When Ellie’s blind and dying grandfather gathers the greedy family to announce he’s donating his fortune to charity, tensions explode. The open safe attracts everyone, and as family members enter the room one by one, Ellie suspects foul play. But when it’s her turn, her grandfather reveals a shocking truth.
At 19, I was the black sheep of a family that treated me like I was invisible. After Mom died, Dad married Sharon, who had two daughters and enough emotional baggage to sink a cruise ship.
A woman standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney
The way they looked at me—as if I were something they’d scraped off their shoes—made our spacious house seem smaller than a closet.
Their matching designer outfits and perfectly coiffed hair only emphasized how out of place I looked in my thrift store clothes and messy ponytail.
“Ellie, my dear,” Sharon had said, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “wouldn’t you be more comfortable eating in the kitchen?”
A disapproving woman sitting at a dinner table | Source: Midjourney
It was her way of saying I embarrassed her in front of her friends at the country club. Dad just stared at his plate, suddenly fascinated by his roasted asparagus.
My cousins were no better. All six of them viewed family reunions as networking events, courting anyone who could boost their social status.
I usually ended up in the kitchen, helping the staff clean up. At least they talked to me like I was a human being. Maria, our cook, always saved me a piece of her famous chocolate cake.
A decadent chocolate cake | Source: Pexels
“Those people over there?” she said, sliding me an extra-large slice. “They don’t know what they’re missing.”
But my grandfather? He was different. He’d started from nothing to build the family fortune, but wealth had never changed him. Grandpa was a real man, from beginning to end.
He was the only one in the family who saw me for who I really was, while everyone else looked at me askance.
A young woman speaking to her grandfather | Source: Midjourney
Grandpa taught me everything worth knowing, from how to plant the perfect rose garden to how to laugh when life throws you a curve ball.
While the rest of the family was busy climbing their social ladders, Grandpa and I would sit on his wraparound porch, drinking lemonade and chatting about anything and everything.
“Remember, Ellie,” he would say when I was having a bad day, “the best revenge is to live well. And maybe a little joke now and then.”
A young woman sitting on a porch with her grandfather | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t really understand what he meant until this summer when everything changed.
Grandpa fell ill, and his health deteriorated rapidly. His eyesight failed, and he suddenly found himself bedridden. The family descended like locusts, their concern as false as Sharon’s designer handbags.
I visited him every day, watching him weaken, my heart breaking a little more each time. While others whispered about his enormous wall safe and what it might contain, I simply held his hand and read his favorite books.
An open book | Source: Pexels
At his request, we watched “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which should have been my first clue as to what was about to happen.
“Read that part again,” he said, “where Edmond discovers the treasure.”
Now I wonder if he was trying not to laugh.
Then came the day that changed everything.
A worried woman sits at her grandfather’s bedside | Source: Midjourney
“Family reunion,” Grandpa announced via voicemail, his voice barely above a whisper. “Everyone’s coming to my house. Right now.”
The whole family rushed to Grandpa’s house, almost trampling each other in their haste to reach his bedside. I stayed back, leaning against the wall by the door.
I then noticed that the safe in Grandpa’s room was ajar. Grandpa never left it open. I peered into the room and my heart sank when I realized I wasn’t the only person who had noticed.
A young woman frowns | Source: Midjourney
Everyone in my family stared at the dark crack in the door with hungry eyes. Sharon’s daughters, Amber and Crystal, kept nudging each other and pointing at her when they thought no one was looking.
“I’m sad that I won’t be able to see any of you again,” Grandpa said. “I’d give anything to see your faces again, but it’s too late for that now. The doctor says I don’t have much time left. That’s why I’ve called you all here today. I’ve put my affairs in order, and I want you all to know that I’ve decided to give all my money to charity.”
A man wearing dark glasses lying in bed | Source: Midjourney
The silence that followed was deafening. I could practically hear their dreams of inheriting millions shattering like cheap glass. My cousin Bradley even jumped, then turned and stared at the safe.
Everyone else followed his gaze. It seemed they were all thinking the same thing: if they took something, he would never know.
“Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like the opportunity to speak with each of you privately,” Grandpa continued, adjusting his dark glasses. “Who goes first?”
An elderly man wearing dark glasses is talking to someone | Source: Midjourney
What happened next was like a piranha feeding frenzy. Everyone started talking at once, pushing and shoving each other, trying to be first in line.
“That’s enough!” my uncle declared loudly. “I’m the eldest son, and I’ll go first.”
His gaze silenced everyone.
“Grandpa, wait!” I called, trying to warn him, but Amber and Crystal pushed me into the hallway.
An extremely worried young woman | Source: Midjourney
I watched from the hallway as they filed in one after the other. Each one came out with a smug look, like cats who’d gotten into cream.
My stomach lurched. I knew exactly what was happening. The open chest was too tempting, and a blind old man would never know if they’d helped themselves.
I wasn’t allowed to see Grandpa until everyone else had a chance to “say goodbye.” It was finally my turn, and I went in. I sat next to Grandpa’s bed, completely ignoring the safe. It was too late to stop my relatives from looting it now.
A young woman sitting at her grandfather’s bedside | Source: Midjourney
“Grandpa,” I whispered, taking his hand. “I’m not ready for you to leave.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as memories resurfaced. “Remember when you taught me how to fish? I was so scared of hurting the worms, but you showed me how to bait the hook gently. Or all those summer nights on the porch, watching the stars come out? You taught me all the constellations.”
“And you remembered them all,” he said softly. “Just like you remembered to water my roses every day while I was stuck in this bed.”
An elderly man in his bed speaking weakly | Source: Midjourney
He squeezed my hand. “You’ve always had a kind heart, Ellie. And you’ve always been the only person I could trust.”
Then he did something that took my breath away. He reached up and took off his dark glasses, revealing bright, clear eyes.
“You’re probably wondering how I could have seen all this coming,” he said, smiling like a kid with a secret.
“Can you… can you see?” I stammered, nearly falling off my chair.
Shocked woman throws her hands in the air | Source: Midjourney
“Yes, and I saw it all,” Grandpa replied. “Every hungry glance, every hand that snuck into that chest. They didn’t think an old blind man could catch them, but I did.” Grandpa gestured toward the safe. “Let’s see how much is left, Ellie.”
I walked to the trunk, my legs wobbly, and opened the door wide. It was empty!
Grandpa laughed.
An elderly man in his bed laughing | Source: Midjourney
“I had $10 million in counterfeit bills in there,” Grandpa announced proudly. “And they took every last one. The real money is in a bank vault downtown. And it’s all yours, Ellie.”
I couldn’t speak. I felt like I had swallowed sand down my throat.
“You’re the only one I trust to use it wisely,” he continued. “And if you want to leave this toxic family behind, don’t look back. God knows I’ve been wanting to get rid of them for years.”
A smiling elderly man pointing at someone | Source: Midjourney
A few days later, Grandpa’s health suddenly began to improve thanks to a new treatment. The doctors were shocked, but I wasn’t.
The next day, I bought two plane tickets to Bali. First class because Grandpa insisted we start our new life in style.
The family exploded when they realized what had happened. Sharon threatened to sue. Dad finally found his voice, but only to demand his “fair share.” My cousins showed their true colors with a rainbow of creative swear words.
Two people arguing | Source: Pexels
We left anyway, with nothing but our suitcases and the satisfaction of knowing that justice had been done.
Today, I write this from a beach chair in Bali, watching my grandfather teach local children how to build the perfect sandcastle.
He has more energy than all of them combined, and his laughter cuts through the sand like music. His recovery seems even more miraculous under the tropical sun.
An elderly man building a sandcastle with some children | Source: Midjourney
“Pass me another coconut drink, will you, Ellie?” he called. “Planning the perfect revenge makes a man thirsty!”
I brought him his drink and sat next to him, watching the sunset paint the sky with colors I’ve never seen back home.
“Was it worth it?” I asked him. “All that planning, pretending to be blind?”
He took a sip and smiled. “Look around you, kiddo. You’re smiling. You’re free. And those vultures back home are probably still arguing about counterfeit money. I’d say it’s worth all the gold in the world.”
A woman and her grandfather on the beach at sunset | Source: Midjourney
I lean back and close my eyes, feeling the warm breeze on my face. For the first time, I know exactly what he means when he says that living well is the best revenge.
And you know what? He was right about the jokes too.
Here’s another story : At her grandfather’s funeral, 18-year-old Dahlia felt isolated as her family fretted over the paltry one-dollar inheritance she’d received. But when a stranger slipped her a secret note, Dahlia found herself drawn into a mystery only she can unravel.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Để lại một phản hồi