You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 354

The driver slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a sharp stop. He unbuckled his seatbelt, swung the door open, got out, yanked open the back door, and dragged Theo out by the collar, hauling him into a deserted corner.

What followed was brutal—swift, ruthless, not a word exchanged. Just fists and kicks, anger unleashed without any wasted breath. Every move was cold, efficient, and final—he didn’t stop until Theo was a crumpled mess on the ground.

Not far away, inside a sleek black Bentley, Hector watched from the passenger seat, chin propped on his hand. He shook his head, a half-smile flickering across his lips. “That’s Mr. Padilla for you. No one does payback like that. He really knows how to train his men.”

He glanced at the alley, sighing. “Poor Theo. Talk about bad luck—wrong place, wrong time. Worse yet, Oliver had a fight with his wife tonight, and half of it was my fault. No wonder he needed to let off some steam.”

Theo’s screams echoed down the alley, but nobody dared get close. When it was over, the bodyguard dusted off his hands, looked down at Theo sprawled on the ground, then walked out to the onlookers who’d gathered but kept their distance. “Sorry you had to see that, folks. This jerk cheated on my sister.”

A woman pulled her husband back by the arm. “Let him take it! Don’t call the cops—he deserved it.”

The bodyguard nodded, grateful. “Thank you, ma’am. Couldn’t agree more.”

Hector, satisfied, rolled up the car window. “Alright, let’s go.”

---

Cloud Peak.

Patricia stood in the living room, letting out a long, tired sigh. She raked her fingers through her hair, frustration simmering.

Oliver was a good guy—she knew that. But she couldn’t help her own worries, the doubts that crept in when she least expected.

Her phone rang. Chelsea’s voice burst through, bright and excited. “I’m finally on break! When are we going to Grandma’s?”

“I still have some stuff to handle. I’m heading to Blue Ridge tomorrow.”

“I’ll come! I’m bored anyway. What’s in Blue Ridge?”

“My grandma’s there.”

There was the sound of a keypad clicking as Chelsea let herself in somewhere. She paused, then asked, “Wait, your crazy grandma?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m coming. We can face her together.”

Patricia hummed in response, not really feeling up for a chat.

Chelsea caught on right away. “What’s wrong? You sound off. Did I ruin your mood just by being on vacation?”

“It’s not that. Just… what do you think my dad would do if he found out I married Oliver?”

“You’ll be fine. Oliver, though? He’s definitely getting a beating. Come on—you took care of him so well, you ended up married. That’s the kind of thing they write epic romance novels about. With my dad’s temper, Oliver’s lucky if he walks away.”

Patricia sighed. “His family’s kind of a big deal, too.”

Chelsea didn’t care. “So what? He’s still just my dad’s son-in-law now. He could’ve stayed an equal, but he chose to be the junior. I’ve never seen anyone volunteer for that.”

Patricia let out another sigh.

Chelsea was quick. “Let me guess—he wants to make things official?”

“Something like that.”

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