Chapter 158. Unbound, Conscious, Clearheaded and Untouched

The woman in front of Carlos continued to prod for clues to keep such a rich and eager patron even after he realized that there was no conquering Lolita. She dropped unhelpful details about the little girl, like how her real name, Dolores, means grief and how that had been the selling point to other patrons. She watched his face closely too, hopeful that he would give away with an expression what it was that was attracting him so strongly to Lolita. Something that they could sell to him with another girl.

“Some of our patrons say the poor girl had been cursed from the beginning with a name like that,” the woman said, eyes watching him like a hawk scanning for its next meal. “She’s got such bright eyes, filled with fire in them. Hope. But she is totally unaware that no amount of hope will ever free her.”

Carlos knew what that felt like. Hoping every day that you would be free but feeling that hope drain out of you slowly when that possibility grew slimmer and slimmer with