Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 296

Chapter 296: Ch 296: Is this a trick?
‘Darn it! That idiot messed me up. I would not be so irritated if Damian were not so hell-bent on pissing me off. I cannot believe he had no problem boning me in front of an audience if given a chance to.’

In retrospect, it should not have come as a surprise to Rika that Damian was into public sex.

He was a dominant alpha, and those things were as possessive and proud as Alpha could be. It was Damian’s instinct to be possessive of Rika and to show her off to the world simultaneously.

‘Then, does this make it my fault? I did nothing to discourage Damian from being possessive over me. So, in a sense, he had no frame of reference on how to deal with me…no, don’t think absurd thoughts. It is not my fault! Damian is just too much!’

Rika quickly made up her mind not to blame herself and only blame Damian.

She was also a little surprised that Damian had not brought up the Union Conference when she was with him.

The older alpha did not mention the main event that had everyone up and about. It looked as if Damian could care less about the event and more about sleeping his exhaustion off.

It was a weird feeling, but Rika felt half disappointed and half-relieved at the notion of this happening.

‘Ah, this doesn’t matter. Since Damian wants to pretend that this matter does not happen, I will follow his lead and give that to him. I will make sure he does not get to talk to or touch me once I enter the Union Conference hall.’

Rika decided on the Union Conference and the persona she wanted to adopt for her first mass-public appearance. She would run it by Andrew Tweten first before making any big plans.

But Rika felt that the alpha would not care for Rika’s plan. He did not seem like the kind of guy to make decisions based on his feelings.

‘Ugh, look at what you are making me do, Dami! I don’t know if I feel sorry for you or frustrated at you for what you have reduced me to.’

Rika cursed inside her mind, finally reaching home in a somewhat sorry state.

She collapsed as soon as Rika reached her bed, and she was out like a light. That was how the next few days ended for Rika as well.

The sudden increase in staff meant a sudden increase in workload.

Unknown to everyone, Mark’s decision to replace all the department staff was a lucky move.

There was an unspeakable backlog of data entry and related jobs that no one bothered finishing.

Because there had been no checking in the department, and the section chief was too enamored by that omega named Amanda, he had not bothered to check how much work was being done in his department.

As a result, the tone of the work was never finished or filed. It was what kept the section busy.

“Rika, maybe you should ask for a day off. You look ready to collapse any second. Just what is it that your company is making you do?”

Even Charon asked this question with a concerned face, but Rika only smiled at her in a tried manner.

Work sucked, but it was a commitment Rika made so that she would see it through… at least until the end of this month.

But time seemed to be crawling like a snail, and the end of her term seemed out of sight.

“Work sucks! The money and experience are not worth the pain and suffering I have to go through. Ugh, when will my term end? I miss the times I could close my eyes and not worry about a thing.”

Rika complained as her eyes threatened to shut down.

“There, calm down now. I am sure everything will be fine now. There is no need to worry about anything, anyone! Just go to sleep!”

Charon’s voice sounded amused and concerned at the same time. Hearing that tone made Rika feel even more tired, so she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Somehow, Rika made it through the week and regained her sanity until the day of the Union Conference.

Rika had taken the day off because there was a lot she needed to do today.

She was not someone who visited saloons to pamper herself. That was more of a Suzie thing.

But for the first time in forever, Rika decided to see a professional for her skin and other related issues.

Rika needed to get her nails, hair, and even her face done so she would not be alone. However, since she was going with Andrew Tweten, she wanted to maintain his reputation as a respectable man by being a decent date for him.

Rika knew little about saloons, but Suzie knew a lot about them. Suzie also liked to talk about the treatment the place received.

So, even though Rika did not like Suzie’s attitude about most things, it was thanks to Suzie that she knew where she needed to book what service.

Rika was also responsible enough to book in advance so that her appointments would not clash or cause her to rush at the last minute.

The day was perfect, and Rika was not supposed to experience any backlash. But the reality was often different from expectations.

When Rika got ready to go out, she received a call from the first saloon she had booked about her booking being delayed.

No reason was given, and the manager who talked with Rika sounded overly polite and sorry about what happened.

But somehow, the place had double-booked Rika with one of their regular V.I.Ps, and they could not cancel. So, instead, Rika was delayed in her service until the next day.

Once was an accident; twice was a coincidence, but when it happened for a third time, Rika knew that this was being done deliberately. She needed to get to the bottom of what was happening.