The underestimated heir

Abigail's Legacy

Gabriel woke up on the couch with his entire body aching. The split on his lip had scabbed over during the night, pulling tight every time he tried to move his mouth. His left cheek was swollen and tender to the touch. When he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, a purple bruise spread across his face like spilled ink.

He splashed cold water on his face, wincing as it stung the cut. The face staring back at him looked tired. Defeated. He barely recognized himself anymore.

The Morrison family mansion was already awake and busy. Gabriel could hear the household staff moving around upstairs, preparing breakfast for the family. He should be helping them. That was his job now. Cooking, cleaning, running errands. Anything the family needed.

It hadn't always been this way.

Gabriel's mind drifted back five years as he tied on his apron and headed to the kitMorrison. Five years ago, he'd been a twenty-two-year-old college dropout working three part-time jobs just to keep his younger sister in school. Their parents had died in a car accident when he was eighteen, leaving him responsible for Maya, who was only twelve at the time.

Money had been impossibly tight. Some days, Gabriel would skip meals to make sure Maya had enough to eat. He'd worked as a delivery driver during the day, a convenience store clerk in the evenings, and picked up overnight security shifts when he could. Sleep became a luxury he couldn't afford.

One rainy afternoon, Gabriel had been making a delivery to a fancy restaurant downtown. He'd been rushing, trying to complete as many orders as possible to earn a decent tip. As he'd rounded the corner with his delivery bag, he'd nearly crashed into an elderly woman who'd slipped on the wet sidewalk.

Gabriel had dropped everything to help her. She'd been disoriented and her ankle was twisted. Instead of continuing with his deliveries, Gabriel had taken her to the hospital, waited with her for hours, and made sure she got home safely. His boss had fired him for abandoning his route. Gabriel had lost a day's pay and his job, but he hadn't regretted it.

The woman had been Abigail Morrison, matriarch of one of the wealthiest families in the city.

Two days later, Gabriel had received a call from an unknown number. Abigail had tracked him down through the delivery company. She'd invited him to her mansion, and when he'd arrived, she'd offered him something impossible.

"You showed me kindness when you had nothing to gain and everything to lose," Abigail had said, sitting in her elegant study. "That's rare. I want to help you finish your education. I'll pay for everything. Your tuition, your sister's school fees, your living expenses. All of it."

Gabriel had been stunned. "Why? Why would you do that for a stranger?"

"Because good people are hard to find," Abigail had replied with a gentle smile. "And because I believe you'll do great things if given the chance."

For the next two years, Gabriel had lived in a small apartment Abigail provided, finished his business degree, and visited her every week. She'd become like a grandmother to him. They'd spent hours talking about everything from business strategy to classic literature. She'd taught him about art, wine, jewelry, and the subtle ways wealthy people conducted themselves. She'd treated him like family.

Then, just after his graduation, Abigail had called him to her study again.

"I have a favor to ask," she'd said, looking older and more tired than usual. "My granddaughter Seraphina needs a husband. The family has been pressuring her to marry some businessman she doesn't love. I want you to marry her instead."

Gabriel had been shocked. "Me? But I'm nobody. I don't have money or connections or anything to offer."

"You have character," Abigail had said firmly. "You have kindness. You have integrity. Those things matter more than money." She'd paused, her expression sad. "I know this family, Gabriel. They're obsessed with wealth and status. They've forgotten what really matters. Seraphina has grown up in that environment, but I believe she has a good heart underneath all their influence. Maybe you can help her remember that."

"Does Seraphina know about this?" Gabriel had asked.

"She's agreed," Abigail had said. "Though I admit she's doing it mostly to escape the marriage her parents arranged. She doesn't know you yet. But I hope, in time, you two can build something real."

Gabriel had wanted to refuse. The whole situation had felt wrong. But Abigail had looked at him with such hope, and he'd owed her everything. So he'd agreed.

The wedding had been small and cold. Seraphina had barely looked at him during the ceremony. Her family had made their disapproval clear from the start. The marriage had been a business arrangement, nothing more.

Abigail had been the only one who'd smiled that day.

A sharp voice snapped Gabriel back to the present.

"Are you just going to stand there daydreaming, or are you going to make yourself useful?"

Gabriel turned to find his mother-in-law Margaret standing in the kitMorrison doorway. She wore an expensive silk robe and her hair was perfectly styled even at seven in the morning. Her lip curled in disgust as she looked at him.

"That bruise on your face is hideous," Margaret said. "Make sure you stay out of sight if we have any visitors today. I won't have them thinking we allow our servants to get into street fights."

Gabriel bit back the response that rose in his throat. "Yes, Mrs. Morrison."

"And don't forget to scrub the floors in the east wing today. They looked filthy yesterday." Margaret examined her perfectly manicured nails. "Honestly, I don't know why Mother Abigail insisted on bringing you into this family. You've been nothing but an embarrassment."

She turned and walked away, her slippers making soft sounds on the marble floor.

Gabriel stood alone in the kitMorrison, his hands gripping the edge of the counter. Three years of this. Three years of being treated like dirt by people who'd never worked a day in their lives. People who'd been born into wealth and thought it made them better than everyone else.

He started preparing breakfast, cracking eggs into a bowl with more force than necessary. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He wiped his hands and pulled it out.

The message was from an unknown number: "Don't forget. Grandmother Abigail's house. 9 AM. This is important."

Gabriel stared at the message. Grandmother Abigail's house. She'd had a separate property, a smaller estate on the edge of the city where she'd lived alone after her husband died. The family had rarely visited her there. She'd told Gabriel it was her sanctuary from their constant demands for money.

But Abigail had been dead for six months now. Who would be at her house?

Gabriel was about to reply when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly deleted the message and pocketed his phone.

Dominic Morrison walked into the kitMorrison, already dressed in one of his expensive suits. He poured himself coffee without acknowledging Gabriel's presence.

"The garbage needs to be taken out," Dominic said to the air, as if Gabriel wasn't standing right there. "And the cars need washing. And pick up my dry cleaning by noon."

"Yes, sir," Gabriel said quietly.

Dominic finally looked at him, his eyes cold. "And stay away from Mr. Reeves if you see him again. The man is considering a major business deal with our company. We can't afford to have you ruining it with your pathetic jealousy."

Gabriel's jaw tightened, but he nodded.

Dominic left without another word.

Gabriel finished preparing breakfast and set everything out on the dining room table. One by one, the family members came down. Seraphina's uncle and aunt. Her two cousins. Seraphina herself, looking perfect in a cream-colored business suit. And finally Margaret and Dominic.

They ate and talked among themselves as if Gabriel was invisible. He stood by the wall, ready to refill drinks or bring more food if needed. A servant. That's all he was to them.

"I'm meeting with Lucas Reeves for lunch today," Seraphina announced, cutting into her omelet. "He wants to discuss the partnership further."

Margaret beamed. "Wonderful! He's such a successful man. So charming too."

"Much better than some people," Dominic added with a meaningful glance at Gabriel.

Seraphina said nothing, but she didn't defend him either. She never did.

After breakfast, Gabriel cleaned up while the family went about their day. Seraphina left for her office at the family company. Dominic and Margaret went to their country club. The house grew quiet.

Gabriel looked at the clock. Eight fifteen. If he left now, he could make it to Abigail's old house by nine.

He untied his apron and headed for the door. Whatever this mysterious meeting was about, it had to be better than spending another day being treated like trash in his own home.

As Gabriel stepped outside into the morning sun, his phone buzzed one more time.

"Everything is about to change, Gabriel. The truth will finally come to light."

Gabriel stared at the message for a long moment, then started walking. He had nothing left to lose anyway.