The CEO Above My Desk (Mckenzie Shinabery) novel Chapter 246

Chapter 246

Violet

Later that night, after Camille and Theo finally went to bed and the penthouse had gone quiet, I found Rowan sitting alone in his office. Not working, at least, that’s what it seemed.

However, the lights were dim except for the glow coming from the massive monitor he was hunched over. I saw architectural renderings covering the screen while papers sat scattered across the desk all around him. Floor plans and sketches, notes in his handwriting.

I lean lightly against the doorway for a second, just watching him work. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and one hand rested against his mouth while the other slowly moved the mouse across the screen. His eyes bore into the

focus.

plans, studying the layout in front of him with compl

Most people would have looked intimidating sitting there like this, with a cold expression, his posture saying he was untouchable, but not him. Rowan somehow looked tired instead.

I stepped farther into the room quietly.

“You know,” I said softly, “normal people usually relax after surviving domestic terrorism.

Without looking away from the screen, he replied, “This is relaxing.”

I snorted immediately.

That is deeply concerning.”

One corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

I walked around the desk and glanced toward the monitor.

The building rendering filled almost the entire screen. The layout was tall, professional, modern, but way simpler than his

old headquarters. It was cleaner, but focused more on sharp, solid lines.

The old building had screamed power from every angle. Black glass, sharp edges, huge open spaces with nothing in them

that screamed intimidation, which felt suffocating in a way.

However, these floor plans, still very impressive and expensive, felt different. Large windows stretched across the exterior, while dark steel mixed with lighter stone accents around the entrance that felt almost welcoming instead of cold. It was

also tall without feeling overbearing. It was professional without the coldness from him.

I slowly lowered myself into the chair beside him. This is the new headquarters?”

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Chapter 246

Rowan finally leaned back slightly. “Twelve floors.” He clicked something and another floor plan appeared. “It’ll hold roughly four hundred employees comfortably without overcrowding departments.”

I watched him zoom in.

“Open floor plans mixed with private offices.” His voice stayed calm and steady while he explained everything. “Larger breakrooms. Conference spaces on each floor instead of centralized scheduling.”

His finger tapped another section. “Natural lighting throughout most of the building.”

I blinked at him. “…Natural lighting?”

His eyes shifted toward mine briefly.

“People work better when they don’t feel trapped.”

Oh. My chest tightened a little at that. The old Rowan would never have said or done anything like this….

He clicked again.

“Underground parking stays but it’s reinforced this time.” His jaw tightened slightly. “Wider exits. Additional emergency

stairwells. Backup generators. Fire suppression systems upgraded across every floor.”

Silence settled quietly between us while he continued moving through the plans.

And suddenly… I realized something.

He wasn’t talking about a building. He was talking about protecting people.

He clicked onto another rendering.

The employee lounge area appeared next. Warm wood accents. Soft seating. Large windows. A coffee station. Plants.

OMG! Is he going to put actual plants in the building?

I stared. This feels weirdly cozy for a billionaire headquarters.”

That finally got a small huff of laughter out of him. “It still needs to function.”

“Mmhm. I pointed toward the couch area on the screen. “That couch costs more than my first car.”

Probably.”

narrowed my eyes. Rowan.”

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Chapter 246

“What?”

“You are physically incapable of being normal.”

He looked almost offended. “I bought reasonably priced chairs.”

I stared at him.

He stared back. Then he finally sighed. “…Theo picked the expensive couch.”

“Of course he did.” I rolled my eyes.

A quiet laugh escaped him then. It was soft and very real.

God, I love hearing him laugh. It’s like a sweet melody.

My eyes shifted back toward the plans while he clicked onto another file.

This one looked completely different. Much bigger. Structured differently.

The homeless rehabilitation center.

Immediately, I sat up straighter.

Rowan noticed. ‘I gifted the old headquarters land.”

I looked toward him.

*****

He leaned forward slightly and zoomed in on the plans. “The first floor handles intake, caseworkers, legal assistance,

counseling, food services, medical evaluations.”

I stared at the screen while he spoke.

The second floor is communal access.” His finger moved across the layout. “Computers. Laundry. Shared kitchens.

Bathrooms. Interview prep rooms. Volunteers. Career assistance.”

My chest tightened slightly.

He had thought about all of this. Every detail.

The upper four floors are housing.” He clicked again.

Twenty rooms per floor appeared. Simple. Clean. Functional. Not luxury, but safe.

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“They stay as long as they actively participate in the program.”

I looked toward him quietly.

“Job searching. Interviews. Classes. Counseling. Rehabilitation if needed.” His voice softened slightly. “Actually trying.”

I swallowed hard. “You really thought this through.”

Rowan stayed quiet for a second before leaning back in his chair. “I almost built luxury condos there.”

The honesty in his voice hit me harder than I expected because he wasn’t saying it proudly. He sounded ashamed.

changed.”

I reached over and touched his hand lightly. “You’ve cl

His eyes lifted toward mine slowly.

And suddenly… I realized something that probably should’ve been obvious a long time ago.

Everybody saw Rowan Ashcroft as this cold billionaire CEO who only cared about control and business and power.

But sitting here with him now? Watching him redesign entire buildings around keeping people safe and helping them

survive?

Watching him quietly worry about employee lighting and emergency exits and homeless families and community kitchens?

I saw the truth.

Rowan wasn’t cold. He had never been. He was just a man who spent most of his life convincing himself he didn’t deserve

softness.Didn’t deserve love. Didn’t deserve comfort.

And somewhere beneath the expensive suits and intimidating boardroom voice and control issues… Was honestly just a

giant teddy bear pretending he wasn’t desperate for somebody to love him back.

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