You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 574

“What’s the latest on Emerson?”

“Nothing,” Jackson said, sounding frustrated. “Absolutely nothing.”

“I told you, all we’re doing by waiting is giving Emerson more time to bargain his way out.”

Martin Group’s legal team was the best in the business. They knew how to cover every angle. As long as Emerson kept his mouth shut, he’d take the fall alone and the company would stay clean.

That was exactly what Tina wanted. And even more, it was what Patricia wanted.

Patricia picked up a pen and clicked it over and over, the sharp sound echoing in the quiet room.

Finally, she said, “It’s better if he says nothing.”

All she wanted was for Martin Group to come out of this spotless.

Incense burned in the study, the scent thick and calming, smoke curling up from a lotus-shaped holder. Patricia watched the wisps float up and fade away.

The light in the room shifted as evening crept in, shadows blurring with the drifting smoke.

“Jackson, tell me—after I’m done cleaning up the Martin family mess, what else am I supposed to do with my life?”

Jackson stood at the desk, posture stiff. It had only been a couple of minutes, but Patricia was already lost in her thoughts again.

He tried to shake her out of it. “That’s easy. Get Mr. Padilla to cheat on you, then chase his mistress around the world. Now that would keep life interesting.”

Patricia shot him a look. “Get lost.”

“I’m serious! You overthink everything. Always planning a hundred steps ahead, worrying about things that haven’t even happened.”

He leaned back, imitating a wise old man. “My old boss always said, ‘Just play the cards you’re dealt.’ He’d remind us, focus on playing your hand well right now. If you can do that, you’re already ahead of most people.”

“Goals change as you get older. How do you know your enemies will even be around when you’re thirty? Or that you won’t have a whole new set of problems by then?”

“Do you know why Lin Daiyu died young?”

Patricia raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Patricia glanced at his screen and warned him, “Don’t push your luck.”

At seven thirty, Patricia finished her makeup, slipped into a short, chic dress, and stepped into a pair of nude heels.

When she came downstairs, Marian’s eyes went wide with excitement.

She grabbed Patricia’s hands and squeezed them. “You have to make it happen tonight. If you do, have Jackson call me right away—I'll go straight to your parents' graves to share the good news.”

Patricia laughed. “Deal.”

By seven forty, a black SUV pulled out of Cloud Peak, heading toward the Martin Group building.

It was rush hour. The streets were packed, cars barely moving.

Jackson gripped the wheel, a lollipop in his mouth, head propped in his hand as he stared at the sea of brake lights ahead.

On another road, Aiden was driving his own black sedan to the office. He took the same route Patricia usually did—an elevated highway that moved slowly, but at least it wasn’t jammed.