You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 97

Ruby still hadn't recovered from last night.

Then, just like that, another blow hit her.

Theo had resigned as CEO of Newton Enterprises, and he was gone. Disappeared, without a trace or even a whisper in the news.

She’d come charging back, ready to fight for true love—only for true love to walk right out of her life.

Overnight, Ruby had become Riverdale’s biggest punchline.

That morning, she sat numbly on the couch, staring into space, completely shell-shocked.

“What happened last night? Why would Theo just up and leave Riverdale?” Tina’s voice was sharp and anxious.

With Theo gone, Howard was stepping in to take over Riverdale’s affairs. If their family wanted to get anything out of this, it’d be a miracle now.

Ruby gave Tina the short version of what had happened.

Tina stood at the foot of the bed, silent, her grip on her phone so tight her knuckles went white.

“If Theo stayed, everyone would keep calling him a heartless jerk. Hiding away for a couple of years, letting people forget… maybe that’s his only chance.” Tina sighed.

Leaving was probably good for Theo. For them—the ones hoping to cash in—it was a disaster.

Ruby had lost, and lost badly.

She spent ages sulking, asking everywhere she could think of about Theo’s whereabouts, but every trail was locked down tight.

The Newtons wanted nothing to do with the Martins anymore, and they definitely weren’t about to give her any information.

And then two years slipped by.

Not a single word.

—

Two Years Later

“If I were you, I’d be too embarrassed to even show my face.”

A year ago, Ruby had joined the company, working under Emerson.

She was now deputy director in the planning department—finally putting all those years abroad to use. In the last year, she’d pulled off a ton of big and small events, building herself a solid reputation.

Six months ago, she ran a huge cross-century project in partnership with Riverdale’s official media—it was a smash hit.

She’d finally made a name for herself in Riverdale.

For a while, she even thought she’d reached the top.

The elevator doors slid open. Chelsea strode out, brushing past Ruby with a bump of the shoulder, her whole presence screaming superiority. To her, Ruby was nothing but an insect.

“Mr. Martin, is everything alright?”

Victor, her assistant, was waiting for her downstairs. He looked a little confused when she didn’t step out of the elevator right away.