You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 524

3:00 a.m.

Patricia’s phone buzzed with a new message. Jackson had just sent her a photo.

Allen had tried everything to pull some strings and bail them out, but came home empty-handed, his energy completely drained. After all, it’d already been two days since the incident—the perfect window to fix things had come and gone.

Meanwhile, Brandon had tracked down the person who handed Wilma the security footage. According to their statement, the recording clearly showed someone pushing Wilma’s husband down the stairs. But whether that person was Emerson, they couldn’t say for sure.

Brandon planned to head to the office at sunrise, ready to take Emerson’s statement in person. If Allen could rally the other shareholders to show up and demand answers right then, it would be a game-changer.

But right now, Allen was still a wild card.

With everything up in the air, Patricia couldn’t sleep. She lay half-curled on the sofa, phone in hand, Atticus quietly sitting nearby. When he saw how tired she was, he gently laid a blanket over her shoulders.

Patricia saw how worried he looked. Her heart softened. She slipped out onto the balcony and made a late-night call to her best friend.

That night, Riverdale’s nightclubs were hit with a massive, all-out police sweep. The crackdown was so intense, it felt like the whole city was holding its breath.

In the Hernandez family’s living room, Allen’s hands shook as he answered his phone.

His wife was next to him, nervously biting her lip. “What do we do now? It was one thing if you could get him out quietly, but if this blows up… he’ll end up just like Kelly!”

The Kelly incident was still fresh in everyone’s minds—a brutal reminder of how badly things could spiral out of control.

If it happened to their son, their family would be done for.

“How is the timing this perfect? Why’d they have to do the sweep now of all times?” Allen muttered, staring at the floor. He couldn’t help but think someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes. The Padilla family definitely had that kind of power.

“You should go get some sleep,” he said quietly. “Let me think for a bit.”

His wife hesitated, then glanced at the grandfather clock. It was 3:45 a.m.

At eight, Patricia jerked awake from a restless sleep.

She opened her eyes just in time to see Atticus reaching for her phone, about to end a call. He was bent over her, hand hovering above the screen.

They drove to the office together.

In the parking garage, Patricia grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the top floor.

Inside the conference room, Emerson was in the middle of giving his statement. Tina was holding her own against several board members, with Allen leading the interrogation. Their questions came rapid-fire, barely giving her a moment to breathe.

She kept her voice calm and low, trying to keep the situation under control.

Patricia walked in just as Tina said, “This company’s been here nearly thirty years. We’ve survived every crisis—when have we ever not pulled through? I get that the stock looks terrible and everyone’s nervous, but you have to give us some time to sort this out.”

“Ms. Klotz, it’s been over two weeks. If things keep going like this, how long do you expect us to wait?” one of the shareholders shot back.

Tina glanced at Allen, wondering what was up with him. He’d always been their biggest supporter. Why was he turning now?

“Allen, like I said, we just need some time to fix this.”

Her voice was sharper than before—her patience was clearly running out.