Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 8: Strip the Faker

The clerk nodded nervously and totaled the bill.

“ The total of the bill is 9,820 dollars.” Jaylen nodded. 

Jaylen brought out his  Z-Credit Card. It's a System Bound Unlimimited spending card.

Jaylen inserted the glowing card Zee had generated from his system account. The machine beeped once.

‘TRANSACTION: APPROVED.’

Blake’s jaw dropped. So did his ego.

“Go on,” Jaylen said. “Strip. A bet’s a bet.” His voice rang fiercely. 

“I…this is a stunt!” Blake barked. “You set me up!” His voice hardened with despair. 

“Maybe,” Jaylen said. “But you made the rules. And the whole boutique’s watching.”

People had started recording. Staff had stopped working. Even the security guard stood still with his eyes wide.

“Take. It. Off,” someone chanted.

Then more people joined.

“TAKE! IT! OFF!”

Flushed and humiliated, Blake hesitated, then peeled off his designer coat, his expensive shirt and his name-brand pants…

Now standing in the middle of the store in designer boxers. His face flushed red.

Jaylen slid the sunglasses back on.

“Now that’s fashion-forward,” he said, brushing past Blake with his new bags in his hand.

‘MINI-QUEST COMPLETE: STRIP THE FAKER.

Reward: +3 Fame Gained, +5,000 Followers and #BlakeInBoxers Trending number 1 online.’

Zee snickered. “Blake is trending but not the way he likes.”

Outside the mall, Jaylen barely made it five steps before the crowd descended.

“Jaylen! Over here!”

“Let me get a picture!”

“Can you say the line from your track again?! The one about the industry puppets?”

“Jaylen, is Blake’s version really stolen?!”

Jaylen smiled, took photos, even signed a phone case. Fans surrounded him, some screaming, others simply stunned to see him walk among them.

Zee reported from the background, ‘Fame Level Increased: Level 3. Follower Growth Rate x2 Active for 48hrs. Public Clout: Rising Icon Status Achieved.’

“Feels good,” Jaylen whispered under his breath.

“And it’s only the beginning,” Zee replied. “Also... heads up.”

Jaylen’s phone buzzed again.

Another private message. This one was from a music industry gossip account.

“Insider Leak is confirmed. Blake Voss’ team has delayed the single release indefinitely. Rumors say execs are furious after Jaylen’s leak proved prior authorship. Jaylen’s unfinished version has hit 700,000 streams in less than a day. A takedown notice was attempted but failed due to time-stamped metadata.”

Jaylen stopped walking and looked up at the city skyline. Blake tried to steal his voice. But now, the world was singing it back to him.

A new message appeared in the system feed.

“NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: Storm the Gate. Objective: Perform at the Clout Rising Showcase. Note: All the industry’s eyes will be watching. Including The Zenith Circle.

Reward: +5 Fame, +10,000 Fans, Unlock: Z-Stage Mode.”

Jaylen’s smile hardened. They tried to bury him. Now they had to watch him rise from the ground. 

The lights hit brightened lightning. The crowd was already roaring before Jaylen took a single step on stage.

He stood backstage of the Clout Rising Showcase, the hottest underground-to-mainstream crossover event in East Harlow. He would stream to over 4 million subscribers globally. Dozens of rising acts, influencers, and music bloggers were in attendance. But none were getting more buzz than one name, Jaylen Cruz!

“Main Quest: Storm the Gate – In Progress.

Objective: Perform at Clout Rising.

Bonus: Impress Label Scouts and Expand Audience Reach.

Reward: +5 Fame, Z-Stage Mode Unlocked.”

Jaylen exhaled slowly. The stage pulsed with bass from the previous act. He felt it through the soles of his boots.

“You ready for this?” Zee asked.

“I’ve been ready since they mocked and laughed at me,” Jaylen whispered.

The announcer’s voice boomed overhead.

“Put your hands together for the man who turned betrayal into a breakout. JAYLEN CRUUUUUUZ!”

The screams were deafening.

Jaylen stepped onto the stage and everything slowed.

“Z-STAGE MODE: ACTIVATED

Performance stats enhanced. Crowd influence x300 percent. 

Active Buff: Aura Presence - Audience will feel emotional resonance from lyrics.”

The first note dropped. And then came the words.

……….

Jaylen’s performance was more than music. it was a reawakening. Every bar he spit hit with purpose. Lyrics carried the weight of betrayal, rebirth, and the fury of someone who had crawled out of the dirt with nothing but fire in his lungs.

 “They called me cheap, a leech, a freak,

 Now they quote my pain when they post each week. Bought my name with my stolen song - Now I own this stage, and I won’t belong.”

Flames erupted from the sides of the stage. Phones lit the venue like stars. The audience chanted his name. “Jay-len! Jay-len! Jay-len!”

He ended with a slow, chilling outro that brought the crowd to silence.

And then the eruption was a tidal wave of screams, applause, and flashing lights.

“Quest Complete: Storm the Gate

Reward: +5 Fame, +10,000 Fans, Followers, now at 120K.

Z-Stage Mode Mastery Level 1 Unlocked.

New Feature: Z-Aura Lyrics Chance to trigger emotion-based viral reactions.”

Backstage, Jaylen was met with stunned stares even from artists who had previously mocked him online.

He didn’t stop to talk. He didn’t need to. The performance spoke for itself.

But then, he received a message from his mobile. A card slipped into his dressing room door. It was black with silver foil text.

“Roman Vale requests your presence this midnight at the Glass Tower.” Jaylen frowned because he knew the name.

Roman Vale was the CEO of ValeStream Entertainment.  He is multi-billion-dollar machine with influence spanning across the film, music, fashion, and digital space.

He was the kind of man who didn’t request anything unless he already owned it.

Jaylen checked his system feed. “High-Level Entity Detected: Roman Vale.

Influence: S-Class.

Manipulation Risk: 98 percent.”

Zee whispered, “Be very careful. This man collects artists like chess pieces.”

Jaylen didn’t flinch even though that voice was heavy.

“Then let’s see what kind of game he thinks he’s playing.” He muttered through his teeth. 

……..

Later that night at the glass tower. Roman Vale’s office sat on the top floor. It’s  walls were made of glass. The sculptures around was made of ivory. The office was modern, cold, and sharp.

He sat behind a marble desk, staring at Jaylen like he was inspecting a rare, wild animal.

“You have something that I love,” Roman said. “The anger, the charisma and the story.”

Jaylen leaned back. “I appreciate the compliment.”

Roman smirked. “Its not a compliment. It's an observation. And observations have value just like you.”

He slid a tablet across the table.

“ValeStream is prepared to offer you a 3-album deal. We handle PR, marketing, styling and song production. You will become a worldwide name in a few months.” He lifted his eyebrows. 

Jaylen didn’t touch the tablet.

“And the cost?” He asked cleverly. 

Roman’s smile thinned. “Nothing major. Just… let us shape you. You don’t push boundaries we don’t approve. You don’t drop truth tracks that hurt partners. You don’t destroy people we have on payroll.” He explained in detail. 

Jaylen’s eyes narrowed. “Like Blake Voss.” He asked. 

Roman’s fingers tapped the table slowly. “Exactly. Blake is an investment. He made a mistake. You humiliated him. Now you're on our radar.” 

Jaylen stood slowly. “Let me be clear, Mr. Vale.” He paused, took in some breath.  “I’m not your product. I’m not your puppet. And I sure as hell won’t be bought.”

Roman’s eyes flashed with something darker than amusement.

“Pity,” he said softly. “You could’ve been rich, famous and protected.”

He pressed a button under his desk.

Jaylen turned to leave but paused at the door.

“I’ll be all those things,” he said. “But on my terms.”  Then he walked out without looking back.

Zee spoke in amusement, “That was bold.” Jaylen replied with anger boiling within, “So will be a backlash.”