You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 653

A coworker dragged Brandon over to the computer. “I’ve been dying to show you this all morning, but I knew you were up all night on that case. Figured you’d need some sleep, so I waited.”

“Check this out—”

As soon as he spoke, Tina’s face filled the screen. It was from the press conference. Reporters were throwing tough questions her way. Tina answered some head-on but dodged others, her replies sometimes sharp, sometimes just enough to get by.

“I don’t know, man. Feels like Tina’s being set up. What if this is just some office politics and we’re getting played? Maybe it’s all about internal rivalry, and we’re the ones holding the bag.”

Brandon felt a pang of worry. If his coworker kept digging, he might stumble onto Patricia’s involvement.

He pulled up a chair and sat down. “That doesn’t matter. All that counts is she broke the law.”

“What’s the boss saying about it?”

His coworker rolled his eyes and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “What do you think? Off on another ‘business trip.’ Same as always. He did the same thing during the Emerson mess.”

A business trip, huh? Brandon doubted it was really the boss’s idea. More likely, someone wanted him out of the picture. And it wasn’t hard to guess who had that power. There’s always someone higher up, no matter where you stand.

“Don’t stress about it. The boss will do what he needs to do,” Brandon said.

“I’m just venting. But get this—I called the prison to check on Emerson’s visitor logs, and the guards told me the records were ‘lost.’”

“Lost? Seriously? That’s not just a simple mistake. That’s a big deal.”

“You going to report them? We’re all just trying to get by,” Brandon shot back with a smirk.

His coworker snorted. “Who hasn’t messed up at work before?”

Brandon laughed and patted his shoulder, then pulled out his phone to order lunch.

His coworker’s mood flipped instantly. He started chatting about new restaurants nearby and whether any were worth trying.

Tina’s eyes narrowed. “Hailee was just your tool, wasn’t she? This isn’t just about me. You’re after Amelia, too. Am I right?”

Patricia was going for two wins at once. Take down Tina, and Amelia would fall too.

Amelia’s job was crucial. As HR manager, she controlled who came into the company. Patricia was new at Martin Group, and barely had any trusted people yet. If she wanted to change things, she needed an HR manager who’d listen to her, no questions asked.

But Amelia didn’t play that way. She wavered, tried to stay on everyone’s good side, never picking a team. She thought she was being smart, but Patricia saw right through her.

Anyone in power knows you can’t have someone like that by your side.

Now, with the Hailee scandal, Amelia’s shaky management was exposed. It was only a matter of time before she was out.

Patricia listened to Tina’s accusations, a slow smile spreading across her face. She brought her hands together and gave a few loud claps, the sound ringing through the office.

“So sharp, Ms. Klotz,” Patricia said, her voice dripping with fake praise.