Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 401

Chapter 401: Ch 401: The same taste
Right now, Rika has no recollection of her past. She only had bits and pieces of feelings when she went somewhere.

For example, she felt safe when she was with Emily and Damian. That likely meant that she liked them.

Her temporary bond mark also recognized them as the alphas who marked her up, and Rika ended up getting her mark reinforced by the pair last night.

She also felt safe in the apartment she had been brought to by the pair, so she knew that these two would not do anything to hurt her. Rika trusted them with her life…for now.

The same could not be said when she looked at her ‘mother’ and ‘brother.’ A sense of uneasiness filled her head when her eyes landed on that pair.

Something inside Rika had told her that she did not get along with either and that she should be careful of the pair.

That was why, when the topic of a dinner arrangement came up, Rika tensed and pretended she had not heard about it. But Emily and Damian did not let her pretend she did not listen.

Ultimately, Rika returned to her childhood house, and her instincts told her to run as far away as possible.

This place did not leave a good impression on Rika, and she was sure she should not be anywhere near it.

“You do not need to feel this tense, Rika. We are here to support you. Just tell us if you want to head out. We’ll take you back home and never bring you back here.”

Emily promised her this, and Rika felt instantly better.

But she also knew she needed to brave this trail and put her family behind her.

“No, I am fine! Just because I remember nothing does not mean I can avoid this forever. I should finish this dinner so I can live my life.”

Rika assured the pair before she entered the front door of the mansion.

Curious and disappointed eyes turned toward Rika before looking away in shock.

Emily had told Rika a little about her past and how Rika had lived most of her life as a beta.

No one in this mansion was used to Rika smelling like an omega, which made them all curious and annoyed. It was a given that they wouldn’t be able to look at Rika and feel comfortable with her around.

‘But who cares about it all? I just need to focus on what I am doing. None of these people matter to me anymore.’

Maybe there was a time in Rika’s life when she sought to get the approval of all these people. But she was no longer the same person as her past. She no longer cared what these people thought of her.

“Lady Rika, welcome back.”

This butler was a beta that much Rika could tell. But she did not feel nice when she looked at this man.

She felt…disappointed and agitated at the same time. It made her ignore this man and walk straight into the dining room.

She could tell that the butler gritted his teeth to stop himself from cursing Rika out. He was not happy at being ignored by the younger female.

Despite this, the butler did not show that he felt disappointed. He only flinched when Damian glared at him with that annoyed look.

“Just leave us alone for now. We will call for you when we need anything, butler.”

Rika looked at her mother’s face before she sat down across from her at the dining table.

She had purposely arrived late so there would be no small talk before dinner. The plan was to leave as soon as dinner was over as well.

Damian and Emily flanked Rika’s sides and provided a barrier so no one else would sit with them.

Only Rika, the two alphas, her mother, and Mark sat at the table. Two seats were still left empty, and it became apparent to Rika why when her father and younger sister walked into the room.

As soon as she looked at the pair, Rika’s body tensed. She was sure she did not have a positive relationship with them.

Suzie noticed Rika, but she did not even acknowledge her. She only scoffed before she sat down at her seat across from Damian.

Damian ignored Suzie and her attempts to be friendly with him. He looked used to Suzie’s advances and how to avoid them all.

“I am glad you chose to have this dinner with us instead of ignoring us. These past few days were difficult for you because you lost your memory, but I want you to know you are always welcome here.”

Natasha let out a nice smile that looked friendly and unharmful. She was not showing any of her bad side to Rika, but Rika’s feeling while sitting at the table was not good.

“Madam, we should start dinner now. We are already running late, and I have a meeting after this.”

Emily was the rude one this time, cutting Natasha off. But she also cited a reason Natasha could not say anything about it.

No one else commented on what was being said, and the food came out.

Rika felt uneasy when she looked at the dinner plate before her. Something about the food on her plate irked her.

Damian noticed this and quickly took a bite from his plate and Rika’s before switching them.

“I’ll take the peanut stuffing since you are allergic.”

He assured in a low voice so that no one else could hear.

Rika had no idea that she had a peanut allergy, but she was sure that the staff at this house should know about it. Had someone just tried to kill her by giving her something she was allergic to?

“You’re not allergic, but you just don’t like the taste of peanuts. It looks like losing your memories did not change your food preferences. You still like what you liked before.”

Damian assured in the same low voice, making Rika’s ears tingle.