The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 177

***Rowan***

The second Violet walks back onto the executive floor, I know something changed.

Not dramatically. Not visibly. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice it.

Right now, she looks exhausted. Not emotionally exhausted either. Physically exhausted.

Her skin looks paler beneath the office lighting and there’s tension around her mouth like she’s trying not to think too hard about something. She walks straight back toward her desk without looking at me first.

That bothers me more than it should.

Camille notices her immediately. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

Lie. A terrible one.

Violet sits down at her desk and immediately answers another ringing phone like the last twenty-four hours haven’t completely destroyed everyone emotionally.

“Press inquiries are still being forwarded to legal,” she says calmly into the receiver before pausing. “No, I cannot confirm whether Councilwoman Hargrove is currently under investigation.”

Then I notice it. Her hand presses briefly against her stomach. Small movement. Almost absentminded. And suddenly my brain becomes deeply unhelpful.

No. Absolutely not. That’s ridiculous.

She’s stressed. Exhausted. Running on caffeine and anger and maybe two hours of sleep total.

That’s all. Probably.

Still, my eyes drift toward her again anyway.

God. She looks tired.

The executive floor erupts into chaos again before I can spiral any further.

One of the televisions mounted near the conference room suddenly shifts broadcasts. BREAKING NEWS flashes across the screen in massive red letters.

Camille immediately grabs the remote again. “Oh my God. She’s getting eaten alive online.”

Theo moves toward the television so quickly he nearly trips over one of the chairs.

Every news station is replaying Leah Frank’s interview now. Hargrove storming away from reporters. The permit receipts. The photos. The metadata. Everything.

One anchor speaks rapidly over footage of city hall. “Public response toward Councilwoman Evelyn Hargrove has shifted dramatically over the last hour following allegations of misconduct, surveillance abuse, and permit obstruction involving Ashcroft Industries.”

Another screen changes. Poll numbers appear.

Theo actually chokes. “Holy shit.”

Hargrove’s approval rating is falling in real time. Fifty-two percent. Forty-eight. Forty-four. Thirty-nine.

Camille slowly lowers her coffee. “Oh she’s done done.”

Another reporter appears on screen. “Social media response has overwhelmingly shifted in support of Ashcroft Industries’ environmental housing initiative following statements released earlier today.”

Then they show the project renderings. Photos flash rapidly across the screen while reporters discuss the development plans.

Then another headline appears. ASHCROFT INDUSTRIES HOUSING INITIATIVE GAINS PUBLIC SUPPORT.

A second later: COMMUNITY OUTREACH GROUPS DEMAND REOPENING OF DENIED PERMIT.

The executive floor goes strangely quiet. Because for the first time in years, people are finally seeing what I was trying to build. Not the company. Not the money. The actual project.

Camille looks toward me slowly. “You realize people are starting to support this now, right?”

I don’t answer immediately because honestly, I don’t know what to do with that information.

My eyes drift toward Violet again automatically.

And there she is. Still answering phones. Still working. Still holding this entire disaster together quietly from behind her desk.

God. She started this. Not intentionally, but she did. She trusted Leah. She pushed the story forward. She forced people to look.

And somehow, she changed the entire city in less than a day.

Before I can say anything, one of the Internal Affairs agents approaches me carefully.

“We need to continue Avery’s statement.”

Right. Reality again.

I nod once before glancing toward Avery sitting near the far conference room looking emotionally wrecked.

The bruising around her throat looks worse now somehow. Darker. More violent. And for the first time all day, I don’t feel anger when I look at her. Just exhaustion.

I gesture toward the smaller conference room quietly. “Inside.”

Avery immediately stands. Nervous. Shaky.

Theo watches her carefully as she walks past him. Camille watches me. Violet avoids looking at either of us entirely. That hurts more than I’d like to admit.

The conference room door closes softly behind us. Glass walls. Rain hitting the windows. Muted newsroom chaos outside.

I stay standing while Avery sits slowly across from me. For a moment neither of us speak.

Then finally, “Start talking.”

No anger. No yelling. No emotion at all.

Avery visibly swallows. “She wants to be mayor.”

I already knew that now.

“She’s been planning it for years,” Avery continues quietly. “Everything she’s done has been positioning herself as the solution.”

I lean back slightly against the table. “By destroying the city first.”

Avery nods weakly. “She hates your housing project because it works. She needs crime,” Avery whispers. “She needs poverty. She needs desperation because desperate people vote for whoever promises safety.”

Jesus Christ.

“She thought your project would attract federal attention. Outside investors. Audits. Environmental inspections.” She swallows hard. “People would start asking questions about where city funding actually goes. She was scared your project would expose her.”

Of course it would.

Avery’s fingers twist tightly together now. “She started targeting your company harder after the permit proposal.”

I stare at her quietly. “Why me?”

The question leaves before I can stop it.

Avery looks genuinely surprised. Then sad. “Because you actually care.”

I was surprised by that answer more than anything.

“Hargrove doesn’t understand people like you,” Avery continues softly. “She thinks everybody wants power.” Her eyes lower briefly. “She couldn’t understand why you kept pushing the housing initiative when it wasn’t making you money.”

I stare at her quietly for another long moment before speaking again. “What else?”

Because there’s always more. There’s been more all damn day.

Avery immediately tenses. “She’s looking for another Calder.”

The words settle into the room like smoke.

My expression hardens instantly. “What?”

Avery swallows visibly. “She knows Calder being exposed ruins everything.” Her voice shakes slightly now. “She lost her inside man. She's trying to find someone to replace him."

A cold feeling crawls slowly down my spine. “With who?”

Avery shakes her head quickly. “I don’t know yet. I swear.” Her eyes dart toward the glass walls nervously like she expects someone to appear outside the room. “She stopped telling me details after a while.”

Because she stopped trusting you. The realization hits immediately.

Avery sees it on my face too.

“She knew I was pulling away,” Avery admits quietly “She told me she wasn’t going to let you destroy everything she built.” Her eyes slowly lift toward mine. “And she specifically mentioned Violet.”