Chapter 213 · My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires

Chapter 213

LEONIE'S POVI had paced the living room floor until the soles of my feet ached, waiting for Julian to come home. The clock ticked past midnight, then two, then four, and still, his side of the bed remained entirely cold.Then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Anna.My eyes scanned the glowing screen, and with every word, the blood in my veins turned to pure ice. Julian slept at Aria’s house.According to Anna's detailed update, Julian had gone to see Aria at her office earlier that day, resulting in a massive confrontation.Then, late at night, he had shown up at Aria’s doorstep looking like a total ghost of himself, demanding to see Amelia. With the girl's tearful convincing, Aria had actually let him cross the threshold and spend the night under her roof.A low, vicious growl escaped my throat, and I threw my wine glass against the fireplace, watching it shatter into a thousand glittering pieces. "That miserable bitch," I hissed into the empty room.Aria was ruining everything. She was spoiling every single one of my carefully laid plans, and I absolutely hated her for it. I had worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to let her effortlessly pull Julian back into her orbit just by using that little girl as bait.By mid-morning, just as I was plotting my next move, my phone buzzed again. Another text from Anna. This time, as I read the words, a dark, slow smirk spread across my face.Brandon arrived early. Total chaos in the dining room. Brandon caught them kissing, beat Julian into the floor, and had his men throw him out like trash.I let out a sharp laugh. Even though I despised the fact that Julian had spent the night in that woman's house, the fact that Brandon had caught them red-handed made me ecstatic.The fallout would be glorious. But as the initial wave of satisfaction faded, a cold prickle of urgency took its place. If Brandon walked away from Aria, Julian would run straight into her open arms.I needed to speed up my plans. Right now.With shaking fingers, I dialed Julian’s mother. The line rang twice before her sharp, refined voice answered. "Leonie? Is everything alright?"I squeezed my eyes shut, instantly forcing a heavy, trembling sob into my throat. "Oh, Mother... I-I don't know what to do," I choked out, faking a thoroughly shattered, broken voice."Julian didn't sleep at home last night. I stayed up all night waiting, and I am just so terrified. I feel like... I feel like I'm completely losing him to Aria again."On the other end of the line, I heard his mother's breath catch before she let out a sharp, furious gasp. She was absolutely livid. "He did what? With that woman?!" she barked, her voice trembling with rage. "Dry your tears, Leonie. I promise you, I will talk to Julian the exact moment I can get a hold of him. This is unacceptable.”"I'm just so sure it's all because of Aria," I whimpered softly, playing the part of the helpless, grieving wife to perfection. "She keeps using Amelia to pull him back to her. She won't let him go.""Aria will never take your place in Julian's life, Leonie. Absolutely never," his mother hissed right back, her tone set in stone. "It doesn't matter what has happened, you are his wife. I will handle this."Just then, the loud, familiar rumble of Julian's sports car echoed from the driveway outside."Mother, I hear his car," I whispered quickly, shifting my tone to one of sudden panic. "He's back. I have to go, I'll call you right back."Without waiting for her reply, I ended the call. I took a deep, steadying breath, smoothed down my silk robe, and forced my face into a mask of perfect, serene calm. The heavy front doors banged open, and Julian stormed into the foyer.He looked a complete and utter mess. His clothes were rumpled, his hair was wildly disheveled, and there was a dark, purplish bruise already swelling heavily along his jawline.Split skin coated the corner of his mouth, dried blood staining his lips. I stepped forward, my eyes widening in practiced shock. "Julian... oh my god. What happened to you?"He barely even looked at me, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a manic, chaotic energy as he aggressively turned his face away. "Don't start, Leonie.""Let me help you," I pleaded, taking another step closer, reaching out a hand toward his ruined face. "Should I get the first-aid kit? Let me help you with your wound—""I said leave me the fuck alone!" he snapped viciously, slapping my hand away. He marched straight past me into the kitchen, his hands trembling as he grabbed a bottle of hard liquor from the counter.He didn't bother with a glass. He ripped the cap off and began gulping it down, the sharp scent of alcohol instantly filling the air.He pulled the bottle away, wiping his bloody mouth with the back of his sleeve, and began pacing tightly, muttering wildly to himself. "Bastard... absolute arrogant bastard...that stupid Brandon…""Did you get into a fight with Brandon?" I asked softly, keeping my voice entirely leveled, testing the waters.Julian’s head snapped toward me, his expression twisting into something ugly and full of hatred. "It is none of your fucking business, Leonie! Why are you even still standing here?"He took another heavy swig from the bottle, pointing a finger aggressively at my face. "You know what? You need to start packing your things. Start moving your shit out of my house. The sooner we get this divorce finalized, the sooner I'll be completely free to take my family back!"A white-hot surge of anger flared up in my chest, threatening to burst through my calm facade. His family? Aria and that brat were his family?I forced it down, clamping my jaw shut until my teeth ground together. I would rather die than let Julian go. He belonged to me. He was just too blind to see how much I loved him, how much I had protected him. I would prove it to him.But first, he had to completely lose Aria and Amelia. They needed to be erased from his mind forever.I took a slow, deliberate breath and stepped right into his space, refusing to let his anger push me away. I placed a gentle, calming hand on his chest, ignoring the way his body stiffened."Julian, look at me," I said, my voice dropping into a smooth, comforting purr. "Tell me what happened. Talk to me. You know I'm on your side. I might actually have a way to help you take down Brandon."My words seemed to catch his attention. The manic, wild edge in his eyes focused on me, and he let out a dark, twisted laugh that sent a chill down my spine."Brandon thinks he's so smart," Julian hissed, his grip tightening around the neck of the alcohol bottle until his knuckles turned white. "He thinks he's king of the world just because he's dating and fucking Aria now. He thinks he's won."He leaned down, his alcohol-laced breath hitting my face as a lethal smirk crossed his bloody lips. "But that bastard hasn't seen my angry side yet. He has no idea what I'm about to do.”I let out a soft, humoring laugh, my fingers sliding up from his chest to rest against his tense shoulder. "Julian, you shouldn't let Brandon deter you. Not after everything you've built." I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a sharp, persuasive whisper."You have to take Amelia. She is a Vance. She carries your blood, your name. She doesn't belong to Brandon at all, and she certainly doesn't belong in a house where another man pretends to play her father."Julian paused, the bottle hovering inches from his lips. For a second, a flicker of reality crossed his bloodshot eyes, and he shook his head bitterly."The court, Leonie... the judge explicitly told me to stay away from her. I have a restraining order hanging over my head. If I step out of line, Brandon’s lawyers will have me locked up before I can even blink.""It doesn't matter what the court said," I countered smoothly, my eyes locking onto him with absolute conviction. I squeezed his shoulder, forcing him to feel my resolve."Legal papers are just symbols, Julian. They only have power if you let them scare you. You are her biological father. No piece of paper can change the law of nature, and no judge can erase the fact that she belongs to you. If the system is rigged against you because of Brandon's money, then you stop playing by their rules.”I watched the gears turning in Julian's mind, the venom in my words slowly seeping into his pride. I knew exactly what I was doing. The more I pushed him to blindly chase after Amelia, the more desperate and aggressive he would become.And the more aggressive he became, the more Aria would despise him, running straight into Brandon’s protective arms and away from Julian forever.Once Julian completely ruined any lingering chance of reconciliation with Aria, he would have no choice but to come crawling back to me.I glanced down at the gold watch on my wrist, checking the time. It was getting late. "You shouldn't let this waste your day, Julian," I said, my voice softening into a gentle, supportive tone. "You have to go to practice. You can't let Brandon ruin your career, too."He stared at the bottle in his hand for a moment, then nodded tightly. Without a word, he set the liquor down, grabbed his keys, and walked out of the kitchen.I stood perfectly still, listening until the front door clicked shut and the roar of his sports car faded down the driveway. The second he was entirely out of sight, the supportive smile vanished from my face.I pulled out my phone and quickly pulled up my thread with Anna.“Make sure Aria and Amelia trust you completely over the next few days,” I typed out, my thumbs flying across the screen. “Be indispensable to them. We need them to drop their guard so the next phase of our plan can be completed.”I hit send and watched the message deliver.Locking my phone, I leaned back against the kitchen counter, a cold, triumphant smile spreading across my lips.Aria could keep her little family for now. Brandon could play the hero all he wanted. But very soon, Julian would lose them both permanently and he would be all mine.

Chapter 213