The Unexpected Inheritance
887 Words
“Emily, we have tea, fruit, and pastries. Go ahead, help yourself! Don’t be shy, this is your home now!” Richard said warmly.
Emily picked up her teacup and took a sip. This wasn't your average tea. It had to be from one of those ancient tea plants on Wuyi Mountain.
In the old days, only emperors got to sip such rare brews.
This stuff went for a fortune at a recent auction—ten grand a gram!
Another sip. The flavor was divine, a smooth, lingering sweetness. Top shelf.
"Emily, sweetheart, have some pastries…" Sarah pushed the plate towards Emily, her voice thick with emotion. "Losing you all those years ago, it wasn't intentional, honey."
"I know." Emily’s heart softened. Who would willingly give up their child?
"How did you find me?"
"The Johnsons put out a missing person notice recently, mentioning what happened. I saw it, and it just wouldn’t leave me alone. I had nightmares for days and finally convinced your dad to look into it."
"The investigation showed that you're our real daughter, and that Jessica…well, she’s not our biological child…"
Sarah's tears started to fall. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. It was our fault, letting you grow up somewhere else."
Richard felt equally guilty. "I was such a damn fool back then, not checking before bringing Jessica home. We've checked into her past now; her mom died in a fire, her dad is a ghost. We’ve raised her for eighteen years, so just tossing her out seems wrong…so we wanted to ask, how would you feel about her staying, you being the big sis, she the little sis?"
They’d raised her for eighteen years; you get attached to a dog, let alone someone as brilliant as Jessica!
Emily understood. Her expression remained neutral. "Your call, I don't care either way."
Sarah sighed with relief. Their daughter was such a sweetheart!
"Shall I show you your room?"
Passing a music room, Sarah asked, "Sweetie, any hobbies?"
"One," Emily replied casually. "Making money."
Richard chuckled. "Ha! Like father, like daughter! I loved making money when I was young, too! Same hobby!"
"Bullshit!" Sarah cut him off. "You were chasing tail back then!"
Richard’s face fell. He was quick to recover, though. "Only you ever got my attention…Chasing you was way better than making money…"
Emily looked away and glanced out the window. There was a helipad outside, with three helicopters parked on it.
One of them was a Boeing 747SP, a limited edition that goes for two hundred million bucks. Just like the Qatari royal family's jet.
"Emily, this is your room. What do you think?" Sarah opened the door, her eyes hopeful for approval.
It was pink. Everything was pink.
Emily: …
"Your mom thought girls love pink, so she designed a princess room!" Richard breathed deeply. "Doesn't it smell like sugar and spice?"
Emily: …
"If you don’t like it, no worries… your mom did a few more rooms!" Richard took her to the other rooms—Mediterranean, European aristocratic, modern minimalist…
Sarah wasn't sure what style Emily would prefer, but since they had the space, she did each one differently.
"This one," Emily chose the simplest one.
"Get some rest, we’ve got more surprises!" Sarah squeezed Emily’s hand. "Wait for the maid to call you down, okay?"
They were nervous about their first gift to their daughter.
Emily understood and nodded.
After unpacking, Emily sent a text.
"Still have any Yi Xin Cao?"
Her friend Nan Qiao called back immediately. “Emily, you need more Yi Xin Cao for the Yi Xin Pills? Did the black market price surge give you a bright idea?”
Emily smiled faintly. "Partly."
"Partly it's Grandma Johnson's condition, right?"
Nan Qiao knew her well.
"One pill sells for ten million. More pills mean saving Grandma Johnson. It's a win-win. I only have one plant left, though."
Yi Xin Cao is a miracle herb for heart conditions, but it's stupidly expensive.
Rarity is the issue. Only a handful show up at auctions.
Nan Qiao's last plant came at a hefty price.
Others who buy Yi Xin Cao usually just study its components, never knowing its true value, or how to extract its full potential.
But Emily was different.
She combined it with other herbs to create Yi Xin Pills.
These pills are a last resort for those given death sentences!
They sell like crazy.
Nan Qiao knew Emily would get the most out of the Yi Xin Cao; it wouldn't be wasted.
"Need it now? I can bring it over?"
"No, I'll come to you in a few days. I live closer to you now." Emily explained briefly about her reunion with her biological family.
"What? You’re not Richard Johnson’s daughter? Seriously? Why are you saving Grandma Johnson after all of that?" Nan Qiao was blown away.
Emily simply said, "She was good to me."
Richard and Brenda were always busy; Grandma Johnson raised her.
Grandma Johnson was gravely ill. Emily couldn't abandon her.
"You saved Grandma Johnson’s life! Richard still thinks throwing money at the problem—a VIP room, a nurse—is all it takes! If you hadn’t pulled her back from the brink of death so many times…he’d have no mother!"
Emily's eyes turned serious. She didn't respond.s. She didn't respond.
- Writer
