You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 103

“Patricia’s the one who dumped you in that hellhole back then. There’s no one else it could’ve been.”

“So she screws you over, and instead of going after her, you come to me? Did I not pay you what I owed? If you had even a bit of conscience, you’d remember I settled up with you before anything happened.”

The guy across from her hesitated, clearly thrown off by her words.

He pressed his lips together, eyes dropping to his hands. His nails, trimmed down to the skin, were packed with black grime from the mines.

He hadn’t even had those pictures at first—had no idea how they ended up on his phone. He’d gone to bed and woken up to find his gallery full of photos from that night, plus her contact info.

He thought he’d be spending the night with some young woman, but it turned out to be Kelly.

Still, if it weren’t for this chance, he’d have no way to squeeze anything else out of her.

“I’ve got a conscience,” he muttered, “but that won’t make me rich.”

Kelly frowned. “So you just want money?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Five hundred grand.”

Half a million?

That’s bold.

If five hundred thousand was all it took to shut him up for good, she might actually consider it. But the real problem was that giving in would just encourage him—he’d keep coming back for more.

Kelly had been around the rich and powerful long enough to know how to handle this. If she couldn’t deal with a blackmailer, what was the point?

She leaned back in her chair, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips as she looked him over.

“And what makes you think you’re getting a penny from me?”

“It’s just a few pictures. If I leak them, then what? Do you even know how many times I’ve been through this kind of thing when I was younger?”

The man calmly sipped his water. “Sorry, but if you can’t deliver what we need, we’ll just find another agency.”

Victor started to say something, but Ruby reached over and stopped him. She gave the client an apologetic smile and said, “Maybe there’s been a mix-up. Could I talk directly to the person in charge? Sometimes a face-to-face is the best way to figure out exactly what they want.”

“I’ve already made myself clear,” the man replied, tapping on his tablet. “Mr. Martin’s designs are just the usual trendy stuff from the last few years. There’s nothing special. If that’s all you’ve got, why should we pay so much?”

Ruby took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I thought this was the direction you wanted. If not, we’ll go back and redo it. Sorry to make you come all this way.”

“Do you need a ride back?” she offered.

“No,” he shot back, not budging from his seat.

He didn’t seem like he was planning to leave anytime soon.

Ruby was the first to stand up, mumbling some excuse as she headed for the door.