This guy is a multimillionaire but won’t tell his family! When they visit, he rents an apartment to hide where he really lives. He took to Reddit to explain why.
He’s a Big Success
Meet our storyteller, a successful businessman who has kept a big secret from his family. When he first landed a job abroad, his family immediately thought he was rich.
His Family Are Obsessed With Money
When he phoned his mom to tell her the good news, she asked, “What are they paying you?” A sign of things to come!
They Thought He Was Rich
Despite his wage being below average in that country, they thought he was rich after hearing about his salary.
He Struggles to Get By
He could barely afford to live decently and couldn’t save money, but when you convert it to his home country’s currency, it was a lot.
Their Behavior Changed
His family’s behavior immediately began to change, and they started insisting that he pay for their visits to him. The family would come to stay with him and not spend a penny.
He Is a Living ATM
They would rely on him to be their tour guide and ATM and take care of all their expenses. They also wanted him to contribute to his siblings’ tuition fees!
He Decided It Wasn’t Right
This continued until the original poster (OP), who had previously worked two jobs to support himself, began to feel the toxicity of the situation and decided to set boundaries.
They Were Just Using Him!
He realized that when he was poor, his family barely contacted him, but after he got this new job, he’d regularly wake up to good morning texts, and they’d phone much more regularly.
His Business Thrived in the Pandemic
When the pandemic hit, OP started his business, which grew to become more lucrative over time.
So He Had to Lie to Them
To protect himself from his family’s greed, he lied to his family about losing his job and struggling financially. Unsurprisingly they immediately stopped reaching out to him unless he called.
A Humble Abode
When they visited, he rented a small apartment and pretended it was his home. He used public transportation with them and went to the neighborhood where he actually lived to fantasize about living there!
All Boxed Up
He kept two suitcases packed with old clothes and three boxes with his usual dinnerware, books, and other stuff.
Cunning Assistant
OP would then ask his assistant to find an apartment and move his old things there, and that’s where he would tell his family that he lives.
He Needs to Keep His Money a Secret
He loves his family and doesn’t want to cut them off completely, but he knows that he needs to keep this secret from them to maintain a loving relationship.
It’s sad that he can’t share his success with them without jeopardizing their relationship, but that’s how things are.
His Parents Weren’t Struggling
His parents did not understand the wage vs. the cost of living in the country he was working in and still expected him to contribute financially.
OP’s parents are middle-class back home, so he thinks it’s not like they were struggling, but they were greedy.
A Cultural Thing
It’s cultural to contribute part of your wage where he is from, and he can’t just cut off or say no to his family. OP knows that he will step up and help his family if they are ever in a crisis, but he prefers to do it anonymously.
He’s Got a Good Group of Friends
Although he can’t share his success with his family without jeopardizing their relationship, OP has a small group of friends who have always been supportive of him.
He considers them to be his family, and they have been a constant source of encouragement and positivity in his life. He’d helped them invest in their businesses and wants them to succeed as much as he has!
He’s Still Keeping up the Act
Nowadays, his family only visits him once every two years or so, and they stay for two to three weeks. He’s told them that he found a job, but it does not pay much, and the cost of living is high.
When they visit, they pay for their own flights and do not go out much.
They’ll Never See His Penthouse
OP still rents a small apartment and pretends it is his home, so they’ll never suspect that he is a successful businessman living in a penthouse.
He finds it unnecessary to buy an apartment that they will only use during their visits and thinks of it as a waste of resources.
He Tells Them He Moves Frequently
Furnished apartments are cheaper where he currently lives, so if his family ever asks, he tells them he moves frequently due to rent, which is why his furniture keeps changing.
A Sticky Situation
This guy’s story is not unique, and many people find themselves in similar situations. Setting boundaries is essential and not letting others take advantage of you, even if they’re family!
OP has learned this lesson the hard way, but he’s now in a position to control the situation and protect himself. He may not be able to share his success with his family, but he has found a way to maintain a loving relationship with them.
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The post He’s a Multimillionaire Who Deceives His Family to Protect His Wealth, They Mistakenly Believe He’s Barely Making Ends Meet first appeared on Fistful of Dollars.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Vadym Pastukh. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit