With a deep sigh, Lisa leaned back on her chair, looked up at the ceiling, and removed her eyeglasses. She rubbed her eyes which were feeling restless and a bit strained after working on the computer for 16 hours now and counting. She thought to herself that it has really been a tiring and trying week for her two jobs. She was working as a freelancer for a marketing firm and at the same time posing as a virtual assistant for an online apparel store.
On average, she was working for a total of 16 hours daily, 6 days a week. She was trying so hard to make ends meet for her family. Her father was missing in action from the day she was born and her mother gave in to her illness just a couple of years back. She was now left to look after her 2 younger sisters. With her determination and motivation, she was handling it quite admirably so far.
For that particular week, however, it seemed that she was running out of fumes and was about to burn out. The workloads have been heavier than usual because the marketing firm she was working for was running a big event and the other company she poses as a VA was launching another line of clothes.
It was a sigh of relief that she let out when the last task on her to-do list was just accomplished. And almost as if on cue, her phone rang and she picked up. It was a puzzling call that she received.
"A Life-Changing Phone Call"
"This is William Delancey of Delancey Law firm. I am looking for Ms. Lisa Evergreen."
"This is Lisa, may I know what is this about?"
"I am the attorney of your late grandfather and I have an important matter to discuss with you?"
She was confused, she was cautious but most of all, she was curious. Grandfather? That is the first time she ever heard someone refer to her grandparents. Her mom hasn't talked about them at all.
"I am sorry, I don't know my grandparents. Which grandparent are you talking about?"
"I am here to explain, but first, may I please come in?"
"Come in? What do you mean?! Here? Now?"
"Why yes, I am just outside your door."
She suddenly got up and ran towards the door. She went on her toes and peeked through the eyehole on the door. There was a man standing in her doorway. Neat black suit, black tie, well fitted black pants, and a perfectly combed grey hair. The air around him looked dignified and he was a man with an authoritative stature.
She slowly opened the door.
The man produced a business card. And just as he informed her earlier it was William Delancey of Delancey Law Firm and based on the business card he gave he was the managing partner of the law firm. Lisa gulped and with everything considered he looked like a bigshot.
She let him in and offered a warm beverage. And then they went on with business.
"And as I said, I was your grandfather's attorney. Your grandfather from your father's side. Sir Ernest Willoughby."
"But I didn't... I never. I don't know him."
"I know, but he knows you and your sisters."
Lisa shot a quick glance at her sister's bedroom and she was starting to be afraid. Everything was just happening so suddenly and for reason, she don't know. She grabbed her phone and typed in 911 and rested her thumb on the call button.
"I understand that this is sudden and that it may make no sense whatsoever. But when your grandfather was alive, he tasked me to give this to you when he dies. He called it your inheritance. "
The old man slid a briefcase across the coffee table and opened it up. Her eyes grew wider, her face shone brighter, and then she gasped in surprise.
"10,000 US dollars, a singular coin and an envelope." the man described.
"Ah, that's it? Wait.....what? Did you just say 10,000 US Dollars?" inquired with her mouth wide open.
"Yes, I did. All of these belong to you as is in his last will and testament. Here are the documents you need. Also, our firm was hired with a retainer for you and your sisters. You already have my number and you can call in anytime."
"10,000 US dollars you say?" Lisa repeated.
"I understand that you are in a state of surprise. I will now take my leave and let you rest for the night. You can call us anytime. Farewell Miss Evergreen."
"In a Blink of an Eye, Her Life Turned Around"
Her late-night guest was out of their apartment and she was left in awe of how much money she has lying in front of her. After regaining her usual calm demeanor, she quickly hid the briefcase under her bed, went to the front door again, and triple-locked it even engaging the deadlock that she didn't even use before. She trusted everyone inside her building but with that kind of stuff insight, she was not feeling safe.
She went back to bed and decided to dig a little about her past and searched for his grandfather's name.
"Ernest Willoughby he said."
She typed in his name and thousands of articles written about him. She ascertained that he was the founder of Willoughby Enterprises which focused on military services. All the articles she read were somewhat vague on what Willoughby enterprises, it's just like a tech company that is servicing the military.
The one article that stood out to her was about Ernest Willoughby's mysterious death. He was hit, mangled, and ran over by a train when he went hunting in the forests of Georgia.
Feeling excited again, she got up from the bed shut all the windows, and took the briefcase out. She took the coin and the envelope out. The coin was particularly peculiar. It was a gold coin with the letter B and two vertical lines running on it. Both sides of the coin were identical. It looked like an ordinary coin if not for the deformity it has, on the upper right side of the coin, it looked like it was bitten off or something, so the coin was not perfectly in a circle.
She then broke up the seal and opened the envelope up. And there she pulled out a piece of brown paper. She spread it out on the bed and it was a map. It was a map of some park in the Philippines. In all aspects of the word, it was a treasure map. Complete with the X mark and instructions.
She looked at it closely and searched the internet for the place and it was a real place in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, it's still intact and some sort of an attraction in the middle of a city. With the shock, excitement, and fatigue she was experiencing, Lisa collapsed into sleep on her bed holding the map her grandfather left her.
to be continued...