You Looked Down on Me Once, Now You Look Up. novel Chapter 553

“You could’ve just told me over the phone, you know.”

“Not even a quick step outside, Sara? Mr. Lantz looked up at her.”

Out front of the police station, a black business car rolled its window down, revealing half of Patricia’s pale face.

Through the glass, Taylor caught her eye.

Brandon let out a quiet sigh and turned his back to Patricia. “Mrs. Padilla, if you’ve got something to say, just call me. The Emerson case is basically wrapped up. We don’t need any more contact.”

Patricia froze for a second, thrown off.

She held her phone, peering through the dark window at the man standing under the lights at the entrance.

After a long pause, she gave a small, almost mocking smile. “You’re right, it’s better to keep things professional. Well, good luck, Mr. Lantz. Maybe this case will get you that promotion.”

“There will still be ties between us.”

He clearly didn’t want to see her.

She wasn’t about to push it.

Besides, Brandon was still valuable to her plans.

Just like Jackson said, Brandon wouldn’t meet with her.

And he didn’t.

“Told you he wouldn’t see you,” Jackson said, sounding like he expected it all along.

Patricia asked, “Why?”

“Just a gut feeling. Brandon’s too straight-laced, too by-the-book. He doesn’t want to get mixed up with anyone questionable. In his eyes, you’re not the worst, but you’re definitely not innocent.”

“Especially after you used Mr. Padilla to get Emerson off your back. He automatically put you in the ‘powerful people’ category.”

“And honestly, it makes sense. Regular people always have some resentment toward the rich and powerful. Brandon especially. When I was digging into him, the director at his old orphanage told me some of his story. His family used to be pretty well-off. His dad was a secretary for some big shot, but then something happened—he couldn’t handle the pressure and jumped. After that, his mom just couldn’t cope either. She took her own life. The whole family just fell apart.”

“Who was this big shot?” Patricia asked.

Jackson pulled out his phone, searched the name, and handed it over.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify