You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 747

“No, I’m wearing makeup. I don’t want to mess up your suit.”

Oliver chuckled quietly. Getting his suit dirty wasn’t a big deal, but if her makeup got smudged, she would just have to fix it. He decided not to push for a hug.

“I’ve got lunch with our partners later. Want to come with me?”

Patricia let out a long sigh, feeling irritated. She shouldn’t have come to see him. If she said no now, she’d have to come up with an excuse, but the truth was, she just didn’t want to go.

“You don’t want to?”

“Not really.”

“Then don’t. Why make yourself do something you don’t want to?” Mr. Padilla sounded amused.

Patricia didn’t answer right away. She glanced over at him, eyes clear and serious. “Did you tell someone to move up Tina’s case?”

Oliver was always calculating, always a few steps ahead. Patricia hardly ever came to his office during work hours, especially not to wait for him. If she was here now, and had waited this long, it had to mean something. As soon as she asked, he understood. She was here to call him out.

He had already made the decision, so acting stubborn would only annoy her more. He decided to back down a little. “Did I mess up?”

“I’ll call them right now and tell them to stick to the original plan.”

He reached for his phone, already pulling up the number. He moved so quickly there was no hesitation at all.

Patricia snatched his phone away.

Oliver’s flip phone was heavier than most. As she grabbed it, the momentum sent it flying out of her hand. It crashed onto the coffee table, screen cracking with a sharp sound.

Oliver stared at his empty palm, then looked at Patricia, confused.

...

Patricia had a bad knee and tried to avoid pressing the gas whenever she could. The two of them found a small barbecue place and went inside.

Once they’d ordered, Chelsea rested her head in her hands, looking at Patricia with a heavy sigh. She started venting about everything that had been weighing on her.

“If I’d known getting my PhD would be this exhausting, I would’ve just gotten married instead.”

“So which is worse, a PhD or married life?”

Patricia unwrapped a disposable bowl, her voice casual. “Both suck.”

Chelsea paused, chopsticks frozen in the air.

The place wasn’t fancy, just a little spot on the only street near the institute. All the restaurants there were pretty cheap, mostly serving people from the nearby factories and the research center. The vibe was nothing special, but at least the food was decent and freshly cooked, not some reheated meal from a freezer.