You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 894

Chelsea snatched the book right out of his hands, popped open a drawer, and tossed it in. “What are you even looking at?”

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. “Weird question. You left it out in the open, didn’t you? I can’t be the first person who’s picked it up.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not for you,” she shot back.

Jackson just shrugged, unbothered. “Sure. Whatever you say. But you still haven’t answered me.”

She frowned. “Answered what?”

“What if it doesn’t work out? I’ll have to move all my stuff back in here.”

“It will work,” Jackson said, sounding absolutely sure of himself. Like, no room for doubt, no second-guessing. He meant it. He knew Hector’s type better than anyone. The guy talked about being casual, but his actions screamed possessive boyfriend. Jackson had seen it all before. The guy was a walking contradiction, pretending he didn’t care but acting like he did.

Chelsea eyed him, skeptical. “How can you be so sure?”

Jackson grinned. “I’m the strategist here, remember? Professional, military-grade strategist.”

Chelsea just stared at him for a moment, completely speechless.

By Monday, the empty half of the R&D office was filled up. Chelsea and her team moved in, just like they’d planned. From the moment they settled in, the Pacific Capital office gossip started buzzing nonstop. The group chats were full of excitement and curiosity.

Hector felt personally attacked by every single message. Ever since that night at Chelsea’s place, things had been weird. They hadn’t seen each other since. For a while, she wouldn’t even answer his messages. Now, she replied to everything, but every answer was a polite rejection. It was almost funny how frustrating it was.

His phone buzzed again and again, new messages piling up in the group chat. There was a photo of Chelsea. Her long hair was pulled up in a loose bun, probably still soft from washing it the night before. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, wearing a pair of coveralls, her laptop balanced on her knees. The guy next to her was studying some equipment. She was completely focused on her computer, eyes fixed on the test data. It was the most ordinary, boring work scene. But somehow, even in a simple photo, he could see it. Admiration. Maybe even a little bit of love.

The camera never lies. Whoever took that photo definitely admired her. And he was sure it was a guy behind the lens. Everyone in the R&D department was smart. Some of them loved women for their brains. Some just cared about looks. Chelsea ticked both boxes. She wasn’t even doing anything special. She just glowed with intelligence, no matter what.

“Is this the Ms. Lawrence you mentioned?” the vice president messaged, clearly having caught wind of the gossip too.

The VP wasn’t from Hector’s or Oliver’s generation. He was in his fifties, a top graduate from a prestigious university, someone Oliver had worked hard to recruit from a foreign company. The man looked good for his age, stayed fit, and had this mature, confident vibe. He was the type who always drew attention, especially when they traveled together for work.