You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 56

“That woman? She’s as sly as they come,” Joseph grumbled, launching into stories about Patricia—her scheming ways, her sharp mind, all the way back to when they were teenagers in school.

He kept going, like he knew every twist in her life—her accident, her marriage to Theo, all the drama in the past two years.

“Didn’t her family’s company get split up by the Martin uncles?” someone asked.

“Split up? Like they were ever going to leave it all to her. She’s just a girl—no way she could handle that kind of business.”

Colton raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just say she was ruthless and knew exactly what she was doing?”

So when you want to insult her, she’s this cold, calculating mastermind, but when there’s something to gain, suddenly she’s just a helpless girl? The double standard was almost impressive.

Colton tapped his cigarette over the ashtray, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

Joseph picked up on it and quickly changed the subject. “Hey, I heard your Uncle Oliver’s bringing his company back to town?”

Colton shrugged. “Do I look like someone who keeps up with family news?” He was about to say more when his phone buzzed. He checked the screen, stepped away to answer, then came back and clapped Joseph on the shoulder. “Something came up at home. Gotta go.”

As he walked out, a sleek black Audi A8 rolled up to the curb. Colton slid into the back seat, still smirking a little.

A low, easy voice greeted him. “You look pretty pleased. Good news?”

“Just ran into an old classmate. If you check the news this week, you’ll probably figure out who.”

“Ben’s son?”

Colton snorted. “Yeah, that idiot.”

“And the Martin girl? Poor thing. I doubt that marriage will last.”

Colton’s lips twisted. “No way it will.”

The man beside him spoke quietly. “It’s already over.”

Colton blinked. “Uncle Oliver, how’d you know?”

Then he remembered—if Uncle Oliver was moving the company back, he’d have to know everything going on in Riverdale.

“Ben? Yeah. Why?”

“His son put his hands on me,” Patricia said with a weary sigh.

Atticus went quiet, moving away from the background noise. “Tell me everything.”

So Patricia laid it all out—every detail, including how Nina and Theo ended up together. Atticus listened, silent until she was done.

“I’m coming back right away,” he said at last.

If he waited any longer, his only niece would be left for others to trample.

Atticus moved fast. By the next morning, rumors were already swirling at Ben’s hotel—someone big was asking questions about him.

Ben was confused. “Mr. Owens? Why’s he suddenly interested in me?”

A coworker shot him a look. “Are you really that clueless? That woman your son went after? She’s his niece. Only family she’s got since her mom passed away…”