In The Smoke-Filled Room

Violet stepped inside the darkened bar, her heart racing with trepidation and exhaustion. She had just finished a brutal day of being a background actress, barely scraping by enough to pay the rent. Her life wasn't glamorous by any means, at least not yet, but at least she had Tony-or so she thought. For three long years, she'd looked after him through thick and thin, whenever he needed help and nobody else was there to provide it. Now, Tony had invited her here, claiming that he had something very important to tell her. She saw him at a small table; his new suit shone in the low light. He was different-confident, even arrogant. Violet came up to him with a hopeful smile, but it faded away when Tony hardly noticed her. "Hi, Tony," Violet said, sounding ambiguous. "Violet, sit down," he replied coolly without looking at her. She slid into the chair, feeling the weight of something ominous settle in the air between them. "What's going on?" Tony sighed, adjusting his cufflinks like h

Violet stood in the hallway of the hospital, still raw from her encounter with Clyde's father, Richard. She had barely managed to process the weight of what she had agreed to when a loud, haughty voice echoed down the corridor, pulling her back to the present. "Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise," the voice was sharp, full of disdain. Violet turned around in time to see two women headed toward them. One was older, in a cut-to-fit suit that screamed money, her chin held high as if she smelled something rancid on the soles of people's shoes. The other one was much younger, almost a carbon copy of the older woman in a designer suit with an icy expression to boot. Clyde straightened up beside her. "Sharon," he said in a low mutter, not concealing his annoyance. "Eva." Violet said nothing. She didn't have any idea who these women were, though by the look on Clyde's face, it wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting. She came to a stop in front of Clyde, where the older woman Sharon g

Violet's heart raced as she stepped into the sleek, marble lobby of her father's company, West Media. Today was her first day officially at the company, and though Clyde had prepared her, she couldn't rid herself of the butterflies clawing at her insides. She had woken hours earlier, had practiced her lines from the carefully written backstory by Clyde, and had run over her role in her mind over and over until it felt real. She was the long-lost daughter of Richard West, Clyde's sister, and soon everyone would know.She took a deep breath and moved toward the elevators, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Clyde's instructions replayed as she rode up, floor by floor, toward the upper offices. "Stay calm. Be confident. You're a West now," he'd said with that slight smirk that was becoming familiar. But before she could get her bearings, the elevator doors opened and she found herself standing face-to-face with one of the people she had hoped never to see again.It was Tony, h

The air was dead in the hospital room as Violet sat beside her father, adjusting his pillows and brushing imaginary creases from his blanket. Clyde sat nearby with his laptop open but found his gaze drifting to her time and again. He was taken by her commitment, her endless patience, and the warmth she brought to that cold, sterilized room.Violet, dear," he murmured, extending a frail hand toward hers. "You don't have to do all this. The nurses can do it for me."She slipped her hand over his, smiling. "Father, I want to do this for you. I haven't been around to take care of you for so long. Please, let me make up for it, in any way I can.".Just as her father was about to say something, the door creaked open, and into the room trooped Sharon and Eva, their faces smug with satisfaction, yet at the same time thinly veiled with irritation. They were both carrying a stack of papers, which Sharon clutched tightly as if it were a treasure. The tension in the room became immediately palpab

Opening the door to a nicely furnished bedroom, his face soft, he gestured for Violet to enter. "Violet, this was my sister's room. My father has been renovating it over and over with the hope that one day she would come back. It's your room now."Violet's eyes widened as she took in the spacious room: soft lavender on the walls, with delicate silver Shannon accents that shimmered in the light. A huge plush bed sat in the center of the room, dripping in fine linens. Tall windows looked out over the gardens, and above hung a small crystal chandelier, casting a warm glow throughout the room."Thank you, Clyde," Violet whispered, still drinking in the sight around her.Clyde gave her a small smile. "I'll be in the room next door if you need anything."She nodded, trying not to let her excitement get the better of her until he was gone. The moment he went out and closed the door, she broke into a grin as she ran to the bed and threw herself on it. The bed was like a cloud, and she plunged