You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 416

Everybody wants to win.

But life’s funny like that—wanting something doesn’t mean you’ll actually get it.

At six, Marian started making dinner. By seven, everything was ready, and Oliver walked in right on time.

Tonight, Chelsea was in heaven. Marian’s cooking was out of this world.

Halfway through her second helping, Chelsea suddenly remembered what Patricia had said earlier about “the three kids.”

“Where are they?” she asked.

“Working late,” Oliver answered, calm as ever.

“What, the boss makes his own family pull overtime too?”

Mr. Padilla didn’t even blink. He just glanced at Chelsea. “Trust me, it’s for your own good. If they were here, you’d have to split that chicken feet four ways.”

Marian laughed from the kitchen. “It’s true! Colton and the boys love that chicken feet dish.”

Well then. All the more reason for Chelsea to dig in while she could.

Normally, Oliver would finish eating and go straight upstairs to his study, leaving Chelsea and Patricia to chat. But tonight, he just sat there, sipping tea, looking way too relaxed—as if he had all night to wait for Chelsea to finish.

Patricia had a bad feeling. She nudged Chelsea under the table.

Chelsea finally caught on. She set down her chopsticks and looked straight at Oliver. “You keep staring at me. What’s up?”

“It’s nothing urgent. Finish eating first.”

Chelsea immediately froze. “Just tell me. Now.”

What if he waited until she was done and then told her to spit it all back out?

“Eat first.”

“I can’t eat with you watching me like that,” she complained.

Honestly, she was just worried he was setting her up. Atticus always said Oliver was sneakier than a mouse in a maze.

“If you insist,” Oliver said, “I’ll just say it.”

Chelsea put on a dramatic show, turning to Patricia. “Before you got married, Marian would make me anything I wanted, no complaints, no strings attached. Now, I come over for dinner and it’s like I’m gambling with my life. Is this dinner or my last meal?”

Patricia sighed, rubbing her forehead. “That’s not what he means.”

Chelsea muttered under her breath, “It’s exactly what he means.”

“Why don’t you and Marian come stay at my place for a few days? I’m begging you.”

Oliver stared at her. So, she hadn’t done what he asked and now she wanted to run off with his wife instead?

“I heard you’ve got your eye on that big pine tree in my yard. If you handle this for me, I’ll chop it down and give you the cash value.”

Money talks, and Oliver had plenty of it.

Chelsea’s eyes went wide. “For real?”

“For real. If you don’t believe me, I’ll wire you a fifty-thousand-dollar deposit right now.”

Chelsea threw a suspicious look at Patricia. This was way too weird—she wasn’t buying it for a second.