Valmont Series - Inheritance Code

Chapter 1.2 - The Summons

The doors opened before she could ask anything else.

Their mother stood in the frame. Vivienne Lancaster, draped in black silk, heels silent on the polished floor. Her hair was pulled back like she was hosting a press conference, not breakfast. Her face was composed, but her eyes were sharp.

Behind her, their father followed, holding a matte-black briefcase.

Neither of them smiled.

"Darlings," Vivienne said, her voice too even. "Please. Come sit."

That's when Aria knew.

This wasn't a birthday surprise.

The formal lounge was as polished and theatrical as ever—floor-to-ceiling glass, pale stone walls, sculptural lighting—but something about it felt... staged. A velvet folder sat on the glass coffee table like a prop from a courtroom drama. Aiden noticed it instantly. Aria noticed the tension in their parents' posture.

Vivienne Lancaster stood at the hand resting lightly on the back of a pale suede chair. She wore a structured black silk blouse from The Row, paired with tailored Valentino trousers that made her look like she was on her way to a Vogue boardroom rather than breakfast. Her hair, pinned back with clinical precision, hadn't moved since 6:00 a.m. Aria recognized the look—it was the one her mother wore before delivering a scandal-proof commencement speech at her finishing school.

Vivienne had once ruled catwalks in Paris. Now she trained future empresses in how to hold a teacup and dismantle a reputation in five syllables or less.

At her side, William Lancaster stood like a man always five minutes ahead of the present. His silver Tom Ford suit was unwrinkled. His cufflinks—Cartier, subtle, and definitely bespoke—caught the light but never asked for it. He ran real estate the way some men ran countries, with entire city blocks rising or falling on the weight of a single raised brow.

Neither of them looked surprised to see their children confused.

Vivienne gestured for them to sit.

Aria crossed her arms. "You're being weird."

William didn't look up. He reached into the matte-black briefcase and withdrew an envelope sealed in dark gold wax, stamped with a crest Aria didn't recognize. A phoenix, wings curved upward, wrapped in ivy.

Vivienne finally spoke.

"There's something we haven't told you. Something that was only to be revealed today."

Aiden leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "The day we turned twelve."

Vivienne nodded. "It's a clause. In your inheritance."

Aria blinked. "Wait, like money?"

"No," William said. "Not money."

Aiden tilted his head. "Access."

Vivienne looked at him, briefly impressed.

"Yes."

There was a long pause.

Vivienne inhaled slowly. "Your ancestors—on your father's side—were part of something. Not a school. Not a society. An institution. Very old. Very private. Admission to it can't be bought. It has to be earned, through bloodline... and timing."

Aria raised a brow. "We already go to the most elite school in the country. Are you saying this is... older than all that?"

Vivienne nodded. "Your school is elite, yes—but even elite understates it. This was architected for legacy heirs—privately commissioned, sovereign-funded, and concealed from every global index. Fewer than a hundred bloodlines have access. It wasn't built for status. It was built to prepare those the world isn't allowed to see."

Aria tilted her head. "So what—you're enrolling us in fancier homeschool?"

William set the envelope down on the table. "No. This is your real education."

Aiden's brow twitched. "Why wait until now?"

"Because the clause was tied to your twelfth birthday. Legally, we weren't allowed to say anything earlier."

Aria stared at the envelope like it might bite her.

Vivienne continued. "You were both accepted into something called the Valmont Institute. It's not public. It's not listed. And you can't tell anyone where you're going."

"Is that even legal?" Aria snapped.

"It's off-grid, but fully sanctioned under global elite charter agreements," William replied, as if discussing a logistics contract.

"That's not a real sentence," Aria said.

William slid the envelope toward them.

"Read it."

Aiden opened it carefully, breaking the wax with one smooth motion. Inside was a thick sheet of cream paper, heavy and textured. The crest appeared again at the top, gold-embossed.

He read aloud:

The Valmont Institute Clause 12-Φ: Inheritance Activation Notice This document certifies the acceptance of Aria and Aiden Lancaster into the Valmont Legacy Program.

As dictated by the Lancaster Founding Line, entry is to commence immediately upon completion of their twelfth solar cycle.

Your transportation is arranged. Your education has already begun.

Welcome to Avalon.

The name dropped into the room like a weight.

Aria stared. "What the heck is Avalon?"

Aiden was already typing the word into his Apple Watch. His screen blinked once.

No results. Not even on private networks.

He frowned. "There's nothing."

"Not even metadata?" William asked, curious.

Aiden shook his head. "It doesn't exist. At least, not digitally."

Vivienne nodded. "That's the point."

Aria leaned back against the couch. "So... this place just appears on our birthday and we're supposed to—what—disappear?"

"You're not disappearing," William said. "You're being moved. You're entering a new circle."

"A secret circle."

"A global one."

Vivienne reached into her pocket and handed them each a small gold card embossed with Lancaster family crest. Sleek, blank, weighty.

"This is your key," she said. "You'll understand more once you arrive."

Aria turned hers over in her hand. "Why does this feel like we're being recruited into a cult?"

"Because you've been raised to ask good questions," Vivienne replied smoothly. "And that's exactly what Avalon looks for."

Aria's fingers clenched around the golden card.

She stood slowly. "You're serious."

William nodded once.

"I have a life here," she said. "I have school. And Savannah's birthday brunch this weekend. And a shoot with Dior—do you even realize how hard I worked for that campaign?"

Vivienne met her with a calm smile. "Everything you've done was preparation for this."

"No," Aria said, louder. "You can't just delete my life like an app update."

"You're not being deleted," William said. "You're being elevated."

Next: The Last Goodbye - She is leaving everything behind. But not without her boots.