You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 523

If she’d just been someone from the bottom, it wouldn’t have mattered. She could’ve made a scene and moved on. The real trouble was the business ties between their families. One wrong move and she’d be labeled for good. Getting back up would be almost impossible.

Dinner started off lively, but the mood fizzled out fast.

That night, Ruby came home to an empty house. No Tina, no Emerson. Just her grandma, sitting on the couch with a bowl of soup, trying to cool off from the summer heat.

As soon as Ruby walked in, her grandma called her over, clearly wanting to chat.

Ruby wasn’t really in the mood. She answered here and there, eyes glued to her phone.

Her grandma suddenly snapped, “Your parents are never home anymore, and now you just bury your face in your phone the second you walk in. How is this any different from when I was back in Blue Ridge?”

Ruby looked up, a little caught off guard. “Grandma, everyone’s just busy. Mom and Dad’s company is in trouble—they’re basically living at the office. My company’s just getting off the ground, so I have to socialize and network all the time. Seriously, can’t you smell the smoke and alcohol? I feel like I’ve been soaking in it.”

She handed her phone over. “Look, I’m working while keeping you company. I haven’t even complained.”

Her grandma’s face tightened. She’d been home almost a month, but after that first week, the four of them hadn’t had a single dinner together. She couldn’t help feeling left out. It stung. Still, there was nothing wrong with what Ruby said. Not a word she could argue with.

“So what’s going on with your parents’ company?” her grandma asked.

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t get it,” Ruby said, already distracted. She couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver and needed to find out who he really was. Plus, she had to check if their companies had any kind of business connection.

“I’m heading upstairs.”

...

“Still awake?”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify