When Polina received a call from a notary, she thought it was a prank. After all, how could she, with no close relatives other than her grandmother, suddenly be the sole heir to a fortune? Her thoughts raced. A distant cousin in Kazakhstan, and perhaps her grandmother’s brother—was he even still alive?
Her parents had passed away when she was twelve, leaving her with her grandmother. And while they had always been close, now, as an adult, Polina had her own room, where she was sitting when the call came.
If her grandmother hadn’t been in the next room, Polina would’ve likely panicked. But when the notary calmly stated that her grandmother had passed away and that Polina was the sole heir due to the lack of a will, Polina’s skepticism grew. Who were these people?
As the notary continued, Polina jokingly asked, “Heir to what, exactly?”
“Full details will be provided in person, Polina Lvovna.”
This caught Polina’s attention. How did he know her full name? Was this some kind of scam, or could it be real? She hung up quickly, deciding she’d look into it later. However, a few hours later, an email arrived confirming the details with official tone and an invitation to meet.
Feeling both confused and curious, Polina decided to share the bizarre story with her grandmother, expecting it to be a funny conversation. But her grandmother’s reaction was unexpected. She turned pale and grabbed her chest. Polina, terrified, rushed to help.
Through labored breaths, her grandmother explained that these were distant relatives from her father’s side, a family Polina had never known. Her father had never spoken about them, except once when he mentioned the tragic death of his father in a helicopter crash. It was then that he revealed he came from a wealthy family that had rejected him, disinheriting him for reasons unknown. After her parents passed, Polina’s grandmother had even written to them, hoping they might help. But they never did.
Polina, feeling both angered and betrayed, confronted her grandmother. “So, you were trying to send me to them?” she asked.
“No, Polya,” her grandmother responded, “I wanted you to have opportunities. They were rich, and with them, you could have had everything…”
Polina hugged her grandmother tightly, assuring her that she was the most important person in her life. “You’re my everything,” she whispered.
Her grandmother sighed, tears in her eyes, and said, “Well, maybe I’m the best, but not the richest. That woman who passed away, see what kind of inheritance she left you.”
“But she didn’t leave me anything!” Polina protested. “The notary said they didn’t find a will, so I’m the heir.”
“How can that be?” her grandmother asked. “Does this happen in families like that?”
Polina, still in disbelief, considered that it might be some kind of joke. “Maybe it’s all just a hoax,” she mused.
But her grandmother disagreed. “No, Polina. You need to go. You don’t turn down money like that.”
Polina, with firm resolve, declared, “I’m refusing. And besides, how could I leave you alone? The school year is about to start, and I’m in charge of a class for the first time in my life!”
Her grandmother didn’t respond, but Polina couldn’t shake off the feeling that something wasn’t right. How could these people, her relatives, not have reached out or offered any support after her parents’ tragic death?
Later, Polina confided in her close friend Olya, a fellow teacher. Olya, ever practical, was shocked. “You have to go, buy a ticket, and make the most of this opportunity! If you’re not thinking of yourself, think of your grandmother. She’s living in tough conditions—remember the doctors said she needed surgery? You could afford to help her with that.”
Polina hesitated. “Olya, it’s too late for the surgery now.”
“Are you sure? You could go abroad. You know they perform miracles there! She’s still young—only sixty-five!”
“But—she’s already sixty-five…”
“Exactly! And our colleague Natalia P., she’s sixty-eight, and she’s still so active! Your grandmother has done so much for you… now it’s your turn.”
Polina sighed, conflicted. “But what about my grandmother? I can’t leave her on her own.”
Olya was quick to offer a solution. “I can stay with her while you go. You don’t have to move there; just accept the inheritance and return.”
Polina wasn’t sure. “It’s not that easy.”
“Of course it is! Haven’t you seen the shows? It’s all straightforward,” Olya said with a grin.
Polina laughed, but deep down, she knew her friend had a point. She remembered the little boy they had collected funds for—his life-saving medicine. The thought that she could help others if she had the resources weighed on her heart.
This was a turning point in Polina’s life—a moment where family, legacy, and the future intertwined. Would she go after the inheritance, or would she turn it down for her grandmother’s sake? The decision was harder than she ever imagined.
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