Stephan was devastated.
His beloved grandfather, Martin von Kreuzberg, had died.
Martin was more than just his grandfather. Stephan’s parents had died in the Swiss Air crash off the coast of Nova Scotia and his grandfather had raised Stephan and mentored him from that day on.
Martin von Kreuzberg was one of the richest men in the world – usually ranked somewhere between 16th and 23rd on Forbes’ list. Stephan’s grandmother, Martin’s beloved wife Maria, had died of cancer in 1987 and thus Stephan was the sole heir to his grandfather’s fortune. But that was little comfort to Stephan – all the money in the world wasn’t going to make up for the loss.
Stephan had called his grandfather “Opa” – the German word for “Gramps” – ever since he was a small child and his father had jokingly taught him to say the word to tease Martin. The name stuck, and Martin always smiled whenever Stephan would call him Opa.
[spoiler]Opa had made his fortune younger than most – he was in his late teens when he made his first million, but quickly invested wisely and that million turned into 100 million, which turned into a billion, that eventually turned into billions of dollars. Opa simply seemed to have a gift for finding the right investment at the right time, and knew when to buy and when to sell. The family had homes in Malibu, Manhattan, Monte Carlo and a chateau in St. Moritz, Switzerland – where his parents were flying when the accident happened. However, it was at the family estate in the Hamptons where Opa had died – a sprawling 48 room mansion on 23 acres that made other homes in the area look like shanties.
Opa had a taste for the finer things in life – gourmet food, expensive wine, fine Cuban cigars, priceless artwork and grand opulence in every residence the family owned. He wasn’t ashamed of being wealthy – but you would never know he was one of the richest men in the world if you met him away from his homes. Opa was very down to earth and could charm a minimum wage salesgirl at Bloomingdales as well as get an entire boardroom full of wary, rich investors to agree to everything he would suggest.
Opa was also loved by all of his employees. He treated them fairly and was generous with bonuses. Most of his employees had worked with him for decades. But Opa was by no means a saint – one aspect that Stephan never agreed with was Opa’s strong political conservatism. He made any of the current crop of conservative Republicans look like liberal Democrat in comparison. Opa knew that Stephan was, to say the least, more moderate – but they agreed to disagree and simply refrained from any political discourse.
One of Opa’s favorite photos, hung prominently in his office, was a photo he himself had taken while visiting Cuba in his youth. It was of a donkey pulling a cart that was so over-loaded, it literally lifted the donkey into the air. He showed this photo to anyone who ever came into his office. “Always remember – don’t rely on others to do all the dirty work, or they will hang your ass out to dry!” and he would laugh loudly.
Actually, it was during Opa’s youthful adventure in Cuba, back when Americans freely traveled and vacationed there, that he had met his future wife, Mari a – she was smitten by Martin’s rugged good looks – blonde, blue eyed and tall – and he was captivated by her Latin charm, and exotic beauty. Stephan inherited the best of that gene pool and was tall and athletic, with jet black hair and deep blue eyes.
Martin and Maria married shortly after they had met and fallen in love, and he swept her off to NYC and a new life, far from her home in Cuba. However, Maria quickly adapted to her new life in America and everyone who knew her was certain she was the driving force in Martin’s success and happiness.
It was Opa’s idea that Stephan should also have the opportunity to meet and fall in love with a women who was not out to get the family fortune. Opa had been very protective of Stephan and there had never been a published photo of him anywhere. When Opa suggested Stephan learn the family business from the ground up, he also suggested that it would be wise for Stephan to work under an assumed name.
To that end, Stephan was working as an accountant at the headquarters in Manhattan – but everyone knew him as Steve Kroy. They did not know he was Stephan von Kreuzberg, graduate of Harvard with an MBA, grandson of the founder and owner of the corporation, and sole heir to the family fortune. Steve even had a small studio apartment in lower Manhattan and, other than occasional visits to Opa, “Steve” lived a simple life. One employee of the company, Gabriella Garcia, was a first year attorney working for the company, and Steve and Gabriella had become close over the past year. She had been reluctant at first to even go out with him, but eventually he charmed his way into her life. Stephan hated secrets and was just about to let her know he was Stephan von Kreuzberg when he got the news of Opa’s death.
The reading of the will was just between Stephan and the family attorney, Klaus Eberhard. He told Stephan that, as expected, he was designated as sole heir in the will. There were also a few charitable foundations set up by his grandfather that were bequeathed with continued funding after his death. Klaus went over some of the specifics – the homes, the cash, the investments – most of it Stephan was fully aware of – and Klaus told him the accountants would prepare a more detailed report that would arrive in the next weeks. He also handed Stephan an envelope and said, “Your grandfather specifically requested I give this to you in person, upon his passing.” Klaus quietly left the room.
The envelope was sealed with wax – Opa had his eccentricities.
Stephan opened the letter and read it. As he did, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end and the blood drain from his face. By the end of the letter, Stephan’s hands were shaking and he could not move. There were secrets – very deep, profound and life altering secrets.
“My dearest Stephan,
You have been by far the best investment I have ever made. I have truly cherished the opportunity to raise you and get to know you as you grew up from a boy to the intelligent, compassionate man you have become today. I have every faith in the world that you will take over the family business, prosper and do well in your personal and professional life.
However, I do feel it necessary to let you know a few things that I have done – and although I am not proud of many of my activities and deeds, it is important that you, and only you, know all of the facts.
When I went to Cuba and met and married your grandmother, it was the happiest time of my life. She was not, however, the simple country girl we had led others to believe. She came from a very prominent family – and one of her step brothers is Fidel Castro. It was a family secret of mistresses and politics that your dear grandmother wished never to speak of.
That said, she had very strong ties with her family and kept in touch, even during the dark years of travel and business embargo. We found ways to help support her family in whatever ways we could, but it was getting more and more difficult to do so.
I wanted you to know this to understand why I later did what I did, and why I have never spoken about this with anyone alive today. I never even had the opportunity to tell your father.
I financed and organized the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
We knew of the hardships people were going through in Cuba, we knew of the potential danger in starting a world war, and I knew personally of the sinister, back-door, business dealings of Joe Kennedy’s family and his plans to profit from this Cuban confrontation. We knew there was no choice but to end this escalating conflict.
I was in contact with people in Cuba and we discussed every option. It was decided to end this as fast and with the fewest casualties as possible. I agree that the murder of even one person cannot be condoned, but compared to the more heinous deaths of hundreds, or thousands, or hundreds of thousands, it is sometimes the only option.
I hired two assassins – and yes, one was Lee Harvey Oswald. However, the other was Daniel Carter – an ex-military sharp shooter who also had family ties in both Russia and Cuba. Daniel died a natural death in Palm Springs in 1999 and used the money I paid him over the years to support his family. I would only ask that you allow the money I have set aside in my foundations to continue to be used to indirectly support his extended family, as I had promised to do.
I cannot expect you to condone or even understand what I did, and if it is any consolation, I regret having to do what I did. I do, however, think it was for the greater good.
I am truly sorry to have to tell you this in a letter and can only hope you forgive me my transgressions and will remember me as a generous, philanthropic, loving grandfather.
With all my love, you are truly my proudest achievement and the best legacy a man could hope to have.
Opa”
Stephan sat in silence. His mind was racing. In one fell swoop he had discovered he was directly related to Fidel Castro, and that his grandfather was the mastermind behind the most infamous assassination in recent history.
How does one process this? What should he do? What can he do? The Warren Report had determined Oswald was acting on his own with no financial or political backing by any third party. Most of the Kennedy family directed involved had died. Would this information bring any comfort to anyone alive today? Other than ruining the family reputation, would informing the FBI or the White House achieve any purpose? For that matter, would anyone believe this last minute confession from a somewhat eccentric billionaire?
Stephan met Gabriella for dinner at their favorite little Chinese restaurant in Lower Manhattan. Stephan had simply told her that his grandfather had died.
“I am so sorry,” she said with genuine sympathy, “was he a good man?”
Stephan didn’t answer at first, but then said, “He had his secrets.”
Gabrielle nodded, “Well, people usually have good reasons for keeping secrets.”
Stephan thought that over and said, “I want to take you for a drive to my grandfather’s house tomorrow, but first it is time I shared a secret with you.”
Stephan and Gabriella were married the following year. They were happy and raised three beautiful children.
Gabrielle never told Stephan she had known who he really was after the first week she met him. Stephan never told Gabrielle about Opa’s letter.
After all, some secrets are meant to be kept and taken to the grave.
For instance, Opa never let anyone know that plane crash that had killed Stephan’s parents was no accident; not every American was surprised on 9/11; and the recent crash on Wall Street was good for business if you knew in advance. Stephan would figure it out someday when going through the books – that is why he admitted to complicity in the JFK assassination – the boy had to remember, “Don’t rely on others to do all the dirty work, or they will hang your ass out to dry.”[/spoiler]