Rich Old Man Leaves $10 Million Inheritance to One Heir Who Isn’t His Child

The deceased man’s children arrived for the will hearing, hoping to take home a decent chunk of money to pay off their debts. But they found themselves at a dead end when the sole heir of the $10M fortune was declared.

Can inheritance announcements destroy some of the strongest relationships and leave a once happy family divided? One Redditor’s story on the “AITA” forum is proof.

The Original Poster (OP), who wished to remain anonymous on the subreddit, described how his grandpa’s will hearing ignited an ugly spat in the family after the heir turned out to be someone who wasn’t his child.

Source: Flickr / Owen Allen

OP’s father and grandpa never had a good relationship after his dad decided to adopt two children against his grandpa’s wishes. OP’s grandpa opposed the idea since his son couldn’t afford to send OP to college. The problem sparked when the adoption was done, and two random kids joined the family.

Growing up, OP didn’t have a rewarding relationship with them. Their friction escalated when the parents made OP sleep on the couch for a solid year because they wanted the two foster kids to have their rooms. However, it didn’t go well with OP, who felt isolated.

As time ticked by, OP’s parents constantly overcompensated for the two children thinking they would get hurt seeing them spending more time with their biological child. But their approach soon cost their relationship with OP’s grandpa.

OP’s relationship with his parents dwindled after they adopted the two children. | Source: Pexels

The grandfather’s resentment for the two adopted kids brought OP closer under his wing. The two often hung out and had their best times together. With each passing day, OP grew closer to the wealthy man who paid for his college and settled a down payment on his house.

After his grandma passed on, OP often took time off from work to be with his grandpa. During this time, his parents never called to offer any condolences, resulting in further bitterness in OP’s relationship with them.

OP comforted his grandpa and stood by his side until his last breath. After the grandpa’s passing, OP’s parents showed up at the will hearing with the two adopted children. OP was annoyed, but nothing matched his father’s reaction after the will was declared.

The grandpa’s resentment for his son’s adopted kids brought OP closer to him. | Source: Pexels

As a twist of fate, the grandpa made OP the sole heir to his fortune. OP’s dad and siblings were upset, hoping they would get some money to pay off their debts.

Shortly after the announcement, OP’s mother took him aside and asked if he could split the legacy in three ways. She also told OP he wouldn’t need so much money and that his “siblings” were entitled to it. However, OP’s great uncle lashed out at them and declared another piece of news.

Since the uncle had no children, he declared OP the sole heir of his will. OP’s father was vexed and had an altercation with the uncle. In the bargain, OP ran the math and estimated he would be getting nearly $10M in his inheritance. Moreover, his maternal grandma willed a house worth $2M to him because she, like OP’s paternal grandpa, despised his mom’s decision to adopt. 

OP ran the math & estimated his inheritance to be worth $10M. | Source: Pexels

Eventually, OP threatened to get a restraining order after his mom constantly called him. On the other hand, his adopted siblings condemned him and said he was being “selfish.”

Although OP was happy with his decision to keep the inheritance to himself, he found himself trapped between his parents’ good deed of giving a better life to two children and breaking his grandpa’s last wish.

Posting his plight on the “AITA” subreddit, OP sought anonymous opinions from strangers online. However, his narrative was met with mixed views, with some saying he wasn’t wrong while others felt he was flawed.

OP doubted his decision & turned to Reddit for an outside perspective. | Source: Pexels

The posts’ top-voted commenter BeepBlipBlapBloop added weight to both sides and declared them wrong, saying:

“Them for assuming that they are entitled to the money and you because you seriously just sound like a spoiled, uncompassionate [expletive].”

Redditor Emergency_Yard_6009 sided with OP, stating he need not share his inheritance if he didn’t want to. “That money was left specifically to him because of how his parents treated him through his childhood,” the person added.

As the discussion blew up, many people declared OP wasn’t wrong for not wanting to share his legacy. Some placed themselves in OP’s shoes and admitted they would be furious if people who snatched their childhood came back for more.

A majority felt OP need not share his inheritance with his family. | Source: Pexels

In the end, OP claimed he wouldn’t miss his family since he was closer to his maternal relatives, who, like his grandpa, didn’t approve of his parents adopting the children.

And though he felt a bit bad for his parents as their decision to adopt severed their relationship with their families, only time will tell how OP would move on from there.

Only time will tell how OP fixed the friction with his parents & siblings over the legacy he got. | Source: Pexels

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think OP’s relationship with his parents and adoptive siblings would be better if he shared his inheritance with them?

When OP’s mom and siblings insisted he split the legacy in three ways to help pay off their debt, OP refused because he wanted to respect his grandpa’s wishes. Do you feel OP should’ve reconsidered his decision and shared his inheritance with his parents/siblings? Would you do it if you were OP?

Who do you think is wrong here? OP for not sharing his inheritance or his parents for feeling entitled to his legacy?

People online shared divided views on OP’s matter, with some saying it was his rightful inheritance and others calling him out for refusing to share some money with his parents/siblings. A few others felt OP’s parents were wrong for feeling entitled to his money. What’s your perspective? If you were the adopted sibling, would you think OP’s refusal to share his legacy is fair?

If you liked reading this story, here’s one about how a widower finds his late wife’s secret will that reveals her final wish while checking her heirloom jewelry in a safe deposit.

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