The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 200

***Rowan***

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest while staring at him. “He did this to you?”

Devin nodded once. “He showed up at my apartment around 11am this morning.” He rubbed one hand tiredly over his face. “I thought it was federal agents at first.”

Theo scoffed darkly. “That’s unfortunate timing for him.”

Devin ignored him. “I opened the door and he immediately shoved his way inside.” His jaw tightened slightly. “Then punched me hard enough to put me into my own fucking wall.”

Camille gasped again and buried her face harder against Theo’s shoulder. “Oh my God.”

Theo looked murderous now.

Devin leaned forward slightly against the kitchen island while exhaling slowly through his nose. “He was panicking.” Another tired shake of his head. “Like genuinely panicking.”

That tracked.

A man like Asher West had spent years operating comfortably behind expensive suits, legal paperwork, and political immunity.

Now Hargrove was in custody. The FBI was involved. The mayor publicly cut ties with him. And suddenly all those carefully built protections meant absolutely nothing.

“What exactly was he asking?” I said evenly.

Devin looked toward me carefully. “He wanted to know how much the FBI had uncovered already.” His voice lowered slightly now. “Specifically involving the housing project.”

My jaw tightened immediately.

“He kept asking about financial transfers,” Devin continued. “Permit rerouting. The consulting firms Hargrove used.”

Theo frowned beside Camille. “What consulting firms?”

Devin looked exhausted all over again. “Hargrove funneled city development money through shell companies.” He swallowed slightly. “Asher handled most of the legal structuring himself.”

That explained a lot.

Too much honestly.

The permit delays.

The missing approvals.

The zoning issues that somehow kept appearing out of nowhere.

All of it.

Violet moved closer behind me quietly and I immediately reached back for her without even thinking about it.

The second my fingers wrapped around hers, some of the tension in my chest loosened slightly. Only slightly.

“He knows Hargrove is cooperating,” Devin continued. “And he’s terrified she’s going to hand everything over.”

“Good,” Theo muttered coldly.

Devin nodded once. “He said once federal investigators start tracing the financials, everybody connected to the project sabotage becomes radioactive.”

Camille sniffled loudly again.

Denise looked like she desperately wanted to leave but also didn’t want to accidentally walk into the middle of whatever this had become.

I stared at Devin carefully. “So why come after you specifically?”

“Because I handled legal for Ashcroft Industries.” Devin rubbed his bruised jaw carefully. “He wanted to know whether there was anything tying him directly to the city permit denials.”

That was the real fear.

Not Hargrove.

Not the FBI.

Proof.

Proof that he intentionally sabotaged the housing initiative through the mayor’s office.

Because once that became public?

He was done.

Career.

Reputation.

Freedom.

All gone.

Violet spoke quietly from beside me.

“Did he threaten you?”

Devin hesitated.

That hesitation alone answered enough.

Theo straightened immediately.

“What did he say?”

Devin looked uncomfortable now.

“He implied…” Another slow breath. “That if people kept talking, those connected to Ashcroft Industries could become problems.”

The kitchen went still again.

This time even Camille stopped crying.

Something sharp settled deep in my chest.

Because threatening me was one thing.

Threatening Violet?

Theo?

Camille?

The baby?

Different mistake entirely.

Violet must’ve felt the shift in me because her fingers tightened around mine instantly.

“Rowan.”

Too late. Way too late for calm.

I looked back toward Devin slowly. “Where is he now?”

Devin let out another tired humorless laugh. “If I knew that,” he muttered, “I would’ve called Bennett before answering the damn door.”

Denise looked overwhelmed by the time the conversation finally died down.

Within the span of two hours she’d somehow gone from discussing wallpaper and heated floors to listening to Devin explain that a corrupt lawyer tied to city hall had shown up at his apartment throwing punches and threatening people.

Probably not what she expected when taking a renovation contract.

Theo finally helped Camille toward their SUV while still muttering under his breath about wanting to personally “run Asher over with a fucking lawn mower.”

Camille immediately smacked his chest. “You cannot say things like that around the babies.”

Theo blinked once. “…The babies are the size of blueberries.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

I helped Devin outside afterward while he held one hand carefully against his ribs.

The late afternoon air near the river felt cooler now, wind moving softly through the massive trees surrounding the property while gravel crunched beneath our shoes.

Under literally any other circumstance, this would’ve been peaceful.

Instead I was mentally calculating how quickly I could get federal protection around this property.

Devin unlocked his car first and moved it farther down near the detached garage before I stepped in beside him again.

“You sure nothing’s broken?” I asked quietly.

“I’m a lawyer,” Devin muttered tiredly. “I’ve survived worse.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“Wasn’t meant to be.”

I opened the back door of my SUV for him and he slid carefully into the backseat with a quiet hiss through his teeth.

Yeah.

Something was probably cracked.

I shut the door before glancing back toward the house.

Violet still stood near the porch talking with Denise while the designer gestured dramatically toward her tablet.

Then suddenly Denise physically sagged with relief.

Actually sagged.

Interesting.

Violet nodded once confidently before Denise looked like a woman who had finally been released from psychological warfare.

By the time Violet made her way down the porch stairs toward the SUV, she looked entirely too pleased with herself.

The second she climbed into the passenger seat beside me, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“What did you do?”

Her mouth twitched immediately.

Oh no.

“I fixed the kitchen issue.”

I started the SUV while raising an eyebrow. “And?”

“I told Denise to do a modern take on it.” Violet buckled herself in before looking entirely too smug. “Updated appliances. Grey cabinets with white accents.” Another pause. “And black tile.”

I stared at her for a second. Then laughed despite myself while pulling the SUV slowly down the long gravel road away from the property.

“Theo’s going to lose his mind.”

“He already lost his mind when Camille suggested floral backsplash.”

The tires crunched loudly against the uneven dirt and gravel path while the house slowly disappeared behind us through the trees.

I glanced briefly toward the road ahead before speaking again. “We’re getting this paved.”

Violet looked over immediately. “What?”

“This road.” I gestured lightly ahead of us. “Too uneven. Too isolated.” Another glance toward the rearview mirror checking on Devin. “Emergency vehicles would lose time getting up here.”

Violet’s expression softened slightly.

Because of course she knew exactly why my brain went there immediately.

Pregnancy. Hospitals. Safety.

Everything circled back to protecting them now.

Always.

I adjusted one hand on the steering wheel before glancing briefly toward Devin again through the mirror.

“We need to worry about him first though.”