You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 146

A girl in her early twenties is like a peony in full bloom—so lovely you almost want to steal her away for yourself.

Nina had her arms looped around Theo’s neck, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. They drifted into talk about the party that night. “I saw Grandma sitting with Patricia for ages. It didn’t look like a happy conversation.”

Theo froze for a second at the mention of Patricia. “Tonight?”

“Yeah,” Nina answered, all innocence.

“I also heard the media say Ruby and Patricia had a fight. Looks like Ruby might have actually hurt her.”

“Just tell me these things, okay? Don’t let it get out,” Theo reminded her, gentle but firm.

Nina nodded, keeping her eyes down. She knew exactly what he meant—he was mostly worried about Ruby’s reputation. Still, it just made her want to pull Theo a little closer, to have him all to herself.

“Come on,” Theo said, running his hand through her hair, his voice soft and warm. “Let’s eat first.”

…

The night air at Cloud Peak was chilly. Patricia pulled Oliver’s jacket tighter around her shoulders, hand covering her mouth as she slipped quietly into the villa.

She’d barely stepped into the hall when Sara appeared from the dining room, holding a glass of fruit wine.

Sara blinked in surprise. “Aunt Patricia, why are you covering your mouth?”

“I… have a toothache. Ate something too spicy, I think,” Patricia said, dodging the question.

“Oh,” Sara replied, but her eyes landed on the men’s jacket draped over Patricia’s shoulders. “Did you and Uncle Oliver come back together?”

Patricia nodded. “Yeah, ran into him on the way.”

Sara’s eyes went wide. “What are the odds? He was supposed to be at a wine tasting on the east side, and you were at a party downtown, right?”

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