The CEO Above My Desk (Mckenzie Shinabery) novel Chapter 244

The CEO Above My Desk

Chapter 244

Violet

I hadn’t realized how exhausted I actually was until I slept.

I had fallen asleep wrapped in Rowan’s arms with the sound of ocean waves drifting through the slightly open balcony doors. I remembered curling against him sometime during the night, his arm tightening around my waist automatically like his body somehow noticed I moved even while asleep.

And waking up the next morning had almost felt unreal. Because instead of alarms and city noise and traffic and phones ringing…

I opened my eyes to sunlight reflecting across the ocean. For several seconds I’d just laid there staring.

Blue water stretched endlessly beyond the balcony while palm trees swayed gently below us. The sky looked almost painted with soft streaks of pink and gold and orange from the early morning sun.

It looked fake. Like one of those stupid desktop wallpapers people used.

I remembered turning slightly and finding Rowan still asleep beside me.

And God… I don’t think I’d ever seen him look peaceful before.

His hair had fallen slightly over his forehead and one arm was still around me while his face had relaxed completely. No tension in his jaw. No phone in his hand. No meetings. No responsibilities.

Just Rowan. Just my husband. Just us.

Needless to say… Getting out of that bed had felt criminal. The pillows alone deserved jail time.

Now we were downstairs at the breakfast buffet sometime later and somehow things felt lighter than they had yesterday.

Devin looked better today too. The bruising around his face still looked rough and he moved carefully every now and then

when his ribs bothered him, but compared to yesterday?

Huge difference.

Yesterday he’d practically slept through the entire day because of pain medication.

Today he was actually sitting upright. Actually eating. Which honestly felt like progress.

Theo and Camille sat across from us, sharing breakfast like absolute weirdos.

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And by sharing, I meant feeding each other.

Camille held up a fork with a piece of pineapple and practically shoved it toward Theo’s mouth. “Open.”

Theo stared at her. “No.”

“Open.

“No.”

“Baby wants pineapple.”

Theo narrowed his eyes. “…Your baby is manipulating me already.”

Camille gasped dramatically. “OUR baby.”

“Oh God.”

I snorted into my orange juice.

Beside me Rowan returned carrying what looked like enough food to feed a small village.

Eggs. Toast. Fruit. Pancakes. Bacon. Hashbrowns. More fruit.

How… How was there more fruit?

“Rowan.”

He sat down beside me. “What?”

I blinked at him. “Am I feeding myself or preparing for winter?”

He looked completely serious. “The internet said pregnant women should eat.”

I stared. Theo stared. Even Devin stared.

The internet?” I repeated slowly.

Rowan frowned slightly. “What?”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

Nope. I had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

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Then suddenly I heard a familiar voice from one of the televisions mounted near the buffet area.

“…coming to you live this morning…”

I slowly looked up.

Leah Frank.

The camera showed a large federal building with agents and police vehicles surrounding the area.

Then suddenly, I sat up straighter.

“Oh my God.”

Everyone looked toward me.

Behind Leah… Four familiar figures were being escorted outside in handcuffs.

Evelyn Hargrove. Marcus Hale. Asher West. And Avery Quinneth.

I felt my entire body go still.

Federal agents surrounded them while guiding them toward waiting vehicles.

Marcus looked furious. Hargrove looked pale. Asher looked exhausted. Avery looked like she’d been crying.

“Oh my God,” Camille whispered.

The entire table had gone silent now. Even Rowan had turned toward the television.

Leah continued speaking while footage rolled behind her. “…all four suspects are being transported to a private federal holding facility while awaiting trial proceedings…”

Then she started listing charges.

Corruption.

Solicitation of murder for hire.

Conspiracy.

Domestic terrorism.

Bombing.

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Misuse of federal systems.

Obstruction.

Corporate espionage.

The list just kept going. Jesus Christ.

Then suddenly the screen shifted and I almost dropped my fork.

“No way.”

Rowan narrowed his eyes. “…Is that Bennett?”

It was.

Standing near one of the vehicles with sunglasses on and a coffee in one hand while agents moved around behind her.

How in the world had Leah managed that?

Leah held a microphone toward her. “Agent Bennett, any comment regarding the arrests this morning?”

Bennett looked tired. She stared at Leah for several seconds. Then looked toward the camera and finally said, “We got them. And for anyone worried…” A tiny smile appeared. “Mr. and Mrs. Ashcroft are safe.”

Leah immediately turned back toward the camera, clearly trying not to look too pleased with herself after somehow managing to get Agent Bennett to speak.

“Well there you have it.” She adjusted the microphone slightly while agents continued moving behind her. “Four major arrests connected to what is becoming one of the largest corruption investigations this city has seen in years.”

Behind her, Marcus glanced toward the cameras with a dark expression while Hargrove kept her head lowered as agents guided her toward the transport vehicle.

Leah continued speaking.

Former Councilwoman Evelyn Hargrove now faces multiple federal charges including corruption, conspiracy, and solicitation of murder for hire, while former FBI Agent Marcus Hale is facing charges tied to domestic terrorism, bombing- related offenses, and attempted murder.”

The footage shifted briefly to Avery being guided toward another vehicle.

“There are also allegations of insider information being passed through Ashcroft Industries itself, though federal officials have not yet commented on the full extent of that investigation.”

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Then Leah looked back toward the camera and her expression softened slightly.

“In what could have been a far more devastating tragedy, authorities confirmed that no employee fatalities occurred during the collapse of Ashcroft Industries after Rowan Ashcroft had reportedly given employees a week to ten days off during ongoing reconstruction efforts. Authorities have also confirmed that Mr. and Mrs. Ashcroft have already established an emergency assistance fund for individuals injured during the Ashcroft Industries collapse.”

The footage shifted briefly, showing images of damaged vehicles outside the collapsed building.

“In addition, Rowan Ashcroft has reportedly pledged to replace vehicles that were damaged or destroyed/during the collapse.”

Leah glanced back toward the camera, and for the first time during the report, a small smile crossed her face.

“And in another surprising development, sources close to the Ashcroft team have stated that despite current delays, plans for the city’s proposed housing and homelessness redevelopment initiative are still expected to move forward once ongoing investigations conclude.”

The screen shifted again, showing architectural renderings of the housing project.

The

Apartment buildings. Community spaces. Green areas. Places for families. Places for people who had nowhere else to go.

Leah looked directly into the camera.

“For viewers asking how they can help, donations for the redevelopment project can be made through the website listed below.”

Silence settled across our table.

“Well,” Theo said loudly and pointed toward the television, “Looks like you’re rebuilding.”

Comments

R Visitor

Yay! Go Rowan!