You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 790

“Yes, he doesn’t really trust anyone else. With Miss Martin pregnant and all this happening, Mr. Padilla must feel pretty guilty,” Marian said quietly, glancing at Maggie and letting out a soft sigh. “Miss...”

Maggie shook her head, telling her to stop.

Oliver wasn’t sleeping deeply. He heard Marian’s footsteps as she left the hospital room and woke up. He lowered his head and rubbed his nose, then looked up to find Maggie sitting across from him, smiling gently.

“Did we wake you?” she asked.

“No. How’s Patricia?”

“She’s asleep. Oliver, I’m here now. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”

Oliver dropped his gaze, unable to hide his disappointment. “Did Patricia ask you to say that?”

“She’s worried about you. You’ve been here the whole time, and you look exhausted. She can tell—she hates seeing you like this.”

Oliver let out a tired laugh. Patricia wouldn’t be uncomfortable. She’d just feel trapped with him around.

Maggie watched him for a moment, then sighed. “Oliver, every couple fights. You two have just hit a rough patch, and with Patricia’s pregnancy being unstable, you can’t force things back together. You have to ease into it, be gentle.”

Maybe she thought he’d start overthinking, so Maggie added, “Don’t worry. Chelsea’s father and I both just want you two to be happy. We know it’s better to fix a marriage than break it.”

Oliver still wanted to stay, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll stay out here, I won’t go in. If Pattie asks, can you tell her I left? Would that be alright?”

Maggie’s heart tightened. She hadn’t expected Oliver to say something like that. She’d known him longer than Patricia had. She’d seen him as a bright, ambitious teenager, watched him push people into corners with just a few words, and even seen him pull a trigger without hesitation.

With the Padilla family behind him, and his own sharp mind and skills, Oliver had always seemed like someone destined to be admired wherever he went. She’d pictured him at the top, maybe even taking Miles’s place someday.

Moss paused, surprised. Was Oliver blocking him from seeing Miss Martin? He picked up on it, so he didn’t push. Standing at the edge of the living room, he gave his report.

Oliver was always a step ahead, sharper and more experienced than Patricia. He listened, his eyes focused.

“Send two people to customs, report issues with their import and export goods, and have them seize the next shipment for inspection.”

Moss hesitated. “But if customs doesn’t find anything, won’t that just tip them off?”

Oliver rubbed his fingers together, then looked at Jackson. “Jackson?”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Padilla. I understand. There will definitely be a problem.”

Playing dirty? That was something Jackson could handle. Sometimes, too much book learning just got in the way.