Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 235

Chapter 235

JULIAN’S POV

The bright, blinding lights of the stadium hummed overhead, making the pounding in my skull twice as bad.

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The locker room smelled like sweat, ice, and leather, but all I could taste was the bitter remnants of the scotch I had spent the night drinking in the cellar.

“Julian! Let’s go! Form up!” the coach yelled, slamming his clipboard against the wall. “The media is packed out there today. This is a sold–out game. I need your head in the ice!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m ready,” I muttered, grabbing my hockey stick. My hands were clammy inside my heavy gloves. I pulled my helmet on, the cage snapping into place, but it felt like a cage around my suffocating life.

When we skated out onto the ice, the roar of the crowd was deafening. Thousands of fans were cheering, waving banners. and the flashing lights of the sports reporters‘ cameras reflected blindingly off the white ice.

I could see Blake sitting up in the lower VIP section of the arena, watching the ice closely. Under normal circumstances, this was my kingdom. Today, it felt like an execution.

My mind wasn’t on the puck for the first half. Every time I looked into the crowded stands, I didn’t see the fans. I saw Leonie’s furious face yesterday.

I saw the headlines about Aria succeeding without me, growing stronger while I sank lower. The anger in my chest was a hot, erratic fire, fueled by the alcohol still burning sluggishly through my veins.

Despite my sloppy skating early on, Seb kept me focused. “Julian, on your left. Move it!” Sebastian yelled, passing the puck perfectly to my blade.

I locked in, pure muscle memory taking over the alcohol in my system. I drove forward, dodging the defense, and slammed the puck right past the goalie’s glove.

The crowd went absolutely wild. By the time the final buzzer echoed through the arena, we had secured a tight, hard–fought victory. The scoreboard flashed our win, and Sebastian threw his arms around my shoulders, celebrating.

But as the teams converged on the ice to shake hands, one of the opposing defensemen skated right up into my space. He had a nasty, mocking smirk on his face.

“Nice win, Julian,” he sneered, leaning in close so only I could hear. “Too bad you’re still a loser off the ice. How does it feel losing your baby mama to an older, richer guy? Brandon’s playing with your girl while you’re out here playing with a puck.”

Something inside me completely snapped. The humiliation, the booze, and the raw, bitter jealousy over Aria and Brandon boiled over at once. “What the fuck did you say?!” I roared.

I swung my heavy hockey stick violently, smashing it directly against the thick glass barrier in a blind rage. A loud, terrifying crack echoed through the arena as the glass webbed with fractures.

Reporters and photographers behind the barrier screamed, diving backward. Sebastian rushed forward, grabbing my arms to hold me back as security flooded the ice to separate us.

Ten minutes later, I was dragged straight into the back executive offices. The door slammed shut behind me. Standing in the room were Henderson, Branson, my head coach, and sitting calmly in a leather chair across from them was Brandon.

The coach’s face was purple with rage. “Are you completely out of your mind, Julian? You caused a massive scene in front of a packed arena and millions of people watching live on television. You destroyed stadium property!”

I didn’t even look at the coach. My eyes locked onto Brandon, his unbothered, powerful posture driving me insane. I lifted a

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Chapter 235

shaking hand and pointed a finger directly at his face.

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“You,” I spat, my voice shaking with pure fury. “You are the cause of all of this. This is your fault. You just couldn’t stay away from my family, could you? You had to slide in and take everything that was mine!”

Brandon didn’t even blink. He just stared at me with cold, detached eyes, as if I were a minor inconvenience. “Watch your mouth, Julian,” Henderson warned sharply, stepping between us.

The coach slammed his fist on the desk, drawing my attention back. “Enough! I don’t care about your personal drama. You are a professional athlete, and you will act like one. I should suspend you indefinitely right now.”

The coach took a deep breath, looking over at Branson before looking back at me with a hard, unforgiving glare.

“But because we need you for the playoffs, I am giving you exactly one more chance to redeem your career,” the coach growled. “One week from today is the next big match. If you cause one more scene, if you show up with alcohol in your system, or if you fail to deliver on that ice, you face an immediate, permanent suspension. Do you understand me?”

I clenched my jaw, the hot anger still buzzing in my ears as I glared at Brandon one last time. “Crystal clear.”

I walked out of the office, slamming the door behind me. My chest was heaving as I marched down the quiet VIP hallway. the loud buzz of the arena fading into the background. I just needed to get away from all of them.

“Julian.” The deep, calm voice made me halt. I turned around, my fists clenching automatically. Brandon had followed me

out.

He stood a few feet away, his hands casually tucked into his suit pockets. He looked completely unbothered, which only made my blood boil hotter.

“What do you want?” I spat, taking a step toward him.

Brandon stared at me with cold, dark eyes. “You should be incredibly grateful to Aria,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous level. “She is the only reason I didn’t beat the absolute shit out of you for the stunt you tried to pull on her father’s company. If it weren’t for her holding me back, you wouldn’t even be standing here right now.”

A bitter, ugly laugh broke from my throat. I stepped closer, staring right into his face. “You think you’re so perfect, don’t you? You think you’ve won. But I know who you are, Brandon. I am going to make sure Aria sees you for who you really are. I’ll uncover every single piece of garbage you hide behind that rich suit. And when she finally sees the truth, she’ll leave you and run right back to me.”

Brandon didn’t flinch. A small, mocking smile touched the corner of his lips. “Give it your best shot, Julian.” Filled with pure, unadulterated rage, I couldn’t even bring myself to answer.

I turned on my heel and walked away, my boots echoing loudly against the floor. Blake was waiting for me near the secure exit of the building, holding his car keys.

He didn’t say a word about the scene on the ice or the meeting in the office. He just signaled for me to follow him out to the parking lot. I climbed into the passenger seat of his car, slamming the door so hard the dashboard rattled.

As Blake pulled out into the city traffic, the silence in the car became suffocating.

Julian, man, you need to listen to me,” Blake said softly, keeping his eyes on the road. “You have to let Aria be. It’s over You’re destroying your own life, your career, everything. Just let her go.”

“Shut up, Blake!” I snapped, turning to glare at him. My voice filled the small car, raw with anger. “You don’t know anything. She loves me. She belongs with me, okay? I will make her see it. She’ll be happy with me.”

Blake just shook his head, sighing heavily, and stopped trying to argue. He drove the rest of the way in total silence, eventually pulling up into my driveway. I grabbed my gear, forced the door open, and walked straight into the house.

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