They Gave My Cousin a Car, I Built an Empire novel · Chapter 7 of 24

Chapter 7: Back Room

The vet called at seven the next morning.

"She ate," the vet said. "A little. She also tried to bite me, which is a very good sign."

I sat down on the edge of my bed and cried for a moment.

Then I put on my work fleece and drove to PupPalace.

It was ten past nine on a Wednesday.

The store was almost empty, which was normal for a weekday, except for two women with strollers and an older man looking at fish tanks.

Tyler was at the register in his vest, with his phone propped on a little stand beside him.

The screen showed a red LIVE badge and a number that said forty-one.

"Cuz," he said brightly. "Welcome to PupPalace. Do you need a hand with your little shop?"

"I need five minutes, Tyler."

"I'm in the middle of a stream."

"Then turn it off."

"Why would I do that?"

I put a folder on the counter.

"Because I'm going to say this quietly, once. The puppy from Saturday is alive, and I want the name of your broker in Missouri. Show me his invoice, today."

His smile held for a second too long.

"That's a shame," he said. "Sometimes dogs get sick."

"The health certificate says she was vaccinated at six weeks. She had no shots. Not one."

"I don't do the paperwork."

"You sign it."

"I sign everything. I'm the owner." He lifted his chin. "Who told you this?"

"The vet."

"You're a competitor. You can't be a source."

"I'm a person who paid nine hundred dollars to save a puppy you sold."

The two women with strollers had stopped looking at the tanks.

The older man turned around.

I lowered my voice more.

"There are fourteen dogs in your back room, in crates, with a space heater that's off. At least two of them are sick. Please call a vet today. Please. I'll send you the name of a good one."

← Chapter 6 · All chapters · Chapter 8 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend