Chapter 29

I'm sitting with my father the next morning. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lauren are also here, as their signatures are needed on the transferring documents. The attorneys have drawn everything up for the real property to be split equally among all of Bradford Steel's grandchildren with life estates for the older Steels, but there's other property to take into consideration as well. We have investments in everything—from precious metals to foreign currency to Fortune 500 companies to real estate all over the world.

Steel Acres Ranch is but one portion of our portfolio. The ranch and the vineyards are subsidiaries of Steel Enterprises, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Steel Holdings, all of which falls under our umbrella corporation of Steel Companies, Inc.

My cousin Donny, when he first learned of our family's past, asked me how our family became billionaires by raising beef, apples, and peaches.

My answer was, of course, that we didn't.

The ranch is our life. It's what we all enjoy doing, but it's only a minute portion of our portfolio.

Still, when he asked me, my own curiosity was piqued. Just where did all this money come from? So I delved into some research. It was our grandfather, Bradford Steel, who took his father's already very successful ranch and made it into what it is today. He made enough money that he could increase his holdings by diversifying his investments.

But it was also Bradford Steel who brought Wendy Madigan into our lives, who made her own fortune by illegal means.

So part of me has always wondered… Is our money dirty?

Even if it was once, I'm sure Bradford Steel laundered it and laundered it until it was squeaky clean. I did some preliminary research, and I found no evidence of dirty money.

But still I wonder. So today, I'm going to ask my father.

Once we break for lunch, and the attorneys, Aunt Lauren, and Uncle Ryan go on their way, it's time.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Where does the Steel money come from?"

He cocks his head. "You know very well where it comes from. You've seen our financials."

I nod. "Right. But how did my grandfather build a ranch into such a thriving enterprise?"

"That started before your grandfather. Your great-grandfather, George Steel, who none of us ever met, took his father's ranch to the next level by doing things like investing in land that had rich access to water, which was crucial in the desert state of Colorado. He built solid infrastructure and made the decision to concentrate on beef ranching where his father had also added sheep and goats. The sheep and goats weren't profitable, so he stuck with beef based on the suitability of the land. His abundance of land and water allowed him to let the stock graze so they were grass-fed while most commercial producers offer grain-fed products."

"I know all that, Dad."

"It's all part of the story, Bryce." Dad continues, "George had beef ranching down to a science, and when your grandpa took over, he had even bigger dreams. He inherited everything, being an only child, and he knew the business because he'd worked alongside his father since he could walk. With all the abundant grasses, the first thing he did was capitalize on what was left after the stock was adequately fed."

"Hay," I say.

"Yeah. You could say this business was built on hay."

I can't help a laugh. "I guess it's better than being built on straw."

"The next thing he did was invest in the best technology to get things working with the best efficiency possible. Then, when the hay crop was a success, he planted the orchards."

"But they took a long time to grow, right?"

"Not according to Uncle Joe. He planted trees that had just hit maturity. It cost more, but he knew if he could get them producing, they'd pay for themselves, which they did."

I nod.

"What really took him over the top, though, was when word got out about the quality of the beef. Orders began coming in from all over the country, and he had to expand to meet the demand. That demand led to huge profits, and he began making outside investments. This was around the time Uncle Joe and I became friends. We were three years old. Your grandmother says we were friends before that, but I have no memories. But both your grandpas were friends"—Dad grits his teeth—"so I guess it was natural that we were thrown together. Anyway, Brad was a natural marketer, and soon the Steel brand was well known in national and international circles. At that point, he diversified into various stocks and bonds, precious metals, and the like. And then he invested in other areas of business. Hedge funds, art." Dad sighs. "You name it, and Brad Steel had his hand in it. He was a genius when it came to making money."

"Dad…"

"Yeah?"

I take a deep breath. "I worry about what went on here. On our land. With Wendy. Did any of her money get mingled with ours?"

Dad pauses, strokes his chin. "I've asked myself that same question many a time, Bryce. I understand your concern, and Uncle Joe and I share it. We've known for a while that Brad funded the Future Lawmakers Club, of which he and my father were members. They got into drugs and other illegal stuff before they got into human trafficking. Brad swore up and down he was out of the business by the time anything illegal was happening."

"And you believed him?"

Dad scoffs. "Hell, no. But Uncle Joe and I have been through these financials from as far back as we have records, and we've seen only clean money."

"So you trust my grandfather? Mom's dad?"

He swallows. "No. I don't trust him, Dave."

"But—"

"That's not to say that he didn't build this business ethically. The money isn't dirty, legally, but it wasn't necessarily won in the most wholesome of ways either. All we know is that your grandfather had no qualms about skating on ethics. Same with his father. There's a lot we don't know that died with them. A lot we can only surmise, but Uncle Joe and I have our suspicions that your grandfather got what he wanted in, shall we say, unethical ways."

"Like pointing a gun to people's heads?" I ask.

He says nothing.

He doesn't have to.

I already know Uncle Joe did that himself with Doc Sheraton and Brittany. Brock was there, and he told me.

But Uncle Joe didn't do it to fund his business. He did it to find out what kind of illegal activity was happening on his property.

"There are things about Brad Steel we'll never know," Dad finally says. "Things only he knew. Things that are only in his story. But Uncle Joe and I and our attorneys feel comfortable that our current fortune is clean and was obtained legally."

I scratch the side of my head. "It just seems like such a big feat, to go from a successful ranching business to having billions."

"It does. But both your great-grandfather and your grandfather were savvy businessmen as well. Yes, they cut a few ethical corners here and there, but they got things done. And in the end, the money was clean."

"But Wendy Madigan…"

His face darkens. "Wendy Madigan is another story. Nothing she did was clean. And unfortunately, her blood runs through some of the people of our family."

"And your father…"

"Yes, my father. Say what you want about Brad Steel, but he was a virtuous man compared to my father, Aunt Ruby's father, and your grandmother's brother."

"Do you ever worry about the genes that we come from?"

Dad shakes his head. "Not anymore, but all I did was worry about it for a while. My father was a complete psychopath, and your grandmother on your mother's side lived most of her life in a world of her own creation due to her mental illness. But you and the girls and Henry are all bright and healthy and intelligent. So are all your cousins. I'd say we escaped that fate, and I thank God for it."

"Thanks for explaining it all to me, Dad."

He raises an eyebrow. "Is there a reason you want to know all of it?"

"I've been curious for some time, but yes, there's a reason."

"Would you like to tell me what it is?"

I cross my arms. "Not just yet. But I will."

He smiles. "I'm always here for you, Dave."

I give him a hug. "I know, Dad."

I leave then, wondering how I'm going to break it to him that I want to work with Uncle Talon in the orchard…instead of at his side.