I Changed Career Paths Based on My Own Ability Do I Need Your Approval
Dexter Reed wasn't an idiot. One look at the panicked faces of Wyatt Riggs and Diana Marks told him he'd messed up.
Still, a score of 282 was probably pretty damn solid for the Bar Exam.
And since Avery Hayes's score was the real deal, he wasn't about to lose any sleep over it.
He just called the PR department and told them to get a press release ready.
The second Avery was done with that exam, they were announcing her signing with Stellar Media.
He also gave them a heads-up to monitor the online chatter, then put the whole thing out of his mind.
He was content to let the internet drama cook.
Humming a little tune, he casually brewed himself a pot of tea, his mood actually improving as he waited for the epic clapback he knew was coming.
Diana Marks, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with anxiety.
Director Leo Bell and Director Carter King from *You Are My Defender* had both called, asking what the hell was going on with Avery.
They knew she'd passed the first part of the exam, but the entire internet was dragging her name through the mud, and if it got any worse, it could start hurting their show.
Diana quickly got them up to speed, promising them not to worry. The entire narrative, she insisted, was about to flip.
Meanwhile, inside the exam hall, Avery was completely absorbed in her test, with no intention of turning it in early.
She was blissfully unaware of the storm raging outside.
At exactly twelve-thirty, the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam as the system automatically locked and submitted her answers.
All around her, test-takers stood up, stretching and gathering their things.
Avery didn't join the initial rush for the door. She waited until the room was more than half empty before calmly making her way toward the designated exit.
Once she was out of the building, Avery pulled out her phone, planning to message Shane Croft to meet her at the coffee shop just off campus.
She had a meeting scheduled there with the analyst she'd hired, and after picking up the materials, she could head back to the office, get organized, and finally join the film crew.
But the moment her screen lit up, before she could even tap on her messenger app, she saw the notification badge on her four-person PUBG team chat. It had completely blown up.
It wasn't just her gaming friends, either. All of her close contacts were frantically messaging her. Avery froze for a beat, ignoring the flood of notifications to open the message from her pinned contact: Cole Hayes.
The second she saw it, she knew exactly why everyone was freaking out.
So, someone was trying to smear her name.
*Does the person behind this have a single brain cell?* she thought. *Or have they just never set foot on a college campus?*
Did they really think a top-tier university was a place anyone could just waltz in and out of? Let alone bypass the layers of security for the national Bar Exam?
A cold smile touched Avery's lips.
Phone in hand, she walked over to a nearby sycamore tree, leaned against its trunk, and opened X.
The other test-takers who had left before her had already seen the posts tearing her down. When they spotted her standing quietly in the shade, they saw the slight slump of her slender shoulders and assumed the vicious online attacks had gotten to her.
The people from her exam room knew just how ridiculous the accusations were. Seeing her like that sparked a protective anger in them, and one by one, they pulled out their phones, ready to jump online and fight back.
Seriously, you had to be an idiot to question the integrity of the Bar Exam. Who in their right mind would dare to pull a stunt like that? The entire thing was administered by the state judicial authorities.
Avery, however, was oblivious to the quiet wave of support building around her.
Her fingers flew across the screen, scrolling through an overwhelming flood of insults and accusations drowning her feed.
Some mocked her for pretending to take the exam, others slammed her for forcing a "straight-A student" persona, and a few maliciously speculated that this was all just a ploy to launch a livestreaming career.
"Nice try, faking it at the Bar Exam. If it's real, show us your admission ticket."
"She quit being a doctor to become an actress. Guess she couldn't resist that easy money."
"Is the University of Finance and Economics your personal playground? You think you can just walk in whenever you feel like it?"
"That picture from the exam hall is so obviously photoshopped. Confirmed."
"She auditions two days ago and is trending today. This PR stunt is pathetic."
"You got the guts to show everyone your last exam scores?"
Avery scrolled for another minute before she couldn't be bothered to read anymore. It was all the same generic bot script, clearly an organized, premeditated smear campaign.
She'd figured she'd become a target after the audition two days ago, the moment she officially stepped into the industry and people found out she'd signed with Stellar Media. She just hadn't expected the attack to come so soon, or so clumsily.
But whatever. Let them come. She wasn't afraid of a few trolls.
In fact, she could use this trending hate campaign to her advantage, solidify her real supporters and convert all the goodwill she'd built with casual followers into a true, die-hard fanbase.
Avery raised an eyebrow.
She calmly took a screenshot of her score from the previous section of the Bar Exam, uploaded it to X, and started typing.
**Post on X**
A 282. Is that clear enough for you?
To everyone saying I'm "faking it"... if you think you can fake this, by all means, give it a shot.
To those angry that I'm an actor... I changed careers on my own merit. I don't need your permission.
Now, for the friends who actually care about me, I want to respond to your concerns seriously.
Regarding my old job: my hands aren't steady enough to hold a scalpel anymore. For a surgeon, that's a career-ending reality, so I had to walk away. I'm sure none of you would want a doctor with trembling hands on the operating table, right?
Acting was this unexpected window that opened for me when I was at my lowest. It made me feel like I wasn't useless, that I could still make a living.
I cherish this new identity.
And the Bar Exam? That's the foundation I started building for myself when my world fell apart.
There's no rule that says an actor can't also be a lawyer.
Human potential is limitless. I refuse to box myself into one path.
After a quick proofread, Avery hit send.
She'd fired back her clapbacks and said what needed to be said. Faced with hard evidence, people were smart enough to figure out the truth for themselves. As for the mastermind pulling the strings, Avery wasn't worried anymore.
In fact, she had to wonder if the person who paid for this smear campaign was about to pass out from sheer rage. Because after she posted, her follower count started skyrocketing again. They had accidentally paid to make her go viral.
Across town, Dexter Reed saw the hype from Avery's post and gave the signal.
Stellar Media's official X account immediately released the announcement of her signing.
The PR department got to work, skillfully steering the online conversation toward topics like "career diversification" and "a life without limits."
The comment section, which had been a dumpster fire of hate just moments before, was now flooded with praise.
It was hard not to be impressed. Avery's story was incredible. Anyone else in her shoes might still be in therapy for PTSD, but she had already pivoted and was on the verge of a major breakthrough. Her future was looking brighter than ever.
Of course, some people raised an eyebrow at her signing with Stellar Media.
The company had a pretty bad reputation after one of its biggest stars got caught in a drunk driving scandal a year ago, which led to a mass exodus of other artists.
It didn't exactly seem like a great launching pad, and fans worried that the company would exploit Avery.
But that wasn't a problem. With the PR team guiding the narrative, that discussion quickly fizzled out.
Meanwhile, far away in California, Director Simon Vance and Dylan Nash, the man whose life Avery had saved, both read her post about not being able to hold a scalpel with deep skepticism.
The day Avery had saved Dylan, her hands had been perfectly steady. She hadn't hesitated for a second.
In this war of public opinion, Avery had once again come out on top.
The senior management at Stellar Media were practically cheering.
And somewhere out there, the hidden mastermind who'd tried to get Avery blacklisted was probably watching her follower count explode, so furious they felt like they were about to have a stroke.