“Come on, Alice. We’re starving,” Lucy mocked.

“Breakfast can wait,” Martin suddenly interrupted. “I have a gift waiting for you outside, Alice. Happy 30th birthday,” he said. He slowly stood up, trying to get a feel of his surroundings.

“A gift outside?” James asked.

“You’ve never given me a gift that needed us to go outdoors,” Eva added.

Alice guided Martin out the door, as his four children followed behind them. When they got out, a small car with a ribbon on top was waiting for them.

“Unbelievable! Are you serious?” Adam scoffed.

“That’s not fair! Why are you giving your maid a car?!” Lucy said before storming away.

“Alice has been by my side for ten years. She is family to me, and nothing you can say will ever change that,” Martin told his children.

That day, Martin hosted a small party in Alice’s honor. They were joined by other caretakers in his large property — his gardener, driver, and housekeeper.

“Thank you, sir. I don’t know what I did to deserve your kindness, but I promise to do my job well for as long as you need me,” Alice promised.

Through the years, Alice saw Martin as a father she enjoyed spending time with rather than her boss. Likewise, Martin treated Alice like his own daughter.

Martin’s health started to deteriorate when he turned 80 years old. At one point, he felt the end of his life was near, so he asked to see all of his children, including Alice.

“I know you all have been wondering who I’m leaving my estate to. Lucy, Eva, Adam, and James, you already have control of the business I started. You can continue to run it. As for this house, everything in it, and my money, I give it all to Alice.”

“What?! What did this witch tell you?! Why are you leaving your inheritance to her?!” Lucy protested.

“You will hear from my lawyer! From ALL our lawyers,” Adam said.

“That is precisely why I decided to leave everything to Alice; because I knew you were only after my money. It was only Alice who took care of me all these years. And besides, there’s something I haven’t told you…” Martin said.

Before Martin could speak, his four children walked out in protest. They left him alone with Alice, and he started to speak again.

“I’m sorry it took me this long, but I did not want anything to change, that is why I am only telling you now. Alice, you are my biological daughter… Your mother left me when she found out I couldn’t marry her. I had to marry somebody else. When she died, you were left in the orphanage, and my friend became your foster mother. She only told me you were my daughter when you were 17,” Martin said with tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Alice. I hope I was able to treat you well in the years that we knew each other. I love you,” he told her.

Alice hugged Martin tearfully. “I love you,” she whispered. “I’ve always felt you were my dad, and now, what you said confirms it. I am so grateful for the time we shared, dad.”

What can we learn from this story?