Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 252

Chapter 252

Chapter 252

BRANDON’S POV

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The dimly lit interior of La Lanterna was deathly quiet, the heavy velvet drapes muffling any sound from bustling city outside. I sat at the far corner of the private back room, my fingers lightly tracing the rim of untouched glass of scotch.

My phone vibrated once on the white tablecloth. I picked it up, checking the delivery status of the messag had sent to Aria. Delivered.

I let out a slow breath, the tension in my shoulders easing just a fraction. I knew she was furious with me. I knew she was terrified of the blood on my hands and the ghosts of my past.

But I couldn’t let her drown in the mess Julian had created. Fixing things with Amelia was the least I could from the dark. I loved her too much to let her carry my punishment alone, and I only prayed that one day she would understand that everything I did, everything I was about to do, was to keep her and our daughte safe.

The heavy wooden door to the private room opened, and Victor Sterling stepped inside. He was a man in h late fifties, dressed in a sharp, expensive suit, but the moment his eyes landed on me, his corporate posture faltered.

He didn’t see Brandon Vance, the billionaire investor. He saw the Don. He saw the man who had pulled his son out of a shallow grave in Chicago three years ago.

“Brandon,” Victor said, his voice low as he stepped into the room. The door clicked shut behind him, cutting us off from the rest of the world completely. “Dominic said it was urgent.”

“Sit, Victor,” I said, gesturing to the chair across from me. My voice was smooth, devoid of any warmth.

Victor sat down, folding his hands on the table. He looked at the heavy leather dossier resting between us. “What’s going on? You know I owe you my son’s life. Whatever you need, it’s yours.”

“I’m collecting that favor tonight, Victor,” I said, leaning forward into the dim light. I pushed the dossier toward him. “Vance Enterprises. Your company.”

Victor blinked, clearly surprised. “You want a piece of Vance Enterprises? My fifteen percent stake?”

“I don’t just want your stake, Victor. I want you to help me burn it to the ground,” I said, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “Julian Vance stepped into my world. He put his hands on Aria, and he threatened my

daughter. He thinks his father’s company and his family’s wealth make him bulletproof.”

Victor’s face went pale. He knew exactly who Aria was to me, and he knew the rules of the underworld well enough to understand that Julian had just signed a death warrant. “The idiot… he has no idea who he’s playing with. He’s a fool.”

“No, he doesn’t,” I replied, a dark, humorless smile touching my lips, “But he’s about to find out. Here is what is going to happen. Tonight, you are going to initiate a hostile takeover. You are going to use your influence on the board to short the company’s stock. Dominic has already compiled the internal vulnerabilities and financial liabilities of Vance Enterprises in that file. Leak them. By tomorrow morning’s opening bell, I want

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their shares in a catastrophic freefall.”

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Victor looked at the dossier, his jaw tightening. He didn’t hesitate. He picked it up and nodded firmly.

“Consider it done, Brandon. I’ll call an emergency board meeting for tonight. I’ll make sure the leaks hit press before the markets open. By noon tomorrow, Vance Enterprises won’t have enough value left to bu pack of cigarettes. Julian’s father will be bankrupt.”

“Good,” I said, standing up from the table and buttoning my heavy wool coat. “Strip him of his money, h safety net, and his name. Exclude him from everything. I want him completely ruined before I handle h physically.”

“I’ll handle the financial side, Don Brandon,” Victor said, using my old title with absolute respect. “He wor know what hit him.”

I nodded once, stepping out of the private room and walking down the quiet corridor of the restaurant. T trap was sprung. Julian’s perfect, privileged life was about to evaporate, and there would be no corporate safety net to save him.

As I pushed open the heavy glass exit doors of the restaurant and stepped out into the cool night air, my phone buzzed violently in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting Dominic with an update on Leonie, but it my secretary calling from back in my main city.

“Mr. Brandon, I apologize for the late hour,” her professional voice came through the line. “But an emerge board meeting has been called for tomorrow morning here in the city. Your physical presence is strictly required to sign off on the new international merger, or the deal collapses.”

I gripped the phone, a curse word slipping past my lips. I absolutely hated the thought of leaving Aria and Amelia right now, especially with Julian making reckless threats.

But business was business, and this merger was worth billions. “Fine,” I growled. “Schedule the private jet for early tomorrow morning. I’ll attend the meeting, but make sure my schedule is entirely clear right after. I w be flying back tomorrow evening. No exceptions.”

“Understood, Mr. Brandon. I will finalize the flight details.” I ended the call and walked back to my hotel room, my mind weighing heavily with worry. When I finally stepped inside the quiet, luxurious suite, I tosse my coat onto a chair and stared at my phone.

I debated with myself for several agonizing minutes. Should I call Aria? She was probably still furious with me, and hearing my voice might just stress her out more.

But after what Julian had done today, I needed to hear her voice. I needed to know she was okay. In the end. my need to protect her won.

I tapped her contact and placed the phone to my ear, listening to the dial tone ring in the quiet room. praying she would answer.

The line clicked open. The quiet static of the connection filled my ear, cutting through the heavy silence of my hotel suite. My heart hammered against my ribs, a sudden wave of raw anxiety hitting me harder than any threat from a rival cartel ever could.

“Aria.” I said softly, my voice rough and thick with an emotion I couldn’t hide. No response.

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There was only the faint, steady sound of her breathing on the other end. She didn’t hang up. She didn’t y at me. She just stayed on the line, a silent ghost on the other side of the city.

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