The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 199

***Agent Naomi Bennett***

“You wanted power.”

“No,” she corrected immediately. “Power is temporary.” Her eyes held mine steadily across the table. “I wanted permanence.”

That answer settled into the room like poison. Not emotional. Not dramatic.

Worse. Calculated. Because she meant every single word.

Completely.

“I grew up in this city,” Hargrove continued quietly. “I watched wealthy men destroy entire neighborhoods while standing in front of cameras talking about economic growth.” A bitter laugh escaped her softly. “I watched families get priced out of their homes while politicians congratulated themselves for redevelopment.”

Richard Blanche remained silent beside her, because even he looked uncomfortable now.

“I learned very quickly that nobody actually wants to fix a city,” Hargrove continued calmly. “Not really.” Another pause. “They want to own it.”

The room stayed still.

“So you decided that should be you?” I asked evenly.

“Yes.” No hesitation. No shame. Just honesty.

Hargrove leaned back slightly in the chair now, cuffed hands resting loosely together.

“You know what fear does to people, Agent Bennett?” she asked quietly. “It makes them predictable.” Her eyes darkened slightly. “Desperate people accept control if you convince them it keeps them safe.”

Jesus Christ.

“That’s why crime mattered,” she continued. “That’s why fear mattered.” Another pause. “Fear keeps people dependent.”

I stared at her quietly. “And Rowan Ashcroft threatened that.”

That changed her expression instantly. Not anger.

Something colder. Something personal.

“He was dangerous.” The answer came immediately. “He was building housing projects that would’ve brought federal redevelopment attention into the city.” Her jaw tightened slightly now. “Outside audits. Outside investors. Infrastructure reviews.” Her eyes sharpened. “Questions.”

I felt Locke shift slightly behind me. Because now we were getting to the real center of this.

“He wasn’t supposed to care,” Hargrove continued colder now. “Men like Rowan Ashcroft are supposed to build luxury condos and donate enough money publicly to look charitable.” Her lip curled slightly. “Not actually try fixing things.”

Something about the way she said his name felt deeply personal. Not attraction. Resentment.

Because Rowan represented something she couldn’t control. Hope.

I leaned forward slightly. “So what?” I asked quietly. “You decided he had to go?”

“He needed to fail.”

Again. No hesitation whatsoever.

Hargrove’s expression hardened now. “Do you understand what would’ve happened if his project succeeded?” she asked. “People would’ve started paying attention to him instead of city leadership.” Another pause. “He would’ve become untouchable politically.”

“You were threatened by him.”

“No,” she corrected immediately. “I was threatened by what he represented.”

The room fell silent again.

“He made people hopeful,” Hargrove said quietly. “Hopeful people stop depending on politicians like me.”

Jesus Christ.

That was it. That was the entire thing. Not greed. Not money.

Control.

She needed the city broken because broken people were easier to lead.

I folded my hands tighter together on the table. “And Violet?”

For the first time since this conversation started… Hargrove actually looked mildly annoyed.

Interesting.

“She was originally irrelevant.”

That answer irritated me instantly.

“She was a receptionist,” Hargrove continued dismissively. “A stubborn little gatekeeper who kept turning me away whenever I tried getting direct access to Rowan. But then,” Hargrove continued colder now, “they became emotionally involved.”

I stayed silent.

“She started influencing him.”

Interesting wording.

“Influencing him how?”

“He became distracted.” Hargrove’s expression tightened slightly. “Less predictable.” Another pause. “Before Violet, Rowan Ashcroft functioned like a machine. Work. Expansion. Growth. Structure.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Then suddenly he was leaving early. Ignoring meetings. Defending employees.” A faint scoff escaped her. “Smiling.”

Jesus Christ.

“She softened him,” Hargrove said quietly. “And softened men are dangerous because they stop making decisions logically.”

That answer told me more about Evelyn Hargrove than anything else she’d said all day.

“You hated her.”

“No,” she corrected calmly. “I underestimated her. She was supposed to panic,” Hargrove continued. “Supposed to leave the company once things escalated.” Another pause. “Most people would have.”

Threatening calls. The stalking. Calder.

“But she stayed,” I said quietly.

“Yes.” That answer came softer somehow. “And then Rowan started choosing her over business.”

Something ugly flickered briefly across Hargrove’s face. Not jealousy.

Loss of control.

“She became another obstacle,” Hargrove admitted finally. “Because once Rowan Ashcroft truly attached himself emotionally to someone…” She exhaled quietly through her nose. “He became almost impossible to manipulate.”

The room felt colder after that.

Because somehow the worst part wasn’t the corruption anymore. It was realizing she viewed people entirely as leverage points.

Weaknesses. Assets. Obstacles. Nothing human about any of it.

I stared at her for another long moment before finally asking the question sitting heavy in my chest.

“And Drew Pierce?”

That one changed the room instantly.

Not dramatically.

Subtly.

But enough.

Hargrove’s expression flattened completely now while Richard Blanche slowly lowered his eyes toward the table beside her. Because even her lawyer didn’t want to hear this part out loud.

I stayed completely still across from her.

“Talk.”

Silence stretched for a long moment before Hargrove finally leaned back slightly in the metal chair again.

“Calder knew Drew first.”

That immediately caught my attention.

“How?”

“He worked as a confidential informant occasionally for the department.” Her tone remained calm. Detached. “Mostly small things at first.” Another pause. “Drew had a habit of sneaking into places he wasn’t supposed to be.”

I frowned slightly. “What kind of places?”

Hargrove smiled faintly. “Anywhere people paid him enough to get into. He liked information,” she continued quietly. “Pictures. Secrets. Affairs. Drugs. Bribes.” Another pause. “Anything useful.”

“So you hired him.”

“Yes.” No hesitation. “I needed leverage.”

Of course she did.

“You’d be amazed what powerful people will do to protect their reputations.” A slight shrug. “Pictures become very useful.”

My stomach tightened slowly. “Avery,” I said quietly.

“Yes.”

“Rowan.”

“Yes.”

“Devin. Theo. Asher.”

“Yes.”

Each answer came instantly. Like she’d already categorized them years ago.

“Several city council members,” she continued calmly. “The chief of police.” Her eyes lifted back toward mine slightly. “Hell, even Calder himself.”

That one caught me off guard. “You were blackmailing Calder too?”

Hargrove laughed softly under her breath. “Of course I was. You don’t control violent men by trusting them,” she said evenly. “You control them by making sure they’re just as trapped as everyone else.”

Honestly this woman was somehow worse than I originally thought.

“Drew was useful at first,” Hargrove continued. “Very useful.” Another pause. “Until he started asking questions.”

I stayed quiet so she could contiune.

“He noticed patterns.” Her expression hardened slightly now. “Missing evidence. Delayed reports. Database access.” Another pause. “He was smarter than Calder gave him credit for.”

And suddenly I understood exactly where this was going. “He got too close.”

“Yes.” The answer came quietly. “He started realizing the city corruption wasn’t random.” Hargrove’s jaw tightened slightly. “And Drew knew people.”

That part mattered.

I could hear it immediately. “What people?”

“Federal contractors. Journalists. Former prosecutors.” Another pause. “People important enough that if he talked…” She exhaled quietly through her nose. “My ass would’ve been handed to me.”