Alison Knight was happy until her father died. Her mother, Sheryl Merritt, was devastate and was forced to marry a rich man named Clark Rufino. Sheryl and Clark got married when Alison was 10, but when she turned 15 Clark turned his attention to Alison. Her stepfather made a deal with this young man's stepfather, since he wanted his son to marry and he wanted money. They couldn't say no, end of story.