The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 173

***Rowan***

My eyes land on Violet and for one dangerous second, the rest of the room disappears.

She’s still standing behind her desk. Cream-colored dress. Hair slightly messy from stress. Eyes sharp despite the exhaustion underneath them.

God. I love this woman.

The realization hits so hard and suddenly it almost throws me off balance.

Because even now, even furious with me. Even emotionally hurt. Even overwhelmed.

She’s still here. Still helping me. Still choosing me.

I force myself to focus again before the emotions drag me under.

“Violet.”

Her fingers still briefly above the keyboard. Then she finally looks at me fully. Professional. Controlled.

Miss Pierce again. Not my wife. That hurts more than it should.

“I want every meeting from the next seventy-two hours canceled or rescheduled.” I keep my tone steady. “Coordinate directly with legal before approving anything.”

She nods once immediately. “Already started.”

Of course she did. I almost smile.

Another phone rings loudly. Then another.

One of the agents suddenly curses under his breath while staring at his own device.

“What now?” Devin asks sharply.

The agent looks up slowly. “Hargrove’s legal team just released a statement.”

Theo groans loudly. “That was fast.”

The agent keeps reading. “She’s claiming the photographs were fabricated as part of a targeted attack campaign against her office.”

Camille immediately bursts out laughing. “Oh that is desperate desperate.”

“It gets worse,” the agent mutters.

I hold my hand out silently. He passes me the phone.

The statement is already circulating through every news outlet in the city.

*Official Statement from Councilwoman Evelyn Hargrove’s Office*

My eyes scan quickly over the opening political garbage before landing on the actual point.

And immediately, something cold settles deeper into my chest.

“She’s blaming me,” I say flatly.

Violet’s fingers pause briefly over her keyboard.

Theo mutters, “Of fucking course she is.”

I continue reading silently for another moment before speaking again.

“She’s claiming the housing initiative rejection triggered retaliatory behavior from Ashcroft Industries.”

Camille blinks slowly. “I’m sorry… what?”

I keep reading. “According to her statement, the photographs were manipulated and leaked in an effort to publicly discredit city officials after my environmental housing permits were denied.”

Devin scoffs quietly. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“No,” I agree calmly. “It doesn’t.”

But Hargrove isn’t trying to sound believable right now. She’s trying to survive.

I continue scanning further down the statement before one particular line catches my attention.

And honestly? I shouldn’t read it out loud.

I know I shouldn’t. But I do anyway.

“She also stated…” I pause briefly before rereading the line because somehow it actually gets worse the second time.

The entire office waits.

“‘Ashcroft Industries attempted to pressure city officials into approving unstable housing initiatives that would have negatively impacted surrounding communities while funneling resources toward individuals who repeatedly refuse rehabilitation opportunities.’”

Camille’s face immediately twists in disgust. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

I keep reading. “‘While homelessness is unfortunate, the city cannot continue rewarding destructive behavior patterns by enabling those types of people with luxury developments disguised as charity projects.’”

*Crack.*

Every single person in the office looks toward Violet instantly.

The pencil in her hand snaps cleanly in half. For one second she just stares down at the broken pieces in her hand breathing slowly through her nose.

The entire executive floor goes silent again.

Even Avery looks startled... because everybody heard it.

*'Those types of people.'*

Jesus Christ.

Theo mutters quietly, “Oh she’s cooked.”

Camille looks genuinely horrified now. “Did she seriously just say that publicly?”

“She did,” Devin confirms flatly.

Violet says absolutely nothing. She calmly drops the broken pencil into the trash beside her desk before reaching for another one like snapping office supplies is a completely normal stress response.

Her expression stays eerily neutral while she quickly scribbles something onto a yellow notepad.

No hesitation. No emotional reaction outwardly. Just focused anger.

Then she rips the note off sharply and walks it directly over to Devin before handing it to him.

Devin reads it once. Then immediately looks up at her. “Violet…”

Now everybody’s paying attention again.

Theo leans sideways immediately trying to read upside down. “What is it?”

Devin slowly lowers the note while looking back at Violet carefully. “The chief of police called?”

Violet nods once before already turning back toward her desk. “He specifically asked for you.”

Well. That shuts the room up fast.

Even the Internal Affairs agents exchange a look now.

Devin glances back down at the paper again. Written beneath the short message is a phone number. Not the department line.

Personal cell.

*Interesting.*

“What did he say?” I ask calmly.

Violet finally looks back up from her desk. “He wouldn’t talk to me directly.” Her tone stays clipped and professional again. “Only said it was urgent and that he needed to speak with Devin Hale immediately.”

Devin’s jaw tightens slightly.

“Oh that’s not ominous at all,” Camille mutters.

Theo points toward the note. “Did he sound nervous?”

Violet pauses for half a second. “Yes.”

That single word changes the atmosphere again.

Devin looks toward me immediately. “You want me to take it?”

I hold his gaze for a second before nodding once. “Speakerphone.”

One of the agents immediately straightens. “That may not be advisable.”

“At this point,” Theo mutters dryly, “nothing about today has been advisable.”

Devin pulls his phone out before slowly typing in the number from the note.

And weirdly enough, the entire executive floor goes quiet waiting for him to hit call.

Devin stares at the phone for another second before finally pressing call.

The ringing echoes loudly through the executive floor.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Devin immediately puts the call on speaker without another word.

The entire floor goes still.

“Chief,” Devin says carefully.

“I’m turning myself in,” the chief says suddenly.

The words slam through the room. Theo straightens immediately. Camille lowers her coffee slowly. Even the Internal Affairs agents freeze.

“For obstruction of justice,” the chief continues flatly. “Maybe negligence too. Hell, probably career-ending stupidity while we’re at it. I protected my people,” the chief admits quietly. “I didn’t want to believe it was Calder.”

The chief exhales shakily before continuing.

“But new evidence came in twenty minutes ago.”

Nobody moves. Nobody breathes.

“They found Calder’s DNA under Drew Pierce’s fingernails.”

The room absolutely stills.

Violet goes pale instantly beside her desk.

Oh God.

“Calder’s DNA was also found in the hotel room where the PI was killed this morning.”

Devin quietly swears under his breath.

Marcus closes his eyes briefly like he physically can’t process how bad this just got.

The chief’s voice grows rougher now. “I spent the last three hours going through Calder’s old case files personally.”

A pause. Then quieter: “He was obsessed with Violet.”

Every eye in the room slowly turns toward her.

Violet looks stunned. Actually stunned.

The chief continues heavily, “At first I thought it was connected to Drew because of the CI situation. Thought maybe Calder got too deep into whatever Hargrove had him doing.”

Another pause.

“But it wasn’t just Drew.”

The silence turns ugly now.

“He kept requesting access to Violet’s information.” The chief sounds sick saying it out loud now. “Addresses. Employment records. Medical reports after her mother’s first stroke that landed her in the rehab center.”