Page 36 of Tainted Empire (Sins of Our Father)

We pass by countless stables and pens, looking at pigs, chickens, cattle and even some produce startups as we head to the main arena where the auction will be starting in nearly five minutes. I sit in between Earl and Rob, scanning the small crowd and freezing when I lock eyes with Hunter, who offers me a wink and a tip of his hat as he stares at me with a heat filled gaze that has me trembling all over. His dad walks over, whiskey in hand and sits next to him, his glare hard and angry when he sees me.

I glare right back just as the announcer calls for the start of the auction, animals entering the arena as bids start to go up. Earl wins quite a few, starting with pigs and chickens for a price that he tells me is a steal, but I literally have no idea.

When the cattle come out, that’s when things get heated. Men are shouting and signs are flying, the announcer is speaking so fast that I can’t even register what’s happening. Earl bids a lot, grabbing a few cows that are deemed to produce some of the best steak and milk in the country. When it nears the end, I see two dark brown, nearly black cows with small horns come out. They are beautiful and large, and the announcer informs the crowd that these are very rare, Kuroge cattle, also known as the Japanese Black cows that produce Wagyu beef, one of the most expensive cuts in the entire world. Just one pound of it can cost up to two hundred dollars. I remember watching these on TV with my dad, his eyes beaming when he saw them.

“Earl, we have to get those,” I whisper, and his eyes widen.

“Those are some expensive cattle, Ali. Not to mention there a bitch to breed,” he whistles, but I don’t listen.

My eyes are fixed on them, and I can’t help but think about what my father would do if he was here. I know for a fact he’d already have his sign up, checkbook in hand.

“The bidding for the pair starts at twenty thousand, do I hear fifty?” he calls, and I grab the sign from Earl, raising it up high.

“I have twenty!” I shout and the announcer points to me.

“I hear twenty, any other offers?” he calls, and that’s when I lock eyes with Ezra Brooks, his glare dark and his face scrunched.

“Twenty-five,” he calls, his sign raised.

If my father taught me anything, it’s to not back down when fighting for what’s right and what’s right now, is out-bidding Ezra Brooks.

“Thirty thousand,” I yell, my sign still raised.

“Forty,” Ezra shouts, his eyes pinned to mine.

“Fifty,” I call back, the bidding solely between him and I.

“Fifty-five,” he shouts back, lifting his hat to wipe the sweat off his forehead with a bandana.

I sit back, turning to look at Earl who shakes his head at me.

Please, Dad, don’t be angry.

“Seventy thousand,” I shout, knowing damn well he doesn’t have that kind of money.

The announcer calls for any final bids. When no one rebuts, he points in my direction.

“Sold! Two of the finest Kuroge for seventy thousand to Miss Alison Bailey!” he shouts, and I clap as Earl hugs me tight, whispering harshly in my ear.

“That was a bold and irresponsible call, Ali, but your daddy would be proud,” he says as the announcers end the auction and my staff gets up to start loading our stock into the trailers.

I sit there on the bench, smiling to myself before I lock eyes with Ezra once more, his face beet red as he curses and throws his drink on the ground, getting up and leaving with a tense body. I avert my gaze to Hunter, who stares at me in bewilderment before he slowly gives me a wide smile, raising an eyebrow at me before he gets up and follows his father.

27

I’m not sayingthat it was a stupid decision buying those cows, but it definitely was a choice that I didn’t think about. None of the staff really know how to breed, let alone care for them in order to produce the high-quality meat that resides in them, and I sure as hell don’t either. I never thought I’d spend the majority of my days researching Asian cattle, but life is full of surprises.

I yawn, wiping at my tired eyes as I close the article I was reading on producing wagyu and setting my phone down on the coffee table. Beau whines at my feet on the couch and I reach down to scratch his ears as he licks me. He’s gotten so big and he’s taking up most of the couch, but I don’t mind. He’s become one of my closest friends here besides Marley and the staff.

I’ve been working my ass off for days since the auction, taking care of the horses and the gardens before I spend the rest of the day researching the new and expensive cattle I have sitting at my ranch. Claire comes in the living room and sits down across from me. I rarely get to see her since she’s always at the clinic with Marley, who’s been so swamped with work that she not only had to hire a front desk worker, but a vet tech as well. She’s tired, but thrilled and that’s all I care about, their happiness.

“Ali, look at me,” Claire says, and I do, blinking the sleep away from my eyes as she laughs.

“Get up, kiddo. I have a surprise for you,” she says, pulling me from the couch and into the kitchen as Beau trots behind us.

I see a fresh cup of tea on the counter for me along with a manilla folder with my name on it.

“What’s this?” I ask, sipping my tea and weighing the folder in my hands.

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