You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 212

Breaking down the door was just going to cost a little money. No big deal.

Theo had prepared for just about everything. He’d expected his rivals to pull something dramatic on the road—maybe even try to stage a car accident. What he didn’t see coming was being blocked at the building entrance, stuck downstairs while the action happened upstairs.

Suddenly, the loud banging on the door echoed through the hallway.

Patricia sat in her car, twisting open her thermos and taking a sip of water. The confident smile on her face was magnetic, impossible to look away from.

“Aunt Patricia, where did you come up with such a devious plan?” someone asked from the back seat.

Patricia just shrugged. “Well, I’m dealing with someone just as scheming.”

Going toe to toe with Theo was no big deal. The real fun was just getting started.

At ten, the bidding conference wrapped up. Theo never even made it upstairs. He could only watch his competitors come strutting down, looking like they’d already won.

His jaw was so tight he could barely speak.

As he walked to his car, he spotted a black Bentley parked on the curb. The window rolled down and Jackson grinned at him, all mischief and charm. “Hey, ex-brother-in-law!”

“Jackson, what are you doing here?” Theo snapped.

“So, today’s mess was Patricia’s work, wasn’t it?”

Jackson snorted. “Wow, paranoid much?”

“Just because you lost a couple times to our Miss, you think every loss is her fault? Maybe get yourself checked out, man. You sound seriously delusional.”

“I swear, between your victim complex and your habit of biting the hand that feeds you, you’re perfect for a case study. The experts would love you.”

Jackson tossed out that last jab, then hit the gas and sped off.

Theo swore under his breath, barely holding it together.

Back at Martin Group, Patricia spun a pen in her fingers while Aurora filled her in on the latest office gossip.

“Everyone’s saying Mr. Martin’s not coming back to the office. He’s staying home to run the livestream sales division instead.”

“If that’s true, the marketing department is all yours!”

Patricia just shook her head with a helpless smile.

“Pick a place, then,” she said.

Aurora snapped her fingers. “Leave it to me.”

Their team had forty people, and Aurora went all out—she booked the biggest private room at the Garden Club.

Patricia always suspected Aurora was the daughter of some big boss, just out here to see what real life was like. How else could she know all the ins and outs of Riverdale’s most exclusive clubs?

Riverdale had plenty of fancy venues. Some private, some open to the public. The Garden Club’s biggest suite could easily fit forty people, complete with a pool table and games—food, fun, the whole package.

At these kinds of get-togethers, Patricia was only responsible for picking up the tab.

Halfway through the night, she leaned over to Aurora. “I’m heading out a bit early. Go ahead and settle the bill.”

Patricia wandered through the winding garden paths, her purse swinging at her side. When she reached the pavilion by the water, she caught the sound of voices drifting over.

“We still haven’t figured out who the man she married is.”