Middle Child Syndrome

Chapter 234: Ch 234: Oppressed atmosphere

Rika had not been assigned a desk or chair, but that was fine. She was used to standing up and walking around anyway.

Not being tethered to an assigned place to sit, Rika enjoyed the freedom to choose her spot. Her independence was a source of strength, even when others tried to question her choices.

The office workers glared at Rika every time she tried to sit down, and they called her for the most annoying things. She was being made to do everything from fetching water to just standing and walking.

Rika was sure that she was being bullied right now, but since this was not physically abusive, she did not see a point in telling her mother about it or even reporting it.

Lunch break arrived in the blink of an eye, and the annoying staff finally left.

Rika finally sat down and helped her aching legs heal by spreading her body out and relaxing.

"Sheesh, what the hell is wrong with these people? Do they want to kill me by exhausting me beyond reason? It would have been painful if I were less fit to do all these menial tasks."

No one was in the office, so Rika could openly complain like this.

But as soon as she finished talking, Rika heard the sound of the door opening, and a quiet beta entered the office.

He was short and looked more delicate than Rika expected him to look as a beta. She even wondered if he was an omega or had a condition like hers.

The man noticed Rika, and a guilty expression took over his face within seconds.

"Hey! I am so sorry for what you are going through. I want to help you, but I am powerless to do so. The section chief’s current darling is that omega who acts like a leader. You should be careful not to get on her bad side."

The male beta warned Rika in an almost hesitant manner.

It seemed he was not sure he was allowed to say all this. His shyness made Rika feel bad for him (mainly because she could tell this man was a victim like her.)

"I see! So, bullying is a common practice in this office? You cannot tell the authorities about this without risking losing your job. Were you their target for bullying before I came along? Are you still being bullied by these people?"

Rika asked these questions quickly, and the beta looked freaked out by Rika’s questions.

She quickly looked around to check if anyone was there before he decided to answer Rika.

"I...I am sorry! I truly do want to help you out, but my circumstances...anyway, what I am trying to say is, just hang on in there for some time. I am sure things will get better soon for you."

The beta encouraged Rika before he went back out.

Rika was not naive enough to believe those flowery words from the beta’s mouth. If bullying were this easy to resolve, then no one would have to be traumatised by it.

As expected, Rika was not allowed to sit for the whole day once lunch ended. People seemed more interested in having Rika shuffle around than doing their work.

’Was the goal even met today? Ah, but these people have been doing this for quite some time now. I don’t think they will let a small setback like not paying attention to work get them behind.’

Rika let out a relief-filled sigh as the day finally ended, and people began to stand up. It was finally time to head back home.

But before Rika could stand to leave, she was stopped by that ’darling’ omega, and the older one blocked Rika’s way.

"Hey! Where do you think you are going? You have not met your daily work quota yet. You will need to stay behind and finish your part.

Intern or not, you are part of this company, and we expect you to finish your work on time."

The omega looked passionate when she spoke. She also made a determined face to show the world how serious she was about her work and how trustworthy she was.

Rika did not buy into her act even a single bit. She had already seen this omega’s natural face but did not like it.

"Senior, you neither assigned me a desk nor gave me any work to finish."

Rika reminded the omega worker to do the work as gently and calmly as possible. She did not want to aggregate this omega and cause herself trouble.

But it seemed there was no way to avoid triggering this omega by simply existing, so Rika gave up and asked this question.

"Tsk, don’t try to be smart with me. Come with me, and I will show you the desk you will use for work. Here! These are the files that you need to process. I don’t care how you finish these, but get them in order by tomorrow.

Oh! And if anything happens, then it will be your fault, and we’ll hold you accountable. So, ensure you only finish your work before heading home."

The omega did not allow Rika to get a word in before leaving her alone in that empty office section. There was no night-shift staff in this section either.

Rika was all alone in that big room with a desk that looked ready to fall apart at the slightest touch and a machine that did not even turn on when Rika tried.

"Well, I will not sit here and waste my time. I already spend the whole day catering to these people. I don’t have the patience to do this anymore."

Rika complained before she threw her head on the table and relaxed her body.

She wanted to stay where she was seated, but Rika also wanted to head back home quickly and not think about work anymore.

Both feelings were equally strong, but in the end, the call to her bed was too much for Rika to resist, and she ended up walking out without touching her work.

’Well, if I get in trouble, then I get in trouble. I am not going to bother worrying about it now. Worst case scenario - I will be forced to quit before I can cause this company any more damage.’