Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Ch 156: Don’t go after her
“Suzie, don’t be a brat and let me go. I told you that it is important for me to talk to Rika today. Why are you being like this all of a sudden?”

Mark’s voice was a little louder than usual when talking to Suzie, but it was still calm and polite.

However, to Suzie, it almost felt like Mark was yelling at her as loudly as he could.

It made the younger cringe, and she felt a deep sense of betrayal by her brother, which was hard to shake off.

‘It is all Rika’s fault that Mark speaks to me like this. My brother has never raised his voice at me before. Not before Rika came and ruined it for us. I will never forgive her for this.’ Suzie’s frustration was palpable, her emotions in turmoil.

Suzie grabbed her brother’s hand even more tightly than before, her determination shining through as she realised he had no intention of giving up Rika. He still wanted to go after her and ‘talk things out.’

“Mark, we will be late for my appointment. Look, you are making the front desk lady worried as well.”

Suzie tried to bring other people into the mix to change Mark’s mind. And it seemed to be working for a second before Mark turned to look at Suzie and put his hands on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

For some reason, this familiar gesture gave Suzie a bad feeling that day. And Mark’s following words confirmed her worries.

“I know you are worried about being left alone here, Suzie. But it will only take me five minutes to talk to Rika and return. Can’t you wait for me until then?”

Mark asked in a patient voice. His eyes were begging Suzie to understand and cooperate with him.

But Suzie felt angry at her brother for suggesting such a thing.

‘I knew that it was a bad idea for Mark to be anywhere near Rika. Mark does not understand it but changes when Rika is around him. He splits his attention, and I don’t like it.’

Suzie was a possessive person. She needed to monopolise what she considered ‘hers,’ whether a thing or a person.

Mark was ‘her’ brother in this case, so he did not need to pay attention to anyone other than ‘her.’ Even Rika was not permitted to steal her brother from Suzie.

“I…don’t leave me alone. You know that I do not feel safe in the hospital alone. There are too many scents, and I feel overwhelmed. Please stay with me.”

Suzie complained as she tugged Mark’s clothes to make him stay with her.

The more pitiful Suzie acted, the more attention her brother paid her. And that was all Suzie initially wanted – her brother’s attention.

‘Just a little more, and Mark will give it to me. I can see Mark folding in when I ask him to stay with me.’

Suzie smiled on the inside but kept her pitiful look on the outside. She did not want to seem too desperate and come off as too strong.

…

Mark felt torn between going after Rika and staying with Suzie.

The younger omega sticking to Mark complained about being sick and overwhelmed by all the pheromones around her, making Mark want to stay with Suzie.

But he was also worried about Rika in his mind.

‘If visiting a hospital is overwhelming for Suzie, how bad is Rika feeling right now? She is still awakening, and I remember it being too much. I should go and check up on her.’

Mark’s brain and heart spoke different things, and did not know which one to follow.

Moreover, Suzie became a more significant problem by the second, and Mark felt weird leaving her alone.

The front desk worker also felt sorry for Suzie, and she decided to interfere.

“Excuse me, but the doctor said he wants to see Suzie Goodwill now. Please make your way up toward his office.”

The front desk worker was well aware of Mark’s reputation, and she had also recognised the beta that seldom came with the sibling pair to accompany them.

Since the worker had no data about Rika, she could only assume it was a fling at best and unrequited love at most.

But none of those options sat well with the worker. She had a crush on Mark, and the worker wanted to ask the alpha out.

She felt jealous when Mark showed interest in that familiar beta, and she was on Suzie’s side to stop him from following after Rika.

Mark felt annoyed that the worker had stopped him again, but he decided to take a deep breath and give in. There was no point in arguing with the hospital staff about this and alienating them.

All this interruption made Mark feel annoyed. He felt like some power was actively trying to stop him from meeting Rika and clearing the air with her.

“Let’s hurry, Mark. The doctor is waiting for us to arrive. You can talk to Rika some other time. Maybe we can invite her to dinner or something?”

Suzie wanted her brother and Rika to talk in a place where she could control the situation. That way, she could make sure the conversation did not go well.

‘I am not a bad girl! I don’t want to lose my place in this family. I don’t want my family to be torn apart like the ones my grandparents tell me about. Even the internet is filled with such horror stories. I don’t want that for myself.’

Suzie’s nodded to herself as she entered the doctor’s office. She felt much better now that she had control of the situation again.

“Ah, welcome, Miss Suzie, Master Mark. Please take a seat and relax. I am sorry for this delay. There was a…situation that we needed to take care of. You see, someone took too many sleeping pills and ended up being admitted to our hospital. I was put in charge of the situation to handle it…but you are not here for that, right? We should start our session now.”

The beta doctor who rushed Charon and Rika to the hospital was the same one in charge of Suzie’s case.