“Tell Your Mom to Apologize”, My Billionaire Dad Ordered, Unaware She Died 3 Years Ago Chapter 02
The next day, I went back to the mall entrance to shine shoes.
I hadn’t even laid out my cloth when a Maybach screeched to a stop at the curb.
Dad rolled down the window, pointed at his polished leather shoes, and glared at the mall manager.
“I had my shoes shined here yesterday. There’s a scratch on the leather now. These are Italian custom-made.”
The manager kept wiping his sweat, bowing and apologizing.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Harrington. We’ll get to the bottom of this…”
Before he finished, Dad’s gaze flicked toward me. That familiar weight of authority.
One look and I understood. He’d come for me.
I struggled to my feet and met his eyes from a distance.
“What do you want? You gonna drag me and Mom over to Sierra Vance’s place and make us get down on our knees again? Apologize. Like we did three years ago?”
His face changed. For a second, I saw something like guilt flicker in his eyes.
Three years ago, he’d looked at me and Mom the same way.
Ever since Dad claimed he’d gone bankrupt, Mom and I never dared bring up money around him.
Mom worked a dozen jobs a day. She was so exhausted she could fall asleep standing up.
I was still in high school back then. I’d go help her deliver packages as soon as classes ended.
On my parents’ anniversary, Mom bought discount steak.
My stomach was burning with hunger. Mom’s stomach kept growling too.
But she just held me gently and smiled. “Annie, let’s wait for Dad to come home, okay?”
Dad never came home that night. No matter how many times we called, he didn’t answer.
Mom and I thought maybe something had happened to him at work.
Then we saw the news on TV.
The CEO of Harrington Group threw an eighty-million-dollar wedding for his childhood sweetheart.
I pointed at the face on the screen. I couldn’t believe it.
“Mom… isn’t that Dad?”
Mom’s face went pale as death. She grabbed me and ran straight into the wedding.
We got there just as Dad slid the ring onto Sierra Vance’s finger and kissed her forehead.
Mom couldn’t hold it together anymore. Tears streaming, she screamed at him.
“Connor Harrington! You said you were bankrupt. You’ve been lying to me this whole time.”
“I’m your wife. Why are you marrying another woman?”
I was crying so hard I could barely speak. “Dad… are you leaving me and Mom?”
The wedding went dead silent.
Sierra whimpered and trembled, shrinking into Dad’s arms. “Connor… is that true?”
Dad held her and kept comforting her.
Then he looked at me and Mom. Guilt flickered across his face for a second. Then his brows snapped together and he roared.
“Who let these two crazy people in? Get them out of here!”
That one sentence hit me and Mom like a slap.
As they dragged us out, people laughed.
“Those two are insane. Trying to latch onto a rich man.”
“Don’t they know Mr. Harrington’s famous for how he treats his wife? You mess with Mrs. Harrington? Yeah. They just signed their own death warrant.” Later, Dad came to us. Held our hands. Kept apologizing.
He said the bankruptcy had just been a test of Mom’s loyalty.
Said he’d always love me and Mom the most.
Said Sierra’s parents had done so much for him, and they were dying—all they wanted was to see their daughter and his grandchild. He was just fulfilling their last wish.
“Just hold on a little longer. Once Sierra has the baby and her parents pass, I’ll bring you back as the real Mrs. Harrington. I’ll bring Annie home as a real daughter.”
“I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”
Mom couldn’t take it anymore. She yanked her hand away from his. Tears fell hard and fast, hitting the ground.
“Do you know how many times I sold plasma just to cover your so-called debts?”
“Our Annie hasn’t bought a single piece of new clothing in three years.”
I looked down at my own shoes with the holes in them. My eyes filled with tears.
Dad froze. Guilt flickered again.
“Lauren… Annie… I…”
Before he could finish, a scream came from behind us.
Sierra stood in the doorway, white as a sheet, pointing at me and Mom.
“Connor… why are they here?”
Dad’s face changed in an instant. He shoved me hard to the ground.
Didn’t even look at my bleeding knees. Just pointed at me and Mom and yelled.
“Sierra, don’t take it the wrong way. These two crazies have been stalking me.”
“Look at the two of you. You’ve upset my wife. Get on your knees. Apologize to her. Right now.””
Security forced me and Mom down onto our knees. Made us kneel there all night long.
We knelt outside their door, listening to them make love until morning.
The next day, Mom’s face was blank. Like she’d finally given up on Dad.
She took my hand and cried without a sound.
“Annie. Let’s leave this place. We don’t need him anymore, okay?”
I nodded through my tears.
“Wherever you go, I’ll follow you.”
The second I said that, Dad opened the door. His face twisted.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
