When Julia and her sister Helga lost their father, everything changed. Helga became furious with their mother, Mrs. Hanson, over the inheritance. She said some terrible things, and Julia and their mother decided to come up with a shocking plan to teach Helga a big lesson.
“HOW DARE YOU?” Helga screamed at their mother over the phone. Julia, who was in the kitchen, could hear every word, even though the phone wasn’t on speaker. Helga was angry because their mother had decided how to divide her will.
Mrs. Hanson planned to leave Helga 30% of the estate, while Julia would get the rest. It wasn’t a fair split in Helga’s eyes, but their mother felt Julia deserved the money more. Julia had always been there for her parents, taking care of them, while Helga and her husband only showed up when they wanted something. Mrs. Hanson thought Helga had been greedy and selfish. However, since Helga had recently become a mother to twins at an older age—47 years old—Mrs. Hanson decided to leave her something after all. But Helga was still not happy.
“Helga, please don’t yell,” Mrs. Hanson said gently, trying to calm her down. She noticed Julia walking into the room and decided to put the call on speakerphone. “I knew you would see reason, Julia. Our mother was so stubborn,” Helga said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“MOTHER! You can’t just give everything to Julia! She doesn’t even have children! Don’t you care about the twins? They deserve their share of the money!” Helga shouted, completely unaware that Julia was listening.
“Helga, it doesn’t matter if Julia has kids or not. She has given up so much of her life to care for your father and me, while you didn’t,” Mrs. Hanson explained. “You’re married and have a support system. This is my money, and I decide who gets it.”
But Helga didn’t want to hear that. “I DON’T CARE WHAT JULIA HAS DONE! YOU KNOW WHAT? I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO DIE, AND I’LL SUE FOR MY SHARE! GOODBYE!” Helga screamed, her words filled with venom, and then she hung up the phone.
Mrs. Hanson sighed deeply, placing her forehead in her hand. Julia felt a surge of anger but knew she had to hide it. She couldn’t believe her sister would say something so cruel to their mother.
“Mom, she’s just angry. She didn’t mean that,” Julia lied, trying to comfort her mother, but Mrs. Hanson knew the truth. Helga meant every word and would fight hard for a bigger share of the inheritance. Luckily, their lawyer in Washington D.C. assured them that as long as Helga received something, she wouldn’t be able to contest the will.
Over the next few months, Helga called multiple times, trying to convince Mrs. Hanson to change her will. Each conversation ended in massive fights that drained their mother emotionally, and Julia grew even angrier at Helga.
Then, the day came when Mrs. Hanson passed away. At the funeral, Helga made a scene, pretending to be devastated. Luckily, most of their relatives recognized her true nature, even if they didn’t know how awful she had been during the last months of their mother’s life.
After the funeral, Helga began calling Julia about the money. They had both received their shares, but it looked like Helga was going to be nasty to Julia until she got more. Frustrated, Julia devised a clever plan. During one of their phone calls, she shared her idea with Helga.
“Okay, listen. I want to move to New York, so I’m going to sell Mom’s house for good. I’ll give you 50% of the sale, even though the house is in my name. Does that seem fair?” Julia asked, her voice calm but her heart racing.
“Oh, that’s fantastic, Julia! Thank you! I knew you would see reason. Our mother was so stubborn. You’re the best aunt to the twins! I swear this is all for their future,” Helga gushed over the phone, her excitement palpable. Julia wasn’t sure if Helga was genuinely planning to use the money for her children, but it didn’t matter—Julia was lying.
The sale of the house went smoothly because it was in a great location, and there were many eager buyers. Helga was practically drooling at the thought of getting half of the money. Julia thought to herself, “She doesn’t deserve it at all.”
“Okay, I’ll put your share in a bank account and send you the details later. Is that alright?” Julia asked when they met for coffee just before she left for New York.
“Of course! Though, I’m going to miss you so much!” Helga replied with a smile that Julia didn’t trust at all.
“Cool, well, goodbye,” Julia said, standing up and giving Helga an awkward hug. Helga acted as if she would truly miss her sister, but Julia felt uneasy.
A week after Julia moved to New York, she finally sent Helga the details for the safety deposit box.
“Your sister couldn’t just wire the money to our account?” Helga’s husband asked, puzzled by the unusual procedure.
“She’s an idiot. You know that. I’ll go to the bank right now and check it out,” Helga replied, a sly smile on her face.
At the bank, Helga was led to the safety deposit box. When she opened it, she found three $1 bills inside. “That’s all?” she exclaimed, shocked. Then she noticed a note beside the bills. It read: “That’s all you deserve.”
Helga’s screams echoed through the bank that day. She was furious and heartbroken, but Julia had blocked her number, and they never saw each other again.
What can we learn from this story?
Greediness leads to nothing. Helga treated everyone poorly and only wanted money. In the end, she received nothing.
Follow your relative’s wishes. Even though Helga bothered her terribly, Julia didn’t want to go against her mother’s desires.
What do you think of the story? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
