The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 170

***Violet***

“He’s the common denominator, Violet.”

My fingers tighten slowly against the edge of the desk.

“People are dead.”

His voice lowers slightly now. More manipulative. More personal.

“Drew is dead.”

That one punches straight through my chest.

Marcus sees it immediately and keeps pushing. “Calder’s dead. Your life is upside down. You’re being dragged into corruption investigations and federal cases because of him.”

Silence fills the hallway.

Marcus stares directly at me. “And you’re still protecting him.”

My throat tightens painfully. Because the worst part? Some tiny horrible piece of me wonders if he’s right.

Marcus takes another step closer to my desk while the Internal Affairs agents remain silent behind him, watching everything carefully.

“Calder is dead,” Marcus continues. “Your life is upside down. Federal agents are crawling through this building. People are being attacked in parking garages.” His voice sharpens. “And every single trail somehow leads back to Rowan Ashcroft.”

The words settle ugly inside my chest. Because no matter how much I hate hearing it... Part of me understands why he’s saying it.

Devin immediately steps forward. “Marcus—”

“No,” Marcus snaps without looking away from me. “She deserves to hear this.”

His attention locks fully onto me again. “I’ve seen the emails, Violet.”

The hallway goes still.

“All of them.”

My stomach tightens.

“The ones between Avery and Hargrove. The judge. Calder.” His jaw flexes once sharply. “I saw the metadata too. That photographer Hargrove hired?” Marcus says quietly. “The one taking surveillance pictures for blackmail?”

My throat tightens painfully.

“Your brother.”

Camille shifts uncomfortably beside me.

Marcus keeps going anyway. “He got killed because Hargrove sent him after Rowan.”

Devin steps forward again. “Marcus, stop talking.”

“No.”

Marcus finally looks toward Devin now, furious. “No, because everybody keeps dancing around this shit instead of saying it out loud.”

Then his eyes cut back toward me. “We have evidence Calder killed your brother. Strong evidence.” His voice lowers again. “But who killed Calder?”

Silence.

I can hear my own heartbeat now.

Marcus takes another step toward me slowly. “And did you know the PI Rowan hired to investigate Calder is dead too?”

Marcus laughs once under his breath, but there’s no humor in it. “Found him in his hotel room this morning.” His eyes stay locked on mine. “Rowan’s business card was still in his hand.”

Devin mutters, “Jesus Christ.”

Camille actually goes pale.

Marcus gestures sharply around the executive floor. “Calder probably killed him too,” he says. “That’s the working theory right now.”

Then his expression hardens further. “But again…” His voice drops lower. “Who killed Calder?”

The question hangs there like a loaded gun. Because nobody has an answer. And suddenly every horrible possibility starts crawling through my brain at once.

Marcus sees the panic flicker across my face and presses harder.

“It all points back to Rowan.”

“No,” Devin says sharply.

Marcus ignores him completely.

“You fell for him,” he says directly to me now. “His money. His looks. His charm.” He gestures toward Rowan’s locked office. “That’s what he does.”

Anger finally sparks properly inside my chest now.

But Marcus keeps going before I can speak. “Do you even know how many women he’s slept with?”

Camille mutters, “Oh my God.”

Marcus laughs bitterly under his breath. “He slept with my wife.”

That one catches everybody off guard. Even me.

Marcus’s jaw tightens so hard it looks painful. “My wife wanted him instead.”

The hallway goes dead silent.

“And Avery?” Marcus continues harshly. “Avery was with me first too.”

Okay. What the fuck?

Marcus shakes his head once bitterly. “Then she left to go work for him. To be near him.”

The bitterness in his voice sounds years old. Rotten.

“He ruins everything he touches,” Marcus says quietly. “Don’t you see that yet?”

My chest tightens painfully. Because the worst part? Some tiny horrible piece of me remembers every body bag that’s piled up around this situation.

Drew. My mother. Calder. Now the PI. Avery nearly strangled. Federal agents. Bombings. Corruption.

And standing at the center of all of it... Rowan.

The executive floor suddenly feels unbearably quiet.

Then Rowan’s office door unlocks.

Every head immediately turns and the second Rowan steps out into the hallway, the entire atmosphere changes.

Avery stays close behind him looking pale and terrified while Rowan’s expression remains completely unreadable as his eyes move between Marcus, the agents, and me.

Then his gaze lands on Marcus specifically. Cold. Deadly calm.

“Step away from my wife.”

Marcus laughs once under his breath. “See? There it is right there. The control—”

“No.” The word leaves my mouth before Rowan can speak again.

Every single person in the hallway looks toward me.

I am exhausted. Emotionally. Mentally. Physically.

My brother is dead. People keep dying. Everybody keeps trying to manipulate me.

And now Marcus is standing here acting like Rowan personally orchestrated the apocalypse.

I slowly stand from behind my desk. “You know what?” I say quietly.

Marcus’s jaw tightens slightly.

“No. Absolutely not.” I point directly at him now. “You are either a terrible friend to Rowan or a terrible detective if THAT is what you pulled from those emails and photos.”

The hallway goes completely silent.

Even the Internal Affairs agents look uncomfortable now.

“I knew my brother,” I continue sharply. “I know exactly how Drew was.” My voice cracks slightly at his name, but I push through it anyway. “He was working for Hargrove.” I point toward the locked tablet still sitting on my desk. “And he was also a confidential informant.”

Marcus opens his mouth.

I immediately cut him off. “And Calder was working for Hargrove too while also being a police officer.” My voice rises now. “Now they’re BOTH dead while connected to the SAME woman.”

The agents exchange quick glances behind Marcus.

Good. Maybe somebody here actually has a functioning brain.

“And did you forget Calder already killed another CI back in his hometown?” I ask sharply. “The same hometown Avery is from?”

Marcus goes still.

Oh.

So he DID forget that.

“Or maybe you conveniently ignored it because blaming Rowan is easier.”

“Violet—”

“No.” My voice cracks through the hallway hard enough even Theo flinches slightly. “You don’t get to stand here and act like Rowan is the villain when the actual corrupt people are literally sitting in those fucking emails.”

The executive floor echoes with my breathing now.

“Calder made my mother have another stroke,” I continue, my voice shaking now. “Did you know that?”

Marcus’s expression falters slightly.

“He knew exactly where she was.” My throat tightens painfully. “He knew she was fragile and recovering in a rehabilitation center and he STILL walked in there and told her her son was dead.”

“And then what?” I ask bitterly. “The police did nothing.”

I point directly toward Marcus now.

“Internal Affairs did nothing.”

Then toward the agents.

“The police chief did nothing.”

My chest feels tight enough to split open.

“Who else was I supposed to go to?”

Silence.

Nobody answers.... because they can’t.

“The only people who were there for me were Rowan, Camille, Theo, and Devin.”