You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 612

“Amelia, phone for you.”

Amelia just sat there, letting it ring, her nerves tying her up inside. Her assistant hovered in the doorway, pointing at the phone, eyebrows raised.

On the screen, the main office number flashed over and over. Amelia sighed, long and loud, and waved her assistant away.

This wasn’t just a phone call. It felt more like a death sentence.

She picked up the receiver, took a breath to steady herself, and said, “Mr. Martin.”

Patricia didn’t waste any time. “You got the resumes?”

“I did.”

“And you know what to do?”

Amelia closed her eyes for a second. “Yes, Mr. Martin. Don’t worry.”

“There’s a girl named Colby in there. Bring her into my executive office.”

Phone wedged between her shoulder and ear, Amelia flipped through the stack of resumes until she found the one. Riverdale College. Suddenly, it all clicked.

“Understood.”

Click.

The call ended. Amelia slumped back in her chair, feeling every ounce of stress settle into her bones.

She didn’t even want to think about it. The second those two new hires walked through the door, Ms. Klotz would storm down and probably tear her to pieces. But if she kept them out, Mr. Martin would have her head.

She was just the gatekeeper. Some people wanted her to block everyone, others insisted she let them in. Her head was pounding.

It was almost ten; the interviews were about to start. She still didn’t have a solution.

Her assistant poked her head back in. “Amelia, interviews are starting.”

“Wait a sec,” Amelia called out. “Let me ask you something. Say you’re stuck in an alley—no way forward, no way back—how do you get out?”

The assistant answered without missing a beat. “Climb the wall.”

“There’s no wall,” Amelia shot back, frustrated.

Her assistant grinned, stepping inside and shutting the door. “I get what you mean. Both Mr. Martin and Ms. Klotz are tough, but right now Mr. Martin’s in charge. You don’t want to tick off the boss. Look at what happened to Mr. Lawrence.”

“If it were me, I’d tell Ms. Klotz about Mr. Lawrence quitting, then go ahead and hire the new people. That way she’s focused on him, not on you. And you’re still doing what Mr. Martin asked. If Ms. Klotz asks later, just say you were so caught up with Mr. Lawrence that Mr. Martin slipped his people in while you were distracted. Amelia, you don’t always have to play by the rules.”

Amelia stared at her, speechless. So many years at this job, and she’d let it rewire her brain.

Without another word, she headed upstairs to find Tina.

When she told Tina about Kent’s resignation, Tina looked like someone had just dropped ice down her back.

“Are you sure?” she asked, disbelief all over her face. They’d just talked last night. She’d managed to calm Kent down. Now, out of nowhere, he quit?

“I’m sure,” Amelia said. “Ms. Klotz, he brought me his resignation himself. I processed it.”

“Did Patricia sign off?”

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