Behavioral drift: monitoring in progress.
The link was confirmed.
But the system was already forecasting what came next.
She told herself it meant nothing.
Just algorithmic noise. Strategic, impersonal.
But a part of her—quiet, well-hidden, and ruthlessly silenced—found it...
Compelling.
Not because it made sense.
But because he had said nothing.
And Luc Raveneau didn't forget things.
He was ghosting her.
There was no other word for it.
He could've messaged. ONYX made it effortless — direct link, no social pretense required.
One flick. One word. Even a formal status acknowledgment.
But nothing.
He'd linked her — publicly, deliberately —
and then left the meaning hanging.
Which, of course, was infuriating.
Aria didn't chase people.
She wasn't built for that.
And Luc?
He wasn't just dodging the system — he was dodging her.
It was insulting.
Worse — it was working.
And the system wasn't just tracking it — it was expanding it.
She flicked open her ONYX display, and the notifications glided into view in layered gold-trimmed panels:
1. Private Atelier Preview – House Solara x Dior Vault Collection
Location: Prestige Atrium 4C
Access: Invite Only (Visibility Tier 8+)
Note: "Your aesthetic metrics qualified you for early preview. Attire will be pre-selected."
2. Debate Observation Chamber – Meridian Tier Simulation Trials
Location: Logic Annex, Sector B
Status: Reserved Seating – Front Circle
Note: "Prestige-tagged observers encouraged. Presence will be logged."
3. Afterlight Lounge Gathering – Discreet Nightfall Session
Location: Undisclosed
Access: Veritas Watchlist Invitee – Experimental Tier
Note: "System-curated guest list based on recent behavioral interest."
She stared at them for a moment — three very different doors.
Art. Power. Rumor.
She hadn't accepted any of them.
She hadn't even earned them.
Not really.
They were triggered by the link.
By the silence.
By him.
One shift in her Prestige weighting that unlocked a tier she hadn't qualified for.
She didn't know what game he was playing.
But she hated being anyone's opening move.
She hovered over the Forecast Tag again.
Tempted.
Tempted to see if the system had recalculated their odds, updated its narrative assumptions, or if someone — anyone — had tried to make sense of it publicly.
She nearly toggled open the comments.
Veritas was never quiet for long.
Someone had to be speculating.
Trying to define the link. Dismiss it. Inflate it.
But she didn't.
She wouldn't give the system the satisfaction.
Wouldn't feed the algorithm her curiosity.
Not yet.
Next: WhisperSync – Noise isn't the problem. Being noticed is.
YOU ARE READING
Valmont Series - Inheritance Code
Teen FictionWhat if your perfect life was just a rehearsal? On their twelfth birthday, Aria and Aiden Lancaster wake expecting luxury, freedom, and the future they were promised. Instead, they're given an ultimatum: Leave everything behind - their friends, thei...
Chapter 5.5 - Beneath The Tag
Start from the beginning
