The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 142

***Violet***

Are you fucking kidding me?

The door shuts behind them. No detectives. No explanation.

Just the two of them. In an interview room. With me.

Hargrove smiles. Not warm. Not polite. Calculated.

“Well,” she says, glancing around the room before settling her gaze on me, “this is… quaint.”

I don’t stand. I don’t greet her. I don’t do anything except stare.

Because what the hell is this?

“How are you in here?” I ask flatly.

Avery shifts slightly behind her, arms crossed, eyes flicking over me in a way that makes my skin crawl. Judging. Measuring. Still trying to figure out where she stands in all of this.

Hargrove ignores my question entirely.

Instead, she steps closer to the table, placing one manicured hand against the metal surface like she’s testing it.

“You’ve caused quite the mess,” she says lightly.

There it is.

My anger comes back instantly. Hot. Sharp.

“Funny,” I say, leaning back in my chair. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

Avery scoffs softly.

Hargrove smiles wider. “You have spirit,” she says. “I’ll give you that.”

“Get out,” I reply.

Her smile doesn’t falter. “No.”

Of course not. I glance toward the door. Still closed. Still no one coming to stop this.

That’s when it clicks. They weren’t interrupted earlier. They were dismissed. For this.

My eyes snap back to Hargrove. “You arranged this.”

She tilts her head slightly. “Arranged is such a strong word.”

“You cleared the room,” I say.

“And yet,” she replies smoothly, “here we are.”

My pulse spikes again. This isn’t random. This isn’t procedural.This is deliberate.

Avery finally steps forward, leaning her hip against the edge of the table, closer than she has any right to be.

“Did you really think this would end well for you?” she asks.

Her voice is softer than before. But meaner. More confident. Like she thinks she has the upper hand now.

I look at her. Really look at her. Then I smile. Small. Cold.

“Did you really think standing next to her would make you important?” I ask.

That hits. Her expression tightens immediately.

Hargrove’s eyes flick between us, amused.

“Careful,” Avery snaps. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

“No,” I say. “I know exactly who I’m talking to.” I glance back at Hargrove. “A woman who buys influence.” Then back to Avery. “And a woman who sells herself to it.”

Silence.

Avery straightens instantly. “Watch your mouth—”

“Or what?” I cut in.

She opens her mouth. Closes it. Because what can she do?

Exactly.

Hargrove finally steps in again, lifting a hand slightly like she’s calming a child. “Let’s not turn this into something… unnecessary,” she says.

My eyes narrow. “Oh, I think we passed unnecessary a while ago.”

Her smile fades just a fraction. Good. She steps closer. Close enough that I can smell her perfume. Expensive. Calculated.

Like everything else about her.

“You’re in a very precarious position,” she says quietly.

“There it is,” I murmur.

“The warning?”

“The threat.”

Her lips curve again. “Call it what you like.”

I lean forward slightly, matching her distance. “You had Calder killed,” I say.

Avery freezes. Hargrove doesn’t. Of course she doesn’t. She just watches me. Measuring.

“And you’re trying to pin it on Rowan,” I continue.

Still nothing. No denial. That’s all I need.

“You’re smarter than I gave you credit for,” she says finally.

Not an answer. But close enough. My stomach twists. Because that means I’m right.

“And you think this—” I gesture around the room, “—is going to scare me into… what? Backing off?”

Hargrove’s gaze sharpens. “Into understanding your place.”

I laugh. Actually laugh.

Because wow.

“You mean like the place you tried to force me into at the office?” I ask.

Avery flinches slightly.

Hargrove doesn’t. “You refused access,” she says.

“I followed policy.”

“You embarrassed me.”

There it is. This isn’t just business. It’s personal.

“You’re doing all of this,” I say slowly, “because I told you no.”

A beat. Then— “Yes.”

The honesty of it almost shocks me. Almost.

“Power,” she continues calmly, “is about control. And you disrupted that.”

“So you killed people?”

“I removed obstacles.”

My blood runs cold. Avery shifts again, clearly uncomfortable now.

Good.

“You’re not as untouchable as you think,” I say.

Hargrove smiles again. “Oh, but I am.” She straightens. Smooth. Composed. “And by the time this investigation is finished?” Her eyes lock onto mine. “You won’t be.”

A chill runs through me. But I don’t show it. I can’t.

Because Devin’s voice echoes in my head.

*Make them uncomfortable.*

So I do.

“You made a mistake coming in here,” I say quietly.

That catches her off guard. Just for a second. Then she recovers.

“I don’t make mistakes.”

“Yes, you do,” I reply.

I lean forward just slightly. “You’re talking to me without witnesses.”

That lands. Hard.

Avery’s eyes widen just a fraction. Hargrove’s expression tightens. Finally. Something real.

“If anything happens to me,” I continue, “if anything happens to Rowan, if anything happens to anyone connected to us?” I hold her gaze. “You’re the last person seen making threats.”

“Careful, Violet,” she says softly. “You’re starting to sound like him.”

My heart stutters. But I don’t break eye contact.

“Good.”

The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it. And for the first time since she walked in... Hargrove looks at me like I might actually be a problem. Not an inconvenience. A problem.

Good.

Because now... I don’t need to push anymore. I already have what I need.

I let the silence stretch again, but this time it’s different.

My hand shifts slightly in my lap. Subtle. Barely noticeable.

My thumb brushes over my phone screen. Still recording. Still capturing every word. Every threat. Every slip.

From the moment they walked in... I got it all.

Hargrove watches me carefully now. “What are you so calm about?” she asks.

I tilt my head. Just slightly. “You talk a lot for someone who should be careful.”

Her smile tightens.

Avery scoffs. “Careful of what?”

I don’t look at her.

I keep my eyes locked on Hargrove. Because she’s the one who matters.

“Timing,” I say softly.

That word lands again. Heavier this time.

Because now, I know something she doesn’t. And she can feel it.

Avery shifts. “This is stupid. She’s just sitting there—”

“Quiet,” Hargrove snaps. Sharp. Controlled. But there’s a crack now.

Her eyes flick briefly toward the glass. Then back to me.

“You think you’re clever,” she says.

“I think you’re careless,” I correct.

Another beat. Another silence.

And then... A knock hits the glass. Sharp. Immediate. Authoritative.

All three of us look. The door opens almost instantly.

Devin steps in. And this time? He looks furious. Not controlled. Not composed. Furious.

Behind him, two detectives. Not the same ones from before. Better posture. Sharper eyes. Watching everything.

Devin’s gaze locks onto Hargrove first. Then Avery. Then me.

“Out,” he says.

No explanation. No room for argument.

Hargrove doesn’t move right away. Of course she doesn’t.

She lifts her chin slightly. “I don’t take orders—”

“You’re not being ordered,” Devin cuts in coldly. “You’re being removed.”