Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 237

Chapter 237: Ch 237: Clearing out the air
When Rika reached the junction where Zu Li had called her, she regretted coming. The man was dressed in the most dazzling clothes known to man and stood out from his surroundings.

It increased Rika’s desire not to associate with him, and she almost turned her back to walk away.

Unfortunately, she was spotted by the very man she was trying to avoid, and he dragged Rika back toward his car.

“Hey, wait! Where are you going? Are you angry at me for some reason? We can talk it all out if you give me a chance. So, please don’t go and stay with me. Just hear me out here.”

Zhu Li begged Rika while grabbing her hand.

Rika did not attack Zhu Li and let him live because it was too early for anyone to be out and about. Rika did not have an audience for her actions, which helped her relax.

“Fine, I am listening to you now. So, could you hurry up and say what you want to say? I only have a little time. I need to head to work.”

Rika tapped her feet impatiently, and the alpha understood. He opened his car door for her to enter before he bowed to her and asked her to join him.

“Please, get in for now. This conversation might get longer than I intend it to be. I will drive you to work so you are not late.”

Rika looks at the car suspiciously. But then she decided to take Zhu Li’s offer for a ride because it was convenient.

She had packed a lot of self-defence supplies so Rika would be able to regain control if Zhu Li tried anything with her.

“Fine! I get it. But don’t try anything funny if you want to live.”

Rika warned, and Zhu Li only smiled back at her with a relieved look.

“Don’t worry! I am not planning on doing anything stupid. I want us to part on good terms so you won’t reject me once I return to ask you for help.”

Zhu Li clarified, but he seemed to be only half-joking.

Rika sighed and got into the car.

It was silent for the first few minutes before Zhu Li finally decided to speak up and apologise to Rika.

“I wanted to clear the air out before our relationship became irreparable. I am sorry for putting you in as much danger as I did. I forgot how dangerous the underworld can be for those not actively involved.

I should not have taken your presence or your condition for granted. I’m sorry.”

Zhu Li sounded like a broken record but much more sincere this time. Even his eyes did not look away from Rika when he apologised to her.

It made Rika feel…odd for some reason.

This was not the first apology Rika had gotten, but it felt like one of the most heartfelt. Zhu Li believed what he was saying and felt no shame in admitting he was wrong.

Seeing him like this made Rika’s heart skip a beat, but she was sure it was not romantic.

“You don’t have to apologise that much. I also consented to the plan, so it is our fault. Besides, I heard that you confronted Damian because of me. That must have been an experience, right? He’s dominant like me-”

Zhu Li shivered at the name Rika brought out, and his eyes looked a little hazy. He rubbed his neck unconsciously, telling Rika precisely how Damian controlled him.

“That alpha is something beyond dominant. I am also a dominant alpha, and I’ve seen quite a few dominant alphas during my lifetime underground. But that man is a monster like I’ve never seen before.

To call him merely dominant would be a mistake. Is he some genetic experiment or mutation? It won’t surprise me even if that is true.”

Zhu Li confirmed what Rika wanted to know. But it left her with more questions than answers at the moment.

Ultimately, Rika decided to bottle up this conversation for another time. It was getting late, and Rika needed to go to work.

She did not want to, but she had promised her mother that she would try to be a good employee for this month’s internship.

Once their conversation was over, Zhu Li drove Rika to her office. Nothing major had been said, but Rika could feel the easy air between them again.

The alpha stopped the car right outside Rika’s office building before he rolled down his windows to give her one last look.

“Hey, we can keep in touch, right? I don’t want to break up as friends just because I am no longer in this country. I will keep in touch with you.”

Zhu Li promised, and Rika only gave him an encouraging nod. She did not mind keeping in touch with the alpha either.

No one paid attention to Rika’s conversation with the dominant alpha before he drove away. It was too early for most people to feel bothered.

Rika walked inside the office building and braced herself for another hard work day.

She was faced with the ‘darling’ from yesterday when she walked into the office. And the omega looked pissed beyond belief to see Rika walking into the office building.

Rika decided to avoid that angry omega since she saw no point in agitating her more than necessary. But it was clear that the other omega had no intention of letting Rika live a stress-free life.

The first thing Darling did was walk over to Rika’s desk and bang her hands on Rika’s desk to get her attention,

Rika had half a mind to ignore this attention-seeking, but she decided to turn around and rip the band-aid off.

“What can I help you with? If this is not important, then can it wait? I am still trying to log in, but it’s taking time since no one will help me.”

Rika was not throwing shade; she was telling the truth. But the omega heard it differently, and her face went through a hundred emotions in seconds before it settled on disappointment and agitation.