Madison and Jessica turned to a life of robbery after escaping their abusive stepdad. One fateful burglary at an unknown older lady’s mansion leads them down an unexpected path when they stumble upon a photo linked to their past.
“One last signature there,” the attorney said, smiling when the 25-year-old twins Madison and Jessica followed his lead. “There! It’s all yours!”
Once the lawyer left, Jessica’s gaze lingered on the towering ceilings and ornate décor of the Victorian-style mansion nestled in the outskirts of the quiet town.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Can you believe it, Maddy!?” she exclaimed, feeling excitement swishing through her veins. “We own this now! It’s OURS!
Jessica rejoiced, not realizing that her sister hadn’t said a word and was instead quietly crying.
“Maddy, what’s wrong?” Jessica asked, confused.
“Jess, this mansion, the way we got it…It still feels like a dream,” Madison said, breathless and disbelieving. She closed her eyes and thought about the lower point in their life 16 years ago. They were nine and had only $3 in their pockets after fleeing their stepfather.
In the fall of 2002, the twins lived with their stepfather, Martin, after their mother died in a car accident 1999. While he always had trouble drinking, his wife’s death worsened things. He took his frustrations out on them and couldn’t hold down a job.
Madison and Jessica tried to be good, despite how often he reminded them they were a burden. But after years of this mistreatment, Martin got home drunk one night, expecting food on the table.
“We’re really sorry, sir,” Madison said softly, her head lowered in fright. “We had a lot of homework to do today. Dinner will be ready in just 20 minutes. Please forgive us for being late.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Jessica agreed.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images
Still, Martin didn’t like their answer. He grabbed their notebooks and bags, hurling them around the living room carelessly.
“I don’t care about your school. Do you understand, you lazy little rats?” Martin yelled, terrifying them. “If I have to raise you, you’ll have to work around here! If this happens again, you’ll be out on the streets!”
The girls looked at each other, and although this wasn’t the first time he had threatened to kick them out, his words still caused intense terror.
Madison began to cry while Jessica tried to stop the tears, uttering, “Yes, sir.”
Martin grinned, his rage dissipating now that he knew they were afraid. He grabbed a beer from his fridge and sat in front of the TV while dialing to order some pizza. Of course, he wouldn’t share that with them.
Madison ran to their room, and Jessica followed closely. “What are we doing to do?” she asked her crying sister. “We can’t live with that ogre anymore.”
Her twin wiped her tears away. “Where would we go?”
“I know, but he doesn’t even feed us. He hates us,” Jessica continued. “Wouldn’t it be better to just leave? Run away?”
“Run where?” Madison asked, looking around.
“Anywhere. Somewhere better than here,” her sister added, shrugging.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“OK,” Madison said, nodding. They quieted and stared into each other eyes for a long time. Then, they hugged tightly and began to pack. They checked the few pennies and dimes they’d managed to steal here and there, but it was only three dollars between them.
When they were ready, they exited their room slowly, checking that Martin was fast asleep. His pizza box was only half empty, and his beer can was still in his hand.
Jessica stopped Madison for a second. “Wait, I can’t leave until I do something,” Jessica said, put her things down, and ran to her stepfather’s room.
“What are you doing?” Madison whispered-yelled, panicking. But Jessica was back quickly with a bottle. She tiptoed to Martin’s and poured a powder on his open beer can. Luckily, he was snoring loudly.
Jessica threw the bottle on the floor, grabbed her things, and ushered Madison out.
“What was that?” her sister asked.
“Laxative,” she answered, grinning slightly.
Madison almost burst out laughing loudly but covered her mouth, and they left, never to see their horrible stepfather again.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
For the next 15 years, the girls traveled all over the country, surviving by stealing and begging where they could. Eventually, they raised enough money to buy a cheap minivan.
They had to leave towns quickly and change their appearances after stealing. It was a complicated life, but it worked for them. Jessica was the most daring, while Madison was usually more reserved and scared when stealing.
While traveling through Boston, they suddenly encountered a neighbor with a large, beautiful mansion.
“Look at that house, Maddy. I bet we could grab just one box of jewelry and be set for the rest of the year,” Jessica pointed out, stopping the car only a few paces away.
“I don’t know, Jess. Those wrought-iron fences are heavy-duty. It’ll be tough to climb. Plus, these places probably have alarm systems and stuff, right?” Madison shook her head but stared at the state with wonder.
“Well, I’m going,” Jessica insisted, removing her seat belt and climbing out of the driving seat. Madison followed, trying to talk her out of it.
As predicted, the fence was hard to climb, but there was no alarm, at least. Jessica was an expert in picking locks, but she knew rich folks always left their doors open. “Bingo,” she whispered, rolling a side door open.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
The twins entered a dressing room and ransacked as quickly as possible, finding jewelry and designer bags galore.
When they were ready to leave, Madison lifted her heavy bag and accidentally knocked a vase.
“Oops!” she whispered, looking at her sister with panicked eyes.
“We have to go,” Jessica said calmly. “Let’s pray she didn’t hear this.”
“Who’s there?” they suddenly heard as lights turned on. An old woman in her nightgown stood in the doorway. “Who are you?”
The twins stared at each other, wondering what to do next.
“Oh, no. Please don’t take that,” the lady continued, her eyes on the box Jessica had in her hands because it didn’t fit in her bag. Her eyes teared up quickly. “Take anything else but that, and I won’t call the police.”
The twins were flustered, but Jessica would not leave that box now that the old woman basically confirmed it was valuable. “MADDY, RUN!” she yelled, rushing to the old woman at the door and pushing her to the side.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“Please, those jewels are worth more than money!” the old woman wailed after catching herself from falling.
Madison only hesitated a second before following her sister. They rushed down, exiting through the sliding door and not looking back until they were securely in their van. Madison looked up at the mansion and saw the old woman staring through the window.
“We did a terrible thing, Jess,” Madison lamented. “She said they’re worth more than money.”
“Yeah, that means what’s in this box is more valuable than everything else. This is how we survive,” Jessica snapped, driving on.
They were too tired to get away from Boston that night, so they stopped at an empty rest stop, and Jessica fell asleep quickly. Madison couldn’t stay still, so instead, she grabbed the box and returned to the old woman’s house.
Instead of breaking in again, Madison rang her doorbell. The old woman’s eyes widened when she saw her without a mask and holding the jewelry box in her hand.
“I’m sorry for what we did earlier,” Madison spoke in a soft voice laced with guilt and sympathy. “My sister and I were in a tough spot. Please, forgive us. Don’t call the police.”
The old woman stared at her sweetly, holding back tears, and asked Madison inside. She asked the younger woman to call her Mrs. George, and they began to talk. After a while, Madison looked at the pictures on her mantelpiece, noting many people.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images
But one frame caught her eye.
“Wh—who is this?” Madison stuttered, her eyes brimming with tears. The old lady’s eyes followed Madison’s gaze at the photo, and she was puzzled about what had suddenly made the young woman cry.
“Well, that’s…that’s my late daughter, Amber,” Mrs. George replied softly, her glass becoming foggy due to the warm tears in her eyes. “she was a beauty, wasn’t she? But why do you cry?”
Madison’s heart skipped a beat as she stared intently at the photo and then back at Mrs. George.
“What? Your daughter? It can’t be…Th—that’s my MOM!”
The living room fell silent as the two women exchanged a puzzled glance, their eyes filled with emotion. “Your mother?!” the grandmother whispered as her face was drained of blood.
“Oh, my God! This is unbelievable! Honey, I’m your grandmother!” Mrs. George gasped as she pulled Madison into a tight embrace, realizing they were connected in a way they could have never imagined.
“Wh—How can this be? I never knew we had a grandmother!” Madison exclaimed in shock. “I’ll go bring my sister. She needs to know too!”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images
Madison bolted to the minivan and told Jessica everything.
“What! And she’s our grandma? OMG…how’s that possible? How come we didn’t know about her all these years?” Jessica was stunned when her sister revealed the encounter back in the grandmother’s estate.
“Yeah, Jess! It’s unbelievable. The woman we just robbed is our GRANDMOTHER! Let’s go and find out further.”
They talked to the old woman, apologizing for stealing from her. Mrs. George apologized, too, because she never knew of their existence.
“My daughter and I had several problems. She was boy-crazy and didn’t pick the right men. She cut me off eventually, and I didn’t even know where she moved to. I thought it was best to let her come to me later,” their grandmother explained.
They talked more, and the old woman told them to stay in her house. They took a DNA test a few days later to confirm, and Mrs. George promised they would never have to steal again.
Nine months later, Mrs. George passed, and Madison and Jessica inherited her house and the entire estate, although it took a few months before they finalized everything.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images
“If we had known about her before, we could’ve lived this life all along,” Madison cried, and Jessica ran to her arms.
“Instead, we burglarized our grandmother’s house,” Jessica cried and laughed, tightening her embrace.
“Breaking into this house was the best thing we ever did,” Madison said. “So, thank you. For being our brave and stupid Robin Hood.”
Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about twins who found a baby abandoned on a stroller and discovered her $3 million legacy later.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
Millionaire Pretends to Be Poor Meeting the Parents of His Son’s Fiancee — Story of the Day
A girl’s parents are against her marrying a nice young guy who they think is poor, so his millionaire father pretends to be broke and teaches them a lesson.
When Sam Sutton discovered a way to make an unbreakable sealant for engines everyone wanted, he never imagined that it would one day affect the love life of his then-infant son, Will.
Sam’s discovery brought immediate improvements to the family’s life as it happened. He started making a lot of money on that sealant’s patent. Sam, his wife, and his baby son moved to a lovely house and got a new car.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
As the years passed, there was more money than Sam had ever imagined. His little family was comfortable, and that’s all he cared about. The extraordinary sums his lawyer kept reporting on seemed quite unreal.
Then something terrible happened to Sam and his family, and all those millions piled up in the bank made no difference. Sam’s wife, Rain, became very ill. Sam kept telling doctors money was no object, but they just shook their heads.
There are two things in life that money can’t buy: love and good health. Sam found out about the first in the most painful way when Rain passed away, and he’d find out about the second when Will grew up.
Being a single dad to a growing boy wasn’t easy, so maybe Sam made a few mistakes. Will was so kind, loving, and unspoiled that Sam lavished everything he could afford on him — and Sam could afford anything.
So, in high school, Will’s colleagues quickly realized that his dad was very rich and generous — and so was Will. Quickly, Will became the most popular guy — not because of his kindness or amazing good looks, but because of his dad’s money.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Girls, in particular, swarmed around Will like bees around a honey pot. At first, Will liked it, but gradually, he realized they didn’t want him. They wanted his dad’s money and all the luxury it could buy.
Will told weeping Sam that the girl he was in love with didn’t really care for him. She just cared about going along on their private plane for the Sutton family trips to Aspen, Veil, and the Bahamas.
Sam comforted his son and encouraged him to break up with that girl. The rest of Will’s senior year in high school was pretty lonely, but he had a plan. “Dad,” he said, “I have a plan.”
Sam grinned. “OK! What’s your plan?””I’m going to Yale in the fall, but I want everyone to think I’m a scholarship student.”
Sam blinked in astonishment. “A scholarship student? You? But why?”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“Well.” Will said, “if I’m poor and I wear scruffy clothes, people won’t be my friends unless they really like me. Girls won’t want to date me for our money.”
“That’s very true, Will,” Sam said. “I think that’s a brilliant plan!”
And so they put the plan in motion. Will and Sam bought all his clothes and equipment second-hand, and Will was the scruffiest, poorest-looking student you ever saw.
Money can’t buy love and good health.
The plan worked because Will quickly found many great, sincere friends, and he even met a girl he liked, and she felt the same way, too. By his third year at Yale, Will was so in love with that girl.
Her name was Eddy — for Edwina — and he decided he wanted to marry her. Sam was a little worried that Will might be too young, but he married young, too, and he’d been very happy.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
So Will proposed to Eddy, and she said yes. Eddy took Will home to meet her parents that Thanksgiving, which was a disaster. Eddy’s parents, Marta and Farlow, were well-to-do and proud of their social position.
They wanted their beautiful daughter to marry a rich man, not a shabby third-year science major, no matter how smart, handsome, or funny. They were subtly unpleasant to Will but not enough that Eddy could complain.
Eddy, who had accepted Will’s proposal, proudly displayed the tiny diamond he’d given her as if it were the Kohinoor. She insisted that Will and his father join her family for the Christmas celebrations. Marta and Fallow were horrified, but they smiled, agreed, and made their plan.
Will and Sam took a Greyhound from their mansion in New Hampshire to Eddy’s family’s beach house in Narragansett to join the family for Christmas.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unplash
Eddy’s dad picked them up from the bus terminal, and the fun began. Farlow looked Sam up and down and sniffed. (Sam had gone shopping at the local Goodwill store and gone a little overboard.)
Sam didn’t look just poor; he looked almost homeless. Farlow drove them to their big house, and he talked about his wealth, his houses, and his cars. “I’ll have you know,” he said to Sam, “that I’ve done very well by my family. We live in comfort — to be honest, we live in luxury.
“Not everyone is used to that, of course, and we understand that, but we hope you and Will will be able to fit in. Christmas is very important to us.”
“It’s important to us too,” Sam said. As it turned out, Marta and Farlow’s idea of Christmas was to splurge on towers of expensive presents and show everyone they knew how successful they were.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
The next few days were a nightmare. Farlow and Marta didn’t miss a chance to show Sam they believed their daughter was way out of his son’s league.
“Eddy is a wealthy young woman, Sam,” Marta said. “And her husband must be able to give her the same lifestyle. I know you’ve not done as well for Will…”
Eddy became aware of her parents’ campaign to humiliate Sam, and she was furious. So she talked with her parents. “I’m going to marry Will,” she said. “And Sam’s going to be family, so get used to it.”
“But darling,” cried her mother, “the man is a derelict! Have you seen his clothes? He’s an embarrassment.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
“Believe me, mom,” Eddy said angrily, “you are much more of an embarrassment than Sam could ever be!” Eddy could not have known that Sam was listening, and he smiled. She loved Will! He’d found his one-in-a-million girl.
That night was Christmas Eve, and when the family gathered around the tree at midnight to exchange gifts, Marta said with an unpleasant smile, “You mustn’t feel bad, Sam, we know you’re struggling!”
Marta and Farlow handed Will a box with a car key inside. “It’s an early wedding present,” Farlow said. “We thought you needed a better car. Your old clunker is at least twenty years old, Will!”
Will smiled and thanked Marta and Farlow, and they all went outside to admire the Porsche sitting in the garage with a big red bow on it. Farlow threw Sam a triumphant look and smirked. He knew that Sam could never top that gesture, could he?
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Then Sam took an envelope out of his pocket. “Eddy,” he said. “Will told me you two plan to move to New York when you graduate.”
“That’s right, Sam! You know he has an offer from a New York research facility, and I have an internship at the Met…”
“Well, finding a place to live in Manhattan isn’t easy, so I hope this helps…” Sam gave the envelope to Eddy.
Farlow sneered. “What’s that? A list of homeless shelters in the Upper East Side? A guide to the Best Brooklyn soup kitchens?”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Eddy opened the envelope and gasped. “Sam!” she whispered. “Is this for real?” She showed Will the sheaf of papers inside the envelope, and Will ran to embrace his dad.
Farlow and Marta looked from one to the other in surprise. Then Eddy turned to her parents. “Sam’s given Will and I the deed to a brownstone in Tribeca. He’s given us a home.”
Marta and Farlow looked at each other, their mouths hanging open. “But…but…but…” gasped Farlow. “You’re POOR…The way you dress…You took the bus…”
“Well, Farlow,” said Sam gently. “I want my son to be loved and accepted for himself, not for the $570 million he will eventually inherit from me.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
There were no more objections to the wedding from Eddy’s parents. In fact, they became Will’s biggest fans and were very polite and respectful of Sam. The following summer, Will and Eddy married and moved to New York. When they welcomed their little daughter, Rain, three years later, Sam bought himself a house next door so he could be close to them.
What can we learn from this story?
- Money can’t buy love and good health. Sam knew that if people knew he was rich, they’d get close to his son for his money.
- Don’t judge people by their appearance. Farlow and Marta despised Sam for his shabby clothes and never imagined he was a millionaire.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
Leave a Reply