You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 391

Patricia rubbed her face and sat up, still half-asleep. She was clearly exhausted. No wonder, after how late they’d stayed up last night.

Lately, Oliver had been stretched thin dealing with Atticus’s endless drama. He kept it to himself, though, not wanting to drag Patricia into the mess. He swallowed his frustration, buried it deep. That worked—until last night.

They were finally about to have a moment to themselves, just starting to get close, when Atticus called. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Oliver’s mood instantly soured. He was supposed to be the one suffering, but somehow, by the end of it, Patricia was the one left feeling wiped out.

Some couple they were—both of them completely fed up, just in different ways.

After washing up and slipping into something comfy, Patricia headed downstairs. She’d barely made it to the top of the stairs when Marian rushed up, looking anxious. “You need to come down. Now.”

“What happened?”

“The kids stayed up all night, didn’t go to bed until after three. Then Mr. Padilla dragged them up at dawn for a debrief. Colton lost his temper and argued with him. The tea room is a total disaster zone.”

Disaster zone. That was all Patricia needed to hear for the hairs on her arms to stand up.

She peeked into the tea room from the hallway. Through the glass, she could see Oliver’s face—dark and stormy. Colton was at the head of the table, still in his pajamas, eyes fixed on the floor, silent. The tension was so thick it was hard to breathe. Even Sara, who was usually bouncing off the walls, sat frozen, not daring to make a sound.

Patricia knocked and was just about to go in when Oliver spoke first. “Perfect timing. Colton’s going to be with you for a while.”

“Huh?” Patricia blinked, confused. She barely even went to the office these days—what was she supposed to do with Colton following her around?

She didn’t have time to figure it out. Worried things might be worse than they looked, she just nodded. “Okay.”

Oliver brushed past her, stone-faced, and walked away. Roger and Sara practically melted into their chairs, finally able to relax.

Patricia shot her a look. “Don’t say stuff like that again.”

If a cat can’t catch a mouse, it just goes hungry. But in a family like the Padillas, one rebellious kid could undo generations of hard work and reputation.

Patricia found Oliver in his study and handed him the glass. Her fingers gently squeezed his arm. “Calm down, okay?”

“Not happening,” Oliver grumbled, still fuming. At least the soy milk was cold—if Marian had brought him something hot, he might’ve actually exploded.

Patricia waited until he’d cooled off a bit, then asked quietly, “So, what exactly do you mean by having Colton follow me?”

Oliver’s expression softened a little. “Sean’s not easy to handle. It’s safer if you’ve got someone with you. I need to explain a few things in detail. Sit down for a minute…”