You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 807

Oliver was trouble, plain and simple.

No matter how the entertainment reporters tried to paint him as some kind of hero, he just smiled at their stories, never confirming a thing. Tonight was no different. He pressed the toe of his expensive leather shoe against the man’s hand, grinding down slowly, like he was snuffing out a cigarette he didn’t care about.

The man’s eyes went wide with pain. His mouth hung open, desperate for a scream that didn’t come. His face twisted and he jerked on the ground, looking for all the world like a fish tossed onto dry land, flailing for breath.

“He had the nerve to plan this, and you actually showed up?” Oliver’s voice stayed light, almost as if they were just chatting on a quiet night. “You’ve got guts, kid.”

If you listened closely, his tone was warmer than the icy night outside, but there was something in it—something that made the cold feel even sharper.

“So, what else did he tell you to do?”

Someone had gone through all this trouble to sneak a man into Cloud Peak, hiding him for ages, only to finally act when the Padilla family’s old man was about to pass away. Clearly, someone wanted to challenge Jaxon for the top spot.

Lately, rumors had been flying around Golden Bay. It all started when the family doctor got drunk and started running his mouth at dinner, boasting that the old man wouldn’t last through the winter. The wrong person overheard, and that tidbit ended up sold to a rival.

The families of Golden Bay had always kept things civil, at least on the surface. Nobody ever wanted to break the peace for real. But after that, even the fake smiles disappeared. People started whispering that the old man would make sure Jaxon climbed to the top before he died.

Suddenly, all the attention turned to the Padilla family.

Jaxon had been flying to Riverdale nonstop, mostly because his trusted guys had been set up. Someone was trying to weaken him, looking for any excuse to drag him down.

The man on the floor didn’t answer. Pain had swallowed him whole. He didn’t have the strength left to talk.

Aiden waited, then lost his patience. He grabbed the man’s hair and yanked his head up, forcing his eyes open. “Can’t you hear me?”

The man fought for air, using what little breath he had left. “Just kill me. Please… kill me…”

He didn’t deserve an easy death, not after targeting their miss.

If Oliver ever lost his temper for real, not even the most powerful families in the city would be safe.

Back at the main house at Cloud Peak, Johns took Oliver’s coat. He caught a whiff of blood but didn’t even blink. “Want this dry-cleaned tonight?”

“Yes. Make sure it’s spotless.”

That night, all the night staff were sent to bed early. Only Johns stayed up to keep watch.

He didn’t usually have to do this himself, but when things got serious, it was always him.