My name is Lisa. I was holding my six-year-old daughter, Mia, tightly. We were shivering from the cold as we stood in line outside St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a free bowl of soup. We had nowhere to live. Our landlord had evicted us from the small room we were renting because I couldn’t afford the rent anymore after losing my job.
To the whole world, my parents had rejected me because I was supposedly “rebellious” and got pregnant young.
The truth is, they fired me because they didn’t want to keep me on. They said they “didn’t have any money.”
While we were waiting for the soup, a gleaming black Rolls Royce pulled up in front of the shelter. An elderly woman got out, wrapped in a fur coat and adorned with enormous pearls, accompanied by assistants who shielded her with umbrellas. She was delivering a generous donation.
Suddenly, he looked in our direction. His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
“LISA?! MY GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER?!” she shouted.
It was Grandma Consuelo.
My multimillionaire grandmother lived in Europe. We hadn’t seen each other for ten years, since my parents cut off all communication between us.
He ran towards us, not caring about the mud sticking to his very expensive shoes.
“Oh my God! Lisa! Mia!” she sobbed, hugging us tightly. “What are you doing here? Why are you so dirty? Why are you standing in line for food?”
“Grandma… we have no home…” I cried, unable to believe she was really standing in front of me. “We’re so hungry…”
Grandma Consuelo cupped my face in her trembling hands. Her eyes, filled with tears, darkened with fury.
“What do you mean you don’t have a home?” she whispered, holding back her tears. “Where are your parents? Where’s my house?”
I shook my head, confused, my heart pounding in my chest.
—Which house, Grandma…?
Her expression changed. It was no longer tenderness. It was pure ice.
“The mansion on Hawthorne Street,” he said slowly. “The house I left to you and your daughter as an inheritance eight years ago. Signed, registered, and paid for. It was rightfully yours.”
I felt like the world was crashing down on me.
—I… never knew anything about that…
My grandmother’s jaw tightened. She sat up with imposing dignity and snapped her fingers. One of her assistants was already on the phone.
Bring me all the documents. Now . And get the car ready. Tonight we’re going to see my children.
Three days later, we arrived at my parents’ anniversary party.
The mansion was filled with fake laughter, crystal glasses, and elegant music. I entered holding Mia’s hand, wearing a simple dress that Grandma had bought me. She walked ahead of us, poised like a queen.
When my parents saw us, they turned pale .
“Mom…?” my father stammered. “Lisa? What is this?”
Grandma Consuelo didn’t waste any time.
—This —he said sharply— is the result of his greed.
He threw the documents on the table in front of all the guests.
—They robbed the house I left for my granddaughter and great-granddaughter. They lied. They left them on the street while you toasted with champagne.
The silence was deadly.
My mother burst into tears. My father tried to speak, but no one could hear him.
“From today onward,” the grandmother continued, “you are disinherited . Everything you have, you obtained by lying. And you will lose it.”
He turned towards me and took my hand.
—Lisa, the Hawthorne mansion is still yours. I’ve already ordered that the keys be waiting for you there. And you’ll never go hungry again.
Mia hugged me tightly.
—Mommy… do we have a house yet?
I nodded through tears.
—Yes, my love. We’re home now.
Behind us, my parents were left alone, surrounded by luxuries that no longer belonged to them.
And for the first time in years…
justice had arrived.
