I Won $333 Million in the Lottery and Told No One! Only My grandson Helped When I Faked Being Broke…
Derek’s face had gone completely white. «They don’t know the whole story.»
«Don’t they? Because the story they heard is that a loving mother helped her children financially for years, won the lottery, and instead of being grateful, they plotted to have her committed so they could steal her money.» I took another sip. «How do you think that’s playing at your workplaces?»
Ashley was crying again. «Mom, Derek’s job… my reputation…»
«Everyone will think—»
«Everyone will think exactly what they should think,» I interrupted. «That you’re both greedy, ungrateful people who tried to take advantage of your elderly mother.»
Jake was staring at me with something approaching awe. «Grandma, you orchestrated all of this, didn’t you?»
«Orchestrated is such a dramatic word. I simply allowed your mother and uncle to show their true colors, then made sure the appropriate people knew about it.» I smiled at my grandson. «Jake, would you like to know what you’re inheriting?»
His eyes widened. «All of it?»
«Every penny. But more importantly, you’re inheriting something your mother and uncle will never have again.» I raised my glass once more. «A family member who trusts you completely.» Derek and Ashley were about to discover that money was the least of what they’d lost.
«The trust documents were signed this morning,» I continued, savoring every word. «Jake receives everything when I pass away, but there’s more. I’ve also established a college fund that will pay for his education through graduate school and a living allowance that ensures he’ll never have to worry about money while he’s studying.»
Jake was speechless. But Derek found his voice. «Mom, you can’t just cut us out completely. We’re your children.»
«You were my children,» I corrected gently. «Now you’re just people who happen to share my DNA and my last name. Being family requires more than biology, Derek. It requires love, respect, and basic human decency.»
Ashley was hyperventilating. «What about our futures? We have nothing now.»
«You have exactly what you gave me when I needed help,» I said simply. «Nothing.»
I walked to my desk and pulled out one final document. «However, I’m not completely heartless. I’ve made arrangements for both of you.»
Derek’s head snapped up. «What kind of arrangements?»
«I’ve arranged for you to have jobs.» I handed him the paper. «Derek, there’s a dishwashing position available at Miller’s Diner, where I used to work double shifts to pay for your college. Minimum wage, but honest work.»
Derek stared at the job application as if it were written in a foreign language. «And Ashley, I’ve spoken to the manager at the local grocery store. They need someone for the overnight stocking shift. Again, minimum wage, but it’s employment.»
«You want us to work minimum wage jobs?» Ashley’s voice was shrill.
«I want you to understand what it feels like to work for every dollar while people you love treat you like you’re worthless,» I sat back down, feeling lighter than I had in years. «Consider it character building.»
Jake finally found his voice. «Grandma, this is… I don’t know what to say.»
«Say you’ll use this money wisely. Say you’ll remember that wealth doesn’t make you better than other people; it just gives you more responsibility to be kind.» I reached over and squeezed his hand. «Say you’ll never take family for granted the way your mother and uncle did.»
«I promise,» he whispered, tears in his eyes.
Derek made one last desperate attempt. «Mom, please. We’ll do anything. We’ll pay you back every penny. We’ll apologize publicly. We’ll…»
«Derek, stop!» I held up my hand. «You’ll do those things because you got caught, not because you’re sorry. There’s a difference.»
I stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the garden I’d tended for 30 years. «You know what’s funny? If you had just helped me when I asked, if you had shown even basic kindness to someone who gave you life, none of this would have happened. I would have shared my fortune gladly.»
«We can start over,» Ashley pleaded. «We can be the family you want us to be.»
I turned around and looked at these two people I had raised, who had shared my holidays, who had taken my money and my love for granted for so many years. «No,» I said simply. «You can’t. Because I finally learned something important. You can’t buy love, but you can definitely put a price on greed. And you’ve both shown me exactly what that price is.»
Jake stood up and hugged me tightly. «Thank you, Grandma. For everything. For the test. For the lesson. For trusting me.»
As Derek and Ashley left my house for the last time, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in years: complete peace. My grandson had everything he needed for a bright future, and I had learned that sometimes the most loving thing you can do is refuse to enable the people who take your love for granted. The lottery had given me money, but my children had given me something far more valuable: the knowledge of who truly deserved my trust.
And that, my friends, was worth every penny.
