I pick my cell phone to call Dean and start dialing the number.

—"Hello?"

—"I decided. I'll talk to her."

—"...Fine. I'll reach the hotel in a few hours."

As soon as I end the call with Dean, I try to call Lisa.

{Beep}

No answer.

I'll try again.

{Beep}

No answer.

Please, Lisa... I won't give up. I'll try to text her.

>To Lisa: Hey, please, I wanna talk. I'm begging you.

I send to her while I'm on my way to the hotel. I took a cab from the restaurant, and I'm reaching in a few minutes.

I keep checking the phone, but no answer.

When I reach the place, I pay the cab and run at full speed towards the hotel.

Her room is on the same floor as mine, on the 3rd floor. I took the elevator and while I wait, my emotions are consuming me. Rose was right, I need to talk with her. I need to tell her. I must try.

The elevator stops.

Her room is at the end of the hallway, so that's my destination.

{Knock}

—"Lisa, It's Vincent."

No one answer.

{Knock}

—"I'll stay here until you answer me."

No replies.

I stay about 2 hours waiting, looking at the door. I already memorized the image of the hallway. Without moving or thinking, I just wait. I see the things around me without leaving this place. Some people passing by look at me as if I am crazy or just an idiot. But I don't care, and I stay resolute.

After a few more hours, the door opens a bit.

—"Go away." She says in a low tone voice while holding the door, almost closing.

—"No."

—"Leave."

—"Not until you hear me."- I tell, with crystal-clear voice.

—"I'm telling you to scram, you stupid!" She yells, opening the door a bit, unconsciously.

I took the opportunity to make my move, and I instantly hug her.

—"Get off me! Release me!" She keeps yelling, but I won't let go.

In the heat of the moment, while she was trying to release herself from me, we lost balance and I end on top of her.

Now she's quiet, just looking at the ceiling. When I look at her face, everything is a mess; her blue eyes now have red colours from crying, her makeup is blurred, and her red hair is disheveled.

—"I'm sorry for hurting you." I say to her, looking in her eyes.

—"I don't care." She says, not paying attention to me.

—"Tell me why you're angry."

—"Just leave."

This isn't going anywhere...I can't really make her hear me?

I get off her, and we slowly raise. We're sitting on the floor, and she's looking down, with no reactions. It's almost as if she was a doll, expressionless and immovable.

—"Lisa... You're precious to me. I never wanted to hurt you."

I say while getting up.

At this time, she suddenly moves, and now, she's the one who's on top of me.

—"I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

She screams, with tears falling from her face on me.

—"I know now." I answer while she buries her face on my chest.

---

 

—"Uu..." Lisa was sniffling away and crying while embracing me for a few minutes.

I just kept stroking her head, while she cried on my chest.

It's similar to that time.

She was crying the first time I saw her. She lost her mother that day, and my uncle brought her to play at our home.

I said to her "I lost my mother too so you're not alone, we can be together for now on.", and she stopped crying.

Now that I think about it, maybe those were the words that started her feelings, and they only have grown with the time.

—"I like you. I love you. I don't want to be with anyone else. I want to be with you forever." She says while embracing me, with her face still buried in my chest.

All my reason fills with pleasant feelings. It's like I opened a dam, and now the water is filling the place.

She still has a delicate smell and soft skin that makes me want to stay like this forever. But her face is all sticky from the tears and her running nose. I Don't know what would be good to say after seeing that.

It's no good if I don't think about what say to her. I came here, but I haven't planned any words. I was just focused on making her hear me. However, if I don't say anything here, I could lose her again. But I can't say I love her. I don't even know myself anymore to have sure I love her.

—"You're not alone."

I gently caressed her head and raising her face, I kissed Lisa.

Her lips were soft. She grabbed my face, and recklessly, entangled her body on me. Even if was a few seconds, I feel like an eternity has passed.

Her feelings are transmitted to me, years of piled up emotions are now exponentially multiplied. This exchange feels like the most sweet and beautiful connection a person can have.

After the kiss ended, she stopped crying. With a red face, she's looking at me with a blank expression.

—"Feel like talking now?" I ask her, with a gentle tone.

She nodded shyly and we separated our bodies.

With her grabbing on my hand, I closed the door of this room, which was open all this time. Some people are looking here with curiosity eyes or recording the scene with a cell phone.

With her still grabbing my hand, we proceed to sit in the bed.

I try to separate our hands, and she strengthens the grip.

—"Lisa, the hand..."—"Don't wanna. Deal with it." She stops me midway while averting her eyes.

I chuckle, seeing how the usual Lisa is back, and I start talking.

—"You know that Francis set this up, right?"

—"Yeah, Alice told me. But this doesn't change the fact that you slept with some other girl, so don't come with excuses like "I was drunk" or the likes." She says with a pouting and slightly red face.

Ah! I must clear this misunderstanding the more I can.

—"Ah, the girl was not Rose, okay?" I say, and she strengthens the grip of my hand afterwards.

—"Alice told me too, I misunderstood. It was a prostitute. But now we have 2 girls in the story, you monkey in heat."

Ouch, My hand. I stepped in a landmine, shit. Well, at least this was solved.

—"Sorry. Now... what comes first? The meeting? We just have a few minutes, right?" I ask her.

She makes a depressed face as if wanting to cry again.

—"You don't need to go. Father is mad. Look."

She takes her cell phone and shows to me.

Yeah, that's my face here. But Diana's face is not there, just her body. Lisa probably thought it was Rose because of this.

—"He said that someone sent him these photos, "That's the boy your daughter likes." was written in the letter. He asked if it was true... And I told him. I could lie, but the situation would worsen in the meeting when he sees your face. He yelled at me for wasting his time with delusions of love, and that he would proceed with the marriage."

Francis. My anger and hatred are at maximum output. I know how revenge is not something healthy... But one thing is on my mind, and I won't yield. He won't have Lisa. 

I don't care about what happens next, but I'll free Lisa from him.

—"I'll go, Lisa. I won't give up on you." I say to her, with resolve and determination in my eyes.

She blushes a little and says to me.

—"Let's pack up, it's almost time."

So I go back to my room to grab my stuff. We go down on the elevator, holding our hands. She keeps looking at the mirror as if trying to record this scene forever in her mind.

When the door of the elevator opens, I see Dean and Alice.

They're expressionless, but when they both see us, a smile appears on their faces.

—"So you solved your side?" Dean says, giggling together with Alice.

—"I'm going to Lisa's home." I tell him.

—"That's good. We finished our side, call if you need anything." Dean replies.

—"Thanks, bro." I say, parting from that place.

When we reach the street, a car is waiting for us.

It's a jet-black car, 4 doors, flat-shaped. A driver is on wait in silence, and when he sees us he opens the door.

We enter, and the car starts moving afterwards.

While we're on the way, Lisa keeps clinging to me. She takes a nap, smiling. She probably had so much stress earlier that her body now wants a rest. And while she sleeps, I think about the words I must use with her father.

When we arrive I see a great mansion, Victorian-style. A man is waiting, and he has red hair with an old appearance. With green eyes, a white suit, and a walking stick, he's waiting on the great door of this mansion.

Lisa get off from the car first, and he gets close, hugging her. But when I get off from the car, his sight turns to me and he makes a grim expression.

That must be her father.

—"You have some guts to come here, brat." He says, with a rude tone.

—"Father, listen..."-"No. Kid, you can leave now." He interrupts Lisa before she can speak.

I already expected something like this, so I'll trap him with words.

—"I think you should hear me." I ask, folding my arms.

—"Why should I?" He replies, as if not caring.

—"Even if is about The Garden?" I say with a smug face.

Lisa looks at me, not understanding, but her father almost lost his composure.

I got him now. Thank you, Diana, your advice saved me now.

—"...A few minutes." He replies.

So we proceed towards the house.

While we walk through this place, I see the many rooms in this great mansion. Many paintings and portraits on the walls can be seen, as the furniture that matches the house.

We reach a small room, which appears to be an office. There's a desk with 2 chairs only.

—"Lisa, leave now." He says, taking a seat.

—"No! I'll stay together with him."

He looks at her, and with a serious and loud voice, he says.

—"I'll hear him only. A few minutes. That's all."

I look at her and approaching, whisper in her ear.

—"I can do this. Trust me."

She makes a conflicted face but nods afterwards. She leaves looking at her behind all the time and I keep waving at her until I can take my seat.

—"You can begin." He says, taking a seat.

—"You know that was Francis the one who sent you the images?"

—"Hah, that other brat. Of course. The Cayden's are stupid. But I can't do much about it."

—"Can I ask why?"

He makes a dumbfounded face and asks me.

—"Your section don't know? This doesn't make any sense."

I don't have much information about the Rings... I think I should tell him.

So I talk about what happened that day, and how I ended in the Garden, and everything I know and happened till now.

—"Hahaha. For god's sake. Those two really are stupid. Like father, like son. I can't believe this. An unknown entered without a proper introduction."

He says laughing with a hand in his head, taking a notepad from a drawer nearby.

—"I got a good story for this weekend club. Well, let me tell you a few new things. I'll start where the person who gave you the basics stopped."

He starts to talk after putting the notepad back in the desk.

—"Although the sins have many relations with each other, each Ring has a main job, and they can work together with mutual interest. Talking about D'lor, Lust is the pleasure job, Greed is money-related, and Envy is business. They're based on concepts, like "The carnal desires as Lust, incessant accumulation as Greed, and Desirable success as Envy." Each ring has a King, the highest decision comes from the King." 

Okay... I think I get it.

—"There are 3 levels in a Ring. King, Knight, and Pawn. I'm a Knight of Envy, and the Cayden's are Pawns. Only one King, the others are numberless. The thing is, Lisa's marriage is part of a condition from a lost challenge with the King of Envy. At first, I didn't want to lose my position, so I offered her. But when she talked about her mother... I remembered some things and got a little sentimental. So I tried to change this."

Hmm... Challenge? And the offer... It's really bad for my tastes, but I guess it's the kind of world they have.

—"So they probably going to use the photo to make a scandal on my company and make me lose money or request something to the King of Envy. They're narrow-minded. I can't make a move because of that photo now."

—"Err... what is this challenge?" I ask him.

—"The Kings are decided in challenges, Basically any kind of agreement presented. You must have the support of any Ring member to challenge. The loser abides the King, any kind of agreement. I challenged the King, Arthur Cayden supported my challenge. But he double-crossed me, spoiled my move, and the King told me to give something that worths a Flower Girl to them. Only self-interest, those guys."

He tells looking at the ceiling. So he's not a friend of the Cayden's... But what's a Flower Girl?

—"How the photo is useful... and what is a Flower Girl?"

—"I already told the agreement to the King, so if I try to change telling him about you, the photo is gonna take you down. Stop the marriage because my girl has true and beautiful love! ... For a boy that goes for other girls. Sounds bad, especially for our King, that is monogamous. And the Flower Girl... It's why I heard Lisa. I tried to remove her from this world since she was young.

A Flower Girl is raised in the Ring of Lust. They're basically a purchased trophy wife, accept everything with a smile. They fit the standards that society expects, like beauty, knowledge, courtesy, class, and everything else."

Wow, that's harsh. Like, buy a wife? That strange.

—"And why this is related?"

—"Lisa's mother was one. Those girls are usually raised since a young age, taken from her family because of debts or challenges. Erica never had freedom. Even if I cared about her, and treated her with respect, I still was a person who followed the system. So when Lisa told me about you... I felt bad because Erica never had free love."- By his tone, I fell a great amount of sadness.

Ah... I see now... He didn't want the same fate for her.

—"Well, that's it, kid. The talk was good, but I have more problems now. Excuse me."

—"Wait! And Lisa?" I ask, raising my voice, hitting the desk with both hands.

—"Her what? I told you. I tried to avoid this, but in the end, Lisa got caught in this world. They got me. I can't move." He stares at me, answering.

—"But we don't have any way to? Anything?"

—"You can try something, but you're alone. Sorry kid." He says and starts to leave.

No... This is wrong... I already reached here. I can't go back. I won't go back. I feel like crying... I'll lose my friend? Why Lisa must pay for a world that she doesn't know? Everything that I said before... Was it for nothing? My resolve was only this? I don't care about the risks! I must do something! I can't fail anymore! No... NO!

—"By the way... who was the girl you slept?" He asked while I was lost in my thoughts.

—"It was Diana."

{THUD}

I hear the sounds of his stick dropping. He looks at me in silence, as if not believing.

Why Diana shocks everyone? What's about her? Wait...

—"We can do something now?"

He grabs both my shoulders as if he was rejuvenated. With a serious expression, he makes his call.

—"Kid... This will backfire to you... You probably are registered as Pawn of Lust. You can challenge every position and also be challenged. It's all or nothing. He must be looking for you by now."

—"Who?"

—"The King of Lust... The one who made hell of Diana's life, the Killer Flower Girl."