Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Ch 53: Jealousy at it’s finest
“Rocxx, I am sure we talked about this before. I do not care whom you go after, but Suzie is off-limits. I do not want you to cause her any harm with your pranks or otherwise.”

Mark’s voice grew sterner as he physically pushed Rocxx back, his warning carrying a weight that Rocxx couldn’t ignore.

But Rocxx only smiled his disturbing grin as he looked Mark in the eye.

“Oh yeah! If Suzie is off-limits, then is Rika off-limits as well? Or, can I mess with her as much as I want to?”

His words took Mark aback, but he quickly recovered and decided to counter.

“Rika is not to your taste, Rocxx. I know that you like cute omegas, and Rika is a beta. Now stop playing around and get serious.”

Mark quickly tried to get Rocxx to back down and clarify the situation, but that shit-eating grin on Rocxx’s face became even more comprehensive.

“I see! So that is the kind of man you are! If that is what you want to believe, I will let you. But know, I will always be a better brother than you will ever be.”

That touched a nerve in Mark’s brain that was not supposed to be touched, and he quickly reacted.

Or, he tried to rage back, at least. But Suzie held his arm, which drained his temper at the moment.

“Mark, stop trying to embarrass me! You should not have accompanied me if you cannot control yourself. Next time, ask Emily to escort me. Or even Damian would do. You can do that for me, right?”

Suzie asked with her big eyes, but Mark remained quiet.

He would have done that if he had the ability. But the pair kept ignoring him when he asked.

When Mark asked Rika to set this arrangement up, she outright refused, and that caused a significant fight.

Mark wanted to remember something other than that occasion.

“Hahaha, as if your brother has that much power or influence over either. Listen, little omega! Your brother might look like a great person, but he is more akin to a frog in a pond. Don’t worry, your little head overthinking what I said, and take care of yourself.”

“After all, we will meet again soon, and then we can get to know each other.”

Rocxx quickly walked away before Mark could grab and show him the wrong time.

Mark seethes as he watches his ‘best friend’ walk away after humiliating him in front of his favourite person.

“Don’t listen to that man, Suzie. He is jealous because I told him he was a bad match for you.”

Mark reasoned with his sister, but she remained quiet.

Suzie felt that the balance of things in her life was shifting, and it was all because Rika decided to separate from their family.

Now that she was not there to make Suzie shine more, Suzie was losing her spot among these people.

‘This will not do! I will not lose all the world’s affection and interest in me. I will make sure I do not lose my place.’

…

“Miss Emily, would you like to-”

The waiter asked, but Emily ran past him to the private balcony. She wanted to take Rika’s call in a place where she would not be disturbed. And the balcony was the best way to ensure this safety.

The phone had already rung twice, so Emily hurried up and picked it up before slamming the door shut and locked behind her.

“Did I call you at a bad time? If you are busy, then I can call you later. What I need to say is not that urgent.”

Rika was quick to assure Emily about this. But Emily was not having it.

“No! It’s fine! I just ran a little bit, so that is why I am panting. But I will be fine in a minute when I catch my breath. Do not cut off the phone.”

Emily’s breath came out in wheezes as she tried to get her breathing under control.

But the uncontrolled beating of her heart made this a little more complex than Emily expected.

“I think I should cut the phone now. You sound sick. I guess I will call you some other time-”

“Don’t cut the phone. Please, don’t cut the phone. I want to talk to you more. I missed you today.”

Emily spoke through the phone before Rika could cut it off.

Her words were a confession she was trying to make, and she hoped Rika would get her words.

But of course, Rika only took her words as she was playing around and nothing more.

“Emily, you are one of my two only friends. Of course, I love you as well. And that is why I am worried about you. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I am not. See! I am fine now. I recovered from what I was suffering from. S-So, what did you call me for?”

Emily asked in a nervous voice.

She was confident in front of Rika but always became nervous when she could not see Rika’s face.

Since this was a common occurrence, Rika never questioned why Emily was behaving this way before.

“I wanted to congratulate you on taking over for your father. How is CEO life treating you? Have you met any new people?”

Rika asked, and it melted all the worry off Emily’s mind.

Just a few seconds ago, this position that felt like a burden suddenly began to look better when Rika congratulated her.

“It’s…. not that bad. There are just a lot of people that want to kiss my ass now and flatter me to no end. But except that, nothing new. Since I had been preparing for this take-over for some time, it did not feel sudden.”

Emily confessed in a somewhat shy voice.

Rika felt glad that her friend was not feeling overwhelmed at the moment.

“That is good to hear. I hope you enjoy your new position and reach new heights. By the way, why did Damian not go with you? He would be a good shield to run away from people?”