Lana's jaw dropped when she opened the top of the green box. The gold jewelry reflected the dim lighting spectacularly, like something out of a dream. Lana jumped when Jack's voice came closer.

"Hey, Lana, is everything okay? I didn't hear—" He stopped when he got close enough to see over Lana's shoulder.

Lana looked back at him and saw the same expression on his face that she'd just had.

"Is that—"

"Yeah."

"From the red box?" Jack stepped closer so he could see what was holding the bed of jewelry right in front of Lana. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Lana. They both cracked a smile and then screamed, "Ahhhhh!"

"We did it, Jack! It was here the whole time!"

"You did it! It was your doing! I would've never noticed to open that green box with the key!"

Lana started jumping up and down, and Jack took her hands and joined her.

"I can't believe it was sitting in your place this whole time!"

The pair continued jumping, and then a thought occurred to Lana, and her smile quickly faded. "Wait."

"What? What happened? Why'd we stop jumping?"

"I can't keep this."

"Umm, yes you can. This is another one of your grandmother's boxes. She left it for you."

Lana shook her head. "No, as much as it pains me to say it. This box belongs to Martha Stewart."

Jack furrowed his brows. "What? Like Snoop Dogg's Martha?"

Lana giggled and then shook her head. "No, no. Martha Stewart is the lady that was in front of me in line at Goodwill. She's the one that actually bought this box."

Jack's eyebrows rose. "But, Lana, without your key, Martha Stewart wouldn't have been able to open it."

Lana put a hand on her chin. That was true. "Yeah, I guess so, but it still wouldn't feel right. I don't know. After that whole Morocco incident, I kind of learned my lesson. I'm not about to take something that doesn't belong to me."

The room stayed silent for a moment, and Lana thought about that woman who she shared that experience with.

"I love you," said Jack, forcing Lana's thoughts to a complete stop.

Lana felt her whole body melt. "Jack, you know you stole my heart a long, long time ago. I love you too."

He grabbed her waist, and his lips met hers for a moment.

"Jack, so, what should I do about this box?"

He moved on kissing her neck and only stopped and nuzzled into it to say, "I have a feeling you know exactly what you're going to do."

***

Lana walked up to Apartment 403 with the green box in hand. She'd felt sweaty all afternoon but was also excited that she was about to make an impact in someone else's life.

There were tears, a lot of gasps, a lot of I can't take this, and a lot of my sister is going through chemo and this will for sure change her life.

Lana left feeling good about her decision. Like really damn good. Instead of taking, she gave. She could now say like all those around had said about her over the past month, that she was proud.

She left Martha's place and headed straight for her mom's apartment to fill her in on all the details. Her mom had been strangely MIA since she got back, and Lana thought back to the weird text she received earlier that day...

Mom: Welcome back honey. Please come over this afternoon. 4 PM sharp. Don't be late.

As soon as she pulled up to her mom's apartment complex, she saw that one of the guest parking spots had an unrecognizable car in its place—a sleek gray Mercedes that looked out of place for the area.

What is that woman up to?

She parked on the street out front instead and headed in, unsure why her mom hadn't responded to her follow-up text and uneasy as to what this was all about.

As soon as she knocked, the door flung open. Adilah was dressed up as if it was Easter Sunday and was grinning from ear to ear. "Lana! Welcome home! Look at you being so punctual!" She went in for a hug, and Lana smiled returning it.

"Mom, what's going—" Lana stopped as soon as she saw an older gentleman with gray hair sitting on the couch in the center of the room. He was wearing an all-gray suit and stood up and smiled when Lana saw him. She didn't recognize him and even squinted just to be sure.

"Hello, Ms. Asfoor. My name is Mr. Halbeck, and I'm here to discuss some important legal matters with you." The man said as he came towards Lana and shook her hand.

Lana shook the man's hand with her eyes wide. What the hell is happening right now?

"Um, Mom, can we talk in the kitchen for a quick sec?"

"Honey, please go sit down. Mr. Halbeck doesn't have all day."

Her mom guided her toward the couch to take a seat. Mr. Halbeck took a seat opposite her and grabbed his briefcase.

"Mom, what's going on? What's this legal business? Did you already hear what happened in Morocco? Is that why he's here? The police saw Jack and me as victims and never took us in. We never got charged."

"Lana, shush. What are you going on about? Just listen to Mr. Halbeck please."

Mr. Halbeck cleared his throat and drew out some documents from his briefcase. "Ms. Asfoor, it has come to the firm's attention that you recently took a trip to Morocco. Can you confirm whether this is true and your whereabouts?"

"Um, yes, I just came back from Tangier."

"And would you be able to confirm this in a court of law with a physical passport that has been stamped with this destination?"

"Um, yes. How else is one supposed to travel internationally?" Lana's furrowed brows deepened when she saw that her answer drew out so much joy from Mr. Halbeck and her mom. Their smiles widened as they looked at each other and both took a deep breath in.

"Mr. Halbeck, may I ask what this is all about?"

"Well, Ms. Asfoor—"

Lana's mom jumped in. "Sweetie, it's about your grandmother!" Mr. Halbeck sat back, waiting for Adilah to continue.

Lana's eyes grew wide. "What is it?"

"Well, she sort of left something behind for you."

Lana tilted her head and smirked. "Oh, I already know that. That was the whole red box, green box situation, remember?"

"No, no, not that." Adilah grabbed the papers from Mr. Halbeck's hands and handed them to Lana.

"What's this?"

"Go ahead and read it. We'll be here to answer any questions."

Lana carefully glanced at the pages in front of her. Her eyes grew wide as she skimmed over and read out the words 'Trust Fund,' and numbers with many digits and commas were scattered throughout the page. "Mom, what is this?"

Adilah began to tear up. "Lana, honey, I've wanted to tell you for so, so long. Your grandmother made me promise not to say anything. I can't tell you how many times I almost spilled the beans. You struggled financially for so long, and I just couldn't bear it at times. I couldn't tell you or else it would nullify the terms and you wouldn't have gotten a cent!"

Lana's mouth was open. "Is this a joke?"

"Ms. Asfoor, this is real. Those are the legally signed documents to prove it." Mr. Halbeck added as he shifted in his seat.

Lana continued scanning the page and stood up, pacing the room. She looked up at Adilah. "Okay, even if this was true, why now? What the hell were the terms?" Her temperature was rising, and she didn't mean to direct her frustration toward her mom.

"Sweetie, I know how angry and confused you must be! Your grandmother... She was all about family roots and life lessons. Her only stipulations for this trust fund to be granted were that you got a passport and that you take a trip back to her homeland, Morocco. God only knows what went through that woman's mind. I pleaded with her earnestly to just give it to you, but she said her life didn't start until she got out of her shell and that's what she wanted for you—to travel abroad and experience the culture you came from.

"That's why I tried so hard over the years to get you to travel to Morocco, but you were so stubborn! Even as a kid, you were so adamant you did not want to go, and you would never go. But I knew it would all work out in the end. I prayed for you endlessly, and I was over the moon when you brought up the trip to me. It was finally happening, after all these years!"

"Ms. Asfoor, your grandmother left you this letter. Please read it and let us know your decision."

Mr. Halbeck handed Lana the envelope, and she tore it open. Her eyes were watering as she saw her grandmother's words on the page.

Habibti Lana,

If you're reading this letter, that means you've unlocked the terms of my will. I always knew you could do it. I hope the circumstances that led you to visit your homeland have shown you that life can be unpredictable but also beautiful. That going into the unknown can tear your world apart only to mold it back together into something even more stunning than what was there once before. I hope you will always be bold and fearless and take this world by the horns to make it something grand.

Love you always and forever,

Taita Nour

Lana had a full stream of tears that she was constantly wiping to finish the letter. Adilah got up and gave her a hug when she finished. She was crying too. After their tears settled, the pair looked at each other and began smiling. Their smiles turned into laughter as Lana looked back at the pages in front her.

"Oh my God, this is just a lot to process. So, I guess, does this mean—" Lana's eyes grew wide. "Mom, does this mean I'm rich?"

"Honey, you are not just rich. You are very, very, very rich."

***

We got an epilogue up next! Thanks for reading, commenting and voting, and staying along for the journey. It means the absolute world to me! ♥️