"AITA for scamming my cousins out of their inheritance?"

In a family dispute over a valuable inheritance, the conflict centers around a piece of land—a family homestead left to several cousins by their late grandfather. The property, which spans over 100 acres and is situated 90 minutes from a major city, was initially divided equally among the cousins. While the cousins preferred to sell their shares and receive cash, one cousin chose to buy out their interests instead.

This cousin, the youngest of the group and a college senior studying finance at the time, had a deep personal connection to the homestead. Despite offers from developers and predictions that the area might become a booming tech hub, the cousin decided to retain the property. The purchase of the cousins’ shares was conducted legally and appraised fairly at the time. The cousin leveraged personal assets and loans from family to secure the purchase.

Over the next decade, the predicted growth materialized, and the land’s value increased significantly. The cousin recently sold a small portion of the property for a substantial profit, which sparked outrage among the cousins who had sold their shares years earlier. They accuse the cousin of cheating them out of their rightful share of the newfound wealth, arguing that they should have been informed about the potential for such a substantial increase in value.

The cousin maintains that the situation was a calculated risk based on publicly available information, and that no guarantees were made regarding the future value of the property. The family is divided, with some members supporting the cousin’s decision to keep the proceeds, while others believe the cousins who sold their shares should be compensated. The cousin stands firm, viewing the situation as a successful business gamble rather than a betrayal.

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