Brandon, a homeless and penniless man, gives his last $2 to an elderly man in need at the gas station store and inherits his business the next day.
Brandon believes this is the beginning of a new life for his family, but a powerful enemy wants to take it all away.
Brandon shuffled into the gas station store, clutching his paper cup filled with change. A loud voice distracted him as he stood near an aisle. He craned his neck and observed a line of irate shoppers behind an old man who had difficulties hearing.
“I’m sorry, young lady, but what did you say about the water being funny?” the old guy asked the cashier.
“Money!” she moaned. “I said you don’t have enough money, sir!”
“Yes, it was a sunny day!” said the man, frowning.
“You need more money!” “For the water!” A younger guy standing behind the man grabbed his shoulder and roared into his ears, prompting him to recoil.
Brandon noticed everything. He was inclined to intervene, but he didn’t want to infuriate the consumers. Meanwhile, the elderly guy claimed that he didn’t have enough money and asked for a smaller bottle of water so he could take his pills.
“If you can’t afford to pay, you’ll have to go!” The cashier shouted.
“I can go?” He smiled and turned to leave, but the cashier lunged across the counter and snatched the water bottle from his hand. “Just get out, old man!” she hissed. “You’re way too much trouble!”
“Yeah, get lost, old fart!” A woman standing in the middle of the queue yelled.
The old guy pleaded that he take his pills, but his pleadings went unheard.
Brandon had had enough. He marched to the cashier and volunteered to pay for the elderly man.
“Have a heart, lady,” he murmured before emptying his cup on the counter. Before counting the money, the woman glanced at him with contempt.
“That’ll cover it,” she responded, collecting all of his money, including the final $2. “Now, stand away. “You are holding the line.”
Brandon left his can of beans on the counter as he offered the older guy the water.
“Here you go, Sir. “I got you water,” he said slowly and clearly, making sure the man could see his face in case he needed to lip-read. The man thanked him. They exited the store together, and Brandon started for his tent on the bare patch of land next to the station, but the man stopped him.
“Wait!”
Brandon turned around.
“Why did you help me when you obviously needed the money?” asked the older man, noticing Brandon’s tent where Brandon’s eldest daughter was helping her two siblings wash up in a bucket.
“But what will your kids eat?” “I noticed you left the beans on the counter.”
“We have the last of yesterday’s bread, and there’s a good chance I’ll find some scraps at that fast food joint across the street,” Brandon said. “We’ll get by.”
The man walked away with a frown. Brandon noticed he got into a shining SUV and pondered how a man like him could not purchase a bottle of water.
The next day, while Brandon was splitting cold fries among his three children, a silver vehicle drove up to his tent. A man in a beautiful suit stepped out and approached him.
“Good morning, sir. Mr. Grives’s last wish was for me to give this to you,” he added, holding out an envelope.
Brandon cleaned his hands, then took it. There was a letter inside.
“Dear sir,
Yesterday, you proved yourself to be a man of good character when you spent your last few dollars on a bottle of water for me. Your kindness and belief in doing good for others have inspired me to repay your goodness with the greatest gift I can give you: my business.
My time in this world is coming to an end. I have recently become apprehensive about leaving my company to my son, as I’ve come to see that he is a selfish, entitled man with a heart of stone. It would greatly ease my conscience if you inherited the company instead. All I ask is that you ensure my son is taken care of and can continue to live a safe, comfortable life.
However, I must warn you that my son will not readily accept my decision. In fact, he will probably do everything in his power to take control of the business. You will have to be on your guard.”
The man produced a stack of printed papers and a pen. “Mr. Grives was quite serious. And the moment you sign these papers, it’ll be official. You’ll inherit his company as well as other personal assets.”
“But I just met the guy yesterday. And now he’s dead and leaving me everything?” Brandon asked as he studied the documents. He was no stranger to legalese and had managed several small businesses before he fell on hard times.
“I understand your concerns, sir, but these papers were drawn by the finest lawyers. Mr. Grives was quite clear in his intent. All we need to do is fill in your name, and the lawyers will proceed with the rest.”
Brandon signed the forms because he saw it as an opportunity to establish a better life for his children. The man then drove him and the children to their new home.
Brandon looked up at the enormous colonial-style estate at the top of the driveway as they approached.
“Can we put up a tent under that tree with pink flowers?” little Derrick asked.
“We’re going to live inside that house, silly! Right, Dad?” Kelly asked
Brandon nodded, though he couldn’t believe it himself. But as soon as he pushed the double doors open, he realized something was amiss. The house was in disarray—a table lay on its side in the hallway, a painting was impaled on the railing, and a wardrobe had collapsed over.
Brandon threw the baggage on the top step, sprinted after the car, and told the driver to dial 911. A few hours later, he stood among ripped sofas and damaged furniture, conversing with cops.
“We’ve examined the entire perimeter of the house and found no sign of forced entry, sir,” the officer said. “This, combined with the fact that the security system appears to have been overridden using the correct code, suggests that whoever vandalized this place had a legitimate means of gaining entry.”
“Like a key? You’re telling me the person who did this just walked in here?”
“I’d suggest you change the locks, sir,” the officer nodded. “Whoever did this was looking for something and got very angry when they didn’t find it.”
As the cops left, Brandon suspected the elderly man’s son was behind everything.
The following day, Mr. Grives’ secretary arrived early. She took Brandon shopping and had him cleaned up at a barbershop before taking him to work. Brandon was ready to browse through the computer data in Mr. Grives’ former office when the doors burst open.
“You must be Brandon!” A middle-aged man in a dark suit entered the office and shut the door behind him. “I’m Christopher, one of Mr. Grives’s former business partners, and I’m here to save you from a whole heap of trouble.”
“I’m sorry? What trouble?” Brandon asked.
Christopher smiled and stated that he managed sales for one of Mr. Grives”specific’ enterprises. Brandon soon realized it was something illegal. He refused to continue such services, but Christopher would have none of it.
“Listen up, you moron! Grives owed me $2 million for handling the illicit side of his business! You’re now responsible for that debt,” he snarled. “And if you don’t pay up, I’ll go to the police and tell them everything. Furthermore, as the company’s owner, you will be liable for all damages and legal ramifications. So, I’ll be expecting my $2 million by Saturday. Or, you can transfer ownership of the entire company to me.”
“What? This is extortion! You can’t be serious!” Brandon retorted.
“Yes, it is. And just in case you think I’m not deadly serious…” Christopher pushed back his suit jacket and placed his hand on the butt of a gun holstered at his side. “…rest assured that if you cross me, Brandon, I’ll make you disappear. The police won’t even find enough of you to ID the body.”
Brandon said nothing and accepted Christopher’s demands.
But he worried if Christopher was deceiving him. So Brandon looked for any signs of this illegal side of the firm, but no files or data on the computer provided the answers he needed.
Brandon was confident Christopher was lying after checking data from all other departments that evening. But then he noticed the filing cabinet, hidden into a corner of the room. Brandon unlocked it with the keys he discovered on his desk earlier. The first thing he noticed was an old-fashioned file box hidden within the drawer.
Brandon understood Christopher wasn’t lying when he saw the ledger inside, which had entries scribbled in some kind of shorthand. In despair, he opened a drawer in search of drink, believing that wealthy businessmen would have pricey bottles of scotch on hand, but only discovered a snapshot.
Mr. Grives was pictured standing with a younger man. Brandon’s eyes bulged with dread as he realized how identical they appeared. The young man was Christopher, Mr. Grives’ son!
Things began to make sense to Brandon. He couldn’t believe that a kind man like Mr. Grives would engage in illicit business methods. Brandon reasoned that Christopher was most likely blackmailing him through his own nefarious dealings.
A stroke of luck and a tragic twist that threatened to ruin everything – everything was unfolding far too quickly. Fortunately, Brandon was not new with the whirlwinds of the business world; he had prior experience in entrepreneurship before everything went wrong and he ended up on the streets.
Brandon met Christopher in the subterranean parking lot on Saturday morning, but he brought a counteroffer.
“I’ve got to keep my word to your old man,” Brandon said, “so I’ll give you 49 percent of the company while I keep the remaining 51 percent. That’ll be enough for you to live lavishly, right? And I’ll reserve the right to manage the company like your father wanted.”
But Christopher refused. “I’m not a fool! I deserved all of it, not some token! Let’s talk when you come to your senses!” he hissed and left.
Brandon went back to the office. He decided to pay Christopher his $2 million and be done with this but found the company’s money was tied up in assets or allocated to monthly expenses. Brandon was helpless.
He returned home, dejected, where another trouble awaited him. As he opened the front door, he found his kids’ nanny tied to a chair and gagged.
“He took the kids! He said to tell you that this should be your wake-up call!” she cried as he freed her, and Brandon knew who she was talking about.
Brandon called Christopher and agreed to hand up the firm, imploring him not to harm the children. They planned to meet at noon. But Brandon also phoned the police, and within half an hour, he was sitting with an FBI agent.
“Just follow my instructions, and we’ll have your kids back…” Agent Bates reassured him.
That afternoon, Christopher was relaxing by the pool of a hotel he had hired out. He had put Brandon’s children in a closet and fired all hotel employees save the manager, whom he had generously compensated.
When there were only five minutes till the deadline and he hadn’t heard from Brandon, Christopher lost his temper. He intended to drown one of the children in the pool and email the footage to Brandon.
“Excuse me, sir,” the manager interrupted. “You have a package.”
Christopher grinned as he checked the envelope, forgetting about his wrath. He walked to his room and signed the documents he discovered inside the envelope. Finally, he owned the company! Then he released Brandon’s children. “I’m confident a group of ragamuffins like you three can find their way. “Now get lost!”
Christopher completed getting ready and headed to the mirror to adjust his tie, elated with his success. He suddenly heard a click behind him. Despite its softness, Christopher instinctively recognized the sound of a gun’s safety selector.
“FBI! Put your hands in the air and get onto your knees! You’re under arrest.”
Christopher surrendered. Meanwhile, Brandon held his children close on the sidewalk. Thanks to Agent Bates’s idea of putting a tracker in the documents, Christopher was caught.
“You’ll be filing for bankruptcy before this month is over! And you’ll pay off fines until you die!” Christopher screamed as he was led into the police car.
Brandon took the children home, ready to make everything right. And when the FBI’s fraud division showed up with a warrant, he handed over the evidence—the copy of the company’s records and the ledger he’d found in his office—to the agents, knowing that by the time the investigation was over, he wouldn’t have a penny to his name. But he’d be free.
“Daddy, are we going to leave our home again…just like we did when Mommy died?” Kelly asked him once the agents were gone.
Brandon got down on one knee and hugged his kids.
“Listen, you three, there’s a lot of details that still need to be sorted out, but we’re going to be okay. You want to know why?”
Kelly, Derrick, and Sam, his middle child, all looked at him intently and nodded.
“It’s because the most valuable item we own is right here, in my arms. As long as we stick together, we will always be wealthy in the most important way: love. The world’s wealth comes and goes, youngsters, but the love we have for one another is a treasure that no one can take away.”
