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An elderly woman | Source: Flickr / maotx (CC BY-SA 2.0)
An elderly woman | Source: Flickr / maotx (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Guy Ignores Granny's Dying Wish, Finds out It's a Test to Inherit Her Fortune – Story of the Day

Salwa Nadeem
Feb 21, 2023
06:00 A.M.

When a boy visited his grandmother a few weeks before her death, she gave him money as an inheritance and asked him to share it with his sister. At that time, the boy promised to share it but changed his mind later, unaware that it was a test from his grandmother.

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Sam and his sister, Lily, lived with their grandmother, Karen, in a small house. The elderly lady loved her late daughter's children immensely. Their physical appearance and personalities reminded Karen of her daughter, who lost her life due to an incurable illness.

Sam and Lily were still teenagers when they lost their mother. It was the worst day of their lives when they woke up for school, but their mother wasn't standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast for them. Instead, she was lying lifelessly on her bed as if she was enjoying the most peaceful nap of her life.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

While the teenagers grieved their loss, Karen opened her arms and invited them to live with her. She had promised her daughter that she would take care of Sam and Lily, and now it was time for her to fulfill it.

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As time passed, the children grew closer to their grandmother. They enjoyed her company, laughed with her, shared their problems, and told her how much they missed their mother. While Karen was glad to raise her grandkids, something kept bothering her.

Lily was one of the best students in her class, while Sam struggled to grasp even the most straightforward concepts. The girl always helped Karen with house chores after school, but Sam would run outside and play with his friends until sunset. Karen was bothered by her grandchildren's contrasting personalities because she could foresee the future and feared Sam wouldn't go far in life with his careless attitude.

As years passed, Lily's academic achievements grew in number, while Sam was eventually expelled from college. He could never complete his honors degree, but Lily passed with excellent grades and joined a big company as an intern.

"Sam, I want to give something to you," she said.

While Lily switched jobs and earned money, her brother wandered the streets and had no life goals. Karen worried about Sam because she had promised her daughter she would look after him and help him live a good life. However, she didn't see that happening anytime soon.

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For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

A few months after Lily's graduation, Karen fell sick. When the doctors checked her, they discovered she had cancer that had spread to most parts of her body. They told her there was nothing they could do to save her.

"We suggest you spend the remaining days of your life with your loved ones, Karen," a doctor said.

Learning about the life-threatening health condition wasn't too much of a shock for Karen because she knew she would have to leave her grandkids someday. All she was worried about was Sam. She wanted him to find a job and live independently, but he wasn't ready for it.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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A week later, Karen called Sam into her room while Lily was at work.

"Sam, I want to give something to you," she said.

"What is it, Grandma?" Sam held her hand and looked at her worriedly.

"You know I'm not here for long," she said while opening a brown envelope. "I wanted to sort out the inheritance matters before I go."

Then, Karen pulled out stacks of dollar bills and handed them to Sam. "Here you go, honey," she said.

"Take all my savings, but remember to share them with your sister."

Sam's eyes glistened as he looked at the money his grandmother gave him. He never expected to inherit such an enormous sum from her and felt immensely thankful.

"Don't worry, Grandma," he caressed her hand. "I promise I will share half of your savings with Lily. I promise!"

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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A few weeks later, Karen quietly passed away in her sleep, leaving her grandkids alone. After her death, Sam broke his promise and never shared the money with Lily. Since he had no job, he considered this an opportunity not to work and led a terribly lazy lifestyle.

Sam stayed home all day and spent the money his grandmother left him. The boy thought sharing it with Lily wasn't a good idea, so he never told her about it. Little did he know that Karen had asked him to share it because she wanted to test him. He had no idea she had planned something big for him.

After spending all the money, Sam eventually ran out of funds a few years later. When he didn't even have enough money to buy groceries, he was forced to contact Lily.

Feeling ashamed, Sam knocked on his sister's door, hoping she would be happy to see him. "Hi, Lily!" he smiled at her, but she didn't because she knew why he was there.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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After working in multiple companies, Lily finally set up her own business. She opened a children's store that soon became one of the best in town, attracting customers from neighboring towns as well. Since Sam was aware of his sister's flourishing business, he thought she would lend him money easily.

"Lily, your life is so good," he said while looking into her eyes. "You own a profitable business and live in this spacious apartment. You've got all the good things in life, haven't you?"

"You're right, Sam," Lily replied sternly. "But you know how hard I worked for it. My journey hasn't been easy."

"Well, I feel so happy for you, sister," Sam fidgeted with his phone.

"I was wondering if you could lend me some money. I will return it to you as soon as possible."

"Sam, listen to me," Lily held her brother's shoulder. "You've ruined your life with your bad habits. Please get a job and earn money. Only you can save your life because no one will make things work for you."

"Will you let me borrow money or not?" Sam frowned.

"I can't, Sam," she replied. "I want you to earn money yourself, so you stop taking it for granted. I know you will spend all my money on gambling and drinking."

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For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Suddenly, Lily heard the kettle boil, so she rushed towards the kitchen to turn off the stove. Once she left, Sam walked towards her room to steal money. However, he was shocked when he opened her cupboard drawer and saw a document inside.

"What's this?" he said while opening the envelope.

Inside, he saw documents that stated his grandmother had left a huge estate for Lily. He was shocked to learn that Karen had lied to him about her savings. He thought she left him peanuts compared to what Lily inherited from her.

"I can't believe you did this to me, Grandma!" he yelled and stomped out of his sister's bedroom.

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"LILY!" he shouted. "What is this? Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"Listen to me, Sam," she tried to calm him down. "It's not what―"

"Oh, I know what this is about!" he yelled. "Little Miss Perfection got everything from Grandma and opened up her shop! You and Grandma betrayed me! And what did I get? Nothing!"

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Instead of fighting with her brother, Lily handled the situation calmly and replied, "What about the money Grandma left you with? Where's that? You didn't share it with me!"

Sam was shocked to learn that his sister knew about the money Karen gave him. He looked at her with eyes wide open, unable to speak a word.

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"She believed you would share it with me because she thought your inner voice would force you to do so," Lily said. "I waited for you all these years, hoping you would call or knock at my door to give me my share. But guess what? You spent all of it on your needs!"

"I know you wanted to take revenge, Sam," she said with tears in her eyes.

"If you had shared half your money with me, I would have given you half the inheritance Grandma left me," Lily shook her head. "But you wasted everything and shared nothing. It's your fault!"

It turned out that Karen told Lily to give half of the inheritance to Sam if he shared the money with her. The elderly lady devised this plan to teach Sam a lesson but had no idea that her grandson would waste all the money.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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After listening to Lily's story, Sam stomped out of her house without saying a word. He was angry and felt betrayed after learning that Karen and Lily had kept a secret from him. Meanwhile, Lily made herself a cup of tea and was watching TV when she heard her phone ring.

"Hi! Is this Lily?" an unknown man spoke from the other end.

"Yes, it's me," Lily replied while trying to recognize the man's voice.

"I'm calling from the local police office," the policeman said. "A robber tried to break into your store, but we caught him on time. He's in our custody, so we need you to come here as soon as possible."

It must be Sam! Lily thought while she left her house to go to the police station. She quickly drove there and asked the police officers to let him go. She refused to file a case against Sam and waited for him on the street outside the station.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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Once Sam was released, Lily asked him to sit inside her car. "I know you wanted to take revenge, Sam," she said with tears in her eyes. "Here's something I got for you."

She turned towards the backseat and pulled out a suitcase full of banknotes, jewelry, and documents. "This is your share of the inheritance Grandma left. I took nothing from it except money to repair my store."

Sam was shocked when he looked at the stacks of dollar bills. He couldn't believe that his sister had kept his share safe with her.

"You wanted this, right? Take your share and go away, please!" she looked away from him while tears trickled down her cheeks. "Forget about me. Forget that there is someone who still cares for you and loves you so much. I won't bother you, and I expect you to do the same."

Sam opened the door and got out of the car with the suitcase in his hand. He headed home and opened it in his room.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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"Oh my God!" he said when he picked up Karen's jewelry and looked at it closely. "This must be worth a million dollars. I can't believe you had left this for me, Grandma!"

After closely looking at the suitcase's contents, Sam realized his share in Karen's inheritance was about fifty times more than the money she left him with. Suddenly, a wave of guilt engulfed him when he thought about what he had done to his sister.

"She saved my share, but I couldn't save the few bucks Grandma asked me to give her," he said while looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry, but I failed Grandma. I failed your test! I'm nothing but a greedy man!"

The following day, Lily went to her shop, worrying about repairing the glass window and cleaning the mess that Sam had created. However, her worries disappeared when she stepped inside her store and saw her younger brother cleaning it.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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"What are you doing here?" she asked him. "I thought I was clear about what I wanted."

"I'm sorry, Lily," Sam apologized as he lowered his gaze. "I wanted to return the suitcase you gave me yesterday. I don't think I deserve to keep the inheritance."

"What are you saying?" Lily was confused.

"I want to work at your store as your employee, Lily," he said. "You were right. I need to work to learn the value of money. I take it for granted and spend it on useless things. Please allow me to work here and keep my share of inheritance with you."

With tears in her eyes, Lily accepted her brother's idea and hired him as a full-time employee. She kept the suitcase with her, hoping she would return it to him once he started living a better lifestyle.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

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What can we learn from this story?

  • Greed will take you nowhere. Sam's greed made him happy for a few years when he spent money how he wished, but he soon learned that his happiness was temporary. He ultimately had to change his lifestyle because his greed led him nowhere.
  • Sometimes, you must be strict to teach your loved ones a lesson. Karen could have given Sam his entire share before her death, but she didn't because she wanted to test him. Meanwhile, Lily also didn't help Sam despite knowing he was in trouble because she wanted him to realize his mistake.

Share this story with your friends and family. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

Click here to read another story about children who learned their grandmother's house had been sold after her death and can't inherit it.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.

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