The CEO Above My Desk (Mckenzie Shinabery) novel Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Rowan

I know she’s there before she knocks.

I always do.

The soft rhythm of her steps outside my office has become familiar enough that I don’t need cameras to track it. I feel it in the shift of air, in the way my attention sharpens without permission.

A gentle knock.

“Come in.”

Violet steps inside, composed as ever, though I can still see the faint tension living behind her eyes these days. She’s

carrying a white paper bag and a drink tray.

“Your usual,” she says, setting it on my desk. “No mayo. Extra mustard. And the coffee you pretend you don’t need.”

I look up at her slowly.

“I don’t pretend.”

She arches a brow slightly. “You absolutely do.”

The corner of my mouth lifts despite myself.

She places the cup precisely where I like it, straightens the stack of files she didn’t need to straighten, then adds evenly, “Councilman Ricki Merci is here.”

There’s no reaction on my face.

But there is one in my mind.

Good.

“Get Theo,” I say calmly. “Emergency meeting.”

She doesn’t hesitate. Not a flicker of question. Not a single pause to ask what this is about.

“Yes, Mr. Ashcroft.”

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She turns smoothly and leaves.

Efficient. Controlled. Mine in every way that matters professionally.

And soon-

No. Focus.

Two minutes later, she returns, escorting Theo first. He walks in already suspicious, adjusting his cuffs.

“What’s burning?” he mutters.

Before I can answer, she steps aside and gestures for Ricki Merci to enter.

Councilman Merci is younger than Hargrove, but only by a few years. Mid–forties. Charismatic in the way men are when

they’ve learned how to smile without revealing their teeth. Tailored navy suit. Campaign pin on his lapel.

The moment he sees Violet again, his eyes sharpen with appraisal.

He smiles.

“Now where,” he says lightly, glancing between me and her, “does one find someone like that? Efficient. Calm under pressure. I might need to recruit.”

I don’t answer him. I don’t even blink.

Violet remains neutral. Professional.

“Theo will take notes,” she says quietly, then steps back toward her desk outside.

When the door shuts fully, the temperature changes.

“Sit,” I tell Merci.

He does.

Theo takes the seat slightly to my left, tablet already open.

Merci leans back casually. “I assume you didn’t bring me here to discuss staffing.”

“No,” I reply evenly.

Silence settles, thick and deliberate.

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“I’ll fund your campaign,” I say.

No preamble.

No buildup.

Just the offer.

Merci’s smile falters slightly. “That’s… direct.”

“I don’t waste time.”

Theo glances at me but says nothing.

“I’m prepared to contribute significantly,” I continue. “Direct campaign funding. PAC alignment. Event sponsorship. Public

endorsement when the timing is appropriate.”

Merci studies me carefully now. The humor gone.

“And in return?” he asks.

“Your administration ensures my developments do not sit idle in committee,” I say. “Permits move when submitted. Zoning reviews are prioritized appropriately. Environmental reviews are conducted efficiently and without theatrical

delay.”

He folds his hands together.

“That’s it?” he asks carefully.

Theo leans forward slightly. “We don’t require favoritism. We require efficiency.”

Merci watches him.

“I don’t interfere in lawful procedure,” I say. “But I don’t tolerate unnecessary obstruction.”

“Meaning Hargrove,” Merci says bluntly.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

He exhales slowly.

“You’re asking me to expedite your projects,” he says. “To ensure they don’t get buried.”

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“I’m asking you to ensure that developments beneficial to this city are treated as such,” I reply calmly. “Ashcroft Industries employs over six thousand people locally. We inject millions annually into infrastructure and community initiatives.”

Theo adds smoothly, “Our projects generate tax revenue. Housing expansion. Commercial revitalization. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking not to be strangled by politics.”

Merci studies us both.

“You understand what this looks like,” he says.

“Yes,” I reply.

“And you’re comfortable with that?”

“I’m comfortable with clarity.”

He leans back slightly. “And if I don’t win?”

“Then the funding ceases,” I say simply. “And we reassess.”

“And if I win?”

“You receive continued support,” Theo says. “Provided development pipelines remain unimpeded.”

Merci’s eyes narrow slightly. “Unimpeded is subjective.”

“Unimpeded is

le,” I counter. “Processing times. Approval intervals. Bureaucratic layering.”

A pause.

“You’re not asking me to break the law,” Merci says slowly.

“No,” I reply. “I’m asking you not to let the law be weaponized.”

That lands.

He understands exactly what I’m referencing.

Hargrove’s stunt.

“This isn’t illegal,” Merci says carefully.

“No,” I reply. “It’s political.”

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He studies me another moment.

“And you’re prepared to back this publicly?”

“Yes.”

Theo closes his tablet gently.

“We don’t want to sit on the back burner,” he says plainly. “We don’t want our developments used as leverage in someone else’s power play.”

Merci nods slowly.

“And you’ll do anything to ensure that doesn’t happen?” he asks.

I hold his gaze.

“Anything within the bounds of the law,” I say evenly.

It isn’t a threat.

It isn’t bravado.

It’s a promise.

Silence stretches.

Finally, Merci exhales.

“You know Hargrove won’t take this quietly.”

“I’m counting on it.”

He studies me carefully, then extends his hand.

“You’ll have my cooperation,” he says.

I shake it.

Firm.

Measured.

Transactional.

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As he stands to leave, he pauses at the door.

“One more thing,” he says, glancing toward Violet’s desk through the glass. You may want to tighten your internal perimeter. If she’s already pushing back this hard, she won’t stop at permits.”

“I’m aware,” I reply.

He leaves.

Theo waits until the door closes before speaking.

“She’s going to escalate.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re ready for that?”

I look down at my sandwich, untouched.

“She already escalated,” I say quietly.

Theo studies me.

“And this?” he asks, nodding toward the door. “Is this retaliation?”

“No,” I reply calmly.

“It’s positioning.”

Outside the glass, Violet is typing, unaware that the board has just shifted beneath her feet.

And somewhere across town, Hargrove is about to find out her reelection cycle just got very expensive.

I should prepare the others.

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