Five Million Inheritance Test: Son vs Daughter

After hitting the five-million-dollar jackpot, I plan to leave every cent to my son, Caleb Dawson. But sitting inside the notary office, I suddenly hesitate. My wife, Zoey Watts, looks at me in utter confusion. "Caleb passed the test, so why are you hesitating?" A few days ago, I found a lottery ticket on the street that turned out to be worth five million dollars. Zoey was ecstatic. She immediately wanted to call our son and daughter, but I stopped her. "We can't just hand over five million dollars. Tell them I'm terminally ill. Whoever steps up to pay for my treatment gets the money." Our kids have always been good to us, so Zoey accused me of overthinking things. But our daughter, Jayda Dawson's, reaction completely blindsided us. She lives in a mansion and drives a luxury car. Yet, she only handed me 200 bucks, told me not to bother her, and ordered me to get out. Meanwhile, Caleb has just graduated and doesn't even have a job yet. Still, he gave me all 3,000 dollars he saved up over the years. Without any hesitation, Zoey and I decide to leave the entire five million dollars to Caleb. But now, I have changed my mind. "Sir, I want to leave everything to my daughter!" Zoey snaps. "Henry Dawson! Have you lost your mind?" I shake my head. "My mind is perfectly clear. Mom came to me in a dream last night." Chapter 1 My wife, Zoey Watts, froze. My late mother had been a renowned psychic in our village, and she'd appeared in our dreams twice since passing. The first time, she warned me not to leave the house. I listened, and the next day, the bus I was supposed to take plunged off a cliff, leaving no survivors. The second time, she told us to move overnight. We didn't hesitate, and the next morning, a landslide wiped out the village. We were among the few who made it out alive. This third time, she insisted I leave all five million dollars to our eldest daughter, Jayda Dawson. Ignoring her the first two times meant certain death. If I ignored her this time, I couldn't help but feel that something terrible would happen. Zoey looked torn. "Your mom's dreams are never wrong. But Jayda is such an ungrateful brat! If we give her everything, it'll break Caleb's heart. It'll ruin our family!" Whether I listened to Mom or not, we were already caught in a dead end. My brows furrowed as my pen hovered above the paper. I simply couldn't bring myself to sign my name. "Sir, ma'am, are you doing this or not? There's a line behind you." The notary was losing his patience as we stood there whispering, refusing to sign. Gritting my teeth, I pulled my ID back. "Sorry, we need to think about it." Right as I dragged Zoey out, my son, Caleb Dawson, texted me. "Dad, I found a part-time job that pays pretty well. Just focus on getting better, okay? Don't worry about anything else!" Then he sent me a money transfer for exactly 190.35 dollars. Zoey's eyes welled with tears. "Down to the last cent. The poor kid probably cleaned out his account for us. Henry, I'm worried he's doing something dangerous just to scrape by." My brows furrowed. As I stood there agonizing, a message flashed from Jayda. I opened it, and what I saw nearly knocked the breath out of me. "Dad, you're terminally ill anyway, so you won't be around much longer. When are you splitting the inheritance?" Zoey glanced over and started shaking with rage. "Forget your mother's dream! Even if we donate every last dime, we aren't giving this ingrate a single cent!" I exhaled sharply and shook my head. "Mom wouldn't appear in my dream without a reason. There has to be more to the story." "Seeing is believing," I continued as I shoved my phone into my pocket. "Come on, let's go to Jayda's place." I needed to see for myself why Mom was so determined to leave five million dollars to my heartless daughter. Chapter 2 Jayda had married the richest man in town, Nathan Stewart. After a two-hour bus ride, Zoey and I finally reached the main gates of their neighborhood, only to be stopped by the security guard. I offered him a cigarette. "Young man, we're Jayda Dawson's parents." After taking the cigarette, the guard quickly dialed Jayda's number. Zoey and I picked up our bags, ready to walk in, when the guard's expression suddenly soured. "Hold it right there! Get the hell back to whatever hillbilly town you came from! Ms. Dawson said she doesn't even know you!" I could barely believe my ears. I watched in disbelief as the guard threw the cigarette I had just given him onto the ground and crushed it under his boot. Flushed with embarrassment, I called Jayda myself. I tried several times, but it went straight to voicemail. Passersby began to point and stare. Drenched in sweat from the sheer humiliation, Zoey pulled at my arm to leave. But as we turned around, we ran right into Nathan. I instinctively lowered my head, but Nathan looked genuinely shocked and jogged over to us. "Mom, Dad! What are you doing here? Come on inside! Jayda was just saying the other day how much she wanted to visit you back home!" Nathan's warmth caught both Zoey and me off guard. Could Mom's insistence on leaving the money to Jayda have something to do with Nathan? Before I could wrap my head around it, we arrived at the front of the villa. Jayda opened the door, smiling, but the moment she saw Zoey and me, her expression completely hardened. "Dad, aren't you terminally ill? Why are you at my house instead of waiting to die in a hospital?" Zoey shook with rage, but Nathan beat her to the punch, snapping sharply, "Jayda! They're your parents! How can you talk to them like that?" Reluctantly, Jayda tossed out two battered plastic stools. "Dad, you're dying soon. You're bringing nothing but death and dark omens with you. I'm not letting you inside. Whatever you have to say, say it out here!" Nathan's face fell. Ignoring her, he ushered us into the house and hurried off to make tea. Jayda sat across from us, visibly annoyed. "I already gave you guys money. Why did you still come here?" I looked up at her. "Can't we just miss you and come see how you're doing?" Jayda rolled her eyes. A dull ache bloomed in my chest. Growing up, Jayda had been such a sweet, sensible girl. She knew how hard Zoey and I worked for our money, so she wouldn't even spend a dime on snacks for herself. But ever since she married Nathan, she seemed obsessed with money. She used to at least keep up the act, but the moment she learned I was terminally ill, she dropped the pretense altogether. Nathan returned with the tea and handed me a bank card. "Dad, if Jayda hadn't let it slip today, I wouldn't even have known that you were sick. There's a million dollars in here. Take it for your medical bills." Before I could lift my hand, Jayda snatched the card away. "Dad! Terminal illness is just a money pit! You're going to die sooner or later anyway! Don't waste the money! This million dollars would be much better spent on my spa treatments!" Furious and exasperated, Nathan started arguing with Jayda. Zoey was trembling with anger too, but I just stared intently at Jayda's wrist. I think I finally understood why Mom insisted I give all the money to this ungrateful daughter. The chaotic scene was cut short by a phone call for Nathan. While he was distracted by the call, I discreetly slid my screen in front of Jayda. It only had one sentence typed out. "Jayda, are you being threatened?" Jayda's eyes widened slightly when she read the screen. My heart hammered against my ribs. When Jayda had reached out to snatch the bank card earlier, her sleeve had slipped, exposing a deep purple bruise on her wrist. It looked like a rope burn from being tied up. I was certain that this spot was a blind zone for the house's security cameras. If she really were in danger, all she had to do was give me a sign. Instead, Jayda burst into loud laughter and carelessly yanked her sleeve all the way up. "Dad, are you referring to this? What goes on in the bedroom between my husband and me is none of your business. Aren't you a little old to be so nosey?" The implication hit me instantly, and my face burned with intense embarrassment. "Alright, you guys should leave. Unless it's about the inheritance, don't bother me again!" With a loud slam, the heavy front door was shut right in our faces. Sitting on the bus back to the village, Zoey asked in a trembling voice, "Henry, are you absolutely sure your mom told you to give everything to Jayda? Is it possible you remembered it wrong?" I rubbed my face hard, racking my brain to remember every detail of the dream. Suddenly, I slapped my forehead. "The first two times, I saw Mom's face as clear as day. But this time, I only heard her voice! What if Mom never actually appeared in my dream? What if it was just a regular dream?" The realization hit us both like a splash of cold water. "Then there's no need to hesitate anymore. Let's give the money to Caleb right away!" Zoey immediately pulled out her phone to call him. I finally let out a sigh of relief. But just as I leaned back against the seat to rest, something hard pressed against my hip from inside my pocket. I reached in and pulled it out. My face instantly fell. "Zoey, maybe Jayda really does have her reasons.” Chapter 3 Zoey waved her hand impatiently. "I don't buy it. Whatever it is can wait. I need to call Caleb right now and tell him to stop doing dangerous work for cash." She was right, so I kept my mouth shut. But the moment Caleb picked up, Zoey's face turned white, and she bolted upright. "What did you just say?" My heart instantly leaped into my throat. "What's wrong?" Zoey's lips trembled, and it took her forever to squeeze out a single sentence. "Caleb's in trouble." My mind went completely blank. I snatched the phone from her hand. It wasn't Caleb on the line but a construction foreman. "Your son fell off the scaffolding and broke his neck. He's in the ER right now. You need to scrape up the medical fees immediately, or he isn't going to make it." A wave of dizziness hit me. Large wire transfers had to be done at the bank. I dragged Zoey off the bus immediately, but as soon as my foot hit the pavement, I tripped and cracked my head hard against the curb. Everything went black. When I finally opened my eyes, I was lying on the sidewalk, surrounded by a crowd. "Henry! Thank God you're awake! The hospital has been calling non-stop for the medical fees! I don't know your PIN! I've been losing my mind! They need 300 thousand dollars for the surgery right now. Transfer it!" Zoey pulled at my arm, trying to drag me toward the bank. But I planted my feet, refusing to budge. "W-We can't transfer the money." "Why?" Zoey's eyes were bloodshot, but I clamped my jaw tight. "When I was knocked out just now, Mom appeared in my dream again. This time, I saw her face perfectly clear. She said we must give all five million dollars to Jayda. Not a single cent can go to Caleb. Otherwise—" Before I could finish speaking, Zoey slammed her fist into my chest. "Your son is dying! Who cares about some damn dream? If you hadn't insisted on faking a terminal illness to test the kids, Caleb would never have taken that job, and he wouldn't have broken his neck!" The crowd began whispering around us. "Is this old man losing his mind? He's letting his son die over a dream?" "Is that guy even his son?" "God is blind for letting a piece of trash like this win the lottery!" Suddenly, realization dawned on Zoey, and her voice shook as she asked, "Henry, did your mom even appear in your dream? You just favor Jayda, don't you? You're using your late mother as an excuse to leave everything to her! "But Caleb is dying! He only needs 300 thousand dollars! I'm begging you. Just give Caleb the money, and you can give the remaining sum to whoever the hell you want!" I bit down so hard that my jaw ached. "No. Mom said all of it has to go to Jayda. Not a single penny can go to Caleb, let alone 300 thousand dollars. If we do, our whole family will die!" Utterly broken, Zoey collapsed onto the pavement. "Why do you trust your dead mother so much?" My temples throbbed violently. Mom's first two warnings had saved our lives. There was no way she was speaking nonsense this time. But I couldn't understand it. When Mom was alive, she doted on Caleb. She had even sold her jewelry just to pay for his tuition. Now that her precious grandson was on his deathbed, why was she forbidding me from giving him a single cent? A thought suddenly struck me. "Could Caleb be faking it?" Zoey froze for a second, then jumped up and screamed at me, "The hospital literally sent a video! Are you blind?" On the screen, Caleb was covered in blood on a hospital bed. My hands shook. If I didn't save Caleb, he would die. But if I did save him, our entire family would die instead! The onlookers couldn't take it anymore. A few good Samaritans stepped forward and shouted to the crowd, "This is a matter of life and death! If his father is too heartless to save him, we will!" People started pooling money on the spot. But 300 thousand dollars was a massive sum. After a frantic effort, they only managed to raise 150 thousand dollars. Zoey scraped together her entire life savings, but that only brought the total to 200 thousand dollars. Biting her lip, she dialed Nathan's number to beg for a loan, but the line was busy. Time was running out. Zoey turned back to me, her eyes red and brimming with tears. "Henry, I know you have a secret stash of 100 thousand dollars. "Take that out. It's exactly what we need to save Caleb, and we won't be touching the lottery money. That wouldn't be going against your mom's message in the dream." Her voice trembled, carrying a desperate plea. Given the circumstances, this was undoubtedly the best option. I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone for the money transfer. But as my fingers slipped inside, they brushed against the hard object that had poked me earlier. I slapped my forehead. I had tripped and passed out the moment we got off the bus, completely forgetting about this. I unlocked my phone, and dozens of messages from Jayda flooded the screen. "Dad, I heard that Caleb is dying. "Does that mean your entire inheritance is mine now? "Hurry up and transfer all the money to me while you've still got a pulse! "I'm going to hire ten male models to celebrate!" Zoey erupted into curses, but my fingers flew across the screen. I immediately transferred the 100 thousand dollars I had prepared for Caleb's treatment to Jayda instead. Everyone stood frozen in disbelief. Zoey slapped me across the face, weeping hysterically. "Henry Dawson! Do you have any idea that our son is dying? That money was Caleb's last hope! You're murdering him!" I shook my head. "Just the opposite. I did this to save him." With that, I pulled the object out of my pocket and held it out to Zoey. The moment she saw what it was, her eyes widened in shock.