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!"

clearly didn't!" I grabbed a glass paperweight from the desk and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall

head in, alarmed. "Everything okay,

I roared, causing the woman to shrink back in

on the desk as I fought for control.

there's still a way to track this bastard down and get our money

could only shake his

man. He covered his tracks too

threads of my restraint. I flipped the desk with

grabbed a crystal decanter from the liquor cart and heaved it against the wall, shattering it

and slammed

splintered. I ripped my suit

the parking

down my face.

into my car, I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I exploded with a strangled cry of anguish, pummeling the wheel over and over until

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

word was punctuated with another bone-jarring strike against the steering

be

the pain radiating through my hands chased away any hope of waking up. It was all

slumped forward to

forehead on

everything crashed down around me.

and liquidated nearly every asset to

a bitch," I spat at my own reflection in the

just had to chance it all for more.

eyes shut, trying in vain to somehow make this waking nightmare go away. But the throbbing ache in my hands was an endless

gambled

to compose myself enough to drive home. I fumbled the key into the ignition, twisting it hard with

was stuck fast, defying

wrenched the key