You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 347

“Christmas is almost here. When the time comes, we’ll get Aunt Patricia to speak up for us in front of Grandma. Someone has to deal with Uncle Oliver eventually.”

Roger looked uncertain. “Is Aunt Patricia really coming back to Golden Bay with us?”

Sara tried to sound confident. “I think so?”

Colton frowned. “But didn’t she stay overseas during the holidays before?”

Sara’s heart skipped a beat. “That was because she was abroad. This year’s different.”

Roger dropped his voice. “But what if Aunt Patricia doesn’t come back?”

Without thinking, Sara and Colton said together, “We’re done for!”

Just like that, the three fell silent, huddled against the winter chill, dreading what might come.

...

The next morning.

The three of them sat at the dining table, waiting and waiting for Patricia to show up. No luck.

Instead, Oliver waltzed in, looking way too pleased with himself.

Sara worked up her courage. “Uncle Oliver, where’s Aunt Patricia?”

Oliver adjusted his sleeve, barely glancing at her. “Why? Hoping to continue last night’s drama?”

Sara tried to play it cool. “I just… wanted to check on her. Skipping breakfast isn’t healthy, right?”

Patricia never showed. Breakfast came and went.

Resigned, Sara climbed into the car, resigned herself to another day at the office, resigned herself to fixing endless PowerPoints, resigned herself to being scolded.

Meanwhile, Patricia wasn’t exactly taking it easy.

Around nine thirty, just after breakfast, her phone rang. Nina was calling, inviting her to meet up.

“Marian, could you grab the bag I packed yesterday afternoon? It’s in my closet,” Patricia called out.

“Are you giving it to someone?” Marian asked, looking puzzled.

Patricia nodded. “Yeah.”

...

The black business car pulled out of the driveway.

In just a few days, Nina had taken hit after hit. The actress’s fans didn’t care about the truth—they just kept coming, flooding her with nasty comments.

Patricia sipped her coffee, watching Nina. “You know, it’s obvious Ms. Miller’s having a rough time lately.”

Nina shot her a glare, not in the mood for chit-chat. “Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?”

“I told you from the very beginning, Ms. Miller, we were never enemies. We might even end up on the same side.”

Nina gave her a look, like she couldn’t stand how Patricia always acted like she held all the cards. “What makes you so sure?”

Patricia just smiled. “Because you’re sitting here with me right now.”

Nina nearly choked, taking a slow breath to calm herself.

Patricia’s tone softened, almost gentle. “When Theo and Amy’s little alliance falls apart, they’ll both lose everything. And you? After all these years, you gave and gave—and got nothing in return.”

“There’s this theory online, the ABC theory. Look it up. Trust me, it fits your situation a little too well.”

Nina had seen the posts, even joked about it with her friends—though it stung more than she let on.

She let out a long sigh. “So what do you want me to do?”

Patricia traced her finger along the rim of her cup, lips curling into a sly smile. “It’s simple…”