You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 198

Patricia looked puzzled. “What story?”

“It’s… not the usual stuff like plotting behind someone’s back. Think more along the lines of a twisted, villainous version of The Phantom of the Opera.”

Patricia blinked, still not getting it.

Oliver jumped in to save her from the awkwardness. “Let’s just eat first.”

After dinner, Patricia wandered out into the backyard.

Jackson was crouched on the grass, playing with a kitten using a blade of foxtail. The tiny furball chased after it, stumbling over its own short legs, totally entertained.

“Jackson.”

He stood up straight the second he saw her. “Ma’am.”

“How’s everything?”

“Emerson’s locked down the news, but I heard from the hospital that Ruby’s still unconscious. She’s stable for now, but her future doesn’t look good.”

“What happened?”

Jackson hesitated a second. “They amputated her right leg.”

A small, almost satisfied smile played at the corners of Patricia’s mouth. Her face stayed calm, but her eyes glinted.

She nodded slowly. “Good.”

“When she wakes up, let me know.”

She had a special delivery to make.

Patricia went to the office like it was any other day. No one in the planning department knew about Ruby’s accident. Not surprising—they’d just started milking her for benefits and hadn’t even gotten their fill yet. Now she was out of the picture. It was almost a relief.

Tina hadn’t slept a wink all night. As soon as she pulled into the parking lot and saw Patricia’s Bentley in its usual spot, her anger boiled over. She stomped straight up to the twelfth floor and marched into Patricia’s office.

The glass door clicked shut, blinds drawn. The game was on.

“Was it you?” Tina demanded.

Tina grabbed her arm. “Do you really have to stir up so much trouble?”

Patricia’s voice was icy. “You’re the one making a mess, not me. Things were fine when we just stayed in our own lanes, weren’t they?”

She paused, fixing Tina with a look. “Or did something happen that’s got you so worked up, Aunt Tina?”

The question made Tina visibly tense.

Of course, she couldn’t say anything. The company’s stock was doing better than ever, and with Ruby already in trouble, she couldn’t risk anything else.

Once Tina left, Patricia pulled out her phone and called Jackson. “Find out where that man is right now.”

“And Jackson—have the one from the psych hospital brought out, too.”

Back at her desk, Patricia poured out the tea in her cup, letting it pool on the shiny wood. She dipped her finger in and, with slow precision, traced two letters into the puddle.

Kelly.