The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165

ARIA’S POV

Blake let out a long, heavy sigh and looked down at his lap. Seeing the look of guilt painted all over his face, I knew my suspicion was right. He definitely had plans of trying to defend Julian tonight.

He took a slow sip of water, his hands shaking slightly, before he finally looked back up at me.

“I didn’t come here just to speak for Julian, Aria,” Blake said softly, his voice full of regret.

“I actually came because I need to confess something to you. I wronged you at some point, and it has been eating me alive.”

I stared at him, completely confused. My brow furrowed as I leaned back in my chair, my pasta completely forgotten. “You wronged me? How, Blake? You’ve always been a good friend to me.”

“I hoped you would find it in your heart to forgive me after I tell you this,” he whispered, running a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and proceeded to speak, his voice dropping low.

“It starts with my family. You know my father was a hard man, but you don’t know how deep it went. He absolutely detested me and my brother Brandon while we were growing up.”

I kept quiet, letting him talk. I knew Brandon had a rough childhood, but Brandon rarely spoke about the gritty details of his father’s cruelty.

“He hated us for completely different reasons,” Blake explained, a bitter smile touching his lips.

“He hated me because he thought I lacked any real potential. To him, I was completely useless, just a lazy kid who would never amount to anything. But he hated Brandon for the exact opposite reason. He hated Brandon because Brandon had all the brilliant potential and talent that his own biological son should have had. Brandon was smart, sharp, and strong, and it drove our father crazy with jealousy.”

Blake swallowed hard, his eyes locking onto mine. “Because of that, I spent my entire life feeling small. Over the years, I tried so hard to impress him. I just wanted to get into his good books, even just once. I wanted him to look at me and be proud.”

“What does this have to do with me, Blake?” I asked, my heart beginning to beat a little faster against my

ribs.

“I went too far, Aria,” Blake confessed, his voice breaking. “I even went as far as doing terrible things I wouldn’t normally do, just to impress my father and win his approval. And one of those things was trying to steal your father’s company.”

I completely froze in my seat. The air in the dining room suddenly felt freezing cold. “What did you just say?”

“At first, I didn’t know it was your father’s company,” Blake rushed out, his hands held up as if to protect himself.

“The business files were hidden under different names. But later on, when I finally found out the truth, I didn’t back down. I kept going with the plan anyway. That was where I got it completely wrong, Aria. I was so desperate for my father’s love that I didn’t care who I hurt.”

Chapter 165

Anger began to bubble up in my chest, hot and sharp, but before I could shout at him. Blake spoke up again quickly.

“But you need to know one thing.” Blake said earnestly, leaning across the table. Julian had absolutely no hand in it at all. He is completely innocent when it comes to your father’s company

I frowned, my mind spinning. Julian didn’t know?”

“No.” Blake shook his head firmly. “My father tried to get Julian to do it first. He pressured him for months to help him take over the company. But Julian refused. He didn’t do it because he was not interested in anything about the company at the time, and most importantly, he didn’t want to do anything that would hurt you. He protected your family’s legacy from his own father, even when they were fighting

The heavy information made me absolutely furious. My fingers gripped the edge of the table so hard my knuckles turned white. I wanted to scream at Blake for being so selfish, for almost destroying the only thing my father left behind just to please a cruel old man.

But as I looked at Blake’s tearful eyes and his slumped shoulders, the hot rage slowly began to drain out of me. He was standing right in front of me, taking full ownership of his mess, and he wasn’t making excuses.

Besides, the past was the past. All that really mattered to me now was that I had my company back in my hands, and Fred was gone.

“I am angry, Blake,” I said, my voice steady and cold. “But I forgive you. You were desperate, and your father was a monster. Just promise me you will never do anything like that to my family again.”

Blake let out a massive breath, a tear slipping down his cheek. “I promise, Aria. Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He wiped his face and took another sip of water. The room went quiet for a moment, but I could tell he wasn’t done yet. The heavy mood returned, darker this time.

“There is one more thing,” Blake said, his voice dropping to whisper. “And this is the real reason I came to your office today. It’s about Julian. Aria, he might actually commit suicide soon.”

My heart did a violent flip in my chest. “What?”

“I’m serious,” Blake said, his eyes wild with worry.

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