You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 139

On the third floor of the old townhouse, just beyond the stained-glass windows, the river glittered in the fading light. Across the water, the French Concession’s grand houses stretched side by side, turning the opposite bank into a scene straight out of a movie. It was the kind of view you couldn’t tear your eyes away from.

Patricia stood by the window, watching someone down by the river’s edge.

“She’s such a wolf in designer clothes, acting like she owns the world now,” Jackson muttered. He leaned against the window frame, dressed head-to-toe in black, arms folded, a lollipop tucked in the corner of his mouth as he stared down at Ruby. His eyes practically sparked with anger.

“Why not just give her a taste of her own medicine? Run her over, wreck her legs, make her the family’s throwaway,” he grumbled.

Patricia’s fingers twitched at her side. “Ruby isn’t my only enemy,” she said, voice low.

“If we go that far, we’ll just tip them off. It’s too easy to make Ruby suffer. I want more than that,” she added, almost to herself.

The Newtons. The Martins. Seven people in total. None of them deserved to walk away clean.

“This house should’ve been yours, Miss,” Jackson said bitterly. “Now it’s the Emersons parading around like they own the place. If it were up to me, I’d rather burn it down than see them happy here.”

Patricia just patted his shoulder, calm and steady. “Don’t worry. Sooner or later, it’ll be mine again.”

“You remember what I told you?” she asked.

“Of course, Miss. Not a problem,” Jackson nodded hard. Cutting the power was nothing.

Downstairs, guests trickled in. Tina and Emerson stood at the door, smiling and greeting everyone. Ruby floated through the crowd inside, making small talk with relatives and friends, all smiles and easy conversation.

“I heard Patricia’s back at Martin Group. Is she coming tonight?” someone asked, their tone casual, but their eyes sharp with gossip.

Ruby caught the look, but kept her composure. “I invited her, but who knows if she’ll actually come.”

Someone in the crowd exchanged a quick glance with a friend. If Patricia did show up, things would definitely get interesting.

The Newton family was rumored to be coming, too.

The dinner was set for seven thirty. True to form, the Newtons arrived fashionably late at seven twenty-five, exchanging greetings as they entered.

Tina and Emerson, with Ruby by their side, made their way around the room with glasses in hand, offering cheers and polite conversation. Pretty soon, everyone forgot about whether Patricia was coming at all.

Three years ago, she’d been stuck in a wheelchair. Now, she stood tall at the top of the stairs, head bowed slightly, looking down at everyone with the quiet authority of someone who had nothing left to fear.

She looked almost sacred—kind and forbidding at the same time.

“Is that Patricia?”

“Her legs… she can walk?”

“I thought she’d never recover. Didn’t they say she’d never stand again?”

“God, she’s beautiful.”

“She’s unreal.”

Patricia’s gaze swept over the Newton family, pausing on Theo. Her eyes were sharp, her lips curled into the faintest mocking smile.

Theo stared back, stunned. Hearing stories was one thing, but seeing Patricia—standing, walking, and more dazzling than ever—was a whole different reality.