Page 43 of Reckless Billionaire's Ruthless Claim

“Ellie,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “Where did you go just now?”

Ellie pulled out her water bottle, unscrewing the cap. “I went to get water.”

“With your new boyfriend?” Sawyer ground out, releasing her shoulders but trapping her in by gripping the edge of the bed. He leaned in close, his breath warm against her face. “Who gave you the courage to get a new boyfriend? Did you forget that you’re still mine? Or do I need to remind you?”

Ellie leaned back against the bed, trying to put some space between them, but his proximity made it impossible to think straight. The heat radiating from his body, his scent, his overwhelming presence—it was suffocating. Her mind wavered between processing his words and the utterly inappropriate urge to sink her teeth into his throat.

“Of course, I have a new boyfriend now.” She shrugged, then leaned in closer with narrowed eyes. “What did you expect? I already told you—I’m done acting.”

His eyes darkened, his jaw tight. “Ellie, you’re crossing a line now,” he warned, his voice dangerously soft.

“So what?” she snapped. “You’re already engaged to Olivia, aren’t you? You have your girlfriend, and I have a boyfriend. Same thing.”

Sawyer’s eyes flared with rage. “Olivia isn’t my fiancée,” he growled, his grip tightening once more. “And you’re not getting a new boyfriend!”

“Why not?”

“Because you alreadyhavea boyfriend.”

Ellie scoffed. “Where? Which one? Who?!”

Sawyer grabbed her wrist, his voice thundering. “Right fucking here! Me!”

Ellie flinched—not in fear, but in sheer surprise.

In the three years they had been together, he hadnevercalled her his girlfriend. Not once. She had always been a replacement. A stand-in. A placeholder for Olivia, his ‘true’ love.

Her chest tightened as she pulled back, speaking in a lower, more controlled voice. “You aren’t my boyfriend. I told you—I don’t want to act anymore. We’re done.”

Before she could finish, Sawyer reached over and grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her skin. “Ellie Madden, do you want to die by my hands tonight?”

“Ahh! Leave my face alone! It’s going to fall off!” she whined, slapping at his hands.

He released her with a scowl, his fingers reluctantly pulling away from her face. Ellie immediately shot him a searing glare, she snapped. “I paid a million dollars for this face! Are you crazy? Don’t grab my face like that ever again!”

Sawyer’s brow furrowed in confusion, his gaze flickering between her and the space where his hand had been moments before. “You’ve had plastic surgery?”

Ellie huffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Yes,” she said, as if it should’ve been obvious.

He leaned in slightly, his confusion deepening. “Where?” he asked, his eyes searching her face as if looking for the invisible changes. “Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”

“All over,” Ellie replied, her voice tinged with frustration. She rubbed her face gently, trying to soothe the sting of his touch. “You never asked,” she added pointedly, her eyes locking with his. “I was in a fire three years ago. Burnt my face pretty badly, so I had surgery to fix it.” She shot him a glare. “Don’t ruin it.”

Sawyer froze.

A fire? Three years ago?

His mind raced. Was it just a coincidence?

Before he could ask a single question, Ellie snapped, “Get out. What are you still standing here for?”

Sawyer straightened, his jaw tightening as his unreadable gaze settled on her. “You’re still my girlfriend. You signed an agreement.”

“So what?” Ellie shot back. “It’s my life, and what I say goes. I don’t want to be a mistress.”

“You’re not a mistress.”

Ellie crossed her arms, her posture defensive as she glared at him. “I am. You have your lover back—what do you expect me to do? Stick around as a third wheel? Or do you have some twisted fantasy about keeping two women at once?”

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