The next morning, around half past nine, Dylan stood in front of a building in the central business district and looked up. He was wearing a neat suit and tie to look formal. But his head still felt dizzy from the lack of sleep last night.
"Ugh, they all ended up sleeping on the couch... what the heck is going on with me? First thing this morning, I was being squashed by the four prettiest girls in school. It felt like a dream... but since they’re pregnant, it’s a nightmare," Dylan thought.
But then he also remembered that Ellie had helped him put on his tie and choose a suit left behind by Dylan’s father that fit him, Lena had ironed his suit, Amy had cooked breakfast for him, and Maya had helped his twin sisters get ready before helping him comb his hair. They did all that before they left for school. Dylan smiled slightly, remembering it.
"It’s not all bad, I guess... but now, Grandpa’s business is what matters," Dylan thought.
After taking a deep breath, Dylan walked inside. When he rode the elevator and arrived at the lawyer’s office, Dylan was shown in by a secretary. As soon as he entered, "BANG," Dylan was startled to see about ten people he didn’t know sitting around the sofa and turning to look at him as he entered. He ended up standing in the back corner without saying anything.
He observed the situation in the office room. Although it was crowded, no one was talking. Dylan quietly studied the faces of the ten people one by one, and he didn’t know any of them.
"Who are they? What’s their relationship with Grandpa? This is confusing," Dylan thought.
Since Dylan was the last to arrive, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with white hair and glasses walked in, carrying his briefcase. He sat down immediately on the sofa that was alone, opposite the others. After sitting down, the man looked at the ten people on the sofas plus Dylan and then smiled.
"Alright, since everyone is here, let’s begin. My name is Robert Harrison, I was the lawyer for all of your grandfather, Bruno Morgan," Robert said, placing his briefcase on the coffee table.
Naturally, the ten people, who were between 18 and 22 years old, were immediately stunned and looked at each other, as they seemed not to know one another, including Dylan, after hearing the lawyer’s words. The lawyer ignored them all and began reading the will. After reading the boring legalities and jargon.
Robert finally said that Grandpa Bruno had passed away a month ago and requested that his death not be publicized, so it was understandable that his relatives did not know.
"A... a month ago?" Dylan asked, confused and a little sad because he and his siblings were quite close to his grandfather, who was the only person who helped them.
The lawyer said that the reading of the will could only be done once all of the grandfather’s grandchildren were 18 years old. Dylan was shocked, of course, because everyone in the room, including himself, were his grandfather’s grandchildren. He had thought that only he and his three younger siblings were the grandfather’s grandchildren.
After that, the reading of the grandfather’s total assets began. Dylan was stunned again because it turned out that his grandfather’s wealth was extraordinary, and he had just learned that his grandfather was a billionaire. Hope began to rise in Dylan’s heart. If he could receive a substantial amount of money, he could help his siblings and take responsibility for his current situation.
In other words, with his grandfather’s help, his problems would be solved. He enthusiastically waited for his name to be called, even though he didn’t visibly show how much he was hoping for it. He saw the others also waiting enthusiastically; some showed it, but others pretended to hide it.
When the distribution began, Dylan waited patiently. He heard that some of the ten people on the sofas had already received large sums of money, luxury real estate, a collection of luxury cars, vast lands, vacation homes abroad, investments, and so on. Dylan could see that his ten cousins, who had initially looked tense, began to shed tears and were moved to receive their inheritance from their grandfather.
Finally, it was Dylan’s turn. When called, he immediately raised his hand and stepped closer to the sofa.
"Alright, for the favorite grandson, Dylan Morgan, you receive the glasses your grandfather often wore and the house you are currently living in," Robert said.
Dylan, who had been excited, looked disbelieving at what he had just heard. He immediately stepped forward and raised his hand.
"Excuse me, sir, could you repeat that?" Dylan asked.
"I’ll just read the sentence: ’For my dearest grandson Dylan, I give you my reading glasses and the house where you currently live... trust me, those two things will help you in the future. With love, Grandpa.’ Please see the letter," Robert said.
"Crack," the hope in Dylan’s head and heart immediately fractured, then "CRASH," everything broke into pieces. The ten cousins, whom Dylan didn’t know at all, turned to look at him with pity. Some were even struggling to hold back their laughter to spare Dylan’s feelings.
The reading continued, and Dylan didn’t listen to the rest. He was immersed in his despair, and the dizziness in his head returned much more intensely than before. After the reading was finished, the ten people stood up. As they walked out, they patted Dylan’s shoulder, and some of the women hugged Dylan.
Meanwhile, Dylan stood frozen, his mouth agape, his gaze blankly forward, trying to process what had just happened and the grandfather’s words. He wondered if it was true that the grandfather who loved him and his siblings only gave him reading glasses.
Of course, many feelings welled up in Dylan’s heart, starting with feeling betrayed by his grandfather, feeling like he had wasted his time coming, feeling embarrassed in front of the cousins he didn’t know, and a feeling of confusion because his problems were not solved.
"Aren’t you leaving?" Robert asked, standing next to Dylan and holding his shoulder.
"Oh... yes, sorry, sir," Dylan replied, startled because he had been spacing out.
"Oh, right, just a moment,"
Robert placed his briefcase back down and opened it. He took out the glasses case and gave it to Dylan, then asked Dylan to sign a receipt from his office. After that,
"As for the house deed, I’ll take care of it later. My staff will deliver it to your house, okay... and one more thing, your grandfather asked me to give you this letter," Robert said, handing him a thick white envelope.
"Thank you, sir," Dylan replied politely.
"My condolences," Robert replied.
"Yes, sir, thank you (My condolences indeed, sir, I’m stuck, and I get glasses instead... sniff)," Dylan thought.
Dylan took the letter and shook hands with Robert, then he put the letter and the glasses case in his pocket. They went down together in the elevator. After leaving the building, Dylan reached into his pocket. He took out the envelope from his grandfather and opened it. Inside was only a single sheet of paper written in his grandfather’s messy handwriting:
"Hello Dylan, if you’ve received this letter, you must have received the glasses from me. Sorry, I didn’t want to give you wealth like the others. They never visited me or called me. They only wanted my money, but you are different. To me, you are my treasure. I leave my best treasure to you, my reading glasses and the house you currently live in. Please take good care of them. Oh yeah, if you’re wondering why you have many cousins you don’t know, it’s because I had five unofficial wives and one official wife. I also had many children, and your cousins are my grandchildren, hehe... don’t worry, you will also have many beautiful wives like your grandfather, because you are my successor. Grandpa will surely pray that you are blessed with wives and prosperity. Say hi to your siblings for me... Grandpa loves you all, goodbye."
"Thanks for the prayers, Grandpa... relax, your prayer has been answered, but unfortunately, the prosperity to take care of them hasn’t come true. What’s wrong with you, Grandpa? You’re dead, and you can still mock me. I’m currently stuck because I got four beautiful girls pregnant without even feeling anything when I did it, and you give me glasses instead of money. Very cute, Grandpa," Dylan thought, annoyed after reading the letter.
Dylan turned to look at the glasses case in his hand. He opened it and saw thin glasses that old people usually use for reading inside. But he immediately felt annoyed and thought his grandfather was joking again because even though the glasses frame was made of gold, it was decorated with a cartoon-like cat head image. On the back of the box, there was a message:
"These glasses are a family heirloom. Take care of them... don’t sell them... Sign: Grandpa," Read complete versıon only at nοvelfire.net
"What family heirloom? I can just open an online store and buy new ones... this is terrible. Whatever, I’ll just go home. I skipped school and got toy glasses," Dylan grumbled, annoyed.
Dylan put everything back into his pocket, then he walked out of the building to pick up his twin sisters at their school. At this moment, Dylan still didn’t know that his life, and his understanding of right and wrong, was about to change completely.