” Her voice slowly gripping. 

Jaylen stared at her. He tilted his head and then he laughed.

It was not bitter and it was not forced. Jaylen was just… amused.

“You done?” he asked her calmly.

Mia blinked. “Excuse me?” Her voice raised slowly. 

“I said… are you done lying through those $800 lip fillers?” His voice hardened in a more clarifying tone. 

The studio fell dead silent.

Then… the system buzzed. ‘MINI-QUEST TRIGGERED: FACE-SLAP - BETRAYER EXPOSED. Optional Bonus: Reveal Evidence Live. Reward: +2 Fame, Global Trending Boost.’

Jaylen tapped his smartwatch. On cue, the studio screen changed again - this time to a leaked screen-recording of Mia’s DMs, voice notes, and unfiltered private chats.

Her voice filled the studio speakers, “Jaylen’s just a ladder. Let him climb, then I’ll drop him like the others. He thinks this is love - bless his broken heart.”

Another recording rolled, Mia laughed out. “He’ll never be anyone. I mean, look at him. He still eats noodles with ketchup!”

Gasps erupted in the comment stream.

Jaylen turned back to the camera. He was calm, controlled and cold.

“Y’all want something real? Here it is,” he said. “She dumped me, called me a leech, and clowned me with her new man. Now I trend, and suddenly I’m worth a phone call?”

Vixie tried to recover. “Jaylen, let’s not…”

 But he cut her off.

“Stop. This isn’t about healing. This is about relevance. She saw the numbers. She thought she could spin it.” He turned back to the screen where Mia was frozen and her jaw tight.

“You wanna act like you still care? Try calling me when there’s no camera rolling.”

Zee, the system buzzed in. “MINI-QUEST COMPLETE. +2 Fame Gained. #JaylenUnfiltered now trending worldwide.”

The comment section exploded, “HE SAID WHAT HE SAID.”

“Jaylen just gave her the digital backhand.”

 “I need this man to narrate my breakups.”

“#JaylenUnfiltered IS A MOVEMENT”

Mia’s screen vanished. The studio was silent except for the hum of Jaylen - the rising flame.

Vixie cleared her throat, visibly shaken but trying to salvage what was left.

“Well… that was raw,” she said. “And honestly? Iconic.” 

Jaylen just half-smiled and there was no trace of apology in sight.

Vixie gestured to her producer to switch off the camera, then leaned toward Jaylen with a smirk.

“You’ve definitely got the internet on fire,” she said. “Tell you what… we’ve never done this before but how about a live performance? Right now, millions are watching. Are you up for it?” 

Jaylen’s eyes gleamed under the spotlight.

“Do you want to go live?” He asked without a flinch. Even before Vixie could respond, he stood slowly, pulling his mic from its stand.

“Yes.” She finally responded. 

“Then let me show you what rising from the dirt sounds like.” He expressed with pride. 

……….

The studio lights dimmed and the energy shifted.

Jaylen stepped into the center spotlight as the LiveStream counter in the corner of the screen crossed 3.4 million viewers and still climbing.

Even Vixie, the queen of fake confidence, stayed silent. Her typical influencer charm was now just tension disguised as anticipation.

Jaylen held the mic loosely at his side. His heart thudded once and twice. 

And then… Zee buzzed, “LIVE PERFORMANCE DETECTED. Activating: LIVESHOW MODE. System Boost: Audience Perception x300 percent. Passive Effect: Hypnotic Presence and Charisma Enhanced. Let’s give them something real,” Zee’s voice whispered in his ear. “Let them feel the heat of the man they left for dead.”

The beat kicked in. It was raw, stripped back with just drums and piano. There was no filter, no synths. 

Jaylen brought the mic to his lips and began to sing. “They saw me in blood, laughed and drove off, Said I’d die broke, but I shook the loss. Useless, they called me - parasite vibes,

Now I light rooms up when I arrive. “From concrete gutters to digital fire,  I rose from death with venom and wire. You slapped me once, now I slap back with charts, I’m not fame’s guest, I’m tearing it apart.”

The room stood still. Everyone listened attentively and they were shocked to the bones. 

Even the cameraman forgot to breathe. Viewers online posted screen-recordings mid-stream. Comment threads poured in faster than the system could count,

 “WHO IS THIS MAN??” 

“Did he just awaken a superpower mid-verse?” 

“Every bar cuts. I’m shaking.”

“We are witnessing history.”

Jaylen walked the stage like a man who had lived a hundred lives in a single week. His hand gestures, his breath control and the emotional edge in his voice. It was all a polished pain that was forged into gold.