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 the wall with

her head in, alarmed. "Everything

causing the woman to shrink

the desk as I fought

to track

only shake

covered his

of my restraint. I flipped the desk with an

liquor cart and heaved it against the wall, shattering

stormed out and

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

parking lot with

down 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!"

was punctuated with another bone-jarring strike against the

be some terrible

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

slumped forward

on the

me.

I owned and liquidated nearly every asset

bitch," I spat

more. For what?

eyes shut, trying in vain to somehow make this waking nightmare go

had gambled everything...and

drew a shaky breath and tried to compose myself enough to drive home. I fumbled

turn. It was stuck fast, defying my increasingly frantic

I growled as I wrenched