You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 79

Kelly couldn’t say no.

Just like Patricia warned—anything Patricia held could destroy her in an instant.

“Patricia, if I get on my knees, will you give me what you want?” Kelly’s voice shook.

Patricia spun her teacup between her fingers, the hint of a gentle smile on her lips. She almost sounded kind. “You can only bargain if you have something to offer, Mrs. Newton. What do you have?”

Kelly’s mind went blank. She stared at Patricia, stunned. Only now did she truly understand what Theo meant whenever he told her: Don’t mess with Patricia.

“What do you want?” Kelly asked, barely above a whisper.

Patricia sat up straighter on the sofa, her smile sweet but sharp. “I want you to take care of Tina. Can you do that? Aren’t you two best friends? Backstabbing each other shouldn’t be that hard, right?”

Kelly’s eyes went wide.

Everyone in Riverdale’s upper crust knew the Martins’ family drama was legendary—way too tangled to sum up in a few words. In the end, Tina walked away with everything, and Patricia was left with nothing. Of course Patricia wanted revenge. But asking Kelly to do the dirty work wasn’t just about payback. It was using her as a weapon.

“Murder is a crime,” Kelly finally managed, her voice shaking.

Patricia let out a soft laugh. “So is cheating. What, the criminal code counts but marriage laws don’t? Who gets to decide which laws matter more?”

She sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples like she suddenly had a headache. “Jackson, please show our guest out.”

Panic shot through Kelly.

“Patricia!” she screamed, desperate. “You can’t do something this—this insane!”

Jackson actually laughed at the word “insane.” Without warning, he kicked Kelly hard in the back.

She fell, knees slamming to the floor—straight onto the broken shards of Patricia’s teacup.

Outside, Kelly twisted and writhed on the ground like a wounded animal. It took her ages to climb to her feet, and when she finally reached her car, she was shaking so hard she could barely drive away.

Jackson stood at the window, watching through the thin curtain as Kelly’s car disappeared down the driveway.

“That’s it? You’re just letting her go?” he asked.

“If you only punish someone halfway, all you do is make them feel bolder.”

Marian, refilling Patricia’s teapot, looked up. “You don’t get it. Miss wants to push her, let her get desperate enough to actually make a move.”

Patricia’s eyes, still smiling, landed on Marian.

Marian grinned sheepishly, taking a wild guess. “We’re leaving soon, right? But knowing you, Miss, there’s no way you’re just letting this go. If you’re not striking back now, you must have something bigger planned. You want both the Newtons and the Martins to suffer while you’re gone—make sure they never forget Patricia was here. Isn’t that right?”