All Chapters of In The Smoke-Filled Room: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The soft morning light filtered through the window as Olivia sat on her bed, staring at the oldlocket in her hand. She had found it a week ago in a dusty box at the back of a storage closet inthe house where she now lived. The intricate details of the locket had stirred something deepinside her a faint flicker of memories she couldn't yet place. That flicker had turned into a roaringflame over the following days. Fragmented images from her past resurfaced: a family laughingaround a large dining table, a warm embrace from a man she instinctively knew was her father,and the echo of a name whispered in the recesses of her mind-Clyde. Last night, the pieces hadfinally fallen into place. Olivia's memories had come flooding back, overwhelming her with clarityand emotion. She wasn't just anyone; she was the real Violet, Clyde's long-lost sister. Olivia satstill, her hands shaking as she closed the locket and pressed it to her chest. The memories feltlike a lifeline, reconnecting he

Tony sat in his dark office, a look of frustration etched upon his face. He'd been trying to digdeeper into Violet's sudden disappearance, but every lead simply seemed to vanish. There wassomething about the situation that just wasn't sitting right with him; his obsessive need tounravel the truth drove him through sleepless nights. He leaned back in his chair, and a memorycame to the fore: the last time he had seen Olivia at the café, she had been wearing awatch-plain, yet unusual. At the time, Tony had thought nothing of it, but now it gnawed at him. Itlooked uncannily like the one Violet had once flourished, claiming it was proof of her connectionto Clyde. A slow, calculating smile oozed across Tony's face. "Could it be?" he whispered. Tonyimmediately sprang into action, rummaging through old photos and documents he had collectedwhile investigating Violet and Clyde's family. Among them was a picture of Clyde and his sisteras children, each wearing identical watches. Their

In the dark confines of Sharon's expensive office, the ambiance was electric with smugsatisfaction. Sharon leaned back in her chair, a smug smirk playing on her lips as she swirledthe glass of red wine in her hand. Facing her, Eva sat perched on the edge of the desk, her legscrossed, an equally sinister grin carved across her face. Our little problem, Olivia, is finally out ofthe way," Sharon said, her voice dripping with malice. "I have to admit, the execution wasflawless." Eva laughed softly, a cold sound without warmth. "Flawless indeed. Locked in a darkroom with no hope of escape. She won't be able to reveal her precious truth to Clyde orRichard. As far as they're concerned, she's just a nobody. Sharon raised her glass in a mocktoast. "Precisely. We have to keep her there for as long as we need. Let sleep never find her.Let her rot in that place until she forgets even her own name."Eva leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "And what about Violet? If we're going to

Days passed after the kidnapping of Olivia in whirls of confusion and tension. An investigationfronted by the local authorities and supported by Clyde had not yielded any useful lead yet. Thedisappearance of Olivia had sent shockwaves to all who knew her, especially Clyde, whocouldn't get that vision out of his mind - her being forced into that black car.Clyde paced his office, his jaw clenched and his mind racing. Every avenue he pursued seemedto hit a dead end. He had hired private investigators, questioned anyone who might have seensomething, and even offered a substantial reward for information. But the kidnappers hadplanned the operation meticulously, leaving no trail behind.Detective Hargrove, lead investigator on the case, stood over Clyde, shuffling his notes. "Mr.West, I know this is frustrating, but these things take time. We monitored the surveillance footagefrom the area, but the car they used had fake plates. Like they vanished into thin air.Clyde slammed his f

Warm morning sunlight spilled through the dusty windows of the small, nondescript office ontothe figure of Violet. She sat there, her heart racing, clutching tightly onto the pen in her tremblinghand. It had not been easy to decide to change her last name, but it was necessary.Disappearing from Clyde's life and from the small bit of life they tried building together with littlethey had, anyway-was the only hope for saving herself and the secret she carries.She stared down at the form in front of her, the blank space glaring back at her like some sort ofchallenge. Her old name was no longer safe; it tied her to too many memories and too many risks.She had thought long and hard about this, about leaving behind the person she used to be andbecoming someone new.With a deep breath, Violet wrote her new last name: Everett.It sounded foreign, yet so oddly freeing. Violet Everett. A name free from her past, free fromClyde was free from the storm of emotions that had ravaged her lif