You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 424

Tina rushed out and found a top art expert to take a look at the paper.

The expert gave it a quick glance and said, “The paper’s from six years ago, but this ink is fresh.”

Tina finally let out a breath she’d been holding. “Thank you so much for your help.”

The expert smiled. “So, let me guess—did someone paint a scene from six years ago for you?”

Tina’s relief vanished. Her heart started racing again.

What if this really was a painting of something that happened six years ago?

She tried not to let her thoughts go there. Six years ago, Ruby was still dating Theo.

“Yeah, that’s right. I just got the painting, so I couldn’t tell when it was made. I really appreciate you pointing that out.”

After a few more polite words, Tina left the gallery.

She had barely stepped outside when her phone rang. It was Emerson.

His voice was cold and straight to the point. “Well? What did you find out?”

“The paper’s six years old, but the ink is new.”

“We have to trust Ruby. I’ll head to Toronto. You find out exactly who sent over that painting.”

“Got it,” Tina replied, sounding determined.

***

“Miss, Tina’s gone to Toronto.”

Cloud Peak’s first-floor tea room was quiet as Patricia browsed the shelves, looking for a particular tea.

Her gaze fell on an unopened tea cake. She waved Jackson over. “Get that one down for me.”

“Sit down. No need to just stand there.”

Jackson hesitated. “I’ll just stay standing.”

Mr. Padilla wasn’t a fan of outsiders in the main house. If he walked in and saw them, it wouldn’t go well.

Not that Jackson cared what Mr. Padilla thought, but he didn’t want Patricia getting dragged into anything.

Or they’d get divorced, things would get ugly, and Martin Group would be split up.

But Patricia would never let her parents’ company get torn apart. She always had another plan.

Her strategies were like a tree—branches spreading out everywhere, but the trunk was always the same. No matter how tangled things got underneath, Patricia stayed at the center of it all.

“Do you have someone in mind?”

Patricia nodded. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

She handed him her phone.

Jackson looked at the photo on the screen and went silent for a second, stunned.

Most people thought a honey trap just meant sending in some pretty young woman.

But this wasn’t just any woman—she was carefully chosen, made to look exactly like Emerson’s first love, the one he’d never really gotten over.

What man could resist that?