I Gave Up My Inheritance

On the day my grandfather, who was the wealthiest man in this state, died, the entire family got into a huge fight over the inheritance. My father could not stop the fight, so he requested my mother’s support. When I arrived, my grandfather was lying motionless on the bed. He was not even changed into his funeral suit. My aunts were pulling on each other’s hair as they fought over the ownership of a building. My uncles were fighting over the Rolls-Royce car keys. The entire family looked like hooligans as they fought. My mother was holding gold bars as she yelled at me, “What are you waiting for? Take that gold ring off your grandfather’s finger!” I rubbed my hands and was just about to take the ring off. I had just crouched down when I saw my grandfather’s pinky move. Chapter 1 I rubbed my eyes, but my grandfather, Ronald Anderson’s, hand was no longer moving. I did not dare to take the ring off. I lightly grabbed Ronald’s finger. It was very cold, and it did not feel like he was alive. I stood up and yelled, “Stop fighting! Let’s take Grandpa to the hospital first!” They stopped fighting for a while. My aunt, Mary Anderson, rolled her eyes at me. “Dad was just discharged from the hospital. Why do you want to take him there again?” I said reluctantly, “What if he’s still alive?” My uncle, Ted Anderson, threw the death certificate at me. “Dad had a tumor in his brain. He wasn’t going to live long with that condition. Now that he’s finally dead, why are you spoiling the mood?” I picked up the death certificate and stared at it. It seemed real. Was I hallucinating earlier? Was Ronald really dead? My uncle’s wife, Patty Anderson, smacked her lips and said, “It’s great that he’s dead, but why didn’t he leave a will? If he had, do you think the rest of you would even have a chance at snatching the inheritance? “My son, Charlie, is the sole grandson of the Anderson family. He should be the sole heir of the inheritance.” Mary was furious. “My son is also my dad’s grandson. Why isn’t he getting anything? The only undeserving person should be Peter’s daughter, Kiera.” When she said that, she glanced at me. “Kiera wouldn’t even share our last name after she’s married. She’s basically an outsider. I think a few gold bars are more than enough for her.” My mother was furious. She stepped forward and pushed Mary away. “Who the hell are you to say that? Aren’t you married too? Ronald liked Kiera the most when he was alive. Kiera should get what she deserves!” When I saw that they were about to fight again, I covered my ears in annoyance. Then, I looked over at Ronald again. This time around, I saw his eyelid move. I was not hallucinating. Ronald was still alive! Why did he fake his death? I gulped nervously and tugged on my mother’s sleeve. “Mom, stop fighting! It’s fine. I don’t want the inheritance!” Chapter 2 Everyone immediately fell silent. Ted and Patty looked at me and mumbled, “What an idiot! Does she know how much the inheritance is worth? It’s enough for three generations to thrive without working!” Mary crossed her arms and said mockingly, “Why are you acting like a saint now that we’re distributing the inheritance? Are you really putting up an act for the dead?” I was actually putting on an act for Ronald. Truth to be told, I could not blame the others for being this ruthless. Ronald was truly an odd man. He was a self-made billionaire, and his business spanned across industries in the state. Even the mayor respected him when they met. Given such a massive fortune, the family members would be able to live luxuriously and wealthily if they get their hands on it. However, Ronald was a sensitive and careful man. He was always suspicious of someone plotting to take his money from him. Back then, when my father got married and asked Ronald for money to purchase a house, Ronald thought he was trying to take his money. He yelled at my father and chased him out of the house. Mary did not go to college and wanted to start a small business. Ronald mocked her ruthlessly and said that it was an absolute waste of his money as it would not succeed. Ted wanted to study overseas, but Ronald scolded him for being extravagant and useless. He accused Ted of spending his fortune away. Even though Ronald was the richest man in the state, his children did not get to live comfortably. Ronald, who was sensitive and stingy, definitely would have written a will before his death. He was faking his death to see what we would do! My knees went weak. I collapsed next to Ronald’s bed and sobbed. “What are you doing? Grandpa’s dead, and you’re after his wealth! Don’t you think this’d upset him?” “Wow, what a good granddaughter you are! Don’t try to make us look bad! If you don’t want the inheritance, waive your rights to it!” Mary clapped her hands, and an old lawyer dressed in a suit walked in. “Mr. Scott, my niece says that she wants to waive her rights to the inheritance!” The lawyer, Leo Scott, looked at me and asked, “Ms. Kiera, is that true?” Before I could speak, my mother pinched me anxiously. “What nonsense is this? Mr. Scott, Kiera’s just upset. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t want the inheritance.” Mr. Scott nodded and said, “Actually, before Ronald passed away, he did draft a will. “Each one of you has the chance to inherit all his wealth.” Chapter 3 Everyone quietened down when they heard that. Ted could not help but ask, “Mr. Scott, just tell us quickly. Is Charlie going to inherit all his wealth?” Mr. Scott slowly took a stamped legal document from his briefcase. The will only had a few words on it. [My unfilial children and grandchildren: whoever can find what matters most to me within three days after my death can inherit all my wealth.] Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Ronald, who was usually meticulous and stingy, to leave such a cryptic will. Mary rolled her eyes. “He’s still causing trouble after death. Who knows what he cherishes the most? “Mr. Scott, you should give us some hints. There are so many things that he had left behind. How will we ever find what matters to him?” Everyone agreed. “That’s right! Just give us a hint.” Mr. Scott stomped his foot and said, “The thing that Ronald cherished the most is in this old mansion. “The item doesn’t have any copies or duplicates. Whoever finds it first will become the sole heir to Mr. Anderson’s inheritance.” It was a three-storied mansion and filled with various little things that belonged to Ronald. Mary’s eyes lit up as she ran toward Ronald’s bedroom. “I know it! It’s certainly that!” Even though no one knew what Mary was thinking, all of us trailed behind her. I saw Mary taking out an old property certificate from the bedside cabinet. She carefully slid it into her bag and looked at us sharply. “I found it first!” It took a while for my father to realize what it was. His eyes widened in shock. “That’s the property certificate for this mansion. How did you know it was hidden there?” Mary said smugly, “It’s because Mom and Dad loved me. I saw Dad hide it here when I was younger. “Mr. Scott, is this the item that my dad cherished the most?” Mr. Scott smiled. He did not confirm nor deny. “The answer will be revealed on the burial day. One person is limited to one item only. “If no one can find the right item three days later, Mr. Anderson’s entire fortune will be donated to charity!” Chapter 4 I gasped. Ronald’s fortune was at least a few billion dollars. No one would willingly give up a billion dollars, especially not family members who were just one step away from inheriting it. Mary hugged the property certificate and hesitated. The property had been passed down through generations. Ronald had once remortgaged it to fund his business. Once he became wealthy, the first thing he did was buy the property back and build this mansion. It was also the house where my father, my uncle, Ted, and my aunt, Mary, grew up. It was definitely very precious. Ted and Patty were jealous. Ted said, “Dad had so many properties. Who knows if he even remembers owning this one? “Let’s look for something else.” My parents also started to look around anxiously. When my mother saw that I was not moving, she slapped me. “What are you doing?! Quick! Go and search. We have to find it even if we don’t sleep for three whole nights!” I looked down at Ronald as thoughts raced through my mind. What was it that Ronald intended for us to find? I could not figure it out at that moment. So, I followed my parents’ lead in the search. To find the most precious item, Ted hired a private investigator. Mary hired a psychic. My parents were contemplating whether they should get some external help. My mother slapped her forehead and called my maternal grandfather, Walter White. “My father was in the military with Ronald. Maybe he knows what Ronald valued most.” However, my mother was worried that Walter might take the news too hard because of his age, so she decided not to tell him about Ronald’s death. When she called Walter, she simply made up an excuse. Walter tried to recall the past and said, “Ronald loved his wife, Edith, the most. She passed away more than thirty years ago. “Why are you asking this? Is Peter trying to appease Ronald?” My mother quickly made up some excuse and hung up. My parents decided to look for my late grandmother Edith Anderson’s items. In the end, they found an engagement ring underneath Ronald’s pillow. At the same time, Mary and Ted both found some clues. Everyone was hyper-vigilant and did not want to share anything. Chapter 5 It had been three days since Ronald had supposedly died, and it was time for the burial. His body was placed in the morgue. The helpers were the ones who dressed him in his funeral suit. Everyone was trying to find the item that Ronald cherished the most, and none of them even spared a glance at him. Naturally, no one discovered that Ronald went out of the morgue late at night to eat and go to the washroom. It was a grand funeral. My father and uncles were dressed in black. Everyone who had been fighting the day before was in tears, looking absolutely devastated. Mary wiped her tears and wailed, “Dad, how am I going to live without you?” Someone held her up and said comfortingly, “My condolences… I hope he rests in peace.” Everyone was crying at the funeral. I did not even shed a tear. Instead, I carefully arranged the funeral flowers. After the long funeral service, it was finally time for the grand finale. Mr. Scott walked over with the will and announced it to all friends and relatives who came to the funeral. “Today’s the burial day for Mr. Anderson. “He had three children. Any one of them who can present the item he cherished the most will be entitled to inherit all his fortune!” The first person who stepped forward was Mary. She was holding the property certificate. “My father cared most about this plot of land. Even though it was in a secluded area, he turned it into a little wonderland. These days, the property is worth a fortune. “Someone even offered him one hundred million dollars for it, but he refused to sell it! This is the item that my father cherished the most!” Mary held up the property certificate confidently. It seemed like the psychic had given her a lot of confidence. My mother whispered in my ear, “I heard the psychic Mary hired was talking to Ronald’s spirit, and he said it’s the property certificate. If it’s true, what are we going to do?” I glanced at Ronald, who was lying in the coffin. He was lying there peacefully as if he were truly dead. Mary must have been scammed. Ronald was not truly dead. So, how was it possible for the psychic to talk to his spirit? As expected, Mr. Scott carefully scrutinized the certificate and shook his head. “This is not the item that Mr. Anderson cherished the most.” Chapter 6 The smile froze on Mary’s face. Then, she scowled. She no longer tried to appear elegant and somber. She yelled, “Damn it! Who are you to decide what it is? I bet you’re trying to take my father’s inheritance for yourself!” The bodyguards held Mary back. Mr. Scott stood there unaffected. “Next.” Ted pushed my father’s shoulder and said, “Peter, what do you think is the most precious thing to our dad?” My father was just about to answer when my mother stopped him. “Is that any of your business?” Ted rolled his eyes. “Suit yourself. We found it anyway!” After that, he took out a car key from his pocket. “This is what my father cherished the most when he was alive.” The car key was very old. It was not a Rolls-Royce or a Maybach. It was the key to an old van. Ted said, “This was my father’s first car. In the past, he drove this van to deliver goods out of state. “He ran into a landslide on the way there, and the van was destroyed. However, it still managed to drive my father out to a safe place. “No matter how poor we were, my father had never sold this van off. He said he wanted to take care of this van forever. “It had been decades, and this van was still in our garage. It was even cleaned and maintained. “He was worried that the van would no longer function, so he occasionally assigned someone to drive it to keep it working. He treated this van better than he treated his sons!” It seemed like the private investigator that Ted hired was good. He had managed to dig out an old, emotional story. I looked at Ronald and saw his fingers move. Could it really be the van? My parents were anxious. Everyone stared at Mr. Scott. Mr. Scott glanced at the car key and said slowly, “Unfortunately, that isn’t the item that Mr. Anderson cherished the most.” Ted was flustered. He launched himself at Mr. Scott and cried, “How is it possible? My private investigator told me this was it! “Mr. Scott, if I get the inheritance, I can give you half of it. Please, I beg you! If I don’t get that inheritance, I’ll die!” Mr. Scott rejected his request coldly. Then, it was our turn. Everyone was staring at the three of us mockingly. If we did not manage to present the right item, the billion-dollar fortune would be donated to charity! My father took a deep breath. His trembling hand reached into his pocket. Could it truly be the engagement ring? I looked at my father and then at Ronald. I felt something was wrong. What would be Ronald’s most cherished item? He wanted us to find it so badly that he was willing to fake his death. I shuddered as I realized something. I held my father’s hand to stop him. “Dad, don’t! I know what matters to Grandpa.”