You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 831

“I’m kind of tired. I think I want to go home.”

Patricia’s voice was soft as she sat curled up in the lounge, her fingers lightly holding onto his suit jacket.

Mr. Padilla reached for her hand, his thumb tracing slow circles in her palm. “There’s still the second half of the party. Should I have Sara take you home?”

“Is that alright? Won’t Sara want to stay and have fun?”

“She’ll get it.” Sara could be a handful, but she wasn’t completely reckless. He would never let Patricia go home alone anyway. Someone from the family had to make sure she got home safe.

Patricia nodded, her voice even quieter. “What about you?”

“I’ll be home late,” Mr. Padilla said, pulling her gently into his arms. “Golden Bay is all about nightlife. The first part of these parties is just a warm-up. The real business happens later, once we’re on the yacht. It’s more private there, just a few of us, and that’s when people really talk.”

Oliver leaned back a little, looking down at her with a soft smile. “Go home and get some rest. Don’t wait up for me.”

Patricia nodded again. There was a time when she could have kept up, gone from one party to the next without missing a beat. These days, she was lucky if she didn’t start yawning before midnight. If she pushed herself too hard, she usually ended up sick.

On the way home, Sara started talking about Gilbert, her voice teasing. “That guy’s from across the bay. He’s actually pretty interesting.”

“I heard he got engaged to some rich girl from Riverdale not long ago. Poor thing, whoever she is.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Uncle Oliver really knows how to take care of people.”

She grinned, adding, “But only Aunt Patricia. If it were me, he’d probably tell me to get lost.”

“Have you forgotten all the trouble you’ve caused?” Lydia said, giving her a look that made Sara fall quiet.

Sara just huffed, pretending not to hear.

That night, Patricia went to bed not long after getting home. Oliver didn’t come back until almost sunrise and crashed in the guest room so he wouldn’t wake her. When Patricia woke up and found the bed empty, she felt a little lost for a moment. She hugged her blanket, sat there until she was fully awake, then finally got up to start her day.