13/01/2026
My stepmother told me I would not get anything from my dad’s 154 million will. She sat there all happy during the reading of the will. But then the lawyer read one sentence and he smiled….
I can still see her face. That smug, rehearsed smile. Her manicured nails tapping against the polished oak table as if she was already counting the money. Five months earlier, when Dad married Vanessa, I wanted to believe she loved him. She was young, beautiful, and knew how to laugh at his jokes. He was a brilliant man, but lonely after Mom passed. She called me kiddo, bought me a watch for my graduation, made lasagna on Sundays, even though she hated cooking. I let her in. It started small. She'd forget to tell me about family dinners, change the locks while I was at work. Dad started repeating her phrases, little jabs about how I was still figuring my life out. Then came the night I overheard her on the phone. She didn't whisper. Once he's gone, it's all mine. The kid won't get a cent.
That's how we planned it. She knew I heard. She looked right at me, her lips curling. Don't look so shocked, kiddo. This is how the world works. Vanessa thought Dad's will was set in stone. She didn't know Dad trusted me more than he ever trusted her. What she also didn't know was that I'd been helping him restructure his estate for months before his health declined. When the doctor said the word terminal, Dad sat me down. You'll be fine. She's not as clever as she thinks. He handed me the contact of his oldest friend, Robert, his attorney of 30 years. We rewrote the will, not to disinherit Vanessa entirely.
Dad wasn't cruel, but to make sure she couldn't touch the bulk of his assets without my say. The key was a single clause buried deep in the legal text, a clause that would mean nothing to her until it meant everything. When Dad passed, she didn't cry. She wore black, but she smiled through the whole funeral. By the third day, she was already meeting with a real estate broker talking about selling his properties. She even cornered me in the kitchen. Don't bother showing up for the will reading. You're not in it. The reading of the will. The room smelled like leather and old paper. Robert sat at the head of the table, his glasses low on his nose. Vanessa sat to his right, draped in black silk, acting like a queen awaiting her crown. The first part was predictable, small bequests to charities, gifts to longtime staff. Then Robert said my name. Vanessa's smile twitched.. Watch: [in comment] - Made with AI