Always Into You

Whiskey and Whiskey - Chapter 16

Christopher's POV

I had been looking for Tanya for three months.

And I still hadn’t found her.

I wasn’t used to losing. I wasn’t used to wanting something so badly and not having the means to get it. But Tanya? She had disappeared like a ghost, slipping through the cracks of my influence, my money, my power.

I had people searching for her. Private investigators. Journalists. Even old contacts I hadn’t spoken to in years.

Nothing.

It was as if the moment my mother had fired her, Tanya had taken her whole existence and locked it away somewhere I couldn’t reach.

And I hated it.

I didn’t know what I would do if I found her. I didn’t even know what I wanted from her. An explanation? A second chance? A fight?

All I knew was that the memory of her haunted me like a curse I couldn't shake.

Her laughter still echoed in my mind. The way her eyes burned with defiance when she challenged me. The way she had made me feel like I wasn’t just Christopher Hightower, heir to an empire, but just... a man.

And now, I had nothing but the ghost of her.

Until tonight.

I was in a bar on the quieter side of Manila, the kind of place where no one asked questions and people nursed their drinks in peace. I wasn’t expecting anything, just another night drowning in my own frustration.

Then I saw him.

Maico.

Tanya’s bodyguard, or whatever the hell he was to her now.

He was leaning against the bar, drink in hand, looking as if he belonged there.

I felt my jaw clench. If he was here, then maybe… maybe she was close.

I didn’t think. I just moved.

Maico noticed me the second I got close. His expression shifted instantly from relaxed to something sharper.

“Hightower.” His voice was neutral, but there was an edge beneath it.

“Maico.” I slid onto the barstool next to him, ordering a drink without taking my eyes off him. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Didn’t expect to see you either. But I guess we can’t have it all.”

I studied him. There was something different about him. He wasn’t just Tanya’s quiet protector anymore there was something heavier in his eyes. A weight that hadn’t been there before.

I took a sip of my drink. “You know why I’m here.”

He exhaled through his nose, tilting his glass slightly. “You’re looking for her.”

I didn’t deny it.

“She doesn’t want to be found, Hightower.” His tone was casual, but there was something final in it. “So do yourself a favor and stop trying.”

A bitter smirk tugged at my lips. “And let me guess you’re the one making sure she stays hidden?”

Maico didn’t answer right away. Instead, he swirled the whiskey in his glass, like he was weighing his words carefully.

“I’m the one making sure she’s okay,” he said finally.

My grip tightened around my glass. “And is she?”

“She’s better.” He shot me a sideways glance. “Better than the mess you left behind.”

The words stung more than they should have. I knew I had hurt Tanya, but hearing it confirmed by someone else made it worse.

I swallowed the frustration rising in my chest. “I didn’t want her to get hurt.”

“But she did,” Maico said simply. “And whether you meant to or not, you were part of the reason why.”

I closed my eyes briefly, exhaling.

I had replayed that day over and over in my head the moment my mother had fired Tanya, i saw the memo but i don't have the courage to stop my mother i thought she was just scaring me.

And I hadn’t.

I had just let my mother fire her.

Like a coward.

“She still thinks about you, you know.”

Maico’s words pulled me back. I turned to him, my heart stopping for a fraction of a second.

“She does?” I asked carefully.

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah. And trust me, I hate it.”

I narrowed my eyes. There was something in the way he said it… something too personal.

“You care about her,” I said. It wasn’t a question.

Maico’s jaw tightened. “Of course, I do.”

I studied him, and suddenly, it clicked.

He liked her.

No.. he wanted her.

And I didn’t know why that realization made something burn in my chest.

“How long?” I asked, my voice quieter now.

Maico didn’t look at me. “Does it matter?”

It shouldn’t.

But it did.

I took another sip of my drink, letting the silence stretch between us.

Finally, I spoke.

“If she still thinks about me,” I said slowly, “then I’m not done looking.”

Maico let out a low sigh, rubbing his temple. “Of course you’re not.” He downed the rest of his drink, then turned to me with something almost pitying in his expression. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“She’s happy now.” His voice was firmer this time. “She laughs. She enjoys life again. And yeah, maybe she still thinks about you, but that doesn’t mean she needs you anymore.”

The words felt like a punch to the gut.

I didn’t answer right away.

Instead, I turned to the bartender, signaling for another drink.

“She deserves more than what happened to her,” I said finally. “And I won’t stop until I fix it.”

Maico let out a humorless chuckle. “Fix it?” He shook his head. “You think you can just walk back into her life and make everything right?”

I clenched my jaw. “I have to try.”

For the first time, Maico looked at me like he actually pitied me.

And for the first time, I hated the way it made me feel.

“You know,” he said, standing up, tossing a few bills on the counter, “for a guy with all the money and power in the world, you really don’t know a damn thing about love, do you?”

I didn’t answer.

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Do yourself a favor, Hightower. Let her go.”

And with that, Maico walked away, leaving me alone with my drink.

But he was very wrong.

I couldn’t let her go.

Not now.

Not ever.

Never.... Never!