Always Into You

Sharp edges - Chapter 12

Christopher Hightower’s POV

I didn't know that my mother fired Tanya Brixton, i was on vacation in the bahamas after that incident.

I had seen my mother destroy people before. Ruthless decisions, cold calculations she had built an empire on knowing exactly where to strike. But this? This was different. This wasn’t just business.

This was personal.

The office was empty when I stormed into her suite. Late at night, past business hours. The only sound was the steady ticking of the clock, echoing in the high floor room.

Ambessa Hightower sat behind her desk, composed as ever, skimming through reports like she hadn’t just shattered someone’s life.

She didn’t even look up when she said, “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

I slammed my hand on her desk.Very hard.

She finally met my limit, unimpressed. “Was that supposed to intimidate me?”

My jaw locked. “You had no right.”

Ambessa leaned back in her color black and red chair, folding her hands like she can conquer whole Europe . “Oh, Christopher. Let’s not be so dramatic.”

“Dramatic?” I let out a sharp laugh, but there was nothing funny about this. “You humiliated her. Fired her in front of everyone. Over me.”

“She embarrassed this company. She embarrassed you.”

“She danced,” “That’s it. She didn’t commit a crime. She didn’t burn the building down. She danced. And you decided to make an example of her?”

Ambessa sighed, standing gracefully. “Christopher, you’re thinking emotionally. I’m thinking strategically.”

“No, you’re not. You’re thinking like a control freak who couldn’t stand that I had one moment outside of your perfectly crafted story.”

Her expression didn’t change, but I saw it the flicker of irritation.

“Are you truly this upset over a nobody woman you barely know?”

She knew.

Of course she did.

She always knew.

I kept my voice steady. “I’m upset because what you did was cruel.”

Ambessa’s lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but something close. “And yet, you didn’t stop me.”

I clenched my fists.

She was right.

I had just let my mother fireTanya. I had watched her break in real time, watched the light in her eyes dim as she realized what was happening.

And I had done nothing.

Ambessa circled the desk slowly. “You’re a Hightower, Christopher my son. Do you understand what that means?”

“Yeah.” I met her gaze. “It means doing whatever it takes to stay on top. Even if it means ruining people’s lives.”

She tsked, shaking her head. “No. It means understanding that people like Tanya Brixton are temporary.”

I stiffened.

She continued, “You can enjoy them, indulge them, even be amused by them. But you do not let them become more than that.”

I stared at her, my pulse pounding. “You’re wrong.”

“Am I?”

My silence was answer enough.

Ambessa exhaled, looking almost disappointed. “Christopher, I raised you better than this. Do not let yourself be distracted by..”

“She’s not a distraction.”

My mother paused.

I hadn’t meant to say it like that. So forcefully. So sure.

But I was sure.

I turned, heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked, bored.

“To fix what you broke.”

She let out a quiet chuckle. “And how do you plan to do that? She’s already gone.”

I glanced over my shoulder. “Then I’ll find her.”

And I did.

Or at least, I tried.

It should have been easy.

I had power, money, and influence. If I wanted something, I got it. That was how the world worked.

So why couldn’t I find Tanya Brixton?

I started with the obvious her old apartment. Empty. No sign of her. It looked like she hadn’t been there in days.

Her favorite places? Nothing.

Old friends? Either they didn’t know where she was, or they weren’t telling me.

Joanna? Gone. Out of the country.

my investigator texted me that there is one man who i need to talk to

That left Maico.

I found him at a bar, nursing a drink like he had all the patience in the world. He didn’t even look surprised when I walked into the seat across from him.

“You’ve got some nerve,” he said, swirling his glass.

“I don’t have time for this.” My voice was clipped. “Where is she?”

Maico smirked. “Why? So you can break her more than you already have?”

Something sharp lodged in my chest. “I need to talk to her.”

“She doesn’t want to see you.”

I gritted my teeth. “Let her tell me that.”

He tilted his head, studying me. Then, he leaned forward, his tone quieter but no less sharp. “Tell me something, Christopher. Do you actually care about Tanya, or is she just another one of your guilty pleasures?”

I didn’t hesitate.

“I care.”

Maico’s smirk faded slightly.

I pressed on. “I don’t care what she thinks right now. I don’t care if she hates me. I just need to see her.”

Maico sighed, finishing his drink in one smooth motion. Then, he stood.

“She’s not someone you can just find with money and connections, Hightower. If you really want to see her, figure out why she was worth the argument you had with your mother.”

Then he walked away, leaving me with nothing but questions.

And the aching realization that I already knew the answer.