Linda and Kevin sat at the lawyer’s office after their father’s death. It was time for the reading of the will and to find out what he left each of them.
Their father, William Dawson, was a wealthy businessman. He was close to Linda and Kevin through the years but only felt a real genuine connection with his son as they bonded over sports, food, and traveling.
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Meanwhile, Linda always tried to please her father and win his affection. She would only talk to him about business and did not try to connect with him.
Linda believed showing her dad she was a responsible businesswoman would make her seem more trustworthy of his estate. She thought that by showing him she was capable, he would entrust his business to her, not Kevin.
However, while Linda always tried to please her father, Kevin was also an intelligent and opinionated man. As he and his father bonded over their passions and hobbies, they would sneak in a bit of business talk whenever needed. This made William value Kevin’s opinions, as they came out as genuine and sound.
When William’s health started to deteriorate, he decided to sell his majority shares in his business to a larger corporation. He made sure to leave both Linda and Kevin an equal amount of shares to remain sitting on the business’ board of directors.
He also asked his son to donate his money to several local charities supporting cancer patients like him. Kevin happily obliged and made donations in his father’s name.
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Thus, In his will, William didn’t need to worry about dividing his business and money between his children. He only needed to split his remaining properties. The lawyer got to work and quickly read the will which stated:
“Mr. Dawson wishes to leave his two-story estate and all its contents to Ms. Linda Dawson, while Mr. Kevin Dawson will receive his country home behind the estate and all its contents. Nothing follows.”
“What about dad’s money? Where will it all go?” Linda asked the lawyer.
“He donated the remainder of his money to charity before he died. This is all that’s left in his will,” he disclosed.
“What?! Why would he do that?!” she asked, suddenly angry.
“Why wouldn’t he? He can do whatever he wants with his money. He’s worked hard for it,” Kevin replied.
Linda glared at her brother before realizing she still won. “Whatever. It’s still clear how differently dad loved us both. He left you with a trashy home while I inherited the mansion. Loser.”
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Linda walked out of the lawyer’s office without a second glance. Meanwhile, Kevin stayed to thank the attorney for all the services he gave his late father.
The next day, he decided to visit the old country home his father left him. He knew his sister would kick him out of the mansion, so he decided to renovate the country home and live there.
While scouting the house for what needed significant repairs, he discovered a hatch that led to an underground floor. When he opened it, he saw a note on the steps leading to a room and it read: “Son, I hope you make use of what you’re about to see in here.”
Kevin made his way downstairs and was surprised to see all the things his father meant for him to find. Inside the vast room, there were rows of modern furniture covered in plastic, a table filled with expensive diamond and gold jewelry and art collectibles, and expensive designer paintings lined up in a row right beside the table.
After he lifted one of the collectibles, he noticed a sealed envelope from his father. It read:
“Son, I’ve always wanted to repair this house because it was your grandmother’s. However, I never got to do it because of how busy I was. Do it, son. I hope you live a wonderful life here with the people you love. I left you some money on the chest below this table, and should you ever need more money, these pieces of jewelry, collectibles, and paintings are worth millions. I love you, son. Live a good life. Dad.”
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Indeed, Kevin found a chest filled with cash under the table. It looked to be over a hundred thousand dollars. “Oh, dad,” Kevin said to himself. “You prepared all of this before you asked me to donate your money to charity,” he realized with a smile on his face.
Kevin asked Linda to give him a week to pack up and move out of the house. She obliged, thinking he had nowhere to go. “Poor brother. Dad didn’t even think about giving you a nice place to live,” she said, mocking him. “Feel free to take whatever’s in your room. You’ll need it in your new shack.”
Little did she know, Kevin received a lot more than she did. Despite that, the monetary value of what he received was not what mattered. It was the fact that their dad took time and effort to prepare the country home and its contents for him.
Kevin made repairs to his house and continued to work hard. He met a beautiful lady who became his wife, and they bore lovely children. In the end, he passed on the precious things he received from his father to the next generation, hoping it taught them to value family.
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What can we learn from this story?
- We should not expect anything from our parents’ wealth to learn how to be independent. Linda knew her father was wealthy, so she tried to stay by his side when he was alive, thinking it would increase her inheritance. Meanwhile, Kevin did not expect anything from his dad and worked hard to earn money.
- Nothing beats a parent’s love for his/her children. Regardless of Linda’s intentions, William made sure she had a roof over her head when he died. He also wanted Kevin to live a good life, so he made sure to leave him with enough to live a good and comfortable life.
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