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 across the room.

secretary stuck her head in,

to shrink back in terror before

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

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

only shake his

He covered his tracks too

words detonated the final threads of my restraint. I flipped the desk with an animalistic bellow, raining papers and office supplies across

liquor cart and heaved it against the wall, shattering it into

and

nearly splintered. I ripped my

parking

down my

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

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

word was punctuated with another bone-jarring strike

be

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

slumped forward

on

crashed down around me. I sold off

owned and liquidated nearly every asset to raise that

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

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

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

had gambled everything...and

enough to drive home. I fumbled the key into the ignition, twisting

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

as I wrenched the key back and forth