A greedy brother inherits a house and mocks his younger sister, who only gets five rusty old clocks from their late grandmother. Little did they know about what was hidden in those timepieces.
“Oh, so grandma called you as well?! I thought you’d be busy in the library…like a good little bookworm!” 26-year-old Brian scoffed at his younger sister Linda, 19.
She had just stepped down from the taxi. Fear filled her eyes as her heart told her: “Nothing will happen to grandma. She’ll be fine. She’ll live for a hundred years more.”
Brian and Linda had come to visit their 90-year-old granny Marlene. She had requested them to see her urgently.
“Sweethearts, I wish to see you one last time. I might not get another chance again,” Marlene had painfully told them on the call two days ago…
As Linda entered her grandma’s bedroom, she coughed, noticing that it was pretty dusty. Marlene was too old and sick to do things on her own. She hadn’t swept the floor, and Linda saw the ceiling was moldy due to leakage.
Linda opened the clock, and what she found inside would go on to change her life.
“Grandma!!” she ran and hugged Marlene, who was in bed. “Nothing will happen to you, grandma. Please don’t worry. God will not take you away from us because you are all that we have.”
Until a year ago, Linda lived with Marlene. She took good care of her and helped her a lot. She was even ready to turn down a life-changing scholarship but moved to the city to pursue her degree upon Marlene’s insistence.
Brian entered the room, coughing and grinning. “Damn…I’m allergic to dust! Grandma, didn’t you sweep and dust your room?”
He came closer and saw his grandma was sick and skinny. But he was least bothered and stood there, waiting to know why she had called them.
Marlene stared into Brian’s eyes as she clasped Linda’s shivering hands. The girl was pained to see her grandma so pale and her eyes lacking that once beautiful spark. They looked lifeless.
Marlene smiled, getting up gently, and took two envelopes from under her pillow. “Sweethearts, this is for you,” she said. “Please use it wisely. I called to give it to you.”
Brian and Linda opened the envelopes and found a wad of $5,000 in each.
Linda could not hold back her tears and ran out crying.
Meanwhile, Brian frowned. “Only this much? I thought you had more to spare. Fine, I have to go now.” He turned his back on Marlene and walked away without even thanking her.
The next day, Marlene was in for a surprise.
“Good morning, grandma!” Marlene heard Linda in her bedroom. She didn’t expect her to return.
She awakened as the girl undrew the curtains, shafts of beams lighting up the dark, dusty bedroom.
She was surprised to see Linda. She had thought the girl had left for the city where she studied and was a part-time librarian.
Linda walked over to Marlene with the envelope she had given her the previous day.
“I added the $4,000 I’d saved over the year. Grandma, remember you told me about your poor vision? I now have $9,000. We can now pay for your eye surgery.”
Marlene rose from her bed. She hugged Linda, tears streaking her face. “I knew you better, darling! But it’s too late for the surgery. I can sense my death nearing. I don’t want to waste this money when it can be used for something better.”
Linda wiped away Marlene’s tears and said she would live with her.
“I’ve taken a month off. I’m not going anywhere until I see that golden smile on your face, grandma.”
And Linda knew what she had to do to restore Marlene’s smile.
Having Linda around was of great help to Marlene. She didn’t have to worry about cooking for herself.
There were days when Marlene would eat stale bread for dinner when she never felt like making herself a nice meal. But after Linda came, she started feeling on her feet again. Marlene had never felt so relaxed and happy before.
One day, she heard strangers’ voices outside her bedroom and went out to check. She was surprised. Linda had spent the $9,000 on renovating the house and fixing the leakage.
“I knew you wanted to repair grandpa’s treasured house for a long time. Are you happy now, grandma?! I renovated it so that you see the beautiful house you once lived in with grandpa. Do you like it?”
Marlene was speechless. She walked to Linda as fast as her fragile legs could carry her and hugged her. Marlene had never cried like she wept on Linda’s shoulders that day.
Marlene often made a wish. “I want to die when I’m the happiest on earth!” A week later, her wish was fulfilled. Marlene died in her sleep, leaving Linda with more than a broken heart.
A couple of days after the funeral, Linda and Brian were called to the lawyer’s office regarding the late Marlene’s will they never knew about.
When they got there, they were told about another surprise inheritance.
“Mr. White, according to your grandma’s will, you’ll be getting her house. Here are the papers. Please sign them.”
Linda was startled. She was not jealous of her older brother, but it worried her because she had renovated the house, and Brian got it when he least deserved it.
“And Miss Linda, this is yours,” the lawyer said, pushing forward a box toward Linda.
“What is this?” she exclaimed and opened the box. She found five old vintage clocks inside. Brian burst into laughter and began mocking her.
“That’s hella insane and cheap!! Grandma left her house to me. She knew who deserved the best. You can decorate your rented apartment with these rusty clocks and cry over it, sis. Luck does not favor everyone!”
Distraught, Linda left for the city, taking the clocks with her. She never bothered to check them thoroughly until one day when she noticed an engraving on one of them.
“OPEN IT!” was etched in a beautiful cursive font on the metal.
Curious, Linda opened the clock, and what she found inside would go on to change her life.
“A note?” she exclaimed and picked a little scroll from the clock’s interior. She unfolded it and sat back, stunned.
“Never underestimate these rusty, old watches! They are 100-year-old classic timepieces that belonged to my grandfather. And they are crafted from rare, exquisite metal! Each piece is worth $40,000, my dear!” began the note.
Linda’s eyes filled with tears of joy as she read further.
“Everyone gets what they truly deserve, Linda! I’m glad you got only the best. With Love, Granny Marlene.”
Linda burst into tears as she held the vintage clocks close to her heart. They still functioned, and she could hear them tick close to her heartbeat. It felt as though her granny had not gone anywhere.
Linda chose not to disclose this to her brother.
“He is blinded by greed and thinks he got the best from grandma. Let him live with that assumption. Granny knew who deserved the best and I needn’t prove it to him!” she thought and kept the rare timepieces locked in her drawer.
What can we learn from the story?
Everyone gets what they truly deserve. Brian mocked Linda when she inherited only five old clocks from their grandmother. Little did he know that she had actually gotten what she truly deserved because each piece was worth over $40,000.
Love and accept your elders for who they are. You will be loved back a hundredfold. Linda loved her grandma unconditionally and cared for her without expecting anything in return. Ultimately, she inherited a surprise $200K worth of legacy after her granny’s death.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
My Ex’s Mom Invited Me to Her Wedding but When I Arrived, I Realized It Was All a Set-up
When Hayley’s ex’s mom invites her to design a wedding dress for her big day, it seems strange, but nothing prepares Hayley for the truth. What follows is a confession, a second chance at love, and a surprise she never saw coming. Sometimes, life gives you the most unexpected twists…
It had been three years since Adam and I broke up, but I still couldn’t shake him. Five years of love doesn’t just disappear overnight. His sudden breakup was like a sucker punch with no explanation, no closure, just silence.
It was just done.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
Then, about a year ago, he started dating her. My former friend, Miranda. If betrayal had a face, it was hers, plastered all over social media with captions of the two of them:
When you know, you know, and The best thing that ever happened to me!
I told myself to block her, to stop looking, but I didn’t. Every photo, every grin, every comment about her “forever love” felt like salt in an open wound.
A laptop opened to social media | Source: Midjourney
I never stopped loving him. That’s the sad, honest truth. Pathetic, I know. I wasn’t able to date anyone seriously since him.
So when Adam’s mom, Lena, called me out of the blue last month, I thought I was hallucinating.
We never exactly got along. She had always been polite but distant, like she was sizing me up and always finding me lacking something or the other.
A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney
After the breakup, I assumed I’d never hear from her again. But there she was, on the other end of my phone, her voice strangely warm.
“Hello, sweetheart,” she said. “I know this might be unexpected, but I have a favor to ask, Hayley.”
Lena told me that she was getting married. Married! And she wanted me to design her wedding dress. She gushed about how I’d become one of the most sought-after seamstresses in the city.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“I’ve always admired your work, Hayley,” she said softly. “And I trust you. I know you’d create something perfect just for me.”
Trust? Admiration?
From Lena?
I nearly dropped the phone. I couldn’t figure out what game she was playing. My instincts screamed at me to say no, to hang up and block her number. And truly be done with that entire family.
A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney
But she begged. And how could I say no? She said that no one else could do it justice and that she’d forever be grateful.
“Nobody else will do things that will suit my age and my figure! And make me something dream-worthy, Hayley. Please?”
I don’t know why I said yes. Maybe there was a part of me that wanted to feel close to Adam again. Or maybe I just couldn’t resist the curiosity clawing at me.
Either way, I agreed.
A sketch of a wedding dress | Source: Midjourney
Over the next few weeks, I poured myself into the dress. The fabric was like spun clouds, soft and ethereal, with delicate beading along the bodice. I stayed up late perfecting every stitch. Lena had wanted a lacy dress that made her feel like a princess.
“I know it’s foolish, darling,” she said. “When I married Adam’s father all those years ago, I wore a shapeless white dress that did absolutely nothing for my figure. I want to live my dream wedding dress now.”
Lena had given me her measurements, and oddly enough, they matched mine.
A woman sewing | Source: Midjourney
I tried not to think about it. But it wasn’t a surprise. The entire time I had been dating Adam, Lena was always at Pilates or yoga or swimming with her friends.
The morning of the wedding arrived. I packed the dress into a garment bag, loaded it carefully into my car, and drove to the venue. It was a gorgeous country estate tucked away like something out of a fairy tale.
If I ever got married, I could see myself using this as a venue contender.
A wedding venue | Source: Midjourney
The moment I pulled up, unease curled in my stomach.
Something’s wrong, I thought. But I shook it off.
Clutching the garment bag, I walked inside. Soft music drifted through the air, and guests milled about in suits and gowns, their laughter a low hum. But then I saw it.
A massive banner near the altar, shimmering under the soft light.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
It displayed the names of the couple getting married.
I froze right there.
It wasn’t Lena’s name.
It was Adam’s name. And mine.
Welcome to the nuptials of Adam & Hayley
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
I blinked, my mind short-circuiting. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it might explode.
“What… what is this?” I whispered aloud.
“Hayley,” a voice said from behind me.
His voice, Adam’s voice, made me jump. I turned around, and there he was.
Adam.
A man in a suit | Source: Midjourney
He looked older, his jaw sharper, his eyes softer. He wasn’t smiling, though. He just stood there, hands at his sides, looking at me like I was the only person in the room.
“What is this?” I demanded, my voice shaking. “Why is my name on that banner? What’s happening?”
He took a slow step toward me, regret written all over his face.
“Please, just let me explain.”
A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But I just couldn’t move.
“You’ve got two minutes,” I said, folding my arms tightly across my chest.
He took a deep breath.
“Three years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life.”
Yeah, no kidding, I thought bitterly, but I stayed quiet.
A woman with folded arms | Source: Midjourney
“I was going to propose to you, Hayley,” he said. “I had the ring. I had everything planned. And then… she showed me something.”
“She?” I whispered, already knowing who.
“Your… my ex. Miranda,” he looked away, his voice thick with regret. “She showed me a video of you all on holiday. Thailand, I think it was. And you were drinking and shouting that you didn’t want kids. She told me that it was recent, that you’d been lying to me about wanting a family. Especially with me. It crushed me, Hayley. I thought I didn’t know you at all.”
An angry woman | Source: Midjourney
The air whooshed out of my lungs. I remembered the video. It was years ago, we had been on a girls’ trip, and I was venting after a drunken spat with someone who assumed all women had to want kids. The same man who made his wife take care of their kids while he enjoyed his beer on the beach.
It had nothing to do with Adam and everything to do with wanting to be heard.
“You didn’t think to ask me?” I choked out. “You didn’t think that you could have taken five minutes to ask me about that video?”
A surprised woman | Source: Midjourney
“I know, Hayley,” he said, shaking his head. “I was stupid. I was already vulnerable, and she got into my head. I believed Miranda. I believed everything she said. And I let you go. Then she admitted the truth.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Months ago. She slipped up during an argument. She told me the video was old, and she knew I’d overreact. She said that she wanted me for myself and couldn’t stand that you had me.”
A woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney
Tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She’d destroyed everything we had, and he let her.
“I ended things with her that night,” he continued. “And I’ve spent every day since trying to figure out how to fix this. How to win you back.”
I shook my head, still completely overwhelmed.
“And this?” I gestured around. “What the heck is this?”
His lips curved into a small, nervous smile.
A wedding setting | Source: Midjourney
“This is me not waiting any longer…”
Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Then he dropped to one knee.
“Hayley, I love you. I never stopped. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyway. Will you marry me? Right here, right now?”
I stared at him, my world spinning. Then, out of nowhere, it hit me.
A ruby engagement ring | Source: Midjourney
Lena.
She’d planned this. She’d asked me to make the dress because she knew.
And the truth? I still loved him.
So, I whispered my answer.
“Yes, Adam.”
Lena appeared almost instantly, carrying flowers and beaming like a woman who’d just pulled off the heist of the century.
A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney
“You said yes!” she cried, hugging me tightly. “I’m so sorry for how I treated you before, Hayley. I didn’t see how much you meant to Adam until it was too late. Thank you for giving him another chance.”
Stylists and makeup artists seemed to appear out of nowhere. My parents showed up, looking both stunned and delighted. No one knew if I’d say yes, but they’d all been ready.
I changed into the dress I’d made with my own hands, realizing it had been meant for me all along.
Hair and makeup artists | Source: Midjourney
When Adam and I stood together at the altar, his hand in mine, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years.
Peace.
After the ceremony, the crowd had thinned, and the music played softly in the background. I stood on the balcony of the venue, the crisp evening air cooling my flushed cheeks.
My hands rested on the railing as I stared at the horizon, trying to process everything that had happened.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
“Hey.”
Adam’s voice came from behind me. I turned to see him standing there, tie loosened, the soft glow of string lights making his eyes look even warmer.
“Hey,” I said quietly, my lips curving into a small smile.
He stepped beside me, his arm brushing against mine as we both looked out into the night.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
A smiling groom | Source: Midjourney
I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head.
“I don’t even know what I am right now. Happy? Overwhelmed? Still waiting for someone to yell ‘April Fools’?”
He chuckled, his gaze softening.
“It’s real, Hayley. I promise.”
We fell silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice more serious.
A laughing bride | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t deserve this. You. I know I messed up. I let someone else’s lies break something beautiful, and I’ve hated myself for it every day since.”
I turned to face him, my heart tightening.
“You should’ve talked to me, Adam. I would have told you the truth. You hurt me so much when you left.”
His face crumbled just a little, his jaw flexing.
A woman looking pensive | Source: Midjourney
“I know. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you’ll let me.”
I stared at him for a long moment, searching his face for any doubt, any hesitation.
But there was none.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” I whispered.
His lips curved into a smile, a mixture of relief and love.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
“Yeah, you are,” he said.
He took my hand and kissed my knuckles, lingering for just a moment.
“This time, I’ll get it right.”
I smiled back, the truth settling deep in my chest.
“This time, we will.”
“Come, love. Let’s go get some cake and champagne.”
But before we left the balcony, he pulled me into his arms, and for the first time in years, I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be.
A wedding cake | Source: Midjourney
On the day of Mabel and Adam’s wedding, they’re stuck in a limousine as they crawl along the freeway, thanks to traffic. Instead of keeping her mother’s guests entertained, Mabel’s daughter, Amanda, takes over the wedding, stealing the limelight. Will Mabel retaliate at the wedding or just let Amanda learn her lesson another way?
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Leave a Reply