Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Ch 277: The shopping trip
“How about we try this man, madam? I am sure that this will suit your complexion just fine! And dare I say it! This design is so innovative that I cannot stop praising it enough.”

The salesperson tried to pitch the dress he was showing Rika. The shop wanted confirmation on Rika’s size and the type of dress she liked before they began tailoring her stuff.

It was a small, one-piece thing that looked small and tight enough not even to fit a kid, much less a person of Rika’s size and height.

She could instantly tell that she was not going to like this dress! Just like she had not liked the previous five, the shop clerk had shown her.

“There is no need even to open that dress. I will look around on my own and find something I like. You can leave me alone for the time being.”

Rika assured the shopping assistant, but it only made the older beta even more nervous.

The man kept on looking in Andrew’s direction with a worried look. Perhaps he was afraid that Andrew would no longer like this store, and he would even stop becoming a patron of this place.

‘Ha, I thought these people were friendly to work with, but it turns out that the only reason they were friendly and non-judgemental toward me was because they thought I was Andrew’s mistress. This is so humiliating. I no longer want to buy anything in here.’

Rika knew that it was not these worker’s fault.

She did not have enough presence in society for these workers to think otherwise. She was lucky she had not been taken as a secretary or maid this time.

But that did not mean that Rika did not feel insulted by what she had to deal with. Her mood was no longer calm, and Andrew was quick to notice.

“What’s wrong, Rika? Did the shopping assistant offend you? All you need to do is speak a single word, and I will have him replaced.”

Fear flashed across the shopping assistant’s eyes as he begged Rika not to fire him.

Rika sighed and took deep breaths to calm herself down. There was no point in swooping low and causing an innocent man to lose his life.

“No, it’s fine! There is no need to go that far for something simple. I did not like the kind of dresses I was being shown, but I am sure I will find something to my liking.”

Rika assured Andrew, but he looked doubtful. His glare made the shopping assistant flinch before the man quickly left.

No conversation followed to ease the mood, but Andrew sighed when he looked at Rika.

“I am sorry for the unpleasant experience you might have had because of me. It was not my intention to offend you or anything.”

Andrew assured Rika while subtly reaching for her hand to hold.

Rika realized that and quickly pulled her hand out of Andrew’s reach. She has not yet felt comfortable in physical contact with him.

“It’s okay. This shop is not wrong, and the people here are polite. As for the dress, I am sure we can go with something basic like this too.”

Rika reached out and pulled out a simple dress she had been eying from the side.

Despite looking simple, Rika could tell it was a costly dress because of this piece’s subtle beauty. It shimmered in the right light, and the color would complement Rika’s skin tone.

“Are you sure you want this piece? It is a relatively subdued piece to look at. You won’t stand out if you wear something like this.”

Andrew was right. With how glamorously people dressed up for the Union Conference, it was possible that other people’s glamour would overlook Rika, and her existence would not be remembered.

But that was what Rika was aiming for.

She might have wanted to attend the conference but wanted to avoid becoming the center of attention. Instead, Rika wanted to watch the whole situation from the side-lies.

“It’s okay! I don’t mind that at all. I would rather watch this all happening from the sidelines than be a part of the messy crowd.”

Rika assured the alpha who was accompanying her shopping.

She could tell that Andrew had a lot more he wanted to say. But he kept his mouth closed and let Rika do what she wanted.

It was nice to have this much freedom on her tip, and Rika felt satisfied for the first time in forever.

The shopping lasted for the remainder of the day. After the dress, it was time for heels and other accessories.

Rika was sure Andrew had spent a fortune on her this time, but she did not say anything because the alpha looked happy doing all this.

All this while, Rika’s phone continued to buzz but did not take it out to pick it up.

She already knew that Emily would call. Rika also knew that Emily was calling her because she wanted to know what was happening between her and Andrew Tweten.

‘Ah, so Emily still has people keeping eyes on me. But I am not sure if the news of what happened reached her ear or not. Well, whatever the reason for her calling me is, I should man up and pick up this call.’

Rika allowed her back to touch her bed before she picked up the call.

“Why were you with Andrew Tweten, and why did he take you shopping? This is not funny if you are pulling this kind of prank.”

Emily sounded tired but also angry and annoyed at Rika. Hearing her speak like this sent butterflies down Rika’s stomach.

She instinctively realized that her alpha was jealous, so she was being mean to Rika.

But her brain could not comprehend that right now, and Rika snapped back at her alpha.

“Yeah! I went shopping with Andrew Tweten, but it was all because he had decided to ask me to be his partner at the Union Conference. Since you had no intention of inviting me anyway, I decided to take his offer instead.”