Reckless Billionaire’s Ruthless Claim (Obsessed Billionaires, Cherished Brides #4)

Chapter 9 Jealousy

Jealousy struck him like a violent storm. His eyes locked onto the man’s hands—on Ellie’s waist, touching what was his.

A dangerous fury burned in his chest.

The next second, Sawyer pushed through the crowd, storming onto the dance floor.

Ellie didn’t even realize he was there until his strong hand wrapped around her wrist, yanking her away from the stranger.

"Hey?!" Ellie snapped, trying to yank her wrist out of his grip. "What the hell?"

He wasn’t supposed to be here. She couldn’t understand why he was at this bar. She hadn’t expected him to show up.

He dragged her off the dance floor, pulling her to a quieter area of the bar where the music was less deafening. Then, grabbing her by the waist, he yanked her close, his anger radiating. "What the fuck are you doing at a fucking bar alone? Do you even know that—" He glanced back toward the stage, his eyes seething as he locked onto that damn man. "That bastard’s hands were all over you?"

"Yes, obviously," Ellie snapped back, her voice dripping with annoyance. "I felt them. And I touched his abs. I was enjoying it, until you barged in and ruined it." She exhaled, frustrated.

Sawyer’s face darkened, already angered to the point of breaking. He grabbed her chin and forced her to face him, lifting her gaze to meet his.

"It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you asked me for a break up, and you're already hooking up with other men?" he growled, his voice seething. "Is it that you can’t stay away from men, or are you really that greedy that you'll dance with anyone just because he looks rich?"

Ellie remained unbothered, her face cold and calculating. The words stung, but she refused to show it. Instead, she looked at him with a cold smirk, her voice laced with disdain. "Yes, I will. So what? Do you want to take his place instead? How much are you going to offer me this time, Mr. Stark? What are you going to offer me to stay with you?"

Sawyer’s rage surged. His jaw clenched so tight it looked like it would snap. He opened his mouth to rip into her, but before he could say anything, a soft, girly voice interrupted them.

"Ellie, you’re here too?"

Ellie’s gaze darted behind Sawyer as Olivia’s familiar, annoying voice reached her ears.

Olivia appeared from the crowd, stepping toward them. She wore a tight purple dress with a plunging neckline, her heavy diamond necklace sparkling under the dim lights, adding to her flawless appearance. She fit right in at the expensive, luxurious bar effortlessly.

Olivia’s hand held a drink, and she glided up to Sawyer, standing right next to him. "I thought after taking the check from me this morning, you wouldn't show your face again. I'm surprised to see you here."

Ellie’s fists clenched tightly. 'This self-righteous, sweet poisonous snake is here again, trying to worm her way into my life.' Ellie cursed silently. She didn’t want to engage with Olivia, didn’t want to get caught in another confrontation.

Not wanting to start another fight, Ellie turned to walk away, but before she could take a step, Olivia blocked her path, standing right in front of her with an insufferable smile.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked sweetly, her voice dripping with faux innocence. She suddenly turned to Sawyer, grabbing his arm. "You’ve lived with Sawyer for so long. I know that after getting the check, you must be feeling detached and sad, but I don’t want that. How about having a drink with us? Sawyer and I would be very delighted to have you join us. We would never want you to feel like you aren’t up to our standards.”

Ellie took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "I’m not going to drink with you. We aren’t friends."

Ellie tried to walk past, but Sawyer’s voice halted her.

"I’ll pay you a hundred dollars for every glass of drink, then, Ms. Madden."

Ellie turned to face him. He looked at her with an angry smirk on his face.

"Since you aren’t a friend and we don’t have any relationship, the only relationship you have is with money, right? Then come on, a hundred dollars a drink. Grab a glass."

Ellie’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with fury. She closed them briefly, then gritted out, "You can keep your money. I don’t want it."

She turned to leave, but he barked at her.

"Five hundred dollars."

Olivia’s grip on Sawyer’s arm tightened as she smirked at Ellie, eyes full of smug pride.

"Not enough?" Sawyer quirked a brow. "A thousand dollars for every drink then. Grab a fucking glass, Ms. Madden!"

Ellie could hardly contain the rage building inside her. Everyone around her came from wealthy families, and with Sawyer Stark standing before her, now that he was so determined to keep her here, he wouldn’t let her leave, whether it was with money or force.

Ellie felt humiliated, but she steeled herself and put on an indifferent expression.

"Alright." She shrugged nonchalantly and marched over, snatching a whiskey glass off the bar counter next to him and downing it in a few gulps. By the time she lowered the glass, her eyes stung with tears from the burn in her throat.

She coughed a little, but once she recovered, she met his gaze.

"There."

Sawyer was staring at her, his anger only escalating. Instead of cooling down, his fury seemed to intensify as he glared at Ellie.

"Come here!" Sawyer marched over to her, about to grab her, but Olivia clinked her glass to grab everyone’s attention.

The friends who had come with Sawyer—Ana, Mason, Stella, and Damion—were standing around, watching them. Olivia pulled out a box and opened it, offering a ring to Sawyer.

"Sawyer, please accept it. Be my boyfriend." She looked up at him, her voice sweet, almost pleading.

Sawyer stared at her in shock, his face frozen. It was as though Olivia had slapped him in the face instead of proposing to him.

Ellie’s face went white. She didn’t say a word, but the shock hit her hard. Still, she dropped the glass on the bar counter and made a dash to leave.

But as she walked past Sawyer, his hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. With a clenched jaw and burning eyes, he asked, "Where are you running off to?"

Ellie looked at his grip on her wrist, then glanced at Olivia, who was still standing there with the box in her hand, looking at him with expectant eyes. She turned her gaze back to Sawyer, answering him coldly.

"My boyfriend is here to pick me up. Sorry, I won’t be able to join your celebration."

Ana’s mouth dropped open, and she quickly shuffled closer to Stella. Half-drunk and half out of her mind, she asked in what she thought was a hushed whisper—but really wasn’t in any way,

“What is happening? Am I seeing two Ellies right now?”

Stella glanced at Ana, then turned her head to Mason, who stood on Ana’s other side. She, too, spoke in what she thought was a hushed whisper, but again, it wasn’t.

"Your wife is drunk! Take her home."

“Hush, hush!” Ana slapped Stella’s hand away, then pointed at the trio in front of her. “That one looks almost like Ellie but doesn’t look like Ellie at the same time. I’m so confused.”

"Mace," she called out, blinking rapidly until she realized Mason was standing right next to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer to him. "Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. I don’t want to see two Mace. I only want one."

Stella snickered, covering her face to stifle a laugh. Then she turned to Damion, standing on her other side.

"This is getting way too interesting, isn’t it? Ellie has a new boyfriend now!"

Damion had his hands in his pockets, staring at the scene in front of him. Hearing Stella, he leaned slightly toward her.

"I thought she was going to go mad if Sawyer left her. She loves him madly. I wonder if my prediction is coming true. They broke up yesterday, and today she’s saying she has a boyfriend?"

All four of them exchanged looks of disbelief before turning their gazes back to Ellie and Sawyer. Then, once again, they looked at each other and shook their heads.

There was no possibility in any universe that Ellie could get a boyfriend within just twenty four hours of breaking up with Sawyer. Everyone knew how madly she loved him, so how could she have a new boyfriend so soon?

Either she was lying, or this was an escape mechanism.

Anyhow, grabbing another drink from the bar, they all leaned back shamelessly, eager to see how it would unfold.

“You have a boyfriend?” Sawyer scoffed. “You? Right after leaving me?”

Ellie didn’t answer.

Sawyer let go of her wrist, his scoff growing louder. “Ellie, can’t you even think of a better lie??”

“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” Ellie gritted out.

"Alright then, show me your boyfriend. Where is he? Why am I not seeing him here? Where is your so called fucking boyfriend?"

Ellie turned around, ready to storm off—when she collided with a tall man dressed in all black.

She nearly fell back, but his hand swiftly wrapped around her waist, steadying her and pulling her close. Her head slammed against his chest, firm beneath a simple round-neck T-shirt. He wore jeans and cowboy boots, exuding effortless charm—like a main lead who had just stepped out of a TV show.

Before she could think, Ellie grabbed his hand and turned back to Sawyer.

“Here. This is my boyfriend.”

Sawyer’s gaze flicked between the man and Ellie, before another scoff left his lips. "Ellie, stop lying. I’m not blind. Are you going to grab any random man off the street and declare him your boyfriend? And I’m supposed to believe you?"

Ellie leaned closer to the handsome man, looking up at him. Leaning in, she whispered quickly in his ear, "Cooperate with me, and I’ll give you five hundred dollars."

Then, without waiting for his response, she hugged his arm tighter and shot Sawyer a defiant look.

“As I said, I don’t care if you believe me or not.”

Sawyer’s jaw clenched, his eyes dark.

Sawyer sneered. "You grabbed a passerby and declared him your boyfriend? Just let go of him. He looks like he’s about to push you off himself any minute."

Ellie’s jaw clenched at Sawyer’s words, her eyes flashing with fury. But instead of lashing out, she took a deep breath, forcing a sweet smile onto her lips.

“I don’t care what you think, Sawyer.”

That one line struck him like a whip. He was so used to hearing her call him ‘husband’ that hearing his name—just Sawyer —felt like she had cursed at him.

Without waiting for his response, she turned to the man beside her.

“Thank you for coming to pick me up, baby,” she said, her voice laced with affection. “I’m so happy you came just to take me back home.”

Then, without sparing Sawyer a glance, she arched up on her toes and kissed the man at the corner of his lips. From Sawyer’s angle, however, it looked like a full kiss on the lips.

Sawyer’s face darkened instantly, his jaw tightening as a storm of jealousy crashed through him. His fists clenched at his sides, his entire body stiff with tension. The burning fury in his eyes was sharp and vicious.

He watched as Ellie not only touched the man’s arm but also caressed his face before leaning up and pressing her lips against his. The sight made his blood boil.

The rage radiating from him was so intense that Olivia, standing nearby, felt a chill crawl down her spine. For the first time, she wondered if she had made a mistake by provoking Sawyer against Ellie at this moment. If he was this furious just seeing Ellie with another man, then there was a chance he might end up getting back together with her—ruining Olivia’s plan of discarding Ellie completely out of his life.

Just as she debated quietly slipping away, Sawyer slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Flipping it open, he turned to Olivia with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"You were just proposing to me? What a coincidence. I also got you a gift—one of a kind, personally made just for you."

Ellie, still on her toes from the kiss, slowly lowered back down. Her breath hitched as her gaze landed on the box in his hand.

Her heart stopped. A painful ache spread through her chest, suffocating her.

A baby pink perfume bottle with a black bow cap. The scent coming out of it was unmistakable. It was her scent.

For as long as Ellie had lived with Sawyer, she had told him—over and over again—that this was the perfume of her dreams. She had wished for it, even if just as a birthday gift, or as the last present she ever received in her life. It didn't have to be expensive; even a little, tiny bottle would do, as long as she could wear it once in her life to fulfil her wish. Jasmine and orange scent in a pink bottle.

And now, that very perfume was in front of her eyes.

But the man she had shared her dream with—was offering it to another woman.

Sawyer’s eyes were locked on Olivia, who stared at the bottle with an expression of pure joy, as if she were about to faint from happiness.

Ellie’s fingers instinctively tightened around the arm of the man beside her. She didn't care who he was. All she knew was that she couldn't stand there any longer. Without another glance at Sawyer, she turned and walked away, dragging the man out of the bar with her.

She didn’t look back.

But behind her, a storm brewed.

She was unaware of the burning gaze that followed her—an intense, raging fire that could have reduced everything in its path to ashes.

Sawyer's fists clenched tightly, his jaw locked as he stared at the spot where Ellie had disappeared.

"Sawyer, this perfume is too strong," Olivia whined, scrunching her nose as she took a whiff. "And I don’t like orange scent too. Did you get the wrong bottle? No, the store must have messed up. How about we get a different one?"

She continued pouting, oblivious to the fact that Sawyer hadn't spared her a single glance.

“I don’t really like jasmine either," Olivia continued, oblivious to his simmering rage. "And this pink bottle? It looks outdated and tacky. I’m going to replace it with a blue one. Don’t you think that’ll look prettier?"

"Someone needs to glue her lips shut," Ana said in a sing-song voice, making everyone, including Sawyer, finally turn toward her. She swayed on her feet, shamelessly pointing at Olivia.

Mason didn’t waste a second. He scooped Ana into his arms and made a quick exit, Stella and Damien following closely behind. As soon as they stepped outside, Stella’s screeching laughter echoed into the night.

"Sawyer, are you even listening to me?" Olivia grabbed his arm, shaking him.

Sawyer snapped back to the moment. He turned to Olivia, and the darkness on his face was more than just fury—it was pure, seething jealousy.

The image of her kissing that man torched every cell in his brain, every nerve in his body. His entire being was on fire, raging, seething. The raw emotion was so overwhelming, so unbearable, that he couldn't even begin to describe it.

He needed to see her.

Needed to rip her out of that man's arms.

With a sharp jerk, he pulled away from Olivia. The empty box slipped from his fingers, landing on the floor with a dull thud.

"Here, wear this ring I bought for y—" Olivia offered excitedly.

Her words were cut off as Sawyer turned and walked away, not bothering to listen to the rest of Olivia's words. He didn't care what she thought. Didn't care if she felt insulted.

Outside, in the biting cold of the night, Ellie walked quickly, her hand still gripping the man’s wrist tightly as they hurried down the street. They didn't stop until they were far away from Blue Orchid Bar, the neon lights no longer visible behind them.

Finally, beneath the dim glow of a bus stop, Ellie let go of his hand and turned to face him.

"Hey," she said, finally looking at his face properly. "Thanks for your help back there. It was really—"

Her words died in her throat.

Her eyes widened in shock as she took in his face under the streetlights.

"Holy shit, you’re gorgeous!" she blurted out, her breath catching in her throat.

At first, she had thought it was just the lighting in the bar, but no—he really was that handsome. Too handsome. He looked young, maybe in his mid-twenties.

The man grinned at her reaction. "Thank you. I get that a lot," he winked, his confidence unabashed.

"A-anyway," Ellie stammered, still staring at him in disbelief, as if he couldn’t possibly be real. She pulled out a bill from her pocket and offered it to him. "Here. I promised you five hundred bucks for your help."

The man glanced at the bill and then back at her, his expression bemused. "Little girl, you can’t afford my appearance and acting fees."

"What?" Ellie frowned in confusion.

"I’m a model," he said smoothly. "I charge much more for an appearance, Ellie."

Ellie’s eyes widened. She clapped her hands in realization, letting out a small laugh.

"Oh my God, you’re a model? What a coincidence!" she said, stepping closer to him. "Turns out, you and I are from the same industry, handsome! I’m a choreographer by profession!"

She had stopped working after entering Sawyer’s house. Back then, after getting discharged from the hospital, she was just a low-level freelancer for a few months, barely scraping by to pay off debts, until she accidentally collided with Liana and was brought to Sawyer to be his new girlfriend.

"Great to meet a fellow workmate," the handsome man grinned. "Now as you see, five hundred dollars isn’t exactly gonna cut it. So how do you plan to pay me back for my help back there?"

Ellie frowned in confusion. "What? But I told you I'd give you this! Hey!" She snapped. "Don’t try to scam me. I don’t have that much money. I’m not one of those richie-rich people from that bar back there!"

The man’s grin widened. "The name’s Jeremy," he said, almost laughing at her reaction. Then, pointing behind her, he asked, "Do you see that?"

Ellie turned around and followed his gesture. Behind the bus stand, there was a large billboard on a building, illuminated with flashing lights. A video was playing on the screen.

Jeremy leaned in, his lips close to her ear. “That’s me,” he whispered. “Walking the ramp for Chanel.”

Ellie turned back to him, her mouth dropping open. “Oh my god. No wonder you don’t look like you’re from Earth.”

Jeremy finally burst into laughter. He shook his head, his gaze locking with hers. "I charge twenty thousand dollars for a fifteen-minute appearance. What do you think? Can you afford to pay me?”

Ellie jumped back, her mouth dropping open in disbelief. "Twenty thousand dollars?!"

Jeremy straightened with a proud smirk, watching her panic.

Ellie was absolutely freaking out. She didn’t have twenty thousand dollars!

She frantically rummaged through her pockets. A moment later, she pulled out another twenty-dollar bill and a few coins and handed it all to him with an embarrassed smile. “There. That’s all I have.”

Jeremy shrugged, his smirk never fading. "But it’s not enough," he said, stepping closer to her.

Ellie took a step back, panic rising. "I don’t have twenty thousand dollars, Jeremy. I—I can’t pay you that!"

Jeremy’s expression softened, and for a moment, he looked almost playful. He lowered his head slightly to match her height, his voice softening with a teasing edge. "I don’t take a loss, Ellie," he said, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Now that you’ve taken my service, it’s time to pay up."

"Dude, I don’t have twenty grand," Ellie scoffed. Then she straightened, her expression going blank as she deadpanned, "Just kill me."

"No," Jeremy said, his tone turning huskier. "I’ll kiss you."