Most prequels are just a rehashing of stories already told or no connection to the rest of the series. This is not the case, it is the backstory of Liam, with him telling the story of his high school years, his dysfunctional family dynamics and the day he made the decision that not only changed his life, but broke the heart of his first love and alienated his friends. Odd enough his father never acknowledged the decision but kept paying his inheritance monthly too him.

We see Liam age from an 18 year old chasing a dream, to success in his late twenties. This also clears up some questions I had about other characters that appear in later books