The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133

ARIA’S POV

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The next morning, I woke up to a sound that usually made me smile. Amelia sang a little song while she looked for her shoes. That was her usual routine.

Some mornings, I joined her to sing. But today, my head was throbbing. I didn’t really sleep well last night and it was all because of what had happened.

To top it all, my phone was buzzing nonstop on the nightstand, and when I finally picked it up, I felt a knot of dread in my stomach.

The internet was on fire. I scrolled through the headlines, and each one felt like a slap in the face.

THE ICE QUEEN: UNKNOWN WOMAN REJECTS BILLIONAIRE BRANDON!

HEARTBREAK AT THE ROOFTOP: THE WIDOWER’S PROPOSAL ENDS IN TEARS.

WHO IS SHE? THE MYSTERY LADY WHO RAN AWAY FROM NATION’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR.

There were grainy videos of me grabbing my bag and bolting for the door, leaving Brandon sitting there alone in the middle of a cheered–on proposal. I felt sick.

Brandon was a man who valued his privacy above everything else, and I had turned his private heart into a public spectacle. Just the way I hated the attention, he hated it too.

I was sure he didn’t even bother telling the workers at the restaurant that they should delete the videos they had taken. One of them must have leaked the proposal to the news.

Humiliation and shame wove its way through my heart. This was all my fault. His life and everything that had happened had leaked and it was all because of me.

“Mommy, look!” Amelia shouted, snapping me out of my thoughts. She was dressed and ready, hopping on one foot. “Don’t forget, today is the parent–teacher meeting! My teacher said we have to bring someone special.”

I sat up, rubbing my temples. “I remember, sweetie. I’ll be there.”

“Can Uncle Brandon come too?” she asked, her eyes shining with hope. “I want to show him my drawing of the big castle. Please, Mommy? Can you ask him?”

I sighed, helping her with her backpack. “Amelia, we’ve talked about this. Uncle Brandon is a very busy man. He has a big company to run. He might not have time for a school meeting.”

Amelia pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I know we’ve talked about it mummy but Uncle Brandon said he’s never too busy for me. Just ask him. You know he never says no to what I want. He told me I’m his favorite girl.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Brandon really did treat her like she was the center of his universe. He had never said no to her at all. As we walked to the car to head to her school, Amelia kept going.

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18:16 Mon, Jun 1

Chapter 133

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“And tell him to come pick me up after school today! I want to show him the new playground,” she chirped.

“Amelia, I’ll be the one picking you up,” I tried to say, but she just shook her head stubbornly.

“Please just ask him, Mommy. He always says yes to me.” I looked at my little girl and nodded. For a five year old, Brandon did say she always thought like an adult.

Still, even though he spoiled her rotten, he always made sure she didn’t forget her morals. That was what made me feel at ease. So I nodded. “Yes baby. I’ll ask your Uncle Brandon to come pick you up.”

Her smile widened as she nodded and said thank you

After I dropped her off at the kindergarten, her words stayed with me. I pulled out my phone and dialed Brandon’s number. It rang and rang, but he didn’t answer.

That was strange. He usually picked up his phone on the first ring for me. My heart sank. Was he so angry that he was finally cutting me off? I couldn’t sit still at the bakery, so I decided to go to his office. I needed to see him.

The moment I stepped into the lobby of his massive corporate building, I felt hundreds of eyes on me. People were whispering and pointing. I heard the words “rooftop” and “news” more than once.

The security guards and the receptionists gave me strange, sharp glances as I headed for the private elevator. I felt like an animal in a zoo.

When I reached the top floor, his secretary stood up immediately. She didn’t even let me get near the door. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did,” she hissed, her face red with anger.

“You made him a laughingstock on every news channel. You embarrassed a man who has done everything for you. I am not letting you in to hurt his reputation any further. Leave, now.”

I was about to respond, but the heavy office door behind her flew open. Brandon was standing there, his jaw tight and his eyes dark.

“That is enough!” his voice boomed through the hallway. The secretary jumped, looking terrified. Brandon walked closer, his gaze fixed on her.

“If I ever hear you speak to her that way again, you will be escorted out of this building and you will never work in this city again. Do you understand? Aria is always welcome here, regardless of what the news says.”

The secretary stammered out an apology, looking down at her feet. Brandon didn’t even glance at her again. He turned to me and ushered me into his office, closing the door firmly behind us.

The room was silent. I stood there, feeling small. “Brandon, I tried to call. I saw the headlines. I’m so sorry. 1 never wanted it to be like this. I didn’t know people were filming us.”

“Stop,” he said, walking over to his desk. He looked tired, his movements heavy. “If you are here to apologize for the news, don’t bother. I don’t care about what those people think. I don’t care about the headlines.”

He sat down and finally looked at me, his eyes piercing. “All I care about is being in your life. All I care about is being a father to Amelia. If you didn’t come here to give me a real response to what I asked last night, then we

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18:16 Mon, Jun 1

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