The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Chapter 105

15 voulay

ZANE

“What the fuck is wrong with you? I said send the revised contracts by end of day, not whenever you feel like it.7

I sat at the long dining table, jaw clenched, as my father’s voice boomed through the room. He stalked toward the head of the table with his phone pressed to his ear, wearing that familiar cold CEO mask. Landon Ashton didn’t do “off” time. Even at family dinner, business always came first.

Mom glanced up from helping Mason with his napkin, her expression gentle but firm.

“Honey,” she said softly, gesturing toward Lucas and Mason, who were watching their father with wide eyes. “Language. The boys are right here.”

Landon didn’t even pause. He dropped into the chair at the head of the table, still talking.

“Fix it. Now.”

He ended the call and slammed the phone onto the table with a sharp clack.

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

I leaned back in my seat, arms crossed, watching him. My gaze flicked to Astra, seated quietly between me and the twins. She looked small and tense, eyes fixed on her plate, shoulders slightly hunched.

She hated these dinners.

So did I.

But for completely different reasons.

Landon finally scanned the table, his cold eyes landing on me for a brief, dismissive second before moving on.

“Long day,” he said flatly, as if that excused everything.

Elira smiled tightly, playing peacemaker like always.

“Let’s eat,” she said. “The boys have been waiting.”

The staff began serving-grilled salmon, roasted vegetables, and some fancy salad I couldn’t care less about. Lucas and Mason dug in happily, chattering about their day.

I kept my eyes on Astra.

She was only picking at her food, clearly distracted.

Whatever was on her mind, it wasn’t me.

That bothered me more than it should have.

Landon took a slow sip of wine, then looked at me.

“How’s the rehabilitation program going?”

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

“You mean community service?”

Chapter 105

There it was.

The usual verdict.

Potential. Discipline. Disappointment.

Different words, same meaning.

55 mm

I looked away first. If I kept staring at him, I was going to say something that would turn dinner into an all-out war.

Beside me, Astra had gone rigid. When I glanced over, she was already watching me, brow furrowed with quiet concern

I immediately looked away.

That was worse.

Much worse.

Dinner had ended hours ago. The house was quiet now, everyone tucked away in their rooms.

I couldn’t sleep.

The indoor pool was empty, the water reflecting pale ribbons of light across the ceiling. I dove in without hesitation. The cold shock closed over my head like a mercy.

Good.

Maybe it would finally shut my brain up.

I swam hard-one lap, then another, then another. My arms burned. My lungs burned. I kept pushing.

*Potential means nothing without discipline.*

The words chased me through the water anyway.

I hit the wall, flipped, and shoved off harder.

Same sentence. Same disappointment. Different day.

Water roared past my ears. I locked into the rhythm.

Pull. Kick. Breathe.”

*Pull. Kick. Breathe..

Anything to drown out his voice. Anything to stop replaying that dinner.

I surfaced at the deep end, gasping, water streaming down my face as I gripped the edge. My chest heaved.

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