I had to grow up quickly and learn to be independent after my parents died when I was very young. My relatives wanted nothing to do with me while I was in foster care, until they found out that my parents had left me over a million dollars, which I claimed when I was 18.
I was born into a wealthy family. Although I don’t remember much about my parents, I often looked through the photo albums and videos they left behind, so as not to forget them completely.
In these albums and videos, my parents and I were often surrounded by many relatives. They would come to our house and attend all the special events my parents organised.
“What a lovely girl you are, Emilia,” one of my aunts enthused in a recently watched video. “You are welcome in our home anytime,” she added.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I watched that video. I realise now that they were just trying to please my parents by saying nice things to me, but our relatives didn’t care about me at all.
When I was four years old, my parents died in a tragic car accident during a business trip. I was left at home with a trusted nanny at the time.
Within days, my world completely changed. My nanny took me to my aunt’s house, the same aunt I had seen on the videotape, to ask her to take me in.
“Madison and Jason are dead?” – Auntie asked in surprise. “Did they leave Emily an inheritance?” – she asks curiously.
My nanny, Elizabeth, realised that my aunt was only interested in my parents’ money, not me. She informed my parents’ lawyers so that my relatives could not use me to get the money.
“They haven’t left any money for her guardians,” Elizabeth told them.
“Then we can’t take care of her,” my aunt quickly replied. “She’s just another mouth to feed.”
My nanny has been rejected countless times by my relatives who were not interested in taking me in. After all, she and my parents’ lawyer had no choice but to put me in foster care.
Every day when I was growing up, I dreamed of seeing my relatives, but no one ever came to me. Only my parents’ lawyer and my nanny Elizabeth would visit me all the time, wherever I went.
When I was old enough to understand, they explained to me what had happened to my parents. Finally, when I asked them about my relatives, they had the courage to tell me the truth.
“You see, your relatives don’t treat you well,” Elizabeth told me. “A few years ago, when they found out about your parents’ death, they went through your whole house looking for jewellery and anything else of value they could take. Fortunately they didn’t find anything,” she said.
I was heartbroken when she told me about it. I couldn’t believe that my relatives only wanted my parents’ money.
When I was eight years old, I was adopted by a woman called Samantha. She worked as a cashier in a grocery shop and told me that my parents had once helped her and her family long ago.
“I couldn’t believe that they had passed away. I felt sad,” she admitted as she took me in her arms. “I wanted to make sure you were well looked after.”
Samantha had three other children at home, but she insisted on adopting me. She and her husband Dave did everything they could to make sure I could live a comfortable life, even if they had to work two jobs to do it.
Thanks to them I never went hungry and had everything I could possibly need. Besides providing for me and my adopted siblings, they also gave us lots of love, time and affection over the years.
The biggest challenge for my foster parents was to raise enough money for the education of my three siblings and me. We tried to help them by applying for scholarships to several schools and universities.
However, our scholarships were still not enough to cover all the expenses. Our mother began to lose weight and our father suffered from back problems due to working too intensively. They did not complain or show us their tiredness, but we knew it was because they were both working very hard.
After I finished high school at the age of 18, I learned something from my biological parents’ lawyer. She came to our house with an antique chair, saying that my parents wanted to give it to me.
“A chair?” I asked the lawyer curiously.
“It’s not just a chair, dear. Come on, pick up that cushion,” she suggested.
As soon as I did, I knew immediately that my life and that of my family would change forever. Our family jewellery, worth over $1.6 million, was hidden in a safe along with the letter.
“Dear Emilia,” the inscription read. “As we spend more and more time with our relatives, we realise more and more that they want nothing but the wealth of our family. So we’ve made sure that, thanks to Lawyer Hathaway, the wealth that should be yours is preserved until you are responsible enough to manage it.”
“Now that you have turned 18, we hope this will help you live the life you want to live. Follow your dreams and always be kind to others. We love you very much and would love to be with you. Mummy and Daddy.”
Thanks to my inheritance, I was able to pay for my studies at a prestigious university. I also paid off my siblings’ loans, so my parents didn’t have to worry about it.
I shared the money with my adoptive family and ended up investing in real estate so that the money I had would continue to grow. I was able to repay my mother and father for all the sacrifices they made for me and my siblings.
The news of the inheritance eventually reached my relatives. After I hired my parents’ lawyer, one of my aunts found a folder with my name on it on the lawyer’s desk.
While Hataway’s lawyer wasn’t looking, she looked in the file and saw that I had finally claimed my inheritance worth over a million. Immediately they started looking for me, hoping I was on their side.
Unfortunately for them, I had already learned my lesson. They came asking me for money, but I did not give up easily without teaching them a lesson.
“I help you because my parents taught me to be kind. I hope you can be kind to your neighbours too. I had not heard of all of you as a child. It seems strange to me that after my inheritance you suddenly appear out of nowhere,” I told them.
It was enough for me to see the look on their faces. I knew I would never see them again after I handed them the cheque. And I was right.
After receiving the money, they no longer contacted me. I decided to cut all ties with them and concentrate on my family, who loved me wholeheartedly without expecting anything in return.
