RUINED by YOU

Chapter 4 -Thirty is NOT old-

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"Dude..." Ryan said, his voice casual but laced with mischief as he strolled into Knox’s office like he owned the place.

"Aren’t you planning on settling down anytime soon? You’re thirty, man. Thirty. You’ve got a literal army of women lining up, hoping to be the next Mrs. Montenegro, and here you are still single, still emotionally constipated, and still pretending that love is some kind of corporate liability."

Knox didn’t even look up. His eyes were glued to the stack of documents on his desk, brows furrowed, pen tapping lightly against the polished mahogany surface. He flipped a page with surgical precision, ignoring Ryan entirely.

Ryan smirked, walking over to the desk and rubbing a thumb across the sleek, gold-trimmed CEO nameplate that read Knox Andrew Montenegro.

"Big man in the big chair." He teased.

"Still allergic to commitment, though."

Just then, Nick stepped in... the third member of their unholy trio. He leaned lazily against the wall, arms crossed, watching Knox with an amused expression.

"He needs an heir," Nick said bluntly, eyes gleaming with the same intention Ryan had. "Since your parents died, all you’ve done is drown yourself in business deals, acquisitions, and late-night boardroom wars. Maybe it’s time you considered, I don’t know... actually building something personal. Like a family."

"An heir." Ryan repeated with a chuckle.

"Not just a trophy wife. Someone to carry the Montenegro legacy. Your name is more than a brand, it’s a damn empire. And empires need successors."

Knox finally set the paper down. He sat back in his chair slowly, staring at both of them with a look that was equal parts boredom and thinly veiled annoyance. He steepled his fingers under his chin, his jaw tight, expression unreadable.

"I’m not interested in a serious relationship," he said coolly, voice low and firm like steel wrapped in velvet.

"I’m not out here searching for some woman to play dress-up in my last name. I get what I need. They get what they want. It’s a fair transaction. The bedroom is where it begins and ends." Knox said.

Ryan barked a laugh. "God, you sound like a contract clause. ‘The bedroom is where it begins and ends.’ Is that printed on your business cards now?"

Nick shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "We’re not saying you should fall in love and start writing sonnets. But damn, man... don’t you ever get tired of waking up next to women whose names you forget before breakfast?"

Knox’s lips curved into a sharp, cynical smile. "Nope."

"You’re a machine," Ryan muttered, flopping onto the couch like he lived there.

"I’m convinced your heart was swapped with a block of marble sometime after high school."

Knox didn’t deny it. He simply went back to his documents, flipping another page with that same surgical calm.

"Love makes people stupid. Sloppy. Weak. You think I got this far by letting someone crawl under my skin? No thanks." Knox said. Then, Nick raised a brow.

"So what, you just... sleep with them, kick them out, and move on?"

"They know the rules," Knox replied. "I don’t lie. I don’t lead anyone on. They want a night, or maybe a weekend with Knox Montenegro, they get it. I give them pleasure they’ll never forget. I make them scream. I leave them wrecked. But I never promise more than that."

There was silence for a beat, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. Then Ryan whistled low.

"Damn. And here I thought I was the cold one."

Knox looked up again, this time with a more amused smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "I don’t do attachments. Attachments become distractions. And distractions get in the way of what matters."

Nick walked toward the bar in the corner of the room, pouring himself a drink. "And what exactly does matter to you, Knox?"

Knox’s eyes darkened, but his voice was calm. "Control. Legacy. Power."

Ryan and Nick exchanged a look.

"Dude," Ryan said again, shaking his head. "You really need to get laid, like, laid... by someone who’ll mess up that pretty little emotional fortress you’ve got going on."

Knox chuckled quietly to himself, a low sound that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I get laid all the time, Ryan."

"Yeah, but you’ve never been undone," Nick said, sipping his drink. "Never met a woman who made you lose your mind. That’s the difference."

Knox said nothing. He just looked out the window of his skyscraper office, watching the city below... Manila glowing with possibilities he refused to chase.

He didn’t believe in love. But lust? Lust he could control. And he intended to keep it that way.

Knox leaned back in his leather chair, the city skyline casting gold and steel reflections across his office walls. He didn’t even bother hiding the irritation tugging at the corner of his lips as he tossed a folder on the desk and turned his gaze toward his two so-called best friends, who had apparently made it their personal mission to turn his life into a matchmaking circus.

"Seriously?" He said, voice dry as sandpaper. "Just mind your own damn business, will you? You two are like old women in a gossip corner."

Ryan raised a brow, clearly unbothered by Knox’s usual cold front. Nick crossed his arms, not about to back down either. Knox continued, shaking his head with a half-smirk.

"And let me just say something real quick for the record, thirty is not old. Not even close to old. I’m in my prime. I’ve got a billion-dollar empire, I’m healthy, I’m sharp, and I wake up every morning not needing to answer to anyone. That, gentlemen, is freedom."

He pushed back in his chair, exhaling through his nose. "Look at me... really look. I’m content with where I am. I don’t need a woman constantly checking where I am, what I’m doing, who I’m doing it with. I don’t need anyone sticking their nose into my damn collar like she owns me. I’m not some puppy to leash."

Nick let out a frustrated breath, his concern etched in the frown lines across his forehead. "I wasn’t trying to start a fight, man. I’m saying this because I care. We love you, Knox. You’re our brother. We’ve seen you at your best... and your worst. All we want is to see you happy. You deserve that, even if you don’t think ypu do."

Knox let out a low chuckle, deep, sarcastic, and laced with irony. Nick narrowed his eyes, then grabbed the pen from the edge of the desk and whipped it at Knox with perfect aim, bouncing it right off his chest.

"Bastard!" Nick snapped, half-laughing, half-serious. "Don’t laugh at me when I’m trying to be sentimental, you emotionally stunted machine!"

Ryan exploded with laughter, practically doubling over on the couch. "You’ve got to admit, Nick, you walked right into that one."

Knox laughed too... deep and rich this time. The kind of laugh that didn’t come often, but when it did, it was real. Unfiltered.

Nick grumbled under his breath but was grinning too. “You know what? Screw it. I’m arranging a blind date for you.”

That shut Knox up real fast. His head turned slowly toward Nick, brows raised in warning.

"You going to do what?"

"I said I’m setting you up. You need a little chaos in your schedule."

Knox narrowed his eyes like Nick had just suggested sacrificing a goat in the boardroom. "Absolutely not."

"Come on....."

"No. Thank you." Knox said, voice flat and final. That was the tone, the tone he used in board meetings when rejecting billion-dollar deals without blinking.

"I don’t need a woman introduced to me like some desperate business pitch. My time is valuable. And more importantly... I don’t date."

Nick opened his mouth, but Knox held up a hand. "No negotiation. No blind dates. No accidental setups at brunch. Nada."

Ryan raised his brows. "He’s dead serious, bro. You’re more likely to catch him walking barefoot on a beach in Boracay singing karaoke than agreeing to a blind date."

Knox scoffed. "Exactly."

Nick threw his hands up. "Fine. No blind dates. But one of these days, you’re gonna meet a woman who won’t care about your money, your cold attitude, or your reputation. She’s gonna wreck all your rules, walk straight through that concrete wall you built around your heart, and when she does? I’ll be right here saying I told you so."

Knox gave him a tight, amused smirk. “When hell freezes over.”

Ryan grinned. "So... next week, then?"

They all laughed, Knox included. But deep down, something about Nick’s words hit a place he didn’t like to acknowledge.

Because what if... just what if, they were right?

But for now, Knox shoved that thought away. He had businesses to run. Deals to close. Bodies to enjoy... no strings attached.

Love? That was for weaker men.

And Knox Montenegro was anything but weak.