A farmer bought a giant slave for seven cents… No one expected what he would do with her. Everyone ridiculed him when he paid just seven cents for a woman nearly two meters tall, deemed useless by the other buyers. They claimed no job suited her poorly controlled strength and that she would only become a source of losses. But the farmer saw her

Benedita remained motionless.

Then the auctioneer lowered his voice.

It was clear that the sale was failing.

And then—

A voice came from the back.

**“Seven cents.”**

The square went quiet.

Everyone turned.

Standing among the crowd was Joaquim Lacerda.

He wasn’t the richest plantation owner there.

He wasn’t famous.

He wasn’t politically powerful.

He was simply a middle-aged farmer who owned a modest coffee plantation called Santo António.

He had spent years fighting debts and struggling against unpredictable harvests.

He counted money carefully.

He rarely made impulsive decisions.

So why had he just bid on the person everyone else considered worthless?

Nobody knew.

Then someone laughed.

Another man joined him.

Within seconds, several buyers were openly mocking Joaquim.

“Seven cents?”

“For her?”

“You’ll regret it.”

“She’s already been rejected by everyone here.”

Joaquim didn’t respond.

He simply waited.

The auctioneer looked relieved.

“Sold.”

—

# The Walk to the Farm

The journey from the square to Santo António was quiet.

Joaquim rode ahead.

Benedita followed.

Neither spoke.