My Grandpa Left Me His $250M Company, Then My Stepdad Took Control
A Birthday Gift and a Hidden History
My 20th birthday came faster than I expected. That morning, I woke up feeling strange.
I should have been excited, but all I felt was empty. Mom called, of course.
“Happy birthday, sweetie!”
she said, sounding overly cheerful.
“I’m sorry we can’t be there. Work is just crazy right now. We’ll celebrate next month when we visit, okay?”
I knew we wouldn’t. They hadn’t visited once since they moved.
“Sure, Mom, sounds great.”
Grandma must have sensed how I was feeling because she really went all out. She let me invite a few friends over, ordered my favorite food, and even baked a cake herself.
For a few hours, I almost forgot about everything. The next morning, Grandma called me into her office.
She had a serious look on her face that made my stomach drop.
“Sit down, Lauren,”
she said, pointing to the chair across from her desk.
“We need to talk.”
My mind raced. Oh no, is she kicking me out? Where would I go?
But then she smiled, reached into her desk drawer, and pulled out a small folder.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart. Open it.”
I did, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw what was inside.
“Grandma, is this—”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“The company is yours now, Lauren. I see potential in you.”
“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and I know you’ll do right by the business.”
“But Mom and Paul, they’re running it now,”
I said, still in disbelief.
Grandma’s face tightened a little.
“They’re running a branch. The main company, the heart of it all—that’s yours now.”
I sat there stunned. Me, barely 20, the owner of a multi-million dollar company.
It felt like a dream, or maybe a nightmare.
“I don’t know what to say,”
I finally managed.
Grandma reached across the desk and squeezed my hand.
“You don’t have to say anything. Just promise me you give it your all.”
I nodded, still in shock.
“I will, I promise.”
She leaned back, satisfied.
“Good. Now I have one more piece of advice for you, and I want you to listen carefully.”
I leaned in, hanging on to every word.
“Call your father,”
she told me.
“There’s more to the story than you know. Talk to him, even if it’s just as a consultant, but hear him out.”
It took me a whole week to find the courage to call Dad. We decided to meet at a small cafe downtown.
When I saw him, my heart tightened. He looked older, tired, but his eyes brightened when he saw me.
There was an awkward silence at first, but then everything spilled out. The divorce, Mom’s remarriage, the move, and Grandma’s gift.
Dad listened quietly, his face showing all kinds of emotions. When I finished, he took a deep breath.
“Laura, there’s something you need to know about the divorce.”
Then he told me everything. How Mom never respected him, always putting him down and calling him a loser, making him feel worthless.
He explained how after a huge fight, he got drunk and made the biggest mistake of his life.
“I cheated on her,”
he admitted, his voice heavy with guilt.
“I regretted it right away, but your mother used it against me. She threatened to take everything, even you and Olivia.”
“She wanted me to leave, give her all the property, and pay alimony.”
I sat there shocked. This didn’t sound like the Mom I thought I knew.
“Why didn’t you fight it?”
I asked.
Dad looked at me with sadness and love in his eyes.
“Because of you and Olivia. I didn’t want you both to go through a messy public divorce. I thought this would be easier.”
As we talked, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had my dad back.
Before we left, I took a deep breath and asked:
“Dad, how would you feel about helping me with the company as a consultant?”
His smile was all the answer I needed.
New Beginnings and Old Rivalries
The next few months were a whirlwind. I studied for exams, spent long nights cramming, and before I knew it, I was standing on stage at my high school graduation with a diploma in hand.
Grandma was in the audience, smiling proudly. Mom and Paul were nowhere to be seen, but by then, I’d learned not to expect much from them.
As summer came, I focused on college applications with Grandma’s support and Dad cheering me on from afar. I aimed high.
When the acceptance letters started arriving, I could hardly believe it. But the biggest surprise came when I opened the financial aid package for my top choice: full ride.
I stared at the letter in disbelief. Grandma cheered and pulled me into a hug.
“I knew you could do it, kiddo! All those late nights and competitions paid off.”
I decided to major in business management. It seemed like the smart choice, especially now that I had the company to think about.
I now had a company to run, and the idea still felt unreal, but I was determined to make Grandma proud.
To celebrate my college acceptance, Grandma decided to throw a small party, just the two of us. We got some fancy takeout and a bottle of sparkling cider.
Grandma wasn’t about to let me drink champagne, even though I was an adult now. We were halfway through dinner when the doorbell rang.
Grandma frowned, clearly not expecting anyone.
“I’ll get it,”
I said, putting down my fork.
When I opened the door, my stomach sank. There stood my mother and Paul, looking annoyed and impatient.
Before I could say anything, they pushed past me into the house. Mom didn’t waste time on greetings.
“Mother, we need to talk about the company now.”
I stood there stunned as Mom launched into a rant. She didn’t even look at me, didn’t ask about my graduation or college; it was like I wasn’t even there.
“Why can’t we access the main accounts?”
she demanded.
“And why are you blocking the transfer of funds to our branch?”
Grandma’s expression hardened.
