Life is unfair. That was the main lesson I had learned, and it was what I had taught my son—and later, my granddaughter. My path had not been an easy one.

I had nothing—no education, no job—but I knew I had to keep going for the sake of my son.

I had worked myself to the bone, barely slept, and there was even a time when we lived in a car because I could not afford food, let alone a place to live.

But all of that was in the past. I had worked like a mule to give my child a better life, and eventually, I had made it.

I had become the owner of a restaurant and was proud of what I had achieved, especially knowing I had started out as just a waitress. It had been a long road, but I had given my son a future.

When my son grew up, he turned my restaurant into a franchise, and the business thrived.

Now I was seventy-five years old, and even though many people told me it was time to relax and retire, I just could not do it.

I still had strength and energy, and I was not about to waste it sitting on a cruise ship with a bunch of retirees.

I also wanted to set an example for my granddaughter, Ashley. She was already an adult—engaged, in fact.

Ashley had never known poverty. She had been born into comfort and had everything she could ever want.

But I trusted that my son had raised her to be a good person, someone who cared. As a grandmother, my greatest joy was watching my little girl become a woman.

Still, something continued to nag at me—her fiancé, Philip. I just could not figure out what kind of man he truly was.

When I looked at him and Ashley together, I sensed a chill between them. I started to doubt his intentions.

Philip did not come from money; he was a cook in one of our restaurants. That was how they had met. I was worried he might break her heart or worse—use her.

So one evening, I invited Ashley over for tea. I tried to start the conversation as casually as possible.

“Are you excited about the wedding?” I inquired, smiling.

“Yes, of course I am,” Ashley replied brightly.

“And what about Philip? Do you think he truly loves you?” I probed gently.

“Grandma, what kind of question is that? Of course Philip loves me—he proposed, didn’t he?” she responded with a chuckle.

“I know, sweetheart, I just worry. I’m afraid Philip might be marrying you for the money,” I confessed.

“That’s nonsense. Philip does not care that my family has money,” Ashley insisted.

“All right then, I’m glad to hear it,” I murmured, and she smiled warmly.

When Ashley got ready to leave, she helped me tidy up. She had always been so kind and thoughtful.

“Is Philip picking you up?” I asked as she put on her coat.

“Yes, he should be here any minute,” she answered, though I noticed a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. “Grandma, do you remember when I was little and you told me you’d gift me one of the restaurants for my wedding? Is that still true?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes, of course. You know I always keep my promises,” I reassured her.

“I just wanted to make sure,” Ashley said softly. Right then, the doorbell rang. “Oh, that must be Philip,” she added and opened the door.

Philip stood at the entrance, smiling. “Good evening,” he greeted me politely, then turned to Ashley. “Ready to go?”

Ashley nodded, and the two of them walked out. I left the door slightly ajar—I could not help but be curious about how they spoke to each other.

“Can you give me money for those shoes I sent you?” Ashley asked.

“I do not think they’re exactly a necessity,” Philip replied.

“No, but I really want them,” she pressed.

“Ashley, you have more money than I do. If you want to buy pointless stuff, go ahead and do it yourself,” Philip answered.

I shut the door all the way. I did not want to hear any more. Greed. I had never liked greedy people, and at that moment, a plan began forming in my mind—a way to truly see what kind of man Philip was.

Several days passed since the idea had taken root in my head. I had found out when Ashley and Philip planned to visit the restaurant and positioned myself nearby to meet them.

But I was not plain old Megan. No—I had transformed. I dressed in filthy, oversized clothes, pulled a large hat over my face to hide my features, and smeared dirt on my hands. I looked like a bum. That was the plan.

I wanted to test Philip—to see if he would give even a little something to a stranger in need, or if he really was as stingy as I feared.

I held a plain paper cup in my hands. A few kind people even tossed in spare change, though I had not asked them to. I just waited patiently for Ashley and Philip to appear.

And at last, they did. Hand in hand, they strolled toward the restaurant, talking about the upcoming wedding.

As they passed me, I extended the cup and pleaded in a pitiful voice, “Please help, anything you can spare, kind souls.”

They stopped. I braced myself for what might happen. I was ready for anything—except what actually occurred.

Philip reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. He leaned forward to place it in my cup, but Ashley grabbed his arm and snatched the money away.

“What are you doing?” Ashley demanded.

Philip tried to retrieve the cash, but she held on tightly. “Ashley, not everyone’s as lucky as we are. We should help when we can,” he explained.

“You always say you do not have money, and now you’re giving it to some bum?!” she exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

“I will survive without twenty dollars, but for someone else, it could mean everything,” Philip answered calmly.

“No, it’s her fault she’s in that situation. You should not encourage people like her,” Ashley snapped.

“I thought you were raised to be kind,” Philip replied, visibly disappointed.

“This is all an act for Grandma—to make sure she leaves me her restaurants. She thinks everyone should value every penny and try to make the world a better place. But I didn’t grow up like that. The world’s already mine—I’m not giving my money to some beggar,” Ashley declared coldly.

She then took Philip by the hand and pulled him toward the restaurant.

I stood there, completely frozen in sh0ck. Everything I thought I knew about my granddaughter had been a lie. It was not Philip I should have doubted—it was her.

But about a minute later, Philip ran back outside. He dropped a fifty-dollar bill into my cup.

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that. She was wrong,” he said softly before heading back inside.

I could not believe it. Ashley had not been raised to become the kind of person she had become. I had been blind all along. I rushed to my car, changed clothes, and drove straight to see my son.

He was in one of the restaurants, going over the monthly expenses. I walked in and sat at the table.

“Did you know Ashley’s completely spoiled?!” I burst out angrily.

“Mom, maybe she’s not like you or me, but she’s not a bad person. She just grew up differently,” Jonathan replied.

“No, son, she is a bad person! How did you even raise her like this?!” I cried.

“I did the best I could. But she never heard the word ‘no,’ so this is what we’ve got,” Jonathan admitted.

“This is what we’ve got?! She pretended to be some angel just to get my restaurants!” I snapped.

“What? Mom, what are you talking about?” Jonathan looked bewildered.

“I always believed Ashley was kind, compassionate, helpful—because that’s how she acted around me. But it was all a lie, an act,” I said bitterly.

“Mom, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Jonathan frowned.

“She admitted it herself. She did not know I was listening, so she told the truth,” I explained.

“Just leave her alone. I’m sure you misunderstood something,” Jonathan insisted.

“Oh no, sweetheart. I’m not letting this go,” I vowed.

I was going to teach Ashley a lesson—that nothing in life comes for free. I was going to do it on her wedding day.

I spent a whole month pretending everything was fine, that I still believed in her little game of being a good person.

But then the day arrived. The wedding was beautiful. Ashley looked radiant, Philip seemed genuinely happy—but it was all about to end.

When the reception began, and it was my turn to give a toast, I proudly walked to the center of the hall.

Ashley watched me expectantly. I saw it in her eyes—she was waiting for the big moment when I would announce I was giving her a restaurant. But my toast was about something else entirely.

“Ashley, sweetheart, I’ve been with you from the very first day of your life. I’ve watched you grow from a little girl into a young woman. I believed you had become a good person, and that’s why I wanted to do everything for you. But it turns out that was not true,” I began, and Ashley’s smile faded.

“You showed your true colors when you thought I was not around. Do you remember that homeless woman outside the restaurant? That was me.”

I saw the fear on her face. “Grandma, you misunderstood, I—”

“Shush, I’m not finished,” I interrupted. “I want you to understand how hard I worked for everything I have. I never wanted my son or my grandchildren to go through what I did. But you opened my eyes. I will not be giving you a restaurant. However, you’re welcome to start as a waitress and work your way up to owning one.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Ashley screamed, leaping from her seat.

“I’m completely serious,” I replied calmly.

“You can’t take the restaurant away from me!” she shouted.

“It was never yours,” I said firmly.

“Do you even realize this whole wedding was just to get that restaurant?!” she yelled, and the guests gasped.

“Ashley, what are you talking about?” Philip asked, his expression darkening.

“Oh, please. Do you really think I would marry a broke guy like you out of love? You were just part of the act for Grandma,” she sneered. Then she turned to me. “So I could get that restaurant!”

“Ashley, but I love you,” Philip whispered.

“Oh, shut up,” she snapped at him.

“You’ve truly disappointed me,” I said coldly. “You don’t deserve a restaurant.” I turned and walked away.

Ashley ran after me. “Grandma, stop! I’m still your granddaughter—your Ashley,” she begged.

“The Ashley I knew never existed. It was all fake,” I told her as I left.

Leaving Ashley behind was painful, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Someone had to finally teach that spoiled girl a lesson.

And all I could hope for was that she would finally pull herself together and start to change.