You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 450

“Especially you.”

Sara hunched her shoulders. “Yeah, yeah, I get it!”

After breakfast, as soon as Oliver left the table, Sara dropped her head onto the wood with a dramatic sigh.

“Ugh, work is the worst. Why is going to the office always so annoying?”

She groaned even louder. “Why can’t it just be the weekend? Seriously, why do we have to work at all? It’s pouring outside and I still have to go in. How am I any different from the poor match girl in those old stories?”

Colton finished the last of his cereal and set his bowl aside. “At least you’re not going to freeze to death.”

“If you did, Uncle Oliver would probably drag you back before anything happened,” he added.

Sara lifted her head just enough to glare at him. “Shut up. You’re next—summer break’s almost over for you.”

Colton just shrugged, completely unfazed.

A little while later, Oliver gathered the three of them and ushered everyone out the door.

Patricia stood under the porch, watching as the car pulled away. She didn’t turn back until the car disappeared around the corner.

“Call Jackson and tell him to come over,” she instructed as soon as she stepped back inside.

In the study, sunlight spilled across Patricia’s desk where her laptop sat open.

Jackson arrived while she was finishing her read-through of the Martin Group’s proposal to acquire Skyline Entertainment.

“How far have Emerson and that girl gotten?” Patricia asked, still scanning her screen.

Jackson let out a low whistle. “They’re already spending the night together.”

He couldn’t help but be surprised. “I thought it’d take a while. Guess I underestimated the power of a first love.”

Of course. The magic of a lost love—quick and impossible to resist.

Someone that eager to flip the script would never wait too long. Patricia was certain of that.

***

On the top floor of Martin Group, Tina stood in her office, clutching her phone with a dark look on her face.

Whatever the voice on the other end was saying, Tina cut it off. “You’d better get your head on straight before you even think about coming back.”

“Do you honestly get where you stand right now? Your grandma always favored your brother, and if you think your dad is any different, you’re fooling yourself. The company’s doing better than ever, and your dad is looking to expand like crazy. If you keep this up, you’re giving him every excuse he needs. If he goes and has a son outside, you and I are done for.”

As she spoke, Tina turned slowly, keeping her eyes on the door, her body tense.

“Ruby, let me be clear. If you dare bring that bastard home, I’ll throw him out myself.”

“And listen, in mid-May, the company’s signing a contract with Skyline Entertainment. There’s going to be a formal gala. Starting today, you better get ready—take care of your figure, your skin, your face, all of it. I want you looking perfect…”