Chapter 353 - I Didn't Want to Know (3)

"Why isn't mommy coming to get me?" Rika asked one of the tutors.

"Please focus on solving this problem," the tutor pointed to the next question on the board.

Tears began to well in her eyes again, for the twentieth time today. The tutor sighed as she didn't bother to comfort her anymore. She gave up on Rika, only accepting this job for the high pay. The Roselia family wanted quick results to send her to a school in at least the second district. Luke, also ignored her, focusing on solving the different set of questions given to him. He was used to all her crying by now.

"Can you at least get daddy?" She begged.

"He can take Rika out of here," she didn't like this place.

Rika didn't like how she was stuck inside the mansion where scary people always kept her giving her more things to study. She didn't know the concept of studying in the first place. This was why she was surprised when she was forced to sit down in front of a large table. Since the legs of the chair were too high, she swung her legs, not able to get down.

They kept on giving her more paper with some scribbles on them. The language they spoke was also foreign to her as well. She didn't know most of what they were saying to her. Only on the first day, the person who carried her had spoken to her in the language she could understand. But as the days went on, she started to understand some of their words from their actions.

However, what they said to her was too cruel. They just wanted her to sit and focus on pronouncing some words her tongue wouldn't follow along with her. Rika didn't know she was learning the common language of the first district back then. She also began to understand what the boy was saying beside her.

"Nothing will change no matter how much you cry," he repeated every time she cried.

"They will come for me," Rika was able to utter the words to him after the first week.

The scene wavered as my head shot up inside the car. The younger version of Luke was cold to her, not thinking what it would be like for her to be separated from her parents for the first time. I leaned against Luke's shoulder from dizzily wobbling from my memory coming back to me. I hoped he didn't notice some cold sweat on my hands since he could turn back the car. I breathed in heavy breaths of air as I didn't dare to look at his face.

"You don't look too well," he immediately noticed.

"I'm fine. I did everything you told me to do yesterday," I argued, placing my hand against my forehead while the other hand pushed his shoulder away.

He continued to watch me as I tried to maintain my perfect posture to show him that I was fine. Luke couldn't take me back if there was nothing wrong with me to keep his word. I sighed in relief when the car stopped in front of my house. This time, my parents were expecting me as I had already told them weeks beforehand that I would be coming this week.

I rang the doorbell as my mother ran to open the door. I held a basket full of rich fruits and flowers from the first district as gifts. Luke didn't want us to go there empty handed. I pushed my arms towards her to my mom to receive the gift.

"You didn't have to," she was reluctant to accept it.

"We would like it if you accepted it," Luke brilliantly smiled.

"Then I will," my mom didn't want to break the good mood.

"You're here Rika," My dad placed the newspaper down in the living room.

"Evan come down! Your sister is here!" he called for my younger brother.

"I'm coming!" Evan ran down the stairs.

We all gathered around in the living room since it was late evening. It was a Thursday, meaning that my parents could spend the entire day with me soon when the weekends came. This was part of the reason I took the latter half of the week. We couldn't make it in the morning as it took time for Luke and Ben to disconnect me from all those machines.

"We also have some presents for you two," my mom pulled some wrapped boxes out from under the couch.

"Really!" My eyes started to twinkle.

"Here is a comfy onesie, the bunny ear one that you said you wanted last time." My mom remembered me, being jealous about how comfortable it would be while Evan talked about how his classmates were obsessed with them these days.

"I really love it," I hugged it close to me after ripping off the wrapping paper.

"And this is yours," my mom passed to Luke.

Luke brightly smiled, unwrapping the box to discover it was a simple fountain pen. My mom studied his expression, not knowing what Luke liked in general. He awkwardly held the pen in his hands as he politely continued to smile to thank her. My mom sighed in relief, seeing he didn't dislike it as she moved on.

I knew that Luke liked sparring with his cousin. Or sometimes he liked reading the most recent research books that came out. Another thing he liked was his collection of limited-edition clothes and accessories from exclusive stores. This also expanded to me as well as he made some purchases for me. A fountain pen was nothing to him compared to all the things he owned under his name in the first district.