Valmont Series - Inheritance Code

Chapter 8.3 - Status Reconnected

The silence snapped.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't violent.

But it was enough to crack the glassy stillness she'd wrapped around herself.

Five alerts lit up at once—

Veritas: unsynced, then overwhelming.

No warning. No intro.

Just—

[Veritas: Aiden Lancaster]

— "Why didn't you tell me?"

— "I had to find out about what happened in the Forum from Yves."

— "I heard what they did. I heard what they said."

— "And now Aurora says you're in a deadzone? No trace. No pings. No map signal."

— "Aria. Please respond."

[Veritas: Aurora Waldorf]

— "You're out, right? Mirror Garden's beautiful, but not that calming."

[Veritas: Allegra Kingsmith]

— "We didn't follow. But we didn't leave either."

— "Come find us. Or don't. Just—don't pull a ghost act. You're not that kind of legend."

[Veritas: Aurora Waldorf]

— "I told Aiden you needed a minute. But this is looking like a whole hour."

[Veritas: Aiden Lancaster]

— "Are you safe?"

— "Are you okay?"

— "Say something."

A shared Veritas thread blinked into view.

[Veritas: Aria Lancaster → Aiden, Aurora, Allegra]

— "I'm okay. Heading back to the Suites to pretend I know what rest looks like."

— "Deferring all weekend chaos until further notice—schedule it with my ghost."

— "Thanks for checking in. Really."

The thread faded—

only to be replaced by a private flicker.

[Veritas: Aria Lancaster → Aiden Lancaster]

— "Also... meet me at my Suites?"

— "Dinner's on offer. Possibly a sleepover—if you promise not to calibrate my entire personality through ONYX again."

— "I'll try not to vanish mid-bite... unless you get boring. Then I make zero guarantees."

Aria stepped into her suite.

Aiden was already inside — cross-legged on the modular sofa, sipping something from her untouched carafe like he owned the place. More likely, he'd ordered something from the service AI and had it rerouted to her suite. Typical.

He looked up this time.

Not with the usual twin sarcasm. No smirk. No lecture.

Just a long, quiet scan — like he was checking for damage only he would notice.

She didn't say anything.

She didn't have to. He was already making space for her to sit. Already shifting the silence to her side.