The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 130

Chapter 130

ARIA’S POV

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My hands were covered in flour, and I was fist–deep in a big bowl of vanilla cake batter when the loud, familiar squeak of brakes sounded outside.

I looked through the glass window of my small bakery just in time to see the yellow school bus pull up to the curb.

The doors swung open, and five–year–old Amelia stepped down, her little pink backpack bouncing against her shoulders.

The moment her feet hit the pavement, she spotted me through the glass and her face lit up with a huge

smile.

She ran straight through the front door, the bell above it ringing loudly, and threw her arms around my legs. “Mommy!” she squealed.

I laughed, carefully lifting my messy hands in the air so I wouldn’t get frosting all over her clean school uniform. I knelt down on the floor and pulled her into a tight hug, burying my face in her shoulder.

“Hey, my beautiful girl,” I whispered, kissing her cheek. “How was school today?”

“It was so fun! We drew pictures of our families,” she said, her little voice full of excitement as she dropped her backpack onto a nearby stool.

Five years. It had been five whole years since I left my hometown, walked away from the courtroom drama, and decided to build a quiet life in the shadows.

I had used some of my hidden savings to open this mini bakery and pastry shop. It was peaceful, it was simple, and it gave me a safe place to heal away from the rest of the world.

Amelia climbed up onto one of the tall bar stools by the counter. I grabbed a warm chocolate chip muffin from the display case and handed it to her. She immediately took a huge bite, stuffing her mouth until her cheeks puffed out.

As she ate, I stood back and just stared at her, a mixture of deep love and bittersweet pain swirling in my chest. Amelia was growing up so fast, and every single day, she reminded me of Julian.

It seemed like the older she got, the more striking her resemblance to her father became.

She didn’t look like me at all. She had Julian’s exact dark hair, both the deep color and the thick texture.

She had his strong, thick eyebrows, his long lashes, and most of all, those piercing green eyes. Every time she looked up at me, it was like looking at a miniature version of the man I had loved and lost.

But even though she was a constant reminder of a painful past, and even though she had come into my world during the absolute roughest time of my life, I didn’t regret having her one bit.

She was my anchor. She was the reason I was still standing “Is the muffin good?” I asked, wiping a smudge of

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18:15 Mon, Jun 1

Chapter 130

chocolate from her chin with a napkin.

She nodded rapidly, her mouth still full. “It’s the best ever, Mommy.”

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While I was lost in my thoughts, watching her chew, Amelia suddenly froze. She looked past me toward the big glass windows, and her green eyes lit up with pure joy.

“Uncle Brandon!” she shouted with excitement.

I turned around just as a sleek, black car pulled over right in front of the bakery. The door opened, and Brandon stepped out.

As usual, he was wearing a perfectly tailored dark suit. He looked older now, his features sharper and a bit more rugged than they were five years ago.

The passage of time was telling on him, adding a few faint lines around his eyes, but he still carried that same heavy, unshakeable aura of authority.

Amelia stumbled off the stool, her half–eaten muffin completely forgotten on the counter, and ran out the front door. Brandon caught her easily, lifting her high into the air as a rare, genuine smile broke across his serious face.

He spun her around once before setting her back on her feet, listening intently as she immediately started rambling about her school day.

After a few minutes of chatting with her, Brandon gently patted her head and told her to go play in the back room. Amelia nodded happily, grabbing her backpack and skipping off into the small office behind the

kitchen.

Brandon walked over to the counter and sat down on the stool Amelia had just vacated. He looked around the quiet, flour–dusted bakery, and then his dark eyes landed on me.

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“You have flour on your nose, Aria,” he said, his deep voice incredibly steady.

I quickly wiped my face with the back of my sleeve, feeling a slight flush on my cheeks. “Thanks. What are you doing here, Brandon? I didn’t expect you today.”

He leaned his forearms against the counter, sighing softly. “I came to check on you. And I came to ask you why you are still stressing yourself out like this. Look at your hands. You’re working from morning until night baking bread and pastries.”

“I like doing this,” I replied, turning around to grab a damp towel to clean the counter.

“Aria, let’s be realistic,” Brandon said, his voice dropping into a serious tone. “Mr. Ford is doing exactly what you tell him to do. The company is thriving under your secret orders. You could stay a whole decade without working a single day in your life, and you still wouldn’t go broke. Running this little pastry shop is completely pointless. You don’t need the money.”

I stopped wiping the counter and sighed, looking down at the soapy water on the wood. “I don’t want to be idle, Brandon. I spent months doing nothing, and it almost drove me crazy. And besides, I want to be a good, knowledgeable boss when I finally return to take over my father’s empire. I am learning how to manage a business from scratch, even if it’s just a tiny bakery.”

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