I open my eyes, and I see the white ceiling of this room.

My body feels sore and sluggish, followed by a strong headache.

When I look at my surroundings, I'm on a big bed. I feel silk sheets on my skin and a fluffy pillow in my head. There's a bedside table at left, with my cellphone, house keys and my wallet.

I can see a window, and the curtains are half-closed. This place sounds like a skyscraper, cause I can see the roof of other buildings.

In the wall, there's a rich and sophisticated wallpaper, with different types of flowers drawn on it.

This room has a graceful scent, but I can't see the source of this smell.

Where am I? I only have vague memories from yesterday...

—"So, you woke up?"

When I search the owner of the voice, I see a woman in her late 20's, and she has a blonde-green curly hair with a waterfall braid. Although she's using a bathrobe, I can see part of her body: long and slim legs, slender waist and an average-sized chest. Sitting in one of the corners of this bed, she's looking at me with her big blue eyes, while I see her long eyelashes and thin eyebrows, as also her small nose.

—"Sorry... What is this place?"

She lets out a chuckle, and I see her cheeks forming a beautiful and charming smile afterward.

—"You're in The Garden... About what kind of place... You can look at your body."

Following her instructions, I raised the sheets in front of me. I immediately cover myself back and start getting ashamed, since I'm butt naked and some images from yesterday are coming back to me.

Laughing, she comes to my side. I see in her hands a tray with plates, that has some toasts with butter on it and some sliced fruits as papaya, apple, mango, peach, and melon. There are also two porcelain mugs with milk coffee.

—"Nice, you remembered. Now here's breakfast." She says while putting the plate on top of the bed, and giving me one of the mugs as soon as I half-raised myself.

We eat in silence, while I observe her typing a cellphone, and sometimes she takes a few glances at me as if she's having fun.

When we finish our meal, she takes the tray and the mugs and put them on a desk nearby.

—"Feeling better now? Wanna talk? You seem to have a few questions."- She says chuckling again.

—"I get what I've done here... but what kind of place is... this one? The Garden, right?" I say, scratching my head.

—" Did you get here without knowing it? Or you just didn't pay attention to the person who brought you here?" She furrows her brows as if lecturing me.

—" I actually don't know how I ended here... I just remember drinking on the beach."

So I explained to her what I remember clearly, the party, the drinking, and Francis.

—"Hmm... Okay, the Cayden Family is one of our customers... Although I never interacted with them. Well, let's go with the basics."

After she said this, she puts a pair of round glasses on her eyes, and sits on top of me, while adjusting her hips.

...

Oh, lord.

—"You got that this is a brothel and... You experienced what people do in this place, right?" 

She leans forward and says the last part almost whispering very close to my ear, and I nod timidly.

...

—"That's it about The Garden... Now let's go a step ahead. The Garden is connected with the Ring of Lust. Do you know about The Seven Rings?"

—"No, sorry."

She makes a surprised face and rapidly goes back to her usual cheerful face.

I said something wrong?

—"The Ring is a... Group. Remember the Big Nations, from geography class?"

Hmm...

I remember learning geography with the help of a fiction book... In that book, the world was called Earth. "Earth" shares almost the same historical and cultural aspects that our world... the great difference is the Big Nations. The world is parted in 3 great nations, Lapam, Alvanista and D'lor. Our world is called Beldonar. Since our geography is basically 3 masses of land, the countries are also 3. D'lor is at the west continent, Alvanista in the center, and Lapam at the east. By the way, we're in D'lor.

—"I think I remember a little."

—"Good. The Ring has connections throughout the world. Everything can be bend by the Ring. This group doesn't follow any standard, as it also follows all. It's basically the lack of common sense. Or ...They do what they want, They follow their desires, that kind of thought."

She explains to me, putting emphasis on some phrases, and adding a mystery tone with her hand and voice.

Huh?

—"What do you mean?"

—"Hmm... Let me think... Okay! This breakfast we had, it's common to have in the morning, right? If the Ring wants, he'll make it common to have during lunch, as an example. Like, making a law on a Nation establishing this. Everything, socially accepted or not, the group can bend."

This is crazy, huh.

—"I don't really get it, but I think I understand for now."

The woman put a finger in her mouth as if pondering, and continues talking.

—"Okay, you'll get it on the way. Now, I said it was Seven, right? I was talking about Lust, so you get the others? Each Ring has a sin. "

That one's easy.

I nod to her.

—"Well, each nation has a ruler Ring. You can also say headquarters. D'lor is Lust, Greed, and Envy; Lapam has Gluttony, Sloth and Wrath; that lefts Alvanista with Pride."

—"Okay, but what each one does?"

When I said that, she did a malicious smile, and continued.

—"This place is a brothel, it's related to the Lust. You connected the dots? Each Ring has an area of work. Actually, you know how prostitution, before the foundation of the 3 countries, was illegal in some places or had different rules to each place, right? This is where the Ring could act."

—"Like making legal everywhere?"

—"Yes! You starting to get it! But remember, not every people accept much change, so they usually stay underneath, to avoid a great commotion." She says, raising up her thumbs.

—"Okay... It's a little strange... But okay. And.. how do I recognize people related?"

She starts to laugh again while holding her belly. 

What?

—"Ah, sorry. You basically can't.  Those who know, know. The best you can do is talk about places like this one, where only members or people associated with members are allowed, so they can recognize using this reference. It's always a gamble. Not everyone knows every place, but you can expect something from rich people."

—"Now that you said, ain't just rich people related? How can someone different be related?"

—"Well, there are some people like me... No, forget it." She stops midway.

Something about her past? I keep thinking to myself.

—"Wait, you aren't rich, huh? I saw your wallet. Well, at least you're not poor. You're a virgin boy, and you look pretty ordinary. That's an example."

...V-Virgin? Please... not this.

I feel myself getting red to all my ears... I wanna bury my face in the ground.

When she sees my reaction, a mischievous smile appears on her face, and she says.

—"I'm Diana, Diana Clark. I won't ask you to don't forget since our first we don't forget, right?" - Giving a wink, she answers me.

...

I can't win against her.

—"Well, thank you, Diana. For the night... Although I can't remember very much of it. I'm Vincent, Vincent Morris." I say half laughing.

—You're welcome, Vincent. In fact... It's me that needs to thank you. Here."

After she tells this, she gets close to me in a seductive way and gives a kiss in my mouth.

What?

In yesterday's case, I could say that I don't remember... But... This one counts, huh...

Almost getting lost in my reason, I come back to my senses and ask Diana.

—"Why?"

—"You really wanna know?"- She gets very close to my face and says to me looking with serious eyes.

—"I guess?" I say timidly.

—"You can say I'm kinda retiring." She says shrugging.

This is a job... Maybe she doesn't like it? She's young to retire... But in this kind of job, what kind of thing this represents? ... I don't have a way to know...

—" Err... I don't really know what to say... But... Congratulations?"

Her eyes stare at me for a few seconds. She looks at the door of the room, and smiling again, replies.

—"Thank you!"

{knock, knock}

I hear this sound from the door.

—"Ah, we're already going, Mr. Boris!" Diana says loudly towards the door.

—"C'mon, it's time. Get your things, the manager is already here... Sorry, we have to end our talk now." She says rushing me and helps me to put my clothes.

A man opens the door. He seems old, something about 60 years or more. He's using a black suit and has a mullet haircut, his hair is white and the eyes are green. There's also some wrinkles in his face.

—"Pardon the interruption, but we're almost closing. I may ask you to accompany me?" He asks bowing.

—"Ah, sure, Diana already told me."

When I say her name, he looks at me and her, with an interested and surprised face. And murmurs to Diana.

—"You got a customer... Hmm..."

She looks at him, as makes a sign for not talk. He follows her hint and moves to the door, waiting for us.

I grab my stuff and follow his lead while looking at the hallway. Paintings, luxurious decorations on the walls and antique's pass through my vision.

We proceed towards an elevator, and I see that this building has 60 floors, and I was on the 16th.

The elevator goes down. 

Diana keeps looking at herself through the mirrors, adjusting her makeup. The old man looks straight at himself, and I keep silent seeing the two of them, still confused with all this situation.

As we reach the ground floor, I see a woman in a counter. She seems in her 40's and has a bored expression. 

—"Ah, it's him. The Cayden boy said he'll pay the photos."

What? She's talking about Francis? Pay? What's happening?

I look at the man and he says.

—"Follow me."

I look at Diana, and she took a seat on a couch nearby. She takes a magazine afterward and has a carefree expression.

I get back to my reasons and spot the old man waiting for me in front of an open door, close to the counter, and I enter.

As I enter the room, he closes the door, while I see an armchair with a desk in front of it, with another chair on the other side, but that other side has a computer.

I take my seat on the armchair, as that place sounded like the correct one, and he started talking.

—"There is this debt of 40 thousand Crescents. I'll ask you to pay. Here is the bill."

When I look at the bill, I gulp at the number of zeros.

1 MILLION CRESCENTS FOR A GIRL? WHAT THE HELL? 

There's also the rest of the bill, the price for the room, the breakfast, and the photos as the woman on the counter said.

—"That's the common price for a girl here? Also, those photos, where they are?" I ask timidly.

—"Ah, no. Her price is the lowest. She'll be moved to another section in a few days, so she was on a bargain. The photos have already been sent to your friend Francis. Ah, he already paid for most of the bill with an anticipation card."

This card must do what the name suggests. Also, my friend Francis? I'm doubting this.

But I feel like my world is crumbling down. She was the cheapest girl? How much is the best girl here? How much time I have to work for an hour? If my wallet could talk, it would insult me now.

—"There's a motive for her to have this price, Mr. Boris?"

He stares at me after I made the question. I can feel anger, hatred, compassion, pity, and sympathy in his eyes.

—"You don't know?" He breaks the silence with this question.

—"No, sorry." I answer, a little scared.

—"Then, you should ask her." He says to me, expressionless, as he starts to do something on the computer.

I took my bank card from my wallet and paid the bill. It feels like I'm losing a part of me. But if it was for a girl like Diana, the blow sounds less harsh.

So after I paid, we leave the room.

Going back to the counter, I see Diana and the other woman, but now the place has some other girls. They're talking with some other guys along the hallway. Some of them look like a businessman, others like models, artists, or famous musicians. 

But some of the girls are looking at Diana and at me, taking a few glances with interest.

I go towards Diana, and all of the people here start looking at me.

WHAT HAPPENED? This is so embarrassing!

Almost losing my composure, I try to say something to her, but she opens her mouth before me.

—"This is where we part, It was fun. I don't think we'll see each other again, but until another day."

What's does she mean? I can't get their talking. What's up with her? Everything that happened this morning is so confusing. They keep saying things that sound so strange but they say as if it was something normal. 

With a heart full of curiosity, I say to her.

—"If we meet, can you tell me your story?"

When she hears me, her expression becomes visibly shaken. Her carefree and mature attitude disappears, and I saw a totally different person.

What? Did I say something bad? Why did this happen?

Somehow she regain her posture and answered me.

—"Only if you tell me yours."

This is strange... But I'll answer her.

—"I don't know if it's a good one, but... Okay."

So after I say goodbye to her, I leave that building, while those people's eyes were on me.