My Genius Twin Made Me Rich

The funeral hall went silent the moment the lawyer finished reading my father's will.

The old man behind the podium adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat again. "As stated in the final testament of Mr. Draco Caddell, ownership of Caddell Group, including all controlling shares, properties, liquid assets, and executive authority, shall be transferred solely to his beloved daughter, Miss Cassandra Caddell."

Cassandra sat in the front row in a fitted black dress that probably cost more than some people's yearly salaries. Her lips curved in a smile she couldn't hide.

My stepmother dabbed fake tears from the corner of her eyes.

And just like that, I yelled. "What did you say?"

The lawyer hesitated. "Miss Lily, the will has already been certified and lega-"

"Read it again."

"Lily," Raymond whispered beside me.

"No." I stood up so fast my chair scraped violently across the floor. "Read. It. Again."

The guests had already begun murmuring among themselves at this point.

I could already feel the pity spreading through the room.

"Poor Lily."

"...Worked herself to death for nothing."

I walked toward the podium before the lawyer could speak again.

"You think this is funny?" I asked him.

"Miss Lily, please calm down."

"Calm down?" I laughed. It sounded ugly even to me. "I built that company while Cassandra spent six years partying in Monaco and posting bikini pictures online."

Cassandra crossed her legs lazily. "Still prettier than you."

I ignored her.

"Lily," Raymond warned softly.

I calmed myself a bit because Raymond had always been my safe place.

I met him six years ago when he worked behind a small bar counter downtown. Back then he had nothing except ambition. I helped him build his company from the ground up despite my dad constantly looking down on him.

The lawyer swallowed hard. "Your father made his intentions clear before his passing."

"No, somebody made them clear for him."

My eyes landed on my stepmother.

Selene Caddell continued with her crocodile tears. "Let's not do this here, Lily."

"You forged it. Didn't you?" I pressed.

Gasps filled the hall.

Her expression hardened instantly. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I pointed at Cassandra. "Both of you forged the will."

"Oh my God," Cassandra muttered with a laugh. "She's finally losing it."

I moved before anybody could stop me.

The lawyer stumbled backward as I snatched the document from his hands. Pages scattered across the floor.

"Lily!"

Hands grabbed my arm.

Raymond too, trying to steady me.

Cassandra smiled coldly. "Dad hated you till the day he died. Why is this shocking?"

That stung more than it should have.

Maybe because it was true.

Father never looked at me without seeing my mother.

And he despised my mother.

Their marriage had been arranged by my grandfather. Father had loved Selene long before that. Everyone knew it. Even as children, Joshua and I knew it.

We were reminders of a life he never wanted.

Still, I had spent years believing hard work could fix that.

And after all that time... here I am. With nothing.

I thought one day he would finally look at me and say, 'You did well, Lily.'

Instead, he buried me with him.

I looked around the room. From board members, to investors, executives and most others I had worked beside for years.

Not one person defended me. I couldn't even blame them. I wasn't the boss afterall.

Selene stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You should leave before you embarrass yourself further."

Raymond pulled gently on my arm again. "Come on, Lily. Let's go."

The funeral hall blurred as we walked out. I could still hear Cassandra getting fake sympathy behind me.

Rain poured outside. I loved that it hid my own tears from the reporters that crowded the front steps, cameras flashing everywhere.

"Miss Lily!"

"How do you feel about the inheritance?"

"Did your father intentionally cut you out?"

"Is there conflict within the family?"

Raymond shielded me with his arm and hurried me into the car.

The second the door shut, the silence crushed me.

I stared ahead blankly while rainwater crawled down the windows.

Raymond started the engine but did not drive yet.

"Lily."

I laughed weakly.

Then suddenly I was crying even more.

I knew I looked ugly and a mess, shaking with breathless sobs that made my chest ache.

"I did everything right," I whispered.

Raymond's face softened immediately. "I know."

"I worked for him every single day." Tears kept spilling faster.

Raymond reached for my hand.

I held onto him tightly.

"He never loved me," I said quietly.

"Don't say that."

"But it's true." I wiped my face angrily. "Joshua... even though he's nowhere to be found... always said I should stop trying so hard, but I thought if I became useful enough, important enough..." My voice cracked again. "I thought eventually he'd see me."

Raymond pulled me against his shoulder.

"He never deserved you." He murmured.

"I feel pathetic."

"You're not pathetic."

"She gets everything... Maybe she'll take you too."

That earned a small chuckle from him.

"There she is," he said softly. "My Lily."

The drive continued quietly after that.

By the time we reached his apartment, my tears had dried into exhaustion.

"I'll make you something," he said after helping me inside.

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

I sat silently at the kitchen counter while he moved around cooking.

The familiar smell of creamy mushroom pasta slowly filled the apartment.

My favorite.

Before long, he placed the plate in front of me with a small smile. "Eat."

I took a few bites because he kept watching me until I did.

"There," he said. "Better already."

"Debatable."

He laughed lightly and sat across from me.

For several minutes, neither of us spoke.

Then his expression shifted.

Subtle, but enough for me to notice.

"You remember the investor meeting tomorrow?"

I blinked slowly. "Tomorrow?"

"With, uh, Mr. Harrison."

My stomach twisted immediately.

Of course I remembered.

"The top investor, from New York, yes?"

I was the reason the man agreed to the meeting in the first place.

"I can't do tomorrow," I admitted quietly.

His brows furrowed. "What?"

"I can't." I pushed the plate away. "Come one, babe... We can push it.'

"It's only a meeting."

I stared at him. "Please, Ray... babe. Don't make me do this."

Frustration flashed across his face.

"For God's sake, Lily, can you stop thinking only about yourself for once?"

The words stunned me silent.

"Say that again?"

He stood up abruptly. "Do you know how hard I worked to secure that meeting?"

I laughed in disbelief. "You're angry because I don't want to discuss investments hours after losing everything?"

"You're ditching me at the worst possible time."

"Ditching you?" I stood too. "I spent years helping you build your company, babe. Stop."

"Yes, and you never let me forget it!"

I froze. Already crying again.

His jaw tightened like he regretted saying it, but only for a second.

"You think helping me gives you the right to control everything."

"You don't mean that." I whispered.

"No, Lily, you are selfish. Everything is always about your pain, your sacrifices, your struggles. You keep acting like the world victimized you."

I stared at him like I didn't recognize the man in front of me.

"And maybe," he continued coldly, "you deserved what your father did."

That did it. Silence followed immediately.

Even the rain outside seemed quieter.

I looked at him for a long moment.

Then I picked up my bag.

"I'm leaving."

"Lily."

I walked toward the door.

He grabbed my wrist suddenly.

"Wait."

"Let go of me."

"I said wait!"

I tried pulling free, exhaustion and anger making my movements clumsy.

"Raymond, let go!"

Everything happened so fast. My heel caught the edge of the coffee table as I hit my leg.

One second I was standing upright. And the next? Everything went black.

Joshua tried to balance the tiny saucepan over the stove as rain fell outside.

"It's burning," I told him from the floor.

"It's not that bad, I promiseee." He said.

When I scoffed, he glanced back with offense.

"You're insulting my craft."

"You don't have craft. You almost poisoned me last week."

"I said I was sorry."

"You said, and I quote, 'your stomach is weak.'"

We both burst out laughing. Thunder rumbled outside our tiny bedroom window, loud enough to shake the glass.

Dad and Selene were downstairs hosting guests again.

Which meant Joshua and I were forgotten again.

Honestly, those were usually our best nights.

We could play to our hearts content!

"I'm coming for you!" I ran to slam him but fell to the floor instead.

"Lily," Joshua called and I looked up... He stood a few feet away with his hand stretched toward me.

"Get up."

Before I could grab him, the world dissolved and my eyes snapped open.

Bright white lights were the first thing I saw.

Why was I dreaming about Joshua now? Did I miss my brother that much? Or was life so bad I had to remember the simpler times?

I groaned and tried sitting up.

"Careful!"

A nurse rushed toward me so fast you would think I had pulled out a weapon.

"You shouldn't move too much."

"I'm fine."

"No, you are not fine."

I blinked slowly, trying to focus.

"I've had worse mornings," I muttered.

The nurse adjusted my drip with a tired expression. "Well, you should think about the baby too."

I frowned.

"The what?"

"The baby."

I stared at her.

I actually looked behind me like another pregnant woman might be hidden somewhere in the room.

"No."

The nurse softened slightly. "You're around six weeks pregnant."

"Pregnant..."

The word sat strangely in my head.

I expected to panic... Be in shock. Maybe joy?

Instead of all that, I felt empty.

Like my emotions had already exhausted themselves yesterday.

I looked down at my stomach slowly.

It was Raymond's child.

The nurse smiled awkwardly. "You fainted from the impact and stress. Thankfully the baby is fine."

I rubbed my face tiredly. "Who brought me here?"

"Your fiancé."

"Where is he?"

The nurse hesitated. "He left after your treatment was completed."

"And never came back."

"You should rest for at least another day," the nurse advised.

"I can't."

"Miss Lily."

"I really can't."

She sighed. "At least avoid stress."

I nearly laughed in her face.

An hour later, I signed my discharge papers and left the hospital alone.

I got in a cab and headed to where I knew he'd be.

The closer we got to Raymond's apartment, the heavier my chest became.

I hoped he felt guilty. I hoped he regretted yesterday. And was trying to make an apology.

I stepped out of the taxi and headed inside quietly.

Then I heard laughter... Female laughter...

Familiar female laughter.

I froze outside the kitchen.

Cassandra was still laughing when I walked in.

She sat on the kitchen counter wearing one of Raymond's shirts like she belonged there.

Raymond stood between her legs while she fed him strawberries from a bowl.

The sight felt like a dream. But wasn't.

Cassandra noticed me first.

"Well," she said brightly. "The patient lives."

Raymond turned.

For one second, something flickered across his face.

Then it disappeared completely.

"What is she doing here?" I asked quietly.

Raymond wiped his hands with a towel calmly. "I invited her."

I looked at Raymond again. "We had wedding shoots today."

Cassandra burst into laughter so suddenly she

nearly slid off the counter.

"Oh my God," she said. "Nobody told her?"

Raymond turned to face me. "There won't be a wedding anymore."

Cassandra stretched out her hand lazily, showing a diamond ring.

"He proposed this morning," she announced proudly.

My chest tightened so hard it hurt to breathe.

"You're joking."

"No," Raymond replied.

I looked between them repeatedly.

Yesterday he was holding me while I cried in his arms... Yesterday he was still my fiancé.

"Because of yesterday?" I asked finally.

"You're ending everything because we fought?"

"It's part of it."

"Part?"

Raymond exhaled heavily. "Lily, things haven't been right for a while."

"I've had feelings for Cassandra for years."

"She understood me better," he continued. "I didn't know how to end things with you because... honestly, you were good to me."

Good to him.

That was what all those years became.

Good to him.

"You used me," I whispered.

"That's unfair."

"Unfair?" I laughed louder this time. "I built your company beside you!"

"And I appreciated it."

"No, you benefited from it."

"You don't need me anymore because Cassandra owns Caddell Group now."

Neither of them denied it.

That hurt more than the confession itself.

Raymond walked toward Cassandra and wrapped an arm around her waist naturally.

"We make more sense together."

I suddenly wanted to throw up.

Cassandra smiled smugly. "Meanwhile you have absolutely nothing."

I said nothing.

Honestly, I could barely feel my legs.

"Nobody wants you," she continued. "Nobody ever will. You may be the legal daughter, Lily, but I own everything now."

She looked around the kitchen dramatically.

"Actually, if you become desperate enough, maybe I'll hire you as my personal assistant."

"There it is."

Cassandra frowned. "What?"

"You want me to help run the company for you."

She laughed loudly. "Please. I can hire ten degree holders by tomorrow morning."

"You can hire them. Doesn't mean they can save you."

"You'll always be second choice, Cassandra. The illegitimate daughter pretending she won... And Raymond? He's using you exactly the way he used me. Once he's done, he'll dump you too."

"Get out," Raymond snapped suddenly.

Before I could reply, Cassandra touched his chest calmly.

"Relax."

Then she looked back at me with amusement.

"I won't care if he leaves someday," she said lightly. "I don't get attached like you do."

I clenched my fists.

"And honestly? You made this very easy for me. Altering Father's will was simpler than I expected."

Raymond looked at her quickly, but she only shrugged.

"What?" she asked. "She already lost."

I stared at her.

She admitted it so casually.

Like cheating me out of my life was some funny prank.

Something inside me finally gave out.

I turned and walked away before they could see my eyes burning.

Neither of them followed.

Of course they didn't.

I left in a hurry to meet the lawyer. And after nearly forty minutes explaining everything, he sighed.

"Miss Lily, unless you can prove manipulation directly, challenging the will successfully will be extremely difficult."

"She admitted it."

"Verbally?"

"Yes."

"But she did so in private."

I said nothing.

He gave me an apologetic look.

"Then legally, it means very little."

I laughed bitterly. "Amazing."

"I'm sorry."

I stood up slowly, leaving. "Everybody keeps

saying that."

My entire life had collapsed in less than forty eight hours.

I ended up at a park without remembering how I got there.

Children ran across the grass nearby while parents chased after them lazily.

I sat on a bench and stared ahead.

Father was dead..Despite everything, despite all the cruelty, part of me still hurt over it.

Maybe because children never fully stop wanting their parents... Even unwanted children.

My hand slowly rested against my stomach.

I was having a child too.

How was I supposed to raise somebody when I barely knew what proper love looked like? What if I became like my dad? What would I do if the child looked like Raymond?

That thought alone made vomit rise in my throat.

Tears burned my eyes again.

"No," I whispered to myself.

I couldn't do this.

I wouldn't carry Raymond's child.

The decision settled heavily inside me.

I was going to abort it and start life again, forgetting all of this ever happened.

My phone rang suddenly.

I almost ignored it but I answered anyway.

"Hello?"

The caller didn't respond immediately, but when they did. I heard a familiar male voice speak softly.

"Lily."

My entire body froze.

That voice.

Impossible.

My grip tightened around the phone.

"...Joshua?"

I had nearly dropped my phone when his voice came through.

Joshua.

"No way..."

He gave me the location of where I'd see him...

I stood outside a small bar near the edge of downtown, staring through the glass doors with my heart pounding..

When I saw him. I couldn't believe my eyes.

He was truly alive. My dream... was that the universe telling me something?

Joshua looked up from his seat slowly.

For one second, neither of us moved.

He didn't look like himself, but his eyes never lied.

I took a couple steps towards him.. Up close, I noticed the faint marks along his neck and jaw.

Burn scars.

"You're really not dead..."

Joshua leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Pretty much."

For the next couple hours, he explained everything to me.

The first attempt on his life he could remember was poison. Which failed.

Then tampered medication.

Then hired attackers.

Each time, he somehow survived. Only to realise who was responsible.

"Michael." He said.

I frowned.

Joshua nodded. "Yes, dad's PA."

He continued, "The bomb was the final attempt... I found out too late. And was hit bad."

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck. "I barely made it out before the explosion."

"What happened after?"

"The impact threw me into a ditch somewhere... I don't remember much after that."

My chest tightened.

"I woke up months later in another city," he continued. "Burned, confused, barely remembering my own name."

"You were in a coma for six months?"

He remained silent. And that told me so much.

I was already tearing up.

Joshua smiled faintly before continuing. "After the coma, my memory stayed messy for another six months. Michael kept me hidden... maybe cause he felt guilty when Selene was still looking for confirmation that I was dead."

"So everybody really believed it. And no one knew for the past two years."

"Even dad."

I looked away.

Joshua exhaled. "After the surgeries, nobody recognized me anymore. I decided staying dead was safer."

"You could've told me."

"I wanted to." He paused. "But I wasn't sure you could hide it."

I scoffed immediately. "Excuse you?"

He looked away, then coughed. "Tell me what happened with you."

And I did. From the funeral, to the will, to Cassandra, to Raymond.

The pregnancy though. 'I can't tell him that yet.'

Joshua listened quietly through all I narrated.

When I finished, he looked completely unsurprised.

"Honestly. Dad giving everything to Cassandra sounds exactly like him, I know she admitted tampering with the will, but still."

"That doesn't make it hurt less."

"I know."

He added. "That damned bastard, Raymond! I want to hurt him so bad."

"No, Joshua, it's pointless." I said. I could see him fuming, he hated Raymond for what he did.

"Okay... okay. But we have to deal with him in sue time."

"We will." I replied. Reaching over to hold his hands.

After hearing everything, all Joshua could say was... "Come with me."

"What?"

"Leave this city."

I blinked.

"I'm serious," he continued. "There's nothing left here for you."

He was right.

Painfully right.

Joshua squeezed my palm tight. "You need distance. You need peace. You need people who actually care about you."

I was lost in thought. Wondering about all of this.

He repeated again. "Come with me, Lily."

This time, I nodded. "Okay."

▪︎▪︎▪︎

{Six years later.}

"Happy birthday to you!"

I laughed helplessly while everybody around the dining table sang loudly and completely off key.

Silver somehow sounded worse than Joshua, which honestly impressed me.

"You people are ruining music," I laughed.

Joshua grinned. "Just eat your cake!"

"No."

"Ungrateful woman."

My twins burst into giggles beside me.

Ethan leaned across the table dramatically. "Mama, Uncle Josh got your present this morning."

Joshua pointed at him immediately. "Traitor."

Emma whispered. "He told use not to tell youuu."

Silver laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.

The house buzzed warmly with chatter, laughter, and too many people talking over each other.

For six years, Joshua and Silver never made me feel like a burden.

Not once.

Even after they got married.

Even after my twins were born.

Silver treated my children like they had come directly from her own womb.

And Joshua...

Joshua spoiled them so badly they had somehow become convinced he could do no wrong.

"Okay!" Silver clapped loudly. "Since the secret is already out, it's present time."

The twins exchanged secret little smiles instantly.

That expression alone worried me.

Emma and Ethan disappeared into the kitchen before returning carefully with a cake box between them.

I blinked.

"You baked this?"

"No," Ethan said proudly. "Maybeee."

Emma sighed. "Ignore him."

They opened the box.

My jaw nearly dropped.

The cake looked professionally made.

Smooth frosting.

Tiny sugar flowers.

Perfect layers.

I stared at my six year olds suspiciously.

"Who helped you?"

"Nobody," Emma replied.

I turned to face my brother and sister in law.

Silver nodded proudly. "Their brains and skill are terrifying."

Ethan puffed his chest like he could tell just how impressed I was of them.

The twins handed me a folded letter next.

I opened it slowly.

'Happy Birthday Mama.

Thank you for loving us even when Uncle Josh steals your fries.

We will become rich and buy you seven coffee shops.

Maybe ten.

Love, Emma and Ethan.'

My eyes burned immediately.

"Oh no," Joshua groaned. "She's crying."

"I'm not crying."

"You absolutely are."

Silver smiled softly. "Leave her alone."

Later that evening, after the guests left, I stood in the kitchen preparing dinner while humming quietly.

It was peaceful and simple.

Then tiny footsteps rushed toward me.

"Mama!"

I turned.

The twins looked excited beyond reason.

"What happened?"

"We got nominated!"

"For the cooking contest!" Emma added.

I blinked. "What cooking contest?"

The twins froze like they just remembered they were supposed to hide something.

Ethan cleared his throat. "Minor detail."

"What cooking contest?"

Emma winced. "We auditioned secretly."

"You what?"

"We passed!" Ethan added proudly.

"Mama, they loved our food!"

I stared at them in disbelief while Emma handed me the nomination papers.

Then my stomach dropped.

'Caddell Group... Hosting Sponsor.'

Cold spread through my chest instantly.

"No."

The twins blinked.

"No?" Ethan repeated.

"You're not going."

"What?" Emma frowned. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not an answer," Ethan argued.

I folded the paper quickly. "You're too young."

"We're literally the youngest nominees," Emma protested.

"And we can win prize money!" Ethan added excitedly. "We wanted to help your coffee business!"

My chest tightened painfully.

'Sweet children.'

"You're still not going."

Both twins groaned dramatically.

"Mama!"

"No."

"We practiced for months!"

"You snuck around for months," I corrected.

Their expressions shifted immediately.

They were hurt. But it was for the best.

Right on cue, the front door opened.

Joshua and Silver walked in carrying grocery bags.

"Uncle Josh!" the twins shouted instantly before racing toward him.

'Perfect... Joshua would support me.'

The twins began speaking over each other rapidly as they explained.

Joshua looked between all of us slowly.

Then he smiled at the twins.

"You'll go."

I stared at him.

"What?"

Joshua handed Silver the grocery bags calmly.

Then he looked directly at me.

"Lily," he said seriously, "don't deny them joy because of the past."

My heart began pounding.

"It's only a contest," he added.

But nothing involving the Caddells had ever been good. And he knew this too.