The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Chapter 84

ARIA’S POV

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If I had known what I was walking into, I would have kept my mouth shut.

That realization settled in slowly, painfully, as the day unfolded.

At first, I thought Brandon had simply decided to take me seriously. That he had finally agreed to let me work properly, just like I had asked. When we arrived at the building and stepped into the meeting room, I straightened my shoulders, mentally preparing myself.

This was what I wanted. Independence. Responsibility. Control over my own life again.

But I didn’t realize then that Brandon had a different definition of giving me work.

The meeting started normally. Or at least, it seemed normal. People spoke, presented reports, discussed figures and projections. I sat beside him, listening carefully, taking notes like I was supposed to.

Then it began. “Review this,” Brandon said quietly, sliding a thick file toward me.

I nodded and opened it immediately. The contents were dense, filled with numbers, clauses and technical details that required intense focus. Still, I pushed through it, determined not to disappoint.

Minutes later, he handed me another file. “Cross-check the data.”

I blinked. “Now?”

“Yes.”

So I did. Again. And again. And again. It didn’t stop.

Every time I finished one task, another replaced it. Documents. Corrections. Comparisons. Verifications. It felt endless. My head began to ache, my concentration stretching thinner with every passing minute.

And then, just when I thought I had done something right, “This is incorrect.”

I froze slightly. “What?”

Brandon didn’t even look at me as he flipped through the pages. “Redo it.”

My chest tightened. “But I checked-”

“Redo it,” he repeated, firmer this time.

Heat crept up my neck, but I swallowed it down and started over. Again.

By the time the meeting should have ended, it didn’t. Instead, Brandon prolonged it. Extended discussions. Additional reviews. More unnecessary back-and-forth.

12:20 Thu, May 14 N

Chapter 84

55 vouchers.

It felt deliberate. No, it was deliberate. And slowly, the realization started to dawn on me. He wasn’t just giving me work. He was testing me. Pushing me. Stressing me.

On purpose. By the end of the day, I was completely drained.

My head throbbed, my body ached and my patience was hanging by a thread. I could barely keep my eyes open as we got into the car.

The ride home was silent, but not the comfortable silence I had grown used to. This one was heavy.

Because I knew. And I was trying very hard not to admit it.

When we got back to the penthouse, I barely made it past the living room before dropping my bag onto the couch. “I’m exhausted,” I muttered under my breath.

“Already?” Brandon’s voice came from behind me.

I turned slightly, narrowing my eyes at him. He looked perfectly fine. Of course he did. Not a single strand of his composure out of place. “Don’t start,” I said tiredly.

One corner of his lips lifted slightly. “You asked for this.”

I stared at him. “I gave you exactly what you wanted,” he continued calmly. “Work. Responsibility. Pressure.”

“That wasn’t normal work,” I shot back. “That was torture.”

He shrugged lightly. “Is it?”

My jaw tightened. He stepped closer, his gaze settling on me with quiet intensity. “So,” he asked, “do you still want tasks?”

The question hung between us. I knew what he was doing.

He wanted me to back down. To admit I couldn’t handle it. To retreat into the comfort he had offered from the beginning.

But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. “Yes,” I said firmly.

Something flickered in his eyes.

“Good,” he replied. That should have been my warning. Because the next day was worse. Much worse.

There was no easing into it this time. From the moment we left the penthouse, Brandon didn’t give me a second to breathe.

Meetings. Calls. Documents. Schedules. I followed him everywhere. Office. Conference rooms. Site inspections. Back-to-back appointments that barely gave me time to sit, let alone think.

Every time I slowed down, he noticed. Every time I hesitated, he added something else. It was overwhelming. Deliberately overwhelming.

12:20 Thu, May 14 N

Chapter 84

71

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By afternoon, my legs ached, my head spun and my patience was hanging by a thread again. But I didn’t complain.

Not once. Because I refused to give him the satisfaction.

By the time we arrived at a high-end restaurant for what he casually referred to as “another meeting,” I felt like I might actually collapse.

But I straightened anyway. I followed him inside. And that was when everything took a different turn. “Brandon?”

The voice was smooth. Feminine. Familiar in a way that immediately made me uneasy. I turned slightly. And saw her.

She was stunning. Effortlessly beautiful with the kind of confidence that didn’t need to be announced. Her eyes lit up the moment they landed on him as she walked over without hesitation.

“Wow,” she said, smiling. “It’s been a while.”

Brandon’s expression didn’t change much, but there was recognition there. “It has.”

My stomach tightened. She stepped closer. Too close. Her hand brushed lightly against his arm like it belonged there. And something about that made my chest feel strange.

“I missed you,” she added softly. I looked away. I shouldn’t care. I didn’t care. But then her gaze shifted. To me. And the smile on her face changed.

“Oh,” she said slowly. “And who is this?” There was something in her tone. Something sharp beneath the sweetness. Brandon didn’t answer immediately.

“This is Aria,” he said simply. Her eyes lingered on me longer this time. Studying. Assessing.

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