A Fictional Script to Illustrate Family Inheritance by Peter Lee
When Jim Wong slowly opened his eyes, he whispered faintly, “Can I have some water?”
His wife, Mary who had been faithfully sitting at his bedside quickly poured some lukewarm water. As she did so, their daughter, Kim, gently raised the head of the hospital bed so he could sit up comfortably.
Mary held the glass to Jim’s lips. As he sipped, his blurred vision slowly sharpened, and the bright light filtering through the window made the room feel almost unreal. Surrounded by his wife and three adult children Charles, Kim and Patrick. Jim looked weak and exhausted, yet still thinking about work.
He turned to Charles and Kim, the two who were managing the family’s manufacturing business, and asked, “Any problem in the office?”
Knowing her father’s nature ever the workaholic even with severe heart disease and leukemia , Kim replied quickly, “Pa, don’t worry about the office. Charles and I can manage.”
Jim then shifted his gaze to Patrick, who stood nervously at the foot of the bed. Patrick had long been the troubled son, the one who borrowed money constantly to feed his gambling and drinking habits. Jim’s eyes reflected both concern and disappointment.
Once Jim looked more settled, Patrick took his father’s hand and said, “Pa… can I talk to you and Mum alone?” Kim’s eyes narrowed. “Why can’t you say it here? There’s no outsider in this room.”
Knowing he was Mary’s favourite, Patrick glanced at his mother with a pleading look, seeking her help to send his siblings out. After a tense silence, Mary finally said softly, “Charles, Kim… can you give us a moment?”
Both siblings walked out reluctantly, their faces tight with annoyance.
While waiting outside, Charles asked Kim quietly, “Do you know if Pa ever wrote a will?” Kim shook her head. “He never said anything to me. Maybe Mum knows. But I really hope he did. otherwise we’re going to have a huge mess especially with that guy in there always asking him for money.”
Before they could continue, Patrick suddenly burst out of the room shouting for a nurse.Charles and Kim sprinted inside, finding their father choking violently, gasping for air as phlegm blocked his breathing.
Nurses rushed in and attempted resuscitation, but within minutes, Jim slipped into unconsciousness. His heartbeat stopped. After checking his pulse, the nurse looked up, shook her head gently and Jim was gone.
Mary and Kim collapsed by his bedside in tears. Charles and Patrick stood helplessly, trying to console them.Through her grief, Kim glared at Patrick and screamed, “What did you say to Pa?!”
“Kim, not now,” Mary intervened firmly. She then turned to Charles, voice trembling, “Please arrange the funeral and call the Buddhist monks. Follow your father’s wishes.”
As Charles stepped out to call the funeral provider, a man approached him.
Offering condolences, he slipped Charles a card. “I’m a funeral service director. I can assist your family and serve your future generations’ needs.”
Charles stared at him, startled by the sales pitch at such a moment. What does my father’s death have to do with your concerns for future generations? he thought.
“Thanks, but we’ve already made arrangements.”
Jim’s body was later brought home for the wake.
The next evening, while the family was having dinner before the prayer service, Patrick suddenly asked Charles about the fixed deposits he once jointly held with their late father. Charles had been appointed custodian of the certificates years earlier.
“Can we talk about this after the funeral?” Charles said in disbelief.
Patrick insisted, claiming the money was his and demanding it back.
Before a fight erupted, their spouses intervened, and Mary snapped sharply, “Patrick! Will you shut up until the funeral is over!”
The monks began the prayers soon after. Throughout the night, streams of friends and relatives arrived to pay their respects.
Kim noticed a woman seated quietly at a table near Jim’s coffin with two children.
Approaching her, Kim said politely, “Thank you for coming. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Kim, and you are…?”
“I’m Sandra,” the woman replied softly.
“Are you a friend of my father?”
Sandra hesitated, looking embarrassed. “I… I was with your father about ten years ago. These… these are his two children.”
Kim froze. Her knees weakened. She stared at the woman and the children, speechless, her mind reeling. Recovering slightly, she called her family into the house. Sandra was then invited into a private room.
Inside, Mary stood up immediately. “Sandra, Kim told me what you said. I don’t know your intention, but why now? Are you trying to extort us?”
“No,” Sandra replied calmly. “I only wanted his children to pay their last respect.”
“What proof do you have?” Mary demanded.
Sandra produced the children’s birth certificates. After examining them, Mary sank into her chair, devastated.
“We will discuss this after the funeral,” she said firmly. “For now, if anyone asks, please just say you’re a friend.”
Sandra nodded quietly.
A week after the funeral, Mary summoned all her children to the company office. She brought a lawyer, who carried Jim’s original will.
The lawyer announced that Jim had appointed Mary as the Executor/Trustee, with Charles and Kim as joint substitutes should Mary decline.
Charles asked, “What exactly does the Executor/Trustee do?”
The lawyer explained:“The Executor/Trustee applies for probate at the High Court using the original will.Once probate is issued, the Executor/Trustee gathers all assets, settles debts, and distributes everything according to the will.”
Kim asked, “So every asset goes to the Executor/Trustee first?”
“Yes,” the lawyer replied.
He then explained the distribution:
The Will’s Distribution
- 50% of Jim’s sole bank accounts goes to Mary.
- The other 50% goes to the children equally.
However, Patrick’s portion would be placed in a Testamentary Trust:
- RM2,000 monthly for Patrick,
- RM2,000 monthly to his wife for their children,
- medical and education expenses covered when needed.
- The duration of the Trust will be until his youngest child reaches 21 years or exhaustion of funds. At the end of the Trust, the balance shall be distributed to Patrick, Wife and children equally.
Patrick exploded. “Why must my share go into a trust? I want it all directly!”
“That cannot be changed,” the lawyer said. “The Executor/Trustee must follow the will.”
Patrick then demanded the money in his joint accounts with his father.
The lawyer replied, “The will states all joint accounts return to the surviving holder.”
Patrick smirked at Charles. “See? I told you. I want all those fixed deposits Pa kept under your custody!”
Charles took a deep breath. “Those accounts were closed by Pa a year ago. He transferred everything into his sole account.”
Patrick turned red with rage. “Ma! What’s going on? You must help me!”
Mary sighed. “This was your father’s decision. He wanted to protect you and your family. Accept it.”
“I’ll challenge his will!” Patrick shouted.
“All the best,” Mary replied coldly. “Since you want to challenge it, I renounce my role as Executor/Trustee and hand over to Charles and Kim to handle the estate. Deal with them.” She nodded to the lawyer to continue.
Other Assets
The lawyer explained that all shares in the family company, investments, and immovable properties were left entirely to Mary. If she predeceased Jim, the assets would be shared equally among the children—with Patrick’s share again under a Trust.
Then Mary remembered Sandra.
“What about Sandra? Is she entitled to anything since she isn’t in the will?”
“No,” the lawyer replied. “She and her children are not beneficiaries in the will.”
However, he added, “Based on the documents you just handed to me , it is an Insurance Trust set up by Jim for Sandra and her children. Upon his passing, those funds will go to them.”
There was a collective sigh of relief that Jim had provided for them separately without affecting the estate.
The lawyer closed the file and read Jim’s final message:
“I hope and pray that my children will continue caring for their mother.
I also wish that my children will remain united and kind to one another.
This will and trust may not be perfect, but they were made with careful thought
and with the feeling that everything I do, I do it for you.”