Billionaire, Let's Divorce! by BELLA

DENNIS

I slammed my fist on Cole's desk, causing everything on top to rattle.

"What the hell do you mean you can't find him?"

"Did I hear you well or have I suddenly developed an ear problem?"

Cole shrank back. His eyes were wide with fear and remorse.

"I'm sorry man, I've tried everything. James just...disappeared without a trace after taking all our investments."

Rage boiled inside me. I grabbed Cole by the lapels and shoved him against the wall.

"You're supposed to be the expert! You vouched for this guy!"

"I know, I know," Cole sputtered, hands up defensively.

"Believe me, I'm just as gutted as you are. I lost every penny too!"

I sneered.

"Yeah? Well it's a lot easier for you to be casual about losing pocket change. I put in $100,000 man! Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed for that?"

The memories flooded back, of all the rights I had to part with to raise that money. I thought that if the investment paid off, I could buy a whole new collection and more. Now all I had to show for it was NOTHING. Letting go of Cole, I ran shaky hands through my hair. I started pacing, mind racing over how I could possibly make this right. The bars were doing well, but not well enough to absorb that steep a loss quickly. "I'm ruined..." I muttered, then whirled on Cole again.

"This is on you! You talked me into this scheme with your big dreams about life-changing profits!"

Cole flinched at my booming voice.

"I didn't know he was going to run a damn Ponzi scheme! The backgrounds, documentation, it all checked out!"

and hurled it across the room. It shattered against

head in,

woman to shrink back in terror before scrambling

my hands on the desk as I fought for control. I lifted my gaze to

there's still a way to track this bastard

could only shake

covered his

my restraint. I flipped the desk with an animalistic bellow,

liquor cart and heaved it against the wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "Fucking

out and slammed the

the frame nearly splintered. I ripped my suit jacket off as

parking lot with

down my face. When

with a strangled cry of anguish, pummeling the wheel over and over until my hands felt

"Stupid...fucking...idiot!"

word was punctuated with another bone-jarring

to be some terrible

away any hope of waking up.

slumped forward to rest

on the

down around me. I sold

asset to raise that $100,000 investment-all

of a bitch," I spat at

it all for more. For what? To get played like a goddamn

security I'd sacrificed so much for, gone in an instant because of my greed and one man's deception. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying in vain to somehow make this waking nightmare go

gambled

drive home. I fumbled the key into the ignition, twisting it hard with a trembling

It was stuck

no, no!" I growled as I wrenched the key back and