Valmont Series - Inheritance Code

Chapter 4.5 - After the Applause

"Let them," Aria said with a shrug. "Fear makes visibility easier to sustain."

They hadn't even finished their teas when the Veritas pings started again.

Aurora raised an eyebrow at her ONYX and tilted the screen toward Aria without a word.

Her Link Requests had doubled overnight.

"Same here," Aria muttered, flicking through her own. "I stopped counting after forty-seven."

Aurora's tone was light, but not careless. "I had less than that. But one Sovereign."

Aria's fingers paused mid-swipe.

Aurora didn't gloat — she didn't need to. She just added, simply:

"Solene Vael."

The name landed like a signature. Clean. Final.

Vice President of Valmont Institute. Sovereign Laureate. House of Dominion.

Her profile was a sealed vault — invitation-only, zero outbound links.

"She sent you a Prestige Link?" Aria asked, working to keep her voice neutral.

Aurora nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "After the Lounge. I think she appreciated the symmetry."

Aria felt the flicker.

A quiet pull in her chest — subtle, instinctive. Not sharp.

Not resentment.

Just... awareness.

Of ranking. Of attention. Of what landed just slightly beyond her reach.

She wasn't threatened.

But she noticed.

And in Avalon, noticing was enough to change everything.

She'd had more requests — far more.

But none from a Sovereign. None from the top.

She took a measured breath, let it settle behind her eyes, and masked the shift beneath a polished sip of tea.

When she looked up again, her smile was light. Controlled. Almost amused.

"She doesn't extend connections lightly," Aria said smoothly. "You made an impression."

Allegra arrived in perfect tempo — not rushed, not theatrical, just aligned.

"You two caused quite the ripple," she said smoothly, sliding into the third seat without waiting to be invited.

Allegra arrived in perfect tempo, not rushed, not theatrical — just aligned.

She wore her Valmont uniform in sharp contrast: blazer fully fastened, gold piping impeccable, Solara tie crisp and high.

Her House cufflink gleamed, and the Luminary silver band on her wrist was freshly activated — a signal flare disguised as elegance.

She slid into the third seat, glancing once at both their ONYX feeds.

"So," she said smoothly, "how many Link Requests are you actually accepting?"

Aurora gave a faint smile. "Haven't decided yet."

Aria answered without looking up. "Curating."

Allegra's drink glided into position on a low-profile hover disc embedded in the table's surface — heat-calibrated, already tuned to her preferred blend.

She didn't glance at it.

Just sipped — then spoke.

"Smart. Visibility is one thing. Network integrity is another."

Aurora nodded thoughtfully. "Prestige isn't just about who you know. It's about who you keep."

Aria leaned back, her ONYX still lit with pending Link Requests.

A few Archons. Dozens of Meridiens.

All waiting.

Curating wasn't about cruelty.

It was about clarity.

Allegra set her cup down with quiet precision.

"For Solara," she said, "reach is currency. The more connections, the more echoes — visibility multiplies. Accepting everyone? It's not reckless. It's strategic."

She paused, then added, "But that logic doesn't apply to every House."

Aria looked up.

"For other Houses, especially Dominion... the Prestige algorithm reads volume differently. Too many links, and it starts to question your discernment. The system isn't just watching who you connect with — It's watching why."

Aurora nodded slowly. "So the same move means different things depending on who makes it."

"Exactly," Allegra said. "Prestige isn't about fairness. It's about fluency."

Aria's gaze narrowed slightly, thoughtful.

"And accept no one?" she asked, lifting a brow.

Allegra smiled faintly. "That's its own statement. But make it sparingly — silence, in Avalon, is only powerful when people notice it."

Aurora tilted her head. "So you're saying... silence has to be earned."

"Exactly," Allegra said. "Earned. Designed. And timed."

They didn't say anything else.

They didn't need to.

Because in Avalon, even stillness was strategic.

Next: Predator Protocol - Prestige brings invitations. Dominion prefers hunting.