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!"

a glass paperweight from the desk and hurled it

her head in, alarmed.

to shrink back

I fought for

way to track this bastard down

shake

nothing, man. He covered his

flipped the desk with an animalistic bellow, raining papers

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

and slammed

the frame nearly splintered. I

parking lot

my

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

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

punctuated with another bone-jarring strike against the steering

to be some

pain radiating through my hands chased away any

forward to rest

on

down around me. I sold

and liquidated nearly every asset to raise

dumb son of a bitch," I spat at

chance it all for more.

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

gambled

a shaky breath and tried to compose myself enough to drive home. I fumbled the key into the ignition, twisting it hard with

was stuck fast, defying my

wrenched the key back and