Children Refuse to Support Old Dad, Learn He Died Trying to Earn at Least a Penny – Story of the Day

Brian and Christian long refused to support their old father and only visited him during his funeral. Little could they've guessed that their father's demise would lead them to a heartbreaking secret.

Muffled voices from the crowd surrounded Brian as he entered the quaint cemetery. "Isn't that Mr. Gates' son—the boy who abandoned his father? Didn't he have a brother?" someone said.

Brian ignored the voices and the stares as he pressed forward to pay his last respects to his estranged father. Suddenly, he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder.

"Christian?" Brian turned around to see his younger brother and felt relieved. He was no longer alone now.

The two brothers stood at a distance from the rest of the crowd, watching the priest deliver the eulogy. There was no sorrow in their eyes because they didn't miss the man who had abandoned them for a younger woman.

"She isn't here?" Christian leaned and whispered to Brian. "I'll never forget the night he came home with her and…the way they kissed in front of us. Worse, he introduced her as our 'New Mom!' Such bull."

"She must've dumped him for another rich man!" Christian huffed.

"Well, he deserved it, didn't he?" Brian scowled. "I want to get out of here the second this man is laid to rest. Although…I feel sorry for him. He gave up on us for her, and she's not even here!"

"Don't!" Christian retorted. "Have you forgotten? He was drunk, and he kicked us out just because we were against him marrying the random woman he'd met in the bar! He deserves hell for what he did! If only Gran Candice hadn't taken us in—"

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in the crowd and approached them.

"Victor? Oh, man! We missed you!" Christian said as he and Brian hugged their father's old butler.

Victor teared up to see his master's old children. "Oh, look at you two, all grown up. You were 13 and 16 when I last saw you. How Mr. Gates wished to see you both. He—"

"Stop it, Victor! We don't want to talk about him. You know what he did!" Christian hissed.

"I know, boys, but…Mr. Gates is dead now, and I don't think there's a point in holding onto grudges."

"We had to live like an orphan even when we had a father, Victor!" Brian chimed in. "He chose her over us. That man doesn't deserve our sympathy."

"Exactly! Just as he found a young chick, he simply stopped caring about us—"

"Stop it, you both!" Victor's eyes brimmed with tears as he cut the boys off.

"Your father loved you! You don't know what he had to endure! He had asked me not to share it with anyone, especially not with you boys…"

Two years ago…

It was Benjamin's 75th birthday. Like every year, he was awaiting his sons' calls before he sliced the cake. Though Benjamin was the reason they weren't with him, he wished they would forgive him and call. It had been 16 years since he last saw his sons, but he was hopeful.

"Enough, old man! Let me help you!" Amanda blew the candle on his cake and helped him cut it. "Here! Happy birthday! Why would you need your stupid sons to call you to cut the goddamn cake?"

"Stop it, Amanda! I miss them!" Benjamin sighed and rose. "I'm going to sleep."

"But what about your birthday, darling? I thought you'd take me to the mall. Then to the restaurant!"

"Take my credit card and help yourself! There's no celebration today!"

Amanda was happy, grabbed his card, and left for the mall. Meanwhile, Benjamin retired to his room, and just as he sat in silence, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"He-Hello?" he started, hoping it was a call from one of his sons.

"Mr. Gates…This is Sarah, Brian's wife…" Benjamin listened in shock as she sobbed and told him she didn't have money for Brian's urgent surgery, which cost $175,000. Benjamin knew Brian was married, but he'd never met his wife.

He immediately asked Sarah for all the details, deciding to withdraw money from his account and drive to the hospital. But just as he left his room, he ran into Amanda, who had returned to collect her purse. Benjamin hugged her in despair and told her everything about Brian's condition.

"Only now they're recalling you exist? When they're in a financial crisis?" she hissed. "Your company is on the verge of bankruptcy, Benjamin. We are drowning in debt. If you help them, both you and I will be doomed! No, I won't allow this!"

"This is not the time to discuss the right and wrong, honey! I have to help them! Please!"

Amanda knew Benjamin would not listen to her, so she put on a facade. "OK. Maybe I'm being too cold. Wait right here. Have some juice before you leave. You haven't eaten anything since morning."

Five minutes later, Amanda served him a glass of orange juice. He hurriedly gulped it down and stashed thick wads of money bundles from the safe in his briefcase. Suddenly, Benjamin started feeling heavy and drowsy. Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

When he awoke two hours later, he panicked. His expensive watch was missing from his hand. His diamond ring, bracelet, wallet, and most of all, the brown briefcase full of money was MISSING!

Benjamin dashed upstairs and checked the safe, only to find it empty. All the jewelry, money, and bank cards were gone, too. Benjamin understood it was all Amanda's doing and called her. But her phone was off, and neither of her friends answered.

Benjamin raced to the police station to file a complaint, but the cops didn't take his case seriously.

"Look, sir, we have your complaint, but the search might take quite some time. We're already spread thin for the night. We'll get our best men on this as soon as we can."

Dejected, Benjamin returned home and decided to sell his house. But when he studied the property documents, he collapsed onto the floor in despair. The house was registered in his and Amanda's name. He needed her signatures to sell the property.

Benjamin phoned the notary, hoping he'd know a way out. But the calls went unanswered. "Hey, Wilson, it's me, Benjamin…" Benjamin left him a voicemail explaining the situation. But then, Benjamin decided he couldn't wait, so he drove to Wilson's house.

"Will, I need your help!" he said as Wilson let him in. "Didn't you get my voicemail?"

"Sorry, my phone was being charged. What's wrong?"

"It's about Amanda…she robbed me and ran away..." Benjamin explained everything to Wilson: how Amanda had spiked his drink, how Brian's life was in danger, and how he wouldn't be able to sell the house. Then he looked to his side and noticed two packed bags and a half-packed suitcase.

"Sorry, but are you going somewhere? I didn't mean to intrude."

"Oh yeah, it's a solo trip…" Wilson said. "Ben, we'll figure something out, OK? Please don't strain yourself. I'll go get you a drink."

As Wilson left to fetch the drink, Benjamin's gaze landed on the half-open suitcase.

Curiosity got the better of Benjamin when he peered inside and noticed two passports there.

He lifted both passports, only to learn that one was Amanda's, but under an entirely different name. Even Wilson's passport was fake.

Two plane tickets to the Maldives popped out of one of the passports.

The air got clearer when Benjamin peered into the other bag and found wads of money and jewels stashed inside. It was his hard-earned money that Amanda had stolen from him.

"One bullet right into your head…and game over!" Benjamin was caught off guard when Wilson pressed the gun to his forehead. "I'll just place the gun in your hand and tell the cops you stole my gun and shot yourself due to depression!"

Beads of cold sweat broke on Benjamin's forehead. His heart pounded wildly when he saw Wilson's finger brushing against the trigger.

"Any last words, Ben?"

"I'd ask you the same thing, Wilson, coz I already called the cops. They're on their way. They should be here any minute."

Benjamin's heart raced. He never called the cops. If they didn't show up in the next few minutes, Wilson would find out he had lied and finish him off.

But to his surprise, Wilson didn't choose to stick around any longer.

Grabbing the bag of money and passports, he turned around and dashed downstairs. Benjamin ran after him and struck his head with a ceramic vase he managed to grab from a table nearby.

Benjamin slowed down as he watched Wilson cup his head and groan in pain, dropping the money bag. He rolled down the stairs and blacked out. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and a new number flashed on the screen.

Benjamin swiped to answer and stood in silence.

"You idiot, what is taking you so long? You know what? I'm coming there to pick you up. Be ready," the voice that Benjamin instantly recognized spoke. It was Amanda.

Ten minutes later, a car pulled into the driveway. "Wilson? Will? Where the hell are you?" Amanda rushed in, screaming.

She slowed down after seeing Wilson lying on the couch.

"Are you kidding me? We have a flight to catch, and you're sleeping now? Get your rear off the couch, Will. We need to get out of the city before that old fool tracks us down. Are you even hearing me? Get up!"

"What's the hurry, Amanda? Poor Wilson cannot hear a thing, so there's no point in screaming!" Benjamin's voice sent shivers down Amanda's spine.

"BENJAMIN?" she gasped.

As Benjamin inched closer, a cold sweat broke onto Amanda's temple.

"Benjamin, I-I can explain. He made me do this. Please...I won't bother you or your family again. I'll go. Please, don't call the cops," she pleaded with him as he leaned to take the money bag.

"Don't worry, Amanda. I'm just taking the bag. I'm not calling the cops. I don't want to make you suffer. I'll withdraw the complaint from the station. I'm ready to forget everything you did to me...because I-I genuinely..."

Unable to talk further or look into her eyes, Benjamin swallowed those unspoken words and left the spot with the money.

Later that evening, he transferred all the cash to his son's wife's bank account and called her.

"...please don't tell Brian that I was the one who gave him the money for the transplant. I don't want my son to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. He and his brother...they hate me. Please promise me...it's my last wish. Please."

Present day...

"...and that's how Mr. Gates lived the rest of his life in solitude, even his last days," Butler Victor recounted.

"His business went bankrupt. He couldn't save it, no matter how hard he tried. He had to sell his house to pay all the debts. He then got a job as a janitor at the park and worked very hard to get by. He later moved into that small cottage in the same neighborhood he lived in for the rest of his life, just waiting for you boys...I used to meet him at church often. He told me he hoped his children would forgive him and reach out someday..."

Victor swallowed his words as streaks of tears streamed down his face. Brian and Christian exchanged a tearful glance. The father they hated and never wanted to see again had gone above and beyond for them and had died while hoping for their forgiveness.

Brian and Christian approached the coffin and leaned on it. Their hearts ached to go back in time to see their Dad once, hear his voice, and tell him that they had forgiven him.

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