Chapter 1
John and Janet Young were your typical lower middle class family. They lived in a small town in northwestern Oregon, and John worked as a security guard at the local mill.
On a normal day, John would be up and about by 10:00 am. He worked swing shift and was usually home shortly after midnight. But last night his relief had called in sick at the last minute, and John had to work until 4:00 am. Needless to say, Janet was letting him sleep. Thankfully, today was his normal day off.
Around 10:00 am the telephone rang and Janet ran to answer it, not wanting to wake John. As she answered the phone she heard a very strong French accent.
"Mrs. Young, my name is Jean Claude Laroux. I am an attorney representing the estate of Mr. Charles Le Jeune.
Janet could not place the name, and could think of no reason why an attorney would be calling them.
"Mrs. Young, is your husband available?"
"Yes, but he is asleep, at the moment." Janet replied.
"That's fine, please do not disturb him," the attorney replied. "As I said, I represent the estate of Charles Le Jeune, and I would like to talk to you and your husband, about a matter of great importance.
"But Mr. Laroux, what this have to do with my husband?" Janet asked.
"I will be more than happy to explain everything at our meeting. I would prefer not to divulge too much over the phone." the attorney stated.
"I see." Janet Replied.
"I will only be in the United States until tomorrow morning, at which time I must return to France." Mr. Laroux stated. "I would like to get together this afternoon if that would be possible."
"I will have to talk to my husband, but I think we can be there. Where would we have to go?" Janet asked.
"I am in the office of an associate of our firm." Mr. Laroux continued. "Shell we say two o'clock?"
After writing down the address, Janet told Mr. Laroux that she would call him back after talking to John.
Reluctantly, Janet woke John and explained about the phone call. John was suspicious about the news, as he knew very little about his family. His father had seldom spoken about the family, and his grandfather had died before he was born. His curiosity peaked; John agreed to go to the appointment.
At two o'clock that afternoon, John and Janet were seated in a very lavish office, facing a rather lovely receptionist. After a few minutes they were shown into a very spacious inner office.
After introductions, John came right to the point. "Mr. Laroux, what is this all about?
"Mr. Young, let me explain." the attorney stated. "As I told your wife, I represent the estate of Mr. Charles Le Jeune. Does that name mean anything to you?"
"No!" John stated emphatically.
"Well, you might be surprised to know that Mr. Le Jeune is your great grandfather." the attorney replied.
"But that's not possible" Replied John. "My last name is Young."
"I realize this." the attorney replied. When your Grandfather left France, he cut off all ties with his family. When he arrived in the United States, he changed his name to Young." At this point Mr. Laroux produced a genealogical record for John to look at.
To his surprise John found a direct line from himself, to his father, Grandfather, and then to Mr. Le Jeune.
"So he was my ancestor. What does that have to do with me now?" John asked starting to get angry.
"I am getting to that if you will just be patient." the attorney stated. "You see, Mr. Le Jeune, owned a very successful coalmine in northern France. The mine is no longer in operation, but he left a rather substantial estate. Your grandfather and great grandfather had a falling out, and when your grandfather left France he was disinherited."
After a short pause, the attorney continued. "When Mr. Le Jeune made out his will, he left nothing to your grandfather, but made the provision that should your grandfather have any children, that the estate would revert to them. Therefore, upon Mr. Le Jeune's death, the estate reverted to your father."
"But Mr. Laroux, my father passed away nearly 10 years ago." John stated.
"I realize this fact." the attorney stated. "As your Grandfather had not kept in contact with the family, it has taken my firm several years to track down any children that he might have had. As your father, his only child is now deceased; the estate now reverts to you, as his only heir."
John looked at the attorney with a very puzzled look on his face. He knew that there had to be some kind of catch.
"The estate must be worthless." He thought. I'll probably have to pay a bunch of attorney fees and back taxes or something of that nature."
"If you are trying to tell me that the estate is worthless, and I need to pay a bunch of back taxes to save the family name, Mr. Laroux, then you are talking to the wrong person." John got to his feet and, taking Janet by the arm, turned to leave.
"On the contrary Mr. Young, it is just the opposite. Mr. Laroux replied. "You have just become a very wealthy man, or could be soon."
John stopped dead in his tracks, and turned back to the attorney. "How wealthy are we talking about Mr. Laroux?" John asked
"The estate is worth approximately 4,000,000 Euros." the attorney answered.
"4,000,000 Euros. How much is that in American money?" John asked.
