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An old house against the backdrop of trees | Source: Shutterstock
An old house against the backdrop of trees | Source: Shutterstock

After Granny's Death, Grandchildren Realize They Can't Inherit Her House – Story of the Day

Rita Kumar
Jul 10, 2023
09:10 A.M.

Brothers Daniel and Nathan return to their childhood home after their grandmother's death. To their dismay, they discover that she had passed on the house to her nurse, leaving them with nothing. They break into the property to retrieve an old cache and stumble upon a chilling clue revealing their grandmother had been scammed.

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Daniel and Nathan marched toward their old family house. The last time they remembered being around their childhood home was four years ago, before joining the research base in the Arctic.

The brothers were always given a warm, hearty welcome by their Grandma, Florence, who was all they had after losing their parents in a car crash when they were little.

But this time, Daniel and Nathan knew their Grandma would not be waiting for them at the doorstep or come running to hug and kiss them. Grandma Florence had recently died and been laid to rest in a cemetery not far, leaving Daniel and Nathan in an abyss of grief.

"I wish we had communicated more with Grandma and spent a little more time with her," the older sibling, Daniel, felt a pang of guilt. Due to their demanding work and limited network coverage at the base, the brothers rarely stayed in touch with their beloved Grandma, who was sick and cared for by the nurse the brothers had hired…

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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"If only we could go back in time and tell her how much we loved and missed her," Nathan disappointedly expressed as they approached the main door of their Grandma's cherished house.

"The door is locked from the inside? Guess it's Sophia..." Daniel said, referring to the nurse. He rang the doorbell. Moments later, the door creaked open, and a strange middle-aged man greeted them.

"Yes?" he asked.

Daniel and Nathan exchanged confused glances, wondering what the guy was doing in their grandmother's house.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

"Who are you? And what are you doing in our Grandma's house?" Nathan asked the man. "Where's Nurse Sophia?"

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"Your Grandma's house? Sorry, I think you're mistaken," the man replied. "This is my house…I recently bought this house from Miss Sophia. She was this property's owner."

Daniel and Nathan could not believe their ears. "What?! You bought the house from Sophia?" Nathan gasped.

"Why yes. Like I said, she was the house owner," the man replied, leaving Nathan and Daniel perplexed and frustrated.

"I can't believe this!" Nathan fumed as they stepped back from the doorstep. "What the heck happened here?"

Daniel tried calling Sophia, but her number was out of service, which fueled their suspicions further.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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"Great! She's not answering the phone. Now what?" Daniel fumed.

"What about the hidden stash in the house, Dan? Do you think it's still there?" Nathan turned to his brother.

As they stood on the street, they grew increasingly worried about the cache that had been concealed from plain sight for several years. It was in a secret spot that only they and their Grandma knew.

"We need to find the cache, man," Daniel added. "Grandma never mentioned anything about selling the house or leaving it to Sophia. I doubt Grandma told Sophia about the stash."

"Yeah, maybe this family doesn't have a clue either. That cache belongs to us...and we won't let it slip away just like that," Nathan was determined.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

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As the confusion soared, the brothers went door to door in the neighborhood, asking people if they knew where Sophia was and what had happened to their house. But nobody knew anything, and it all seemed so mysterious.

"Alright! Enough of this mystery. First, we go to Grandma's lawyer," Daniel said. "We need to find out how our house ended up in Sophia's name."

Decision made, the brothers drove to their Grandma's lawyer, Mr. Gregory's office, to address the concern.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

"What is happening, Mr. Gregory? Grandma left us with nothing...and passed on her house to that nurse..." Daniel exploded at their family lawyer, getting straight to the point.

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"...And there's this guy at Grandma's house. He claims to be the new owner and that Sophia recently sold the house to him. What's going on, Mr. Gregory?" Nathan added.

"Let me explain...." the lawyer pulled out a file from his drawer and put it on the table for the brothers to read. It was a will, and the words in it startled Daniel and Nathan.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

I, Florence J., bequeath my house, including all its contents, to Sophia Jones, as a token of my gratitude for her dedicated care and companionship. I hereby also state that Sophia is the only heir to the property.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

The brothers were stunned. "What?? I can't believe it," Nathan rose with a start. "She declared Sophia as the only heir? That's so unfair...why would she do this to us?"

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Daniel was more frustrated and confused than Nathan was. But he knew this was not the time to make a scene as every word on the document looked clear. Even their Grandma Florence's signature seemed genuine.

"Alright, thanks, Mr. Gregory. We'll—" Daniel handshake with the lawyer was interrupted by a phone call.

"Well...oh, excuse me. I got to take this," the lawyer got busy on the phone, and Daniel seized the opportunity and clicked a picture of the will laid open on the table before leaving.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

"We drive back to Grandma's house, and when the opportunity presents itself, we retrieve our hidden stash first, okay?" Daniel said as he sped toward Florence's house.

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The shrill cries of crickets pierced the quiet night air as Daniel and Nathan crept outside their Grandma's property. They waited for the lights to go off in the house to pave the way for a break-in.

This was their only chance to retrieve what belonged to them. As they kept an eye on the house, the front door suddenly burst open, prompting Daniel and Nathan to bolt to the barn and hide.

"Holy Moly! You see that?" Daniel whispered as he peered through the mesh window. "Guess they're heading out. This is good! Once they're gone, we can break into the house and get it."

The brothers watched the family leave the house in their car. Once the coast was clear, they crept out of their hideout and looked around the house for a way in.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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"That's it...see that?" Nathan pointed up to an open window fluttering on the second floor near the balcony. "I'll go inside and search for the stash. Meanwhile, you keep a watch outside, okay?"

Daniel agreed. "Careful, bro...watch your step..." he whispered as Nathan climbed the pipe. As Daniel guarded outside the house, Nathan sneaked inside and headed toward his Grandma's bedroom on the second floor.

The hallway was dark, and the floorboard creaked with every cautious step Nathan took. He shone his flashlight into his Grandma's room, and a huge sigh shattered the stillness.

"There it is! I hope everything is safe and untouched," Nathan gasped as he approached the bed with a secret compartment and opened it.

"Jesus, yes! It's here...the money we saved. Grandma's jewelry. Everything is intact," he exclaimed. "...wait a second...what's this?"

Nathan found an envelope under the jewelry and picked it up. "What's this envelope doing here?" He wondered and tore it open, only to freeze to the ground.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

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"A letter from Grandma?" Nathan's heart pounded as he pulled out a letter and began reading:

Dear Daniel & Nathan,

My health has started to give in lately. I'm worried I may die without seeing you, sweethearts.

I'm very sorry if we never get another chance to meet again. I may not be there when this letter reaches you. But please know that Grandma loves you very much. And I'm so proud of you, boys.

My only worry is regarding our family home. I hope you will not sell it and will raise your future children in it, just like I raised you.

With Love, Grandma.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

"...not sell the house?" Nathan gulped. He was shocked as he read those words again, and things entangled into a deadly knot when he saw the date on the letter.

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"What? No…this can't be happening…Grandma wrote this letter on July 3rd. That's strange..." Nathan drew in a sharp breath, recalling the will the lawyer had shown them.

"...the date on the will was June 2nd. That was a month before Grandma even wrote this letter. Something's not adding up."

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

The clock was ticking. And Nathan knew he had no time to spare. He quickly gathered the contents in the cache into his backpack, tucked the letter in his pocket, and crept out of the house.

"Dan, look what I've found," Nathan ran to Daniel with the letter in his grasp.

"What? It's dated after Grandma made the will. Oh my God..." Daniel gasped, noticing the same peculiar detail.

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"This could only mean one thing — Grandma was deceived by Sophia. Something fishy happened here that we are yet to figure out."

"Looks like it, Dan. What do we do now?"

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Daniel and Nathan stood on the street under the starry night, their worry and speculations compounding with each fleeting second.

"Should we go to the cops? We have evidence…" Nathan looked up at Daniel.

But Daniel shunned the idea. "Not yet. We can't use this letter as evidence. What if they ask us how we got it? We can't risk telling them that we broke into someone's property and stole it. We'll end up getting arrested for theft."

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Nathan nodded in agreement. "You're right, Dan. We can't afford to lose the culprit that way. We need to think of something else."

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

"We're in a race against time. We need justice for our dead Grandma who was scammed," Daniel clenched his fist. "Sophia! That woman...we can't let her get away with what she's done to her."

"What do we do now?" Nathan held his head in confusion.

"That's it!" Daniel exclaimed. "We need to find out if Sophia is currently taking care of any other older person...there might be another vulnerable victim, just like Grandma...all we have to do is just find who that person is!"

With their newfound determination to protect another senior citizen from falling into the same trap, the brothers decided to investigate discreetly.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Daniel and Nathan crashed for the night at an old motel on the highway, where they spent long, sleepless hours, scouring the internet for archives and job listings.

Specifically, they focused on advertisements seeking a full-time nurse for senior citizens in and around their town. The endless search yielded the phone numbers of random people who had posted those ads online.

"Let's call all of them and find out if anyone has hired a nurse under the name of Sophia Jones recently as a caregiver for their parents or grandparents," Daniel suggested, and Nathan agreed.

The brothers grabbed their phones and began ringing all the numbers, one by one.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

"Hello, I'm calling to inquire about a job posting for a nurse for your grandparent," Daniel spoke on the call. "Have you found someone for the position?"

"Yes, we have already hired a nurse for my Grandpa," the person on the phone answered.

"Oh, alright! Can you please tell me the nurse's name? We're trying to track down someone named Sophia...or Miss Jones," Daniel added.

"No...the nurse we hired goes by a different name."

Daniel hung up disappointedly. Meanwhile, the string of calls Nathan had been making to the other people on the list did not fetch anything interesting either.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

"It's the same answer every time," Daniel fumed. "Damn."

With barely a few people left on the list, the brothers held on to their hope and continued making the remaining calls.

"Hello, is this Brittany?" Nathan spoke. "We just came across your ad seeking a full-time nurse for your Grandma. We're calling regarding a nurse named Ms. Jones. Do you, by any chance, know her?"

"You mean, Sophia? Yes, I know her. She's been recently hired to take care of my Grandma...a very friendly nurse. Why do you ask?" came the reply that startled Nathan as he put the call on speaker.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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"That's great news, Brittany! We need your help," Daniel said, exchanging a surprise glance with his brother.

"Yeah? What kind of help?"

"Look, this might sound crazy. But we believe Nurse Sophia might have deceived our Grandma and acquired her house after her passing two weeks ago," Daniel explained.

"And we think Sophia's planning to do the same to your grandmother as well," Nathan added, startling Brittany.

"Oh my God...what are you saying?" Brittany exclaimed.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

"It's true, Brittany. We need your help. Can you please tell us when you last saw Sophia?" Daniel asked.

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"I haven't seen her," Brittany replied. "I currently work as a biologist in South Africa. Communication facilities are limited here. My Grandma and I hardly ever speak. And that's why I hired Sophia to look after my Grandma."

Daniel and Nathan were now clear that Sophia's main targets were rich and vulnerable senior citizens living alone with nobody to care for them.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

"Brittany, we need to stop this, alright?" Nathan said. "We suspect Sophia is planning on deceiving your Grandma and tricking her into transferring ownership of her house. We can't let her get away with this...We need you to get back home as soon as possible."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Brittany agreed. "Alright! I'll book the next flight back home. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my Grandma."

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"That's great, Brittany. Now just do one thing for us before you come. Call Sophia and tell her you'll arrive home in a few days. We need to keep her off guard."

"I'll do it right now!" Brittany said and hung up as Daniel and Nathan plotted their next move.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

Two days passed. The brothers were sitting in a café, anxiously waiting for Brittany. She called them an hour ago, saying her flight had landed.

Their wait ended with relief when Brittany approached their table and greeted them. "Hey, I'm Brittany…nice to see you!"

"Hey, I'm relieved you made it here safely," Daniel rose for a handshake.

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"We need your help to catch Sophia red-handed, Brittany. It's the only way we'll make her reveal her true intentions," Nathan leaned forward from his chair.

"I'm with you," Brittany agreed. "So what should I do?"

"First, we drive to the pharmacy. We have a little shopping to do!" Daniel added as he grabbed his car keys.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

Half an hour later, they drove up to Brittany's Grandma's house and saw Sophia leaving the house in her car. Her very presence enraged Daniel and Nathan. But they kept calm and waited for Sophia to leave.

They hurried inside the house once the coast was clear and found Brittany's Grandma Rose sitting on the couch. "Brittany, my dear! I'm so happy to see you!" Grandma Rose threw herself into Brittany's arms. "Are they your friends?"

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Brittany hugged her Grandma, relieved she was okay. She had a lot to share with her but realized time was running out. Sophia could be back any minute. And they needed to pull off their plan as fast as possible.

"This is Daniel...and Nathan," Brittany pointed to the brothers. "They're here to help us, Grandma. We have something important to discuss with you."

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

"Mrs. Frederick, we're from the town nearby. We need to know if you've written a will recently?" Daniel stepped forward and asked Rose.

Rose wrinkled her forehead. "Oh, yes, I did. My nurse Sophia suggested it about a month ago. She told me I was getting old and sick and needed to make proper arrangements for my property. Why?"

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Daniel, Nathan, and Brittany exchanged a worried glance. "Mrs. Frederick, we've discovered something disturbing about Sophia. She may not be who she seems."

Rose did not understand anything. So the three sat her down and explained Nurse Sophia's hidden intentions.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

"...and she scammed our Grandma, took her house, and sold it... posing as the owner. We don't have enough evidence, and that's why we're here. We need your help, Mrs. Frederick," Daniel explained.

Rose broke down, unable to take the shock. "What should I do?" She asked.

"Here, take this sleeping pill. Call Sophia and tell her you're not feeling well. She will come here. And convinced you're really sick, she'll call an ambulance. We'll take care of the rest."

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Rose trusted the trio and agreed. She took the pill and made the call. Meanwhile, Daniel, Nathan, and Brittany returned to their car and waited for Sophia.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

"Here she comes!" Nathan whispered as Sophia's car pulled over at the driveway 20 minutes later. She entered the house, slamming the door shut behind her.

"She's gone...let me do it now," Nathan whispered as he approached Sophia's car and deflated the tire. "That should do it!" a wicked grin beamed on his face as he hopped into the car.

Grandma Rose was taken in the ambulance ten minutes later. As Sophia got into her car and started the engine, the vehicle lurched forward slightly but quickly came to a halt.

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Frustration welled up inside Sophia. "Damn!" She angrily kicked the flat tire and decided to wait for the taxi she had hailed. Meanwhile, Daniel, Nathan, and Brittany were already on their way to the hospital where Rose was taken.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

The car pulled over to a screeching halt on the asphalt outside the hospital. Daniel, Nathan, and Brittany rushed to the doctor who was entering Rose's ward to examine her.

"Excuse me, Doctor. We need your help. My Grandma is perfectly alright. She just took a sleeping pill," Brittany stopped the physician.

"A sleeping pill? Why did she take that?" he inquired.

"We wanted to protect her from someone who has been deceiving her."

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"Yeah, she's right," Nathan chimed in. "A woman will visit Mrs. Frederick in a while, introducing herself as her nurse. She is a scammer. Doctor, we need your cooperation to expose her."

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

"Sophia, the woman who has been caring for my Grandma, is not who she claims to be," Brittany added. "We're just a step closer to catching her scheme red-handed."

"We'll have Mrs. Frederick's hospital charges covered for tonight. We want your help to catch the scammer. When Sophia comes, please tell her Mrs. Frederick has already passed away on the way to the hospital...we'll take care of the rest," Daniel told the doctor.

The doctor understood how desperate the three were, but he didn't make any promises. "I'll consider it," is all he said.

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"Great, thanks, doctor!" Daniel said as the three immediately left the hospital before Sophia arrived.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

It turns out, the doctor gave in to his instinct to trust the two young men, who were about the same age as his own estranged son.

A day passed. Convinced that Rose had passed away, Sophia was busy with the preparations for the funeral when her phone rang in her pocket. Her eyes widened with disbelief when she heard Brittany's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Sophia. It's Brittany. I'm in Pennsylvania. I just arrived in town...and heard the news about my Grandma's passing from a neighbor. I can't believe it. I thought she was fine. I was so happy to finally be able to see her. How did she die? And there's something strange going on. What's with this new lock on my Grandma's door? I'm not able to get into her house using the spare keys. Can you please come over?"

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Sophia trembled, and a cold sweat broke on her face.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

"Hey, Brittany, I'm really sorry about your grandmother. I was actually on my way to the house with the lawyer. We'll sort everything out, okay? Let's meet at the house in twenty minutes."

"Yes, please. I'll be waiting at the house," Brittany hung up and turned around, showing a thumbs-up gesture at Daniel and Nathan, who were watching everything from their car.

Twenty minutes later, Sophia and her lawyer arrived at the house.

"Hey…I'm so sorry for what happened to your Grandma. She got sick...old age...you know..." Sophia approached Brittany and hugged her.

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"Maybe I should've talked to Grandma more. Guess it's too late now," Brittany pretended to be heartbroken. "Can I get the keys to my Grandma's house? The lock seems to have been changed."

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Sophia remained calm and made big eyes at the lawyer, nudging him to talk.

"I'm afraid you will not get the keys to Mrs. Frederick's house," the attorney said. "Miss Sophia owns this house now!"

"What? What do you mean?" Brittany raised an eyebrow.

The lawyer opened a file and showed her some paperwork that mentioned Sophia as the legal inheritor of Rose's property.

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"Mrs. Frederick has legally bequeathed her house to Sophia, who is now the new house owner…Everything is legal!" the lawyer finished.

"I DON'T THINK IT'S LEGAL!" Brittany's Grandma stepped out of Daniel's car, startling Sophia and her lawyer.

They froze to the ground, and Sophia even tried to run. But it was too late. Daniel and Nathan surrounded the two of them, staring them in the eye. A loud wail of the police siren blared in the distance, growing louder as the car approached Rose's house.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

Sophia and her accomplice were taken into custody. An hour later, Sophia found herself in the interrogation room, her hands cuffed and the detective staring her in the eye, awaiting her confession.

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"I... I admit it," Sophia nervously opened up. "My lawyer and I were in this together. He helped me make fake wills. We orchestrated the deception of vulnerable and rich older people, including Brittany's grandmother. We took advantage of their trust in me...and manipulated them into signing the fake documents confirming the transfer of the property rights in my name."

"How many people were affected by this scheme?" the detective asked.

"I can't give you an exact number...we scammed people who were desperate and relied heavily on my care. Once the property falls under my name, we would find ways to end their lives, or if that's too hard, then we kick them out and sell their property. We'd then leave town with the money…and start looking for our next target. In a rare case, one of our victims named Florence died a natural death after signing our fake will, making our job much easier…." Sophia finished, staring at her handcuffs.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

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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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