Football System: Touchline God
Chapter 42: An Embarrassment

Chapter 42: An Embarrassment

The first rays of dawn cut through the morning mist like golden knives. Saturday had arrived, but Eric Maddox was already behind the wheel of his Vireon EchoBlade, the blue paint catching the early light like scattered diamonds.

His hair was still damp from the hotel shower. The hot water had felt good against his skin, washing away the sweat and evidence of the night before.

Elira had wanted him to stay. She had even made breakfast and everything—scrambled eggs with that fancy cheese she liked, and coffee. But he’d kissed her forehead, promised to call later, and walked out before the guilt could settle in his chest.

The drive from Cromley City to Ravensmead took forty minutes. Forty minutes of empty roads and radio static and the steady hum of the EchoBlade’s engine. Forty minutes to think about what he was going to say to Alina.

Star Villa appeared through the trees like something from a magazine. Clean stone walls that looked warm in the morning light. Geometric windows that threw patterns across the manicured lawn. Golden lighting that made everything look expensive, untouchable.

This was Alina’s world. Had always been her world. Even after five years of marriage, Eric still felt like a visitor here.

He parked in the circular drive and sat for a moment, hands gripping the steering wheel. The house was quiet, peaceful.

The front door opened before he could open it.

"Sir Eric!" Aunt May’s weathered face broke into a smile. She was already dressed for the day, gray hair pulled back in a neat bun, apron tied around her waist. "You’re up early for a Saturday."

"Couldn’t sleep." It wasn’t entirely a lie. "Is Alina awake yet?"

"In the breakfast room. She’s been waiting for you."

The words were expected. Of course she had been waiting.

Eric made his way through the house, his footsteps muffled by thick carpets. Everything here whispered of money, of a life he’d never quite learned to live.

Alina sat at the dining table, sunlight streaming through the tall windows behind her. She looked beautiful as always—red hair falling in waves around her shoulders, and loose silk robe. But there was something in her posture that made him pause.

She was sitting very straight. Very still. Like she was preparing for battle.

"Morning," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

She turned away at the last second. His lips brushed air instead of skin.

Eric straightened, his stomach dropping. ’Does she know.’ he thought, a bit nervous now.

"Where have you been?" Her voice was quiet, controlled. The tone she used when she was trying very hard not to scream.

Eric sat down across from her, calming himself. "I told you. I was with Jenna. Took her out to watch a game."

"Right." Alina’s dark eyes studied his face. "But you didn’t come home."

"I got a room near her university. I was tired." The lie came easier than it should have. "I wasn’t expecting an interrogation over breakfast."

Aunt May appeared with a plate of food—fried rice, eggs, fresh fruit, and coffee that smelled like heaven. Eric’s stomach rumbled. He’d barely touched Elira’s cooking the night before, too caught up in other activities.

Alina’s nostrils twitched slightly. Her gaze dropped to his shirt, his collar precisely.

"You should have showered again or maybe changed your clothes before coming home," she said quietly.

The words hung in the air like smoke. Eric felt heat creep up his neck. He took a large bite of eggs to avoid having to respond.

Aunt May cleared her throat and quietly left the room. Smart woman.

The silence stretched between them, broken only by the clink of Eric’s fork against his plate and the distant sound of birds in the garden.

Finally, Alina spoke again.

"Rosana mentioned something yesterday." Her tone had shifted, become harder somehow. "You were dismissed. From Silvergate Youth team."

Eric’s jaw clenched around his food. He forced himself to swallow before responding. "So that’s the game now? You all pass news about me like scouting gossip?"

"You didn’t tell me."

"Didn’t think I had to announce when nobles drop another boot on my neck." The bitterness in his voice surprised even him.

Alina leaned forward, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "It wasn’t just a dismissal, Eric. It was humiliating. Aunt Rosana was gloating. Do you know what it feels like to be in a room full of directors while my husband’s name is spoken like some... failed academy intern?"

The words hit harder than any physical blow. Eric set down his fork, his appetite suddenly gone.

"Maybe you should stop walking into rooms where people treat me like shit."

"Or maybe you should stop giving them reasons." Alina’s voice was steel now, sharp and cutting. "Eric, be smart. Swallow your pride. You’ve most likely been blacklisted from even Youth League E. You’re not a threat—you’re an embarrassment to my family right now."

Eric froze mid-reach for his coffee cup. The words echoed in his head like gunshots.

Embarrassment.

That’s what he was to her. To all of them.

"There’s still a way back in," Alina continued, seemingly unaware of the damage her words had done. "If you spoke to my father. Or to Rosana. An apology, or at least a gesture. Something to show you understand the politics you married into."

"Politics." Eric’s voice was flat, emotionless. "Is that what this is?"

"This is reality." Alina’s composure cracked slightly, showing the fear underneath. "Do you think I enjoy watching my family tear you apart? Do you think I like being caught in the middle?"

"You don’t seem to be fighting very hard to stay on my side."

The accusation hung between them like a blade. Alina’s face went pale, then flushed red.

"How dare you." Her voice shook with rage. "I gave up everything for you. My inheritance, my position, my family’s approval. I chose you over all of it."

"And now you’re asking me to crawl back to them on my hands and knees."

"I’m asking you to be practical." Tears gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them back. "I’m asking you to fight for us instead of just fighting for yourself."

Eric stared at his wife across the table. This woman he’d loved enough to marry against all odds. This woman who’d walked away from everything to be with him.

This woman who now looked at him like he was the source of all her problems.

"What if I don’t want to apologize?" he asked quietly.

"Then we’ll lose everything." Her voice broke on the last word. "They’ll make sure you never work again. They’ll destroy you, Eric. Piece by piece, until there’s nothing left."

The truth of it hit him like ice water. The Marrowgates had power he could never match. Money he could never compete with. Influence that reached into every corner of England.

They could destroy him without breaking a sweat.

"So what are you saying?" His voice was barely audible. "That I should go to your father and beg?"

"I’m saying you should think about what’s more important—your pride or our future."

Eric looked around the breakfast room. At the expensive furniture and crystal glasses. At the life Alina had built with her family’s money. At everything he stood to lose.

Then he looked at his wife. Really looked at her. Saw the fear in her eyes, the desperation in the set of her shoulders.

She was scared. Not just of losing their lifestyle, but of losing him.

The realization should have softened him. Should have made him want to protect her, to find a way to make this right.

Instead, it just made him angry.

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