You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 726

They didn’t finish up until midnight, which, honestly, wasn’t even late for them. After cleaning up and finally getting back into bed, Patricia felt like her limbs might just fall apart.

Oliver’s hand was tracing lazy circles on her lower back. He sounded half-awake, his voice soft and warm. “Did Aunt Tina talk to you today?”

“Yeah.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing much. Just some small talk.”

Grace had missed her mark this time. She could try all she wanted to stir things up, but it wouldn’t work unless Patricia let it. If Patricia couldn’t even handle a bit of family drama, how was she supposed to survive in this world?

Oliver pulled her closer. “You don’t have to be nice to her. If she ever gives you a hard time, you have to tell me, okay?”

“Okay.”

He kept her close, his voice low. “The Padilla family has three branches, and they’re all complicated. Other than our main branch, the rest, especially the Brooks family, have their own agenda. When my dad was growing up, Grandpa had just started making a name for himself. Uncle Emerson was barely out in the real world, and my aunt was still in school. Grandpa only had my dad to bring to all those networking events. The other branches always thought my dad took more than his share, like he used up all the family’s resources. They’ve been holding a grudge for years. The only reason things seem peaceful is out of respect for Grandpa.”

Patricia looked thoughtful. “Didn’t your dad help them out later?”

“He did, but no matter how much he did, they were never going to be happy unless they could take his place.”

It clicked for Patricia. This wasn’t about money or connections. They just wanted to be on top. They all thought that if Grandpa had chosen to support them back then, they’d be the ones in charge now.

The next morning, Patricia woke up to an empty bed. Oliver was already gone. She sat for a bit, but didn’t bother trying to go back to sleep. It was earlier than she’d usually get up at Cloud Peak.

“Pattie?” Lydia’s voice was full of surprise when she saw her. “Oliver said you usually get up between seven thirty and eight. It’s only seven. How are you up already?”

“Right?” Jaxon said, shaking his head. “We were playing ball and he suddenly calls it, saying his wife’s about to wake up so he needs to head home. Turns out, you were already up.”

“Are you sure you just didn’t want to keep playing with us?” Jimmy teased.

Oliver’s lips twitched and he relaxed a little, glancing back at his brothers. “You two just want to use me for practice. You know you can’t win.”

“Come on, I’m your big brother. Can’t you let me win for once?”

“If you know you’re getting old, maybe stop embarrassing yourself on the court.”

Jaxon just stared at him, lost for words.