The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

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ARIA’S POV

When I stepped outside the building behind Julian, I didn’t know what I expected to see. Maybe an argument. Maybe a confrontation. But definitely not this.

The four people who had humiliated me the day before were on their knees in the middle of Julian’s compound. Crying. Begging.

The moment my eyes fell on them, I froze.

For a second, my brain refused to process the scene in front of me.

The three boys who had cornered me in the rain looked completely different now. Their clothes were soaked, their faces swollen and bloodied, and their expressions were filled with pure terror.

The one who had kicked me, Evan, was barely able to stay upright. My stomach twisted. I hadn’t expected things to escalate this far. When Julian pulled out his phone and called his company manager, I watched him with growing disbelief.

“Is Robert Cole still employed with us?” he asked calmly. The answer must have been yes because his next words made my entire body stiffen. “Fire him.”

For a moment, everything inside my head went completely still. Fire him? Just like that? The manager on the other end must have hesitated because Julian repeated the order without a trace of emotion.

“Terminate his contract immediately.” The call ended. And suddenly Evan started crying. Not the angry yelling from yesterday. Not the smug confidence he had shown with his friends around him.

This was different. This was desperate. “Please!” he sobbed, crawling forward despite the blood running from his nose. “Please don’t fire my dad! He didn’t do anything!”

My heart squeezed painfully. He wasn’t begging for himself. He was begging for his father. But Julian didn’t move. He stood there, tall and unshaken, like a wall made of stone.

“He’ll kill me!” Evan continued frantically. “If he finds out he lost his job because of me-”

“I don’t care.” The words came out cold and final. A chill ran down my spine. “All I care about,” Julian continued, his voice dangerously quiet, “is that you laid your hands on Aria.”

Something about hearing my name in that tone made my chest tighten. It wasn’t just anger. It was something darker. Something protective.

But when I looked back at the boys again, my sympathy won. They looked… broken. I couldn’t stand there and watch anymore. I stepped forward and gently touched Julian’s arm. “Julian… please.”

My voice came out softer than I intended. He looked down at me. His eyes were still burning with anger. “Take it easy on them,” I whispered. “They’re already hurt.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he studied the boys on the ground. Then slowly, he lifted a hand. His men immediately stepped back. The three boys collapsed onto the pavement, groaning in pain.

Only then did I breathe a small sigh of relief. But the situation wasn’t over yet. One of Julian’s men handed him a phone and said something about the numbers of the helmsmen of their families.

I didn’t even know what that meant. But I quickly found out. Julian dialed the first number. “This is Julian Vance.”

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Chapter 23

The reaction from the other side was immediate.

Even though I couldn’t hear the full conversation, I could clearly hear the panic in the man’s voice through the phone.

Apologies. Pleading. Promises. The same thing happened with the second call. And the third. Every single powerful man Julian spoke to sounded terrified of offending him.

I felt

my

stomach tighten. Just how powerful was Julian Vance? I had known his family was wealthy. Influential. But this…. This was something else entirely. My thoughts were interrupted by a high–pitched shriek.

The girl from the cafe. She stood a few feet away, shaking like a leaf. The moment Julian looked at her, she burst into tears. “I’m sorry!” she cried. “I swear it was an accident!”

Julian didn’t look moved. Instead, he glanced at me. “Your choice.”

My heart skipped. “M–My choice?”

“Yes.” The girl’s sobbing grew louder. I looked at her trembling form and then back at Julian.

“I forgive her,” I said quietly.

Julian raised an eyebrow. “You forgive her?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not how this works.”

I frowned. “Julian…”

“These people need to be made examples,” he said firmly. “If people are going to respect you, they need to fear what happens when they cross you.”

My stomach twisted. “I can’t do that,” I whispered. The girl dropped to her knees, crying uncontrollably.

“Please don’t punish me! I’ll never do it again!” My chest tightened painfully.

“See?” I said softly. “She’s already scared.” Julian watched us both for a moment. Then he sighed.

“Fine.” Relief rushed through me- Until he added calmly, “Then she’ll crawl.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Crawl,” he repeated. The girl’s face turned white.

“Across the pavement,” Julian continued. “Begging Aria for forgiveness with every step.”

My stomach dropped. “Julian, that’s humiliating!”

“Exactly.” The girl didn’t protest. After what she had just seen happen to the boys, she immediately dropped to her hands and knees.

“I’m sorry!” she cried, crawling forward across the rough pavement. “Please forgive me, Aria! I’m so sorry!” My chest tightened painfully.

The ground was rough, covered with small stones.

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Chapter 23

Her knees scraped against it as she crawled. I could already see the skin turning red. I looked away for a second, unable to

watch.

When she reached me, she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I swear I’ll never do it again! Please don’t tell my parents! Please!” My throat tightened.

I couldn’t imagine the fear she must be feeling. I quickly turned to Julian. “Please… make her stop.”

He watched the girl silently for another moment.

Then finally nodded to his men.

They pulled her to her feet and dragged the boys away shortly after. The compound slowly fell quiet again. My heart was still pounding when Julian turned and started walking back inside.

I followed him silently. Back upstairs. Back into his room. The moment the door closed behind us, I let out a slow breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. “Thank you,” I said sincerely.

Julian turned to look at me. “For what?”

“For standing up for me,” I replied. “You didn’t have to do all that.” His expression softened slightly. Then he stepped closer. Before I could react, he reached out and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

The gesture was surprisingly gentle. Almost… careful. “And,” he added quietly, “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that earlier.

I blinked in surprise. That sounded dangerously close to an apology. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” he said. My heart skipped. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Julian cleared his throat and stepped back.

“I have an appointment to catch.” He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled the doors open. I blinked.

Because the closet was full. Completely packed with suits, shirts, jackets, and neatly arranged accessories. My brows slowly pulled together.

On the day I moved in, Julian had told me something very clearly. He didn’t stay here often. This wasn’t his residence. So why…I squinted slightly at the rows of clothes.

“How come your closet is so full?” I asked slowly.

“You said you only come here once in a while.”

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