Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Ch 114: The conversation to avoid
Rika dragged her feet back to her room and collapsed on her bed.

The day’s happenings finally caught up with her, and just thinking about it made Rika’s body feel heavy.

However, she welcomed this tired feeling, as it prevented her from thinking about anything related to Emily and Damian.

Rika’s mind was free to wander any second, and she returned to what she had done with her friends the previous night.

She wanted to blame pheromones, which caused her to lose control. But the heat, the way she felt, and the decisions she made were all conscious.

The truth was that Rika had allowed her feelings to get the better of her emotions and ended up allowing something that could ruin her friendship.

But she had no regrets about it.

‘Well, what happened, happened. I don’t think there’s a point in dwelling on it. It would be better to bury my actions as a mistake and nothing more. If neither Emily nor Damian want to discuss what happened, I should not bring it up again.’

Rika was sure her friends were not impressed with what happened, but she also knew they would not want to break their friendship with her.

Both alphas were quick-tempered and acted in the blink of an eye.

If they wanted to act, they would have called Rika by now and ended things with her. So, the only feasible thing Rika could think of was that they did not want to discuss what had happened.

In other words, they wanted to bury their feelings and memories of what they did with Rika.

‘I should not be feeling as disappointed as I am. It is a good thing that Damian and Emily want to forget their mistakes. I would likely do the same if I were in their shoes.’

Rika bit her lips as she held her phone up. She was debating whether to call Emily when her phone rang.

It started her enough to drop her phone directly on her face. The pain woke Rika up instantly, and she quickly picked up the phone without checking the caller.

Emily was the only one who called her this late, so Rika was sure she was.

“Hello! W- What’s up?”

Rika’s voice sounded somewhat nervous, and that was because she felt anxious.

But her nervousness soon turned into disappointment when the voice on the other end spoke up.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sound this nervous, Rika. Did you need some help resolving something that you want my help with? I thought you were over your rebellious phase already.”

Her mother’s voice came unfiltered from the other end, and Rika felt her heart calm down and beat faster simultaneously.

Rika felt disappointed, but she tried convincing herself that it was good that her mother called her instead of Emily.

She was not ready to talk to Emily calmly right now.

“I am not in trouble. I did not expect a call from you this late at night. Did you need something?”

Rika asked, and she slowly calmed down her nerves.

Her face flushed after what happened, but no one was around to poke fun at her for it.

“Why would I need something to talk about if I want to check on you? Has staying away from homemade you forget that I am your mother? I worry about you all the time. If only you understood that! And here I thought you were our family’s sensible child.”

Natasha was pouting on the other side of the phone.

Rika could vividly imagine her mother’s face and the kind of expression she could currently have.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I am doing fine. Since no one here knows about my identity, I will not cause any trouble for our family or our company’s reputation. You can rest assured and go back to work.”

Rika assured her mother with a light, joking voice.

But the silence on the other end was unnerving. It made Rika feel as if she had unknowingly made a mistake.

“Rika, I care about you more than I care about my company and my reputation. I was not worried about that at all, but your safety. Your reports have been worrying for the past few weeks. You landed yourself in medical care almost every other day. You also never call me to tell me if you are in trouble.”

“It all makes me worry for you even more. Can’t you trust me and tell me what is happening with your life?”

Natasha sounded severe when she asked Rika all this.

Rika had never expected to be independent from her mother’s influence, so she was unsurprised when she heard that she was being monitored.

But it did not sound like her mother knew what was happening with Rika. It felt like Emily’s handiwork, and Rika felt thankful to have such a friend.

“Mother, I do depend on you a lot. But sooner or later, I will need to become independent. I can only rely on you for some things. But don’t worry! If things get out of hand, I will call you first.”

Rika assured her mother, and the alpha finally backed down.

It was so nerve-wracking to talk to her mother and make her back down from her decision. But Rika had seen her father negotiate with her mother before, and she had learned from the best.

Her mother stood no chance when Rika spoke like her gentle, soft-spoken father, weakening her mother.

“Fine! I get it! I will not interfere with whatever is going on in your life. Could you please swing by home sometime this week? I would like to see you again. I will invite Emily and Damian as well.”

“Ah, you recently met Andrew Tweten as well, right? He used to be your childhood friend. I should invite him as well. Suzie seemed interested in him, so I could pair them together. Ah, it is so tough to have a popular omega daughter.”

“Did I ever tell you how much Suzie is like your father? He used to be a heart-breaker as well and-“