The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Chapter 143

JULIAN’S POV

The moment those words came out of my mouth, I saw the exact second Brandon’s temper exploded. My statement hit him right in his pride. It made him completely furious.

Brandon stood up from his big leather chair very slowly. He placed his heavy hands flat on top of his desk and glared at me with pure hatred.

“Nothing on this earth will ever make me leave Aria,” he said. His voice was low, deep, and full of danger.

“I have been right by her side through every single hard time for five whole years. I am the one who has been a real father to Amelia while you were nowhere to be found.”

Hearing him say Amelia’s name made me grit my teeth. My jaw hurt from how hard I was clenching it. The thought of another man taking care of my little girl and playing the dad made my blood boil.

But before I could even open my mouth to talk back, Brandon let out a loud, mocking laugh.

“Since you think you are so efficient now, Julian, let me ask you a question,” Brandon said.

He stepped out from behind his massive desk. He walked right up to me until we were standing face–to–face. “Where were you when Amelia said her very first word? Where were you for her birthdays? Why did it take you five long years to finally believe Aria and come looking for her?”

He stopped just a few inches away from me. He refused to back down or look away. “You are a crazy fool if you think you can just walk in here and take what isn’t yours. Amelia looks at me as the closest thing to a father she has ever known. And I will make sure she sees me as her real father in the end. Unlike you, I was actually right there with that little girl.”

Something inside my head snapped. I lost all my calm control. I stepped right into his face so our chests were almost touching. “Amelia is my child,” I snarled. I shoved my index finger straight against his chest.

“She is mine and Aria’s. Don’t you ever forget that. And besides, I know Aria better than you ever will. She is a quick lover, Brandon. When she loves someone, she doesn’t hide it or wait around. If she actually felt anything for you, you wouldn’t still be standing on the sidelines after five years, completely uncertain of your position in her life.”

Brandon’s face turned tight and pale. I saw a quick flash of insecurity in his eyes before he quickly covered it up with an angry scowl. “That is a lie. She just needs more time.”

I laughed out loud. I made sure the sound was loud and mocking so it echoed around his massive office.

“Time? You are just an old–ass simp who knows absolutely nothing about how to please or bag a woman like Aria. If she wanted to be with you, she would have done it by now.”

“Aria hates your guts, Julian,” Brandon barked back. His eyes flashed with raw anger.

“There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn her forgiveness now. You broke her. It is only a matter of time before she pieces her life back together and stays with me for good.”

I stared at him for a quiet moment. I saw the determination in his face. He wasn’t going to back down, and I certainly wasn’t going to back down either.

A dark, exciting urge to compete rushed through my veins. “Is that so?” I smiled. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked him up and down.

“Then let’s make a deal, Brandon. A little wager between the two of us. Let’s see who wins. The first one to fully win Aria over gets to keep her. The loser has to walk away and never interfere again.”

Brandon stared at me. His chest was heaving up and down as he thought about my words. He truly believed he had the advantage because he had been there for the last five years.

“Fine,” he snapped. He narrowed his eyes into small slits. “I agree to your deal. Because I know for a fact she will never choose a monster like you.”

“We will see about that,” I whispered.

Without saying another word, I turned on my heel and walked straight out of his office. I moved quickly and quietly, leaving him alone with his rage as if I had never even been there.

As I walked down the long hallway toward the elevators, the phone in my hand started vibrating wildly again. I looked down, expecting to see Leonie’s name, but instead, it was a group call from my parents.

I groaned out loud and swiped the screen. I pressed the phone hard against my ear. “What do you want?” I demanded rudely.

“Julian! How dare you speak to us in that tone?” my mother’s sharp voice screamed through the speaker.

“Leonie just called us crying her eyes out! She said you are completely ignoring her phone calls and treating her like garbage. What is wrong with you?”

“Your mother is right, Julian,” my father’s deep, commanding voice boomed over the line, “You have responsibilities to this family and to your future wife. Stop this foolishness right now and go fix things with Leonie.”

I reached the elevators and slammed my finger against the wall button. A bitter, reckless smile spread across my face. I was so tired of their control, so tired of Leonie, and so tired of the lies that had ruined my life.

“I don’t give a damn about Leonie’s calls!” I shouted into the phone. I didn’t care at all that the people in the hallway could hear me.

“And I don’t care about your stupid arrangements anymore! I am busy doing something a million times more important than dealing with her tantrums.”

“What could possibly be more important than your fiancée and our company’s image?” my father growled back.

“I am busy getting your grandchild back!” I shouted fiercely into the receiver. “So leave me the hell alone!”

There was an immediate, dead silence on the other end of the line. I could hear their breathing completely stop as my words hung in the air.