Chapter 14
There was no way Patricia believed Joseph had dropped by just to chat. If he was here, it had to be because of Nina.
The elevator climbed steadily, gliding past the floor where she usually did her rehab without even slowing down. They were heading straight for the top.
Sitting in her wheelchair, Patricia stayed perfectly calm. She didn’t flinch or fidget, just met Joseph’s eyes in the reflection of the elevator wall, silently taking in his sharp, good–looking features.
Joseph had always been protective of his sister. Their parents were career–driven, too busy to care much for their two kids, so Joseph and Nina grew up more with nannies than family. They were close in age–no surprise they became each other’s entire world.”
“You’re not even a little bit nervous, are you?” Joseph said, breaking the silence.
Patricia smoothed the blanket over her knees and replied quietly, “Should I be? Are you gonna kill me?”
“Are you sure I wouldn’t?” Joseph raised an eyebrow, almost amused. He didn’t really know Patricia. Back in school, he’d just thought she was pretty–a mix of fierce and gentle. Later, he’d heard about her parents‘ deaths, that her grandmother’s family took her in, and then she went overseas. Almost ten years had passed before they ran into each other again at his best friend Oliver’s wedding.
Today was the first time they’d seen each other since Oliver got married, and that had been two years ago.
“You would. But you are scared.” Patricia added.
The elevator doors slid open. Joseph ignored her, pushing her wheelchair straight out onto the rooftop.
“Whether I’d do it or not doesn’t matter,” he said, stomping on the brake to lock her in place. “Patricia, leave my sister out of this.”
“Your sister?” Patricia asked, feigning innocence.}]
Joseph smirked, his smile cold. “Come on. You’re too smart to pretend you don’t know who I mean.”
“Why not just say it, Mr. Miller?“0
He let out a low laugh, then started wheeling her closer to the edge of the rooftop.
They were thirty–one stories up. If you fell from here, even steel would be smashed to pieces.
The wind whipped across the rooftop, tugging at her blanket. Patricia calmly pressed it down.§
“Whatever’s going on between you and Oliver, that’s between you two. Don’t drag my sister into it. If it wasn’t Nina, it would just be someone else. Your marriage problems aren’t her fault,” Joseph said.
So that was it. He was here to defend his sister.
Patricia played along. “So if it’s going to be someone, might as well be your sister, right?
“Let’s be real, the Miller family’s been losing influence lately, and the Newtons are on the rise. You need their support. But tell me, Mr. Miller, how is this any different from selling your sister?”
Bang!
The wheelchair hit the railing hard, sending pain shooting up Patricia’s legs. Joseph didn’t let go of the handles.
Her face went a little pale, Wasn’t this just a threat??
“Why do you have to make things so ugly?” Joseph’s voice sounded light, almost lazy, right above her head. “If you piss me off, I might just push you over the edge.“7
“Oh, picking on a disabled girl, Mr. Miller?” she shot back.!
“Even if you killed me, do you really think you’d get away with it? Oliver wouldn’t cover for you. The Parsons family would never let it slide.X
“More friends mean more options. There’s no need to make things worse,” Patricia replied, her tone calm, still trying to reason with him.
Joseph couldn’t help but admire her composure. Too bad, he thought, that she was stuck in this chair.
“Some people hog what they don’t want, so others just take what isn’t theirs. If you’re going to gamble on love, you’d better be ready to love, Ms. Martin. You know how it works “1⁄2
“Take what’s not theirs? Patricia laughed. “You’re saying that to the wrong person. I’m not even the one he really loves. He’s got his heart set on someone else”
