You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 359

“This time was pretty quick.”

Patricia had just stepped out into the courtyard when she spotted Oliver leaning against the car, lost in his own thoughts. He only looked up when her footsteps crunched on the gravel.

“Why didn’t you wait in the car?” she asked.

Oliver gave her a serious answer. “The weather’s actually pretty nice. I wanted some fresh air.”

They got in and headed for the hotel. Patricia glanced over and saw him beside her, flipping open his folding phone and scrolling through documents. Whatever he was reading wasn’t going well. His brow was tightly knit, and he looked miles away.

They made it back to Riverdale by eight thirty. As soon as they got off the helicopter, Oliver took her hand and guided her toward the main house.

“I have some work to take care of. You’ll be okay on your own for a bit?” he asked.

“I’ll just stay inside. It’s not the snow that’s cold, it’s the slush when it melts. You can’t get sick,” she replied.

He smiled, and she nodded softly. “I’m not a kid, so go do what you need to do. Don’t worry about me.”

Oliver let out a quiet laugh. “I almost wish you were still a kid.”

Kids always stay close to home, never forced to face the world’s dangers on their own. Patricia’s situation was far from simple right now.

He hadn’t expected Mrs. Newton to have any ties to the Golden Bay crowd. That was definitely a twist. He found it almost amusing.

Patricia watched him disappear up the stairs. She was just about to turn away when her phone rang. It was Aiden, calling with perfect timing. After all this time, this was actually the first time he’d called her directly.

“Mrs. Newton—Grace’s brother—he used to be a senior officer at Golden Bay. He’s reaching out to everyone he can to fix this,” Aiden told her.

“What’s his name?” Patricia asked, her tone steady.

“Sean.”

She hung up and immediately searched his name online. The more she read, the deeper her frown became.

She had to admit, she never realized the Newton family had connections like this. But thinking about it, it made sense—Howard’s business had always gone just a little too smoothly.

She snapped the branch in two and tossed the pieces into the bushes. “Someone’s trying to bail out Mrs. Newton.”

The bushes shook, sending clumps of snow tumbling down. Patricia brushed more snow off the branches, clearing them completely. “Go find Nina.”

Their voices faded into the cold wind. After a moment, Jackson nodded and headed off.

Inside, the house was warm and cozy. Patricia came downstairs in comfy loungewear, just as Marian walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl of bird’s nest soup.

“Perfect timing. Come and eat,” Marian said.

“You have some. I’ll bring Sara her share,” Patricia replied.

“Did you finish everything from dinner?” Marian asked, meaning the pickled onions.

Patricia nodded. “Yeah, all gone.”

Marian grinned, looking delighted. “Bet that old lady’s face was something to see.” She’d never liked her, and it showed. Killing her was illegal, but making her miserable? That was fair game.