“I spent 365 days scrubbing floors as a waitress to test if my fiancé was a King. He thought I was just Blake, a poor girl with too many bills. He didn't know I was the daughter of the Capo dei Capi, the true owner of the East Coast. But it took only three seconds for him to fail the test. His mistress, Jaden, marched into the restaurant wearing a dress too tight for a place where deals were made in whispers. She treated me like a servant, throwing her keys at my chest. When I refused to bow to her, she slapped a tray of boiling hot tea onto my hand. The pain was blinding. My skin blistered instantly. I waited for Connor to defend me. I waited for him to show honor. Instead, he looked at his investors, panicked, and turned on me. "Apologize, Blake!" he screamed, desperate to keep the peace. "Kneel if you have to! Just make her happy!" He wanted a Queen to kneel to a mistress just to save his fragile ego. He had no idea I was the one holding the deed to his entire territory. I didn't kneel. I dropped his phone into the deep fryer and watched it sizzle. As my father's tactical team kicked down the doors, I untied my dirty apron. "I'm not fired, Connor," I said, watching the blood drain from his face. "I'm the landlord."”