Valmont Series - Inheritance Code

Chapter 4.5 - After the Applause

Her tie — a soft solar gold — marked her as Solara. At her wrist, the cufflink shimmered faintly, micro-etched with her House's radiant sun emblem.

At the opposite cuff, a translucent band of crystalline white reflected soft light — the Meridien tier, unmistakable in its clarity.

No couture. No rebellion. Just calculated elegance.

She didn't glance at the projection as it flickered — a perfect 360-degree hologram confirming her fit, her status, her alignment.

She didn't need validation.

The look wasn't for approval.

It was for recognition.

This wasn't fashion.

This was fluency.

Her ONYX pulsed softly as Lyric's voice followed — almost like punctuation

"Prestige Status: Meridien Confirmed."

She stilled — just for a breath.

Not to admire.

Just to feel it.

No longer invisible.

No longer unranked.

Today, she didn't want to stand apart.

She wanted to stand correctly —

and rise from there.

* * *

The Veritas Gallery was already glowing when Aria arrived.

Not bright. Not loud.

Just perfectly lit — gold-pink skylight reflecting off brushed marble floors and silent resonance panels lining the walls.

The space hummed with curated prestige. Every movement here felt observed.

Aurora was already seated near the east alcove, at a low glass table framed by a hanging kinetic sculpture — a swirl of chrome and luminescent pearl that adjusted its form based on the mood data of those seated below it.

Of course she'd chosen this table.

She looked effortless again — dressed in the Valmont uniform, just like Aria.

But hers was softened at the edges: the gold Solara tie loosened into a silk ribbon, her blazer unfastened with quiet defiance, and her hair pinned back just enough to say deliberate, but not trying.

Not identical.

Just... aligned.

They didn't plan it.

But they thought alike.

Strategically.

Silently.

A white porcelain teacup hovered beside her, suspended in a heat field. She didn't even look up when Aria approached.

"Maison Aurea was too crowded," she said simply.

"This place is quieter. And more... curated."

Aria slid into the seat opposite her. "Fewer eyes pretending not to stare."

They exchanged a glance — and this time, it wasn't sharp.

It was almost easy.

"Yesterday was," Aurora started, then paused. "A lot."

Aria nodded. "We didn't just trend. We broke the algorithm."

Aurora sipped her Silvermoon tea. "They're still dissecting it. Someone posted a theory that we were AVNX plants."