You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 262

Patricia never bothered with pleasantries when it came to people like this. She called it like she saw it—a bunch of sycophants, sniffing around for scraps. Just being in the same room with them felt like breathing in smog.

By the time Sara walked out, Wendy had already slipped away, looking as defeated as ever. Patricia, unfazed, pulled out her card and paid for everything without batting an eye.

Meanwhile, Oliver was about to leave his office when his phone buzzed with a bank alert. He glanced at the screen, saw the string of zeroes, and couldn’t help the slow grin that spread across his face.

He loved it when Patricia spent his money. Financial dependence, he figured, was just another way to stay connected.

He shot her a quick message: “Shopping?”

Patricia replied almost immediately: “Yep! Not coming home for dinner tonight.”

Oliver stared at her reply, his brow furrowed. “What about me?”

Patricia paused when she saw his message, her fingers hovering over the screen before she started typing a long reply: “You’ve been asking me this a lot lately. We’re married, not joined at the hip, you know.”

He was getting clingy. That was something new.

Patricia had no idea where Oliver’s insecurity was coming from, but she was starting to notice it more and more. After she sent her message, she waited for a while, but he never wrote back.

While she waited, up on the top floor of Pacific Capital, a storm was brewing.

Lincoln came in with a file, only to freeze at the sight of Oliver’s foul mood. He took a cautious step back.

“Mr. Padilla, Howard from Newton Enterprises is already in Mr. McKee’s office.”

Oliver looked up, his tone icy. “Tell Mr. McKee not to go easy on him.”

Hector nodded, settling back in his chair with a casual air—a little too relaxed for the formal setting, like someone who had never really cared about the rules.

They chatted for a bit, but it didn’t take long for Howard to steer things toward his real agenda. “I’ve heard you’re a straight shooter, Mr. McKee, so I’ll just come out and say it.”

“Go ahead, Mr. Newton.”

“This autumn fog has Newton Enterprises a bit lost. I was hoping you could point us in the right direction.”

Hector’s easy smile never slipped, making him seem approachable—almost like he’d help anyone who asked. But everyone in the room knew what Howard really wanted: to find out how he’d managed to upset the Padilla family.

As if Hector could just spill that kind of information. If he did, Oliver would never let him hear the end of it.