The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 166

***Rowan***

I honestly don’t know what shocks me more.

The fact that Leah Frank just redirected an entire media swarm away from the explosion and toward the housing initiative or the fact that she somehow knows enough details to ask the right questions.

The second the words environmental housing initiative leave her mouth, the atmosphere outside Ashcroft Industries shifts instantly.

You can feel it. Questions stop sounding like accusations. Reporters start looking confused instead of predatory. Even the cameras seem to lower slightly.

And standing beside me beneath the rain and flashing lights, I suddenly realize exactly what Violet did last night.

Jesus Christ.

My wife weaponized the press.

The realization should probably terrify me more than it does. Instead? A dangerous part of me is impressed.

Leah steps forward slightly through the crowd, rain catching against the shoulders of her dark coat while she raises the microphone again. “Mr. Ashcroft,” she says clearly, “how long has this initiative actually been in development?”

The reporters around her immediately start shouting over each other again.

“What initiative?”

“Was this public information?”

“Are city officials connected to the delay?”

Security starts shifting around us again, trying to move us toward the building entrance, but I hold up one hand slightly.

And instantly, Theo looks at me like I’ve completely lost my fucking mind. Fair. Because normally? I would never stop for this. Never.

But then I glance sideways.

And Violet is standing there watching me quietly. Cream-colored dress. Hair still slightly damp from her shower. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the briefcase I gave her.

And despite everything that happened last night... Despite the anger. The humiliation. The emotional warfare, she still came with me this morning.

Something inside my chest tightens painfully.

Because Violet knows more about me than almost anyone now. The worst parts. The ugly parts. The dangerous parts. And somehow… She stayed.

If she can accept me for who I am, maybe the rest of the world can know too.

The thought settles heavily inside my chest while rain continues falling around us.

Then slowly... I look back toward Leah.

“Five years,” I answer calmly.

The crowd immediately erupts again.

“Five years?”

“Why hasn’t anyone heard about this?”

“What exactly is the initiative?”

Leah doesn’t let them derail her focus. “What made you start it?” she asks immediately.

The question hits harder than I expect. Because nobody’s ever asked me that before. Not genuinely.

People usually ask about profits. Growth. Expansion. Power. Not why.

I stare at Leah for a long moment before finally speaking. “When I was younger,” I say slowly, “my brother and I were homeless.”

Silence. Even the rain suddenly sounds louder.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Theo freeze beside Camille.

Reporters stop shouting. Cameras stop moving. Nobody expected that answer.

Leah lowers the microphone slightly, her expression shifting into something more human now. “What?”

I exhale slowly. “There was a period of time after our mother passed and our father disppeared that we were on the streets. Left us with debts, enemies, and nothing else but the clothes on our backs." My voice remains steady, but my chest feels strangely tight now. “And I couldn’t stand watching my little brother sleep on the street.”

Theo looks down immediately.

I can still remember it perfectly. Too perfectly. Cold nights. Theo trying to pretend he wasn’t scared. Both of us hungry. Tired. Alone.

The memory still makes something violent twist in my stomach.

“I was seventeen,” I continue quietly. “Theo was fourteen.”

A murmur spreads softly through the reporters. Flashbulbs still pop around us, but slower now. More cautious. Not hunting.

Listening.

“I worked constantly,” I say. “Construction. Deliveries. Warehouses. Anything that paid enough to keep us fed.” I glance briefly toward Theo. “Eventually I gained legal custody of him.”

Theo still doesn’t look up. Camille quietly slips her hand into his beside me. Theo actually looks emotional instead of defensive.

“I built Ashcroft Industries from the ground up after that,” I continue. “And during those years…” My jaw tightens slightly. “I realized just how bad this city has become.”

I glance toward the skyline behind the reporters.

The same skyline I once slept beneath.

The same streets I clawed my way out of.

“You stop seeing homelessness as background noise once you’ve lived it.”

Dead silence. Nobody interrupts me now.

Leah’s voice softens slightly. “And this initiative?”

I swallow once before continuing. “It started as housing concepts.” I gesture slightly toward the building behind me. “Small environmental structures designed for transitional living. Sustainable utilities. Community integration. Employment programs.”

Leah nods slowly, encouraging me to continue.

“We wanted to create something long-term,” I explain. “Not shelters. Not temporary beds. Actual rehabilitation systems.” I glance briefly toward Devin’s empty spot beside security before continuing. “Theo, Devin Hale, and I have spent over five years writing and rewriting the project plans.”

Theo finally looks up at that. His expression softer now. More vulnerable.

“We worked with architects,” I continue. “Urban developers. Environmental engineers. Addiction specialists. Employment coordinators.”

Leah’s brows lift slightly. “That extensive?”

“Yes.”

“Who’s funding it?”

“I am.”

That answer visibly shocks several reporters. Entirely.

One of them blurts out, “Personally?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“Enough.”

Theo snorts quietly beside me. Because he knows exactly what that means. Millions. Millions and millions of dollars quietly poured into something nobody even knew existed.

Leah studies me carefully for another long moment before asking the next question carefully. “If this project has existed for years…” She tilts her head slightly. “Why hasn’t it launched?”

There it is. The important question.

I feel Violet’s eyes on me immediately. Waiting.

The reporters lean forward slightly too.

I could lie. I should lie. But after last night? After everything? I’m exhausted. I’m tired of pretending.

“We were supposed to launch last September,” I say evenly.

More murmuring.

Leah immediately follows up. “What happened?”

I hold her gaze directly. “Our council support disappeared unexpectedly.”

Several reporters exchange looks instantly.

Leah’s voice sharpens slightly. “Disappeared?”

“The council member backing the initiative withdrew support shortly before permits were finalized.” My jaw tightens slightly. “After that, approvals stalled repeatedly.”

“You believe intentionally?”

The entire crowd goes still again. Because now? Now we’re stepping into dangerous territory.

I stare at Leah for a long moment before answering carefully. “I believe helping this city has become significantly harder than it should be.”

That answer lands exactly the way I intended it to. Not an accusation. Not legally. But close enough.

The reporters immediately explode into questions again.

“Which council member?”

“Are you accusing city officials of interference?”

“Was this connected to the current investigation?”

Security starts trying to move us again, but before I turn away, my eyes drift back toward Violet one last time.

And the expression on her face almost destroys me. Because she looks proud. Not impressed. Not surprised.

Proud.