This is the fourth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, and Part III before continuing.
Maddy read the letter a few times, and still wasn’t sure how to feel.
Part of her felt kind of sad.
The other part of her wondered how she could feel anything about someone she had never even met.
But it was clear her aunt (she was getting used to thinking of this strange benefactor as her aunt) had loved her and wanted to be a part of her life.
Maddy was charmed by the description of her great aunt. She had to admit it did sound like fun, and before she knew it, she was wondering what life with an aunt would have been like.
That’s when she called her brother.
“Hey,” he answered, as always.
“Hey. Did you get an email about an inheritance from our aunt?” Maddy decided it was best to get straight to the point.
“What?”
“I got an email a while back from a law firm about an aunt we never knew we had and her will.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, I think I remember getting that scam email. You didn’t fall for it, did you?”
“It’s not a scam.”
“What?”
“It’s real.”
“Wait. Hold up. You didn’t hand over your bank account information or anything, did you?”
“Yep. And my PIN, date of birth, and mom’s maiden name.”
“Jesus, Maddy.”
Maddy laughed. “I’m kidding! Of course, I didn’t give them any of that information. I didn’t have to. I just have to sign some paperwork and I’ll have access to all her accounts and stuff. Apparently she made me the executor of her estate. Guess she must have liked me more than she liked you.” Maddy stuck her tongue out, even though she knew her brother couldn’t see her. She wasn’t sure where this taunt had even come from. It had just felt so natural.
“Are you high?”
“No.”
“You didn’t sign anything, did you?”
“Just the one that promises them my firstborn in exchange for a lifetime’s worth of riches.”
Her brother sighed heavily and Maddy could tell he was losing patience.
“No, I haven’t signed anything yet. I took everything home so I could take my time looking it all over without that lawyer hanging over me. But there’s something else.”
Maddy hesitated, and after a few seconds her brother said, “Yeah?”
“There’s a letter.”
“A letter?”
“From Aunt Alison.”
“You really believe we have some aunt our parents never told us about?”
“I do. It took me a while to become convinced, but here I am. Convinced.”
“Why would Mom and Dad do that?”
“Come on. You know it’s exactly the kind of thing Mom would do. And Dad always goes along with whatever she wants.”
This time it was her brother’s turn to hesitate for several seconds. Maddy waited until he said, “I don’t know what to say.”
“I know. It’s a lot. But I want you to know that it’s real. And I think there’s a letter for you, too.”
“What makes you think that?”
“The lawyer handed me this envelope with the letter in it. She said she has another one for you, but that she’s under strict instructions to only give it to you and no one else.”
To be continued…