Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Ch 80: Are you ashamed?
Mark’s words were accompanied by silence around the table, and everyone took a sharp breath.

At first, no one spoke, and he felt uncomfortable. It felt like he had said something wrong but could not determine what.

But then, Emily broke this silence by letting out a laugh that startled everyone.

“That was a good joke. Are you and Rika’s family? Well, blood-related, sure? But I cannot call your bond a family. I am sure that Damian and I have been more like family to Rika than you ever were.”

Mark felt his face go red at the accusation.

He wanted to deny this but could not find the words.

Before the situation could escalate and their family lost their stronghold, Suzie decided to make a move and message her father about what happened.

Of course, she added her twist and spice to the story. But the moral was that she knew her father would handle this.

He might not have gotten along with Rika, but he cared for her as a daughter. He would ensure (or his mother ensured) that Rika reached home safely.

“We all should stop fighting with each other now. I called Dad, who said he would take Rika home since he is nearby. We all should enjoy ourselves, right?”

Suzie asked in a hopeful voice.

Her objective had been achieved, and she could not have been happier. Now, she was the only one who could attract attention in this small group.

That made her feel superior, and she could not contain her smile.

“No thanks. I am no longer in the mood to play. I would rather wait with Rika since she still feels sick. On that note, I should also take her home.”

“Ah, don’t worry. I will call your father and explain the situation and why he no longer has to come and take her home.”

Emily stood up and walked away from the table.

Damian followed her seconds after, but his lazy glare sent shivers down everyone’s spine. They could tell that he was not happy with what happened.

‘Shit! Those two left already. I need to hold on to Andrew Tweten to maintain my image as the excellent heir of the Goodwill’s. I cannot afford to make a mistake now.’

“Hey, young master Tweten, why don’t you sit down and have a round of games with us? I am sure that you will have fun-”

“No thanks. I’ve had my fill of all the fun and games for tonight. I should also head home since I have a conference tomorrow morning that I need to leave for.”

That sounded like an excuse, no matter how you hear them. But Mark knew that he would look like an asshole if he tried to stop that alpha now.

“Of course! If it is so important for you to leave now, then you can leave. But I do hope we see you around more often.”

Mark tried to tell the other alpha that he wanted to meet him.

“Hmm, yeah, sure. I will see you around. Since I want to resume my friendship with Rika, I will surely see you around often.”

With those last words, Andrew left Mark alone as well.

As soon as he was gone, all the other people at the table turned to look at Mark enviously.

“Man, why did you not tell me your sister was friends with such high-class people? You should have introduced her way before today.”

“That’s true. I mean, your sister was good-looking. I am sure she would have blended nicely among us.”

Mark tried to control his facial expression as he looked at his friends.

“W-Well, my sister is a beta and usually insulting. She cannot read the atmosphere and is also insensitive to pheromones. I did not want to make you feel awkward by bringing her here.”

Mark had never confessed these words out loud to anyone who was not family.

He expected to see sympathetic gazes but not bewildered ones.

“A beta? With your family history? Are you sure it is not some weird condition or something? You know, like late blooming or suppression of pheromones?”

“Of course not! We had her checked out long ago, and everything returned to normal. Don’t belittle us. Don’t you think we tried to find out what was wrong with her?”

Mark knew he was getting defensive, but he could not help it.

He was supposed to be the alpha and the one in control. This was supposed to be about him and Suzie, not Rika.

“Woah, chill man. I just asked this question because I was curious. There is no need to get this defensive about it.”

Mark’s friend quickly apologised, but Mark had difficulty calming down. He did not know why he felt this unstable, but there was an uneasiness in his heart.

“Sheesh, I never knew he had such a complex about his middle sister. Is he so ashamed about having a beta as a family that he cannot even introduce her to us?”

“Well, he is a Goodwill, and they have been known to be a strictly alpha-omega family for generations. It must be humiliating for them to have a genetic abnormality like this in the family.”

“Hey, do you think she’s not even their full sister? What other reason would they have for shunning her like this? I mean, she does not even look like them, right-”

Mark was well aware that his ‘friends’ were talking in low voices to avoid getting heard by him.

But he could hear every word that these people were saying.

‘Me! Ashamed of Rika? There is no way that is true. And even if it was, these people have no right to say anything about me. I will not forgive them.’

Mark looked down at Suzie, and she had a thunderous expression.

This time, the siblings were in sync, and they would make sure this small gang of people would never be able to raise their heads again in society.