Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 199

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Chapter 199

Chapter 199

LEONIE’S POV

The rich, crimson liquid swirled smoothly against the crystal walls of my glass as I tilted it, taking a slow, deliberate sip.

The expensive vintage burned pleasantly down my throat, a perfect contrast to the cold, calculating thoughts running through my head.

Outside the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, the city was alive, but my focus was entirely locked on the event taking place tomorrow. The final court hearing.

A quiet groan from the bed broke the silence of the penthouse. I didn’t even bother to turn around as Julian shifted, slowly waking up from his alcohol-induced slumber.

For the past few days, he had been a pathetic, miserable ghost of a man, drowning his frustrations in bottle after bottle until he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

Watching him spiral like this would have disgusted me if it wasn’t playing so beautifully into my hands. “Leonie…” he mumbled, his voice thick with a hangover as he sat up and rubbed his face. “What time is it?” “Late enough,” I replied smoothly, keeping my tone perfectly laced with sweet, fabricated concern. “Your father’ s assistant called twice. You need to get dressed, Julian. You’re supposed to meet him at his office to review the final custody strategy with the legal team.

He let out a rough sigh, dragging himself out of bed without another word. I watched his tall, athletic frame disappear into the bathroom, the shower turning on a moment later.

Within half an hour, he was dressed in a sharp suit, though no amount of expensive tailoring could hide the dark circles under his eyes or the lingering tension in his jaw.

He muttered a quick goodbye, grabbing his car keys before rushing out the door to meet his father. The moment the heavy penthouse door clicked shut, the fake smile slid right off my face.

I set my wine glass down on the marble countertop and let out a dark, amused chuckle.

Julian truly had no idea. Neither did his arrogant, powerful family.

They thought they were walking into that courtroom tomorrow to claim what was theirs, entirely oblivious to the absolute slaughter waiting for them.

They didn’t know that I was the anonymous ally who had package-delivered that massive batch of incriminating files straight to Brandon’s encrypted account.

The videos of Julian partying at clubs, the international flight logs, the financial transactions proving his complete absence from Amelia’s life-I had leaked it all.

My plan was beautifully, ruthlessly simple: Make sure Julian and the Vance family lose this custody case. Suddenly, my phone vibrated sharply on the counter, its screen lighting up with an unregistered number.

A sharp smile touched my lips. I picked it up and slid the bar to answer, pressing the device to my ear. “Talk to me. Do you have any information?”

“Miss Leonie,” the voice on the other end murmured, speaking in a hurried, hushed whisper. It was the new nanny I had meticulously planted inside Aria’s private estate. “I have a layout of what’s happening inside the house.*

“And?” I prompted, leaning back against the kitchen counter, swirling my wine glass once more. “What is the great corporate CEO doing?”

“From what I’ve managed to overhear around the living room and the hallways, Brandon is pulling out absolutely every single resource he has,” the nanny reported, her voice low.

“He’s unleashing his top-tier legal team and using his own power to ensure Amelia stays with her mother. He’s

mpletely locking down their defense

Successfully unlocked!

Chapter 199

I smirked, the taste of victory already sweet on my tongue. “Let him. The more aggressively Brandon fights, the more Julian will break. What about the little girl? How is she reacting?”

“That’s the other thing,” the nanny replied, a hint of annoyance clipping her words. “The little girl explicitly told Aria that she wants to stay with her mother. She actually apologized for throwing a tantrum and promised she wouldn’t leave her side.”

“Perfect,” I purred, a low laugh escaping my throat. “That is absolutely perfect. If the brat insists on staying with Aria, and Brandon uses the evidence I handed him, Julian won’t stand a single ghost of a chance tomorrow. The judge will rip primary custody right out of his hands.”

There was a brief pause on the line before the nanny let out a sharp, irritated breath. “Good. Because I need to know how much longer I have to keep pretending to love this little brat. It’s exhausting putting on a sweet, bubbly performance and crawling around on the floor with her toys all afternoon.”

“Be patient, Anna,” I warned, my tone dropping into a dangerous, ice-cold register as I used her real name. “You will soon be able to stop the act. Just play the doting nanny a little longer. Once Julian loses this court case tomorrow, he is going to completely spiral out of control. Desperate men do desperate things, Anna. When the legal system fails him, he will inevitably try more extreme, reckless methods to get to his daughter.”

I paused, my eyes narrowing as I stared out at the city skyline, tracing the violent trajectory of my grand design. “And those reckless methods will do exactly what I need them to do-they will permanently push Aria away from him. She will despise him past the point of no return. And that is exactly when I will strike.” “What are you going to do?” Anna asked, a tremor of nervousness slipping into her voice.

“I am going to make sure that when Julian least expects it, when he is at his absolute lowest, I will take out Amelia and Aria permanently,” I whispered, the malice dripping from my words like venom. “They will be erased from the picture entirely.”

Anna gasped softly over the line. “Miss Leonie… you need to be careful. Brandon is incredibly powerful in this city, and he is fiercely protective of both of them. If he catches even a whisper of what you’re planning, he will use everything in his arsenal to stop you. He isn’t like Julian.”

“I know exactly who Brandon is,” I snapped, my grip tightening on the burner phone. “Brandon is way smarter, sharper, and more dangerous than Julian could ever hope to be. I am not underestimating him. But he has a weakness now, Aria and that child. That makes him vulnerable.”

I picked up my wine glass, taking one final, deep sip of the dark red liquid. My ambition burned like fire in my chest, a dark obsession that had consumed me for five long years.

“I wanted Julian all for myself from the very beginning,” I said, my voice dropping into a fierce, unwavering vow. “That still hasn’t changed, and it never will. But for that to finally happen, for Julian to have no choice but to turn to me for comfort, Aria and Amelia have to leave this world for good. And I will make sure they do.”

“I understand, Miss Leonie,” Anna murmured over the line, her voice tight with a mixture of submission and

fear.

“Good,” I replied, my tone dropping into an icy, demanding register. “Because you cannot afford to forget exactly what is at stake here. I didn’t orchestrate a way to get rid of and replace the original nanny Aria had carefully chosen just for you to get sloppy now. I put you in that house for one specific thing. When the right time comes, you will play your final part. And once that is done, your family’s debt to me will be paid in full.” On the other end of the line, a heavy silence hung for a second before Anna spoke, her voice trembling slightly but resolute. “I haven’t forgotten, Miss Leonie. I know exactly what is at stake.”

“See that you don’t,” I said coldly, and without waiting for her to utter another word, I pressed my thumb against the screen and ended the call.

I tossed the burner phone onto the sleek counter, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across my face as ! picked up my wine glass once more. Anna was nothing more than a desperate young girl I had salvaged from the gutter.

Her parents had been completely drowning in unpayable debt, suffocating under a mountain of financial ruin

Chapter 199

I smirked, the taste of victory already sweet on my tongue. “Let him. The more aggressively Brandon fights, the more Julian will break. What about the little girl? How is she reacting?”

“That’s the other thing, the nanny replied, a hint of annoyance clipping her words. “The little girl explicitly told Aria that she wants to stay with her mother. She actually apologized for throwing a tantrum and promised she wouldn’t leave her side.”

“Perfect” I purred, a low laugh escaping my throat. “That is absolutely perfect. If the brat insists on staying with Aria, and Brandon uses the evidence I handed him, Julian won’t stand a single ghost of a chance tomorrow. The judge will rip primary custody right out of his hands.”

There was a brief pause on the line before the nanny let out a sharp, irritated breath. “Good. Because I need to know how much longer I have to keep pretending to love this little brat. It’s exhausting putting on a sweet, bubbly performance and crawling around on the floor with her toys all afternoon.”

“Be patient, Anna,” I warned, my tone dropping into a dangerous, ice-cold register as I used her real name. “You will soon be able to stop the act. Just play the doting nanny a little longer. Once Julian loses this court case tomorrow, he is going to completely spiral out of control. Desperate men do desperate things, Anna. When the legal system fails him, he will inevitably try more extreme, reckless methods to get to his daughter.”

I paused, my eyes narrowing as I stared out at the city skyline, tracing the violent trajectory of my grand design. “And those reckless methods will do exactly what I need them to do-they will permanently push Aria away from him. She will despise him past the point of no return. And that is exactly when I will strike.” “What are you going to do?” Anna asked, a tremor of nervousness slipping into her voice.

“I am going to make sure that when Julian least expects it, when he is at his absolute lowest, I will take out Amelia and Aria permanently,” I whispered, the malice dripping from my words like venom. “They will be erased from the picture entirely.”

Anna gasped softly over the line. “Miss Leonie… you need to be careful. Brandon is incredibly powerful in this city, and he is fiercely protective of both of them. If he catches even a whisper of what you’re planning, he will use everything in his arsenal to stop you. He isn’t like Julian.”

“I know exactly who Brandon is,” I snapped, my grip tightening on the burner phone. “Brandon is way smarter, sharper, and more dangerous than Julian could ever hope to be. I am not underestimating him. But he has a weakness now, Aria and that child. That makes him vulnerable.”

I picked up my wine glass, taking one final, deep sip of the dark red liquid. My ambition burned like fire in my chest, a dark obsession that had consumed me for five long years.

“I wanted Julian all for myself from the very beginning,” I said, my voice dropping into a fierce, unwavering vow. “That still hasn’t changed, and it never will. But for that to finally happen, for Julian to have no choice but to turn to me for comfort, Aria and Amelia have to leave this world for good. And I will make sure they do.”

“I understand, Miss Leonie,” Anna murmured over the line, her voice tight with a mixture of submission and

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