Family Manipulates a Young Child into a Meltdown to Get a Huge Inheritance from Grandparents

A young man amassed widespread support and admiration online after seeking advice over his decision not to give up his inheritance for an estranged younger brother.

A 20-year-old Redditor posting under InheritanceVbrother recently brought a delicate plight to Reddit's "AITA" forum, seeking judgment for not wanting to give up his inheritance for a younger brother he was never close with.

He explained he couldn't be more thrilled than when an estranged 7-year-old boy showed up at his doorstep, three years after he was declared the sole heir to an enormous estate that rocketed an ugly spat in his family over money.

The Original Poster (OP)'s grandparents left behind a trust that declared him their heir. Although OP was pleased, his parents and family weren't happy with how the property was distributed despite living lavishly out of his grandparents' money. Thus, the guy's family devised a thoughtful plan after his half-brother came into the picture.

Around three years ago, OP said the boy arrived at his doorstep, looking bullied and orphaned. OP soon realized he was his father's 7-year-old son from an affair with a woman who had died.

His family looked down upon the kid, while the only one who genuinely cared about him was the Redditor himself. Bearing this in mind, OP's family plotted a way to use his kindness towards the boy in their favor by making him sign off his legacy to them.

OP's parents proposed a deal saying they would immediately sign over the boy's custody to him in exchange for his inheritance. His aunt added that he could still save his brother's life by surrendering the estate instead of getting him branded as an "affair child."

As part of the conditions for his inheritance, OP could only claim it if he fulfilled one of the two stringent clauses attached to it.

Although OP refused, he noticed his brother behaving weirdly a few days later, and it didn't make any sense to him. He said he had just recovered from a fever when he saw his little brother constantly hid from him behind whomever he randomly found in the room.

This prompted his family to nudge him to give up on the custody battle over the boy since he appeared to refuse to share space with him. However, OP realized something was missing from the bigger picture and began to look for clues.

He tried to talk to his brother alone outside, hoping it would help. However, he was stunned when the boy raced to the road ahead of a speeding car. On impulse, OP saved his brother, who had an unexpected meltdown after.

OP then discovered that the boy had another older brother, 11, from his mother's side. After a bit of digging, he found out his family threatened to send the boy to the juvenile center where his older brother lived.

Eventually, OP decided to take custody of the boy from his family. But the biggest problem was affording the boy's future. As part of the conditions for his inheritance, OP could only claim it if he fulfilled one of the two stringent clauses attached to it: he either had to graduate by 22 or marry to inherit the wealth.

OP was compelled to choose the second option and married his girlfriend. Soon, he got his inheritance and anonymously threatened his family about releasing the recordings of their reactions after he sued them for custody of his brother.

Fearing backlash, OP's parents signed the documents and granted him custody, although it turned out OP had never really recorded anything. He then hired a private investigator to find his brother's maternal sibling and claimed custody over him so that there was no more leverage.

Though OP got his rightful legacy and custody over his half-brother and the boy's maternal sibling, he held a brainstorm with random strangers online to find out if he was wrong for not surrendering his inheritance in exchange for his brother.

"You are a great sibling to be concerned about your brother. Do not give up the inheritance. You were given it for a reason," Redditor kaywal89 stated.

Meanwhile, some users like mstylke applauded OP for his decision. They were pleased to know he still had his hands over his brother's shoulders in support. The person added:

"Glad you got away from your horrible family and that your little brother and his brother have you to support them. Like you said, your role in their life will be better than anything your parents would have provided."

Although OP stated he was delighted and relieved with the positive outcome, he still worried about how his relationship with the two little boys would progress.

"I'm still in college, and I'm only 20. I don't feel ready to parent my brother," he admitted, although he was confident he would do a lot better than his parents.

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think OP's family felt entitled to his inheritance although they got their shares?

OP said that his grandparents had made him the sole beneficiary of a larger estate than the rest of his family. Although his family lived affluent lives on his grandparents' money, the problem sparked when they weren't happy with how the estate had been split and felt entitled to his fortune.

Was it fair on the family's part to have placed a deal before OP to get his half-brother's custody?

The people online who sided with OP criticized his family, mainly his parents, for trying to sign the custody of his half-brother to him in exchange for his inheritance. While the internet felt it was unfair, what's your opinion on the matter? How would you sort the issue if you were OP?

If you liked this story, here's a similar story of how a man tricked his twin sister by secretly selling his inheritance for millions.

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