The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179

ARIA’S POV

After a long, exhausting day of dealing with stressful corporate board meetings and reviewing budget files, I finally wrapped up my work.

The moment I sank into the plush leather chair of my private office, my phone lit up with an incoming video call. Seeing Brandon’s handsome face on the screen instantly made all the tension drain from my shoulders.

“Hey,” I murmured, a soft smile automatically tugging at my lips as I looked at him.

“Hey yourself,” Brandon rumbled, his deep baritone voice coming through the speaker. He was sitting in the back of a sleek black car, likely on his way to the airport for his evening flight. “You look tired. Did the board give you a hard time today?” “A little bit, but I managed,” I said, leaning my chin on my hand. Just looking at his dark eye’s through the screen made me feel so much safer.

We were right in the middle of a sweet, quiet conversation when my phone suddenly vibrated with a loud notification banner at the top of the screen.

I glanced up at it carelessly, expecting a regular bank alert or email, but my eyes widened completely in shock when I read the numbers.

A massive, unbelievable sum of money had just been transferred directly into my personal bank account. My jaw dropped. Before I could even process the wealth, another notification popped up right behind it.

It was a text message from an unregistered but very familiar number.

Just something for you and Amelia. I love you, Aria.

My heart plummeted into my stomach, and a wave of pure irritation washed over me. This had Julianw written all over it. Why on earth was he sending me this huge amount of money out of nowhere?

“Aria? What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost,” Brandon’s sharp voice suddenly broke through my thoughts. He was staring at me through the video call screen, his dark eyebrows knitting together in immediate suspicion.

I panicked slightly. I knew Brandon’s fiery temper, and I knew exactly what he had said this morning about killing Julian if he tried anything. I really did not want to get him furious right before he boarded a long flight to handle a major company

crisis.

He had enough on his plate. “Oh, it’s nothing important, Brandon,” I lied quickly, forcing a casual smile as I cleared my throat. “Just a stupid, random spam message from an advertising company. Listen, I actually have to quickly look over one last document before the office closes. Let me call you right back in a few minutes, okay?”

Brandon looked at me for a long, quiet moment, his intense gaze searching my face through the camera as if he knew I was hiding something. Finally, he let out a slow breath. “Alright. Call me the exact moment you are done. Don’t keep me waiting.” “I will,” I whispered, and then I ended the video call.

The moment the screen went black, my polite expression vanished, replaced by pure anger. I didn’t hesitate for a single

r second. I tapped on Julian’s number and dialed it immediately.

He picked up on the very first ring, his voice sounding entirely too smug and relaxed. “Aria. I knew you would call.” “Why did you send me this money, Julian?” I demanded, my voice incredibly tight, cold, and sharp. “What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?”

“I just wanted you to have it, Aria,” Julian replied smoothly, completely unfazed by my harsh tone. “There is no hidden motive. Even if you think you don’t need it for yourself, you can use it to buy whatever you want for our daughter. Buy Amelia some new toys, some nice clothes, or whatever she asks for.”

“I am not broke, Julian.” I snapped, gripping my phone tightly against my ear. “I have a very good job, and I run a major corporate company. I can take care of my daughter perfectly fine by myself. I do not need your money, I do not want it, and quite frankly, absolutely nothing you do will ever get us back together again. You need to understand that.”

I took a deep breath, my voice dropping into a firm, clear line. “I am in a committed relationship now. I have moved on with my life, and you need to do the same.”

Julian let out a dry, mocking chuckle through the ” Brandon? Are you really that blind, Aria?”

skin crawl. “A committed relationship? With

Successfully unlocked!

Before I could even answer him, the line went quiet as he stayed on the call. A second later, my phone pinged with two incoming media files. I pulled the phone away from my ear and opened the images

Chapter 150

My breath caught for a split second. They were photographs of Brandon at Julian’s cousin’s wedding from a few days ago.

n the pictures, Brandon was standing very close to an exceptionally pretty, elegant young lady, the exact same lady, Sarah, whom I had run into at the high–end supermarket earlier today. They were smiling and chatting, looking incredibly comfortable in each other’s space.

“You are dating a total cheat, Aria,” Julian’s voice came back, dripping with fake sympathy and venom. “Look at those pictures. If that man truly respected you, and if he actually valued your relationship like you think he does, he wouldn’t be standing that close to another beautiful woman at a family wedding. He is playing you for a fool.”

I looked at the photos for another second, and then a sudden, amused smile broke across my face. I literally laughed out loud, completely bursting his little bubble of hope.

“Nice try, Julian,” I said, my voice full of pure satisfaction and confidence. “But you completely failed. I already know that lady. Her name is Sarah, she is an old high school friend of his, and Brandon told me absolutely everything about their little reunion at the wedding before I even saw these photos. We don’t hide things from each other.”

Julian went completely silent on the other end of the line. I could literally hear his heavy, angry breathing through the speaker as his trap backfired on him completely.

“Stop sending me money, stop sending me stupid pictures, and stop interfering in my life,” I warned him coldly. “We are done talking.”

Without waiting for him to reply, I hung up the phone sharply, cutting him off completely.

I sat there for a minute, letting my racing heart calm down.

But before I could even open my work laptop again, my phone began to ring loudly. It was Brandon calling me back. I knew

I couldn’t keep lying to him. He was too smart, and the guilt of hiding it was already eating at me.

I answered the call, and before he could even say hello, I confessed. “Brandon, I’m sorry. I lied to you a minute ago. It wasn’t

a spam text. Julian sent a massive sum of money to my personal account out of nowhere.”

The line went dead silent for a few terrifying seconds. I could feel the cold, dangerous fury radiating through the phone lines from miles away.

“He did what?” Brandon’s voice was dangerously low, a dark rumble that sounded like a predator ready to strike. “That bastard really wants to die, doesn’t he?”

“Brandon, please don’t get crazy,” I pleaded quickly, rubbing my temples. “I already handled it. I called him back, screamed at him, told him I didn’t need his money, and hung up on him/He was just trying to show off and make me feel small.”

Brandon let out a cold, dark laugh that sent a shiver down my spine. “Oh, he wants to show off his wealth to my woman? He wants to see who can send more money? Fine. I’ll beat Julian to it. Let’s see how much that pathetic little skater can actually handle.”

“Brandon, wait, no-”

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