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!"

the desk and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall with

her head in,

roared, causing the woman to shrink back in terror before

heaving, I braced my hands on the desk as I fought for

still a way to track this bastard down and get our

only shake

He covered his tracks too

I flipped the desk with an animalistic

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

and

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

the parking lot with

my face. When

exploded with a strangled cry

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

punctuated with another bone-jarring strike against

had to be some

any

slumped forward to

on

everything crashed down around me. I sold off two

and liquidated nearly every asset to raise

spat

more. For

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 away. But the throbbing ache in my hands was an endless reminder

had gambled everything...and

home. I fumbled

key didn't turn. It was stuck fast, defying

wrenched the key back and forth