“Since my foster father passed away, my foster mother Carlene treated me like a burden she couldn't wait to discard. Fearing I would cling to her biological son-a rising NHL rookie coming home next week-she forced me into a blind date with a sleazy, arrogant finance bro to get rid of me. When he mocked my career and treated me like a cheap toy, I threw a glass of ice water in his face. He violently grabbed my wrist in the restaurant hallway, his fingers digging into my bones. Carlene didn't lift a finger to help. Instead, she glared at me. "Apologize to him right now, or I will throw your bags onto the street tomorrow morning!" After ten years of walking on eggshells in her house, my heart turned completely cold. I had no money, nowhere to go, and realized she would gladly watch me be destroyed just to keep her family pristine. Driven by pure survival instinct, I lunged at a tall stranger walking out of the VIP lounge and desperately claimed he was my boyfriend. I didn't expect him to be Knox Leonard, the billionaire head of Apex Capital and Boston's most untouchable NHL star. And I certainly didn't expect him to wrap his arm around my waist, terrify my abusers, and offer me a two-million-dollar marriage contract.”