Number 7

"Because the girl who started that fire was me."

Celia couldn't move.

Everything within her froze as she gazed upon the woman who had revealed herself, a smirk upon her face as she glanced upon Celia.

"You... you're the one who..."

"That's right. I'm the one who created all of your problems. But those problems... they should be gone at this point, right? It's been years since your father passed away. You should have accepted things by now, but based on the look you have on your face, you haven't exactly accepted anything."

Looking up to the sky, Jessica let out a chuckle as she continued to walk past Celia.

"Heh.. well, I guess with a mother like that, there's no way you could just accept it - no matter how much time passed."

"Why... how do you know about my mother?"

With the question of how Jessica knew about the fire and the death of her father having been answered, another piece of information was presented which didn't line up.

"Your mother's outburst of insanity wasn't exactly a private event. It was all over the news. Ah... but her personal information was kept private, so I suppose that doesn't answer much. Well... I'm sure you're aware that your mother entered the gambling world at some point, right?"

As Jessica said the world gambling, Celia tensed up even further.

"I... I told her to stop with that stuff. She... she stopped. And then... then soon after, she was taken away to the mental hospital. So... there's nothing more to the gambling than that."

"But there is more, unfortunately."

Glancing around, the girl motioned for Celia to follow her.

"This is no place to talk about such things. But I've come to you with a message concerning your mother and her current position. I was specifically chosen for this role because I knew you personally, and would be able to get you to comply without any complications."

Looking at Celia, Jessica shot her a deathly glare.

"You'll hear me out, won't you?"

And as she was on the receiving end of that horrid glare, Celia could do nothing more than buckle.

Hatred couldn't even describe the emotions she felt towards this person, however the fact of the matter was that she had to remain calm.

'Dad... gave his life to save this girl.'

How much of a disgrace would it be for her to harm the very person that her father had sacrificed himself for?

"I'll... hear you out."

"Then come."

----

The two changed locations, now inside a private study room within the library.

Both had stopped by a coffee shop before coming to this place, and were now sipping on their respective drinks as they sat across from one another.

The rooms which could be rented out were soundproof, so nobody else would hear anything they said within this place.

"Celia... I know that you must hate me. If I were you, I would hate me as well. But I guess the first thing I want to say is that I'm sorry."

However the words which exited Jessica's mouth left Celia unable to respond.

"I know that I was wrong. I know..."

Holding out her hands on the desk, a tear formed in the eye of the girl, whose expression filled with self hatred.

"I know that everything I did back then... it was all for my own ego... it was all because I wanted to feel like I wasn't the only one who was alone."

Spreading her palms forward, the girl showed Celia the burn marks - which were plain as day.

"I've lived every day of my life... with the knowledge that I directly killed one person, and that another person died saving the murderer that I had become. It's unthinkable. I should have been left behind. I should have been abandoned in that burning building."

Choking up, the girl seemed to become tearful as she forced herself to continue speaking.

"I should have been abandoned to die. So how do you think it made me feel when I found out that the person who saved me was the father of the very girl I was trying to destroy?"

Holding her forehead with regret, a wry smile covered the girl's expression.

"I was livid at first. I hated you with everything in my being. I wanted to see you burn... I wanted to see you die. I blamed everything on you. I tried to hide my own sins behind a lie, so I made you out to be the enemy."

Looking up to the ceiling, the girl let out a remorseful sigh.

"But at some point... I realized that all of that was just lip service. I was just trying to keep my precious ego from shattering. And that was when I started to hate myself."

Celia merely listened to the story of the girl as her heart somewhat softened.

It had been years, after all.

Even if her mother had gone insane, that was something that resulted from her father's death, which could have happened at any moment given his profession.

He was someone who was willing to risk his life to save someone. And such a person would eventually give their life to save someone.

"I hated everything about myself. I was going to kill myself. I was on a bridge one day, about to jump off... but that was when someone approached me. And do you know what he told me?"

With a bitter chuckle, the girl looked to the side with a wry expression.

"That if I was just going to throw my life away, that I might as well use it to help him."

"What does this have to do with my mother?", Celia asked.

"I'll get to that. Anyways... this man was actually a member of a growing mafia organization. No... not just a member. He was actually a leader of an entire branch. I agreed to help him out... and I started doing work for him. I worked my way up in this organization relatively quickly, so I have a pretty high standing."

Glancing up to the girl, Jessica's demeanor became deadly serious as she spoke.

"Right now I am the second in command of the Second branch of the Street Rats Organization - the Gambling Branch."

And as she said this, Celia's eyes widened.

"Gambling?"

The word immediately struck a chord with her, however Jessica continued without hesitation.

"Your mother, despite being incarcerated, escaped the insane asylum in order to gamble. Needless to say, she found herself in a gamble at one of our casinos and lost big time. But when I realized who she was, I immediately thought of you. And I realized that I owe you such a big debt... so I wanted to give you an opportunity."

"An... opportunity?"

The sudden information sprung upon Celia was enough to shock her.

From the fact that her mother had escaped to the fact that she had immediately resorted to gambling and lost even further, it was too much for her to even process.

But even so, Jessica didn't slow down for a moment.

"I'll have a gamble with you in front of the branch leader. If you win, we'll free your mother and forgive her of all our debts. If you lose, you'll also come into debt. Whether you want to take part in this gamble is your own choice, and I have no intention of forcing you - nor do I have any intention of going easy on you."

Standing up, the woman took a piece of paper out of her pocket, sliding it over to Celia.

"Show up at that address Saturday night at 10 PM if you want to take the gamble. I'll be waiting."

And with those words, the woman opened the door as she left.

Celia didn't even have any time to call out, and before she knew it the girl was gone.

"Wha..."

Left alone in that study room, the girl knew not what to do.

'How... am I supposed to just accept all of this?'

----

Celia had gone to sleep that night, the interaction not having left her mind.

She kept that note with the address close to her, unable to come to a decision.

'If I go... then I might be walking right into her trap.'

'Should I tell someone?'

'The last time I did as she said… two people died.'

She was suspicious, to be sure.

But even so, could she doubt the truth of her words?

Her mother had become a ruthless gambling addict following the death of her father, and had only gotten out of trouble due to legal reasons - particularly, using her plea of insanity to get out of the debts she owed.

If one was not sober or capable of making logical decisions at the time of a gamble, then the results of the gamble could be nullified. Of course, this was only true for casinos which followed the law.

However Jessica had brought up the Street Rats Organization - a mafia group.

Without question, they wouldn't follow such laws.

Could her mother have truly escaped from the mental hospital and gotten involved in something like that?

If so, she had to help her.

She couldn't abandon her.

Therefore, even if it might have been a trap, Celia came to her decision.

'I'll go. And I'll play. And I'll win.'

----

'I knew that it was going to be for a gamble... but...'

Celia was breath taken.

The facility which rose above her was blaring with flashing neon lights, the entire area having an aura of worldly entertainment.

The landscape was gorgeous, making her feel as if she were a queen walking down the path which led to the casino, however the way she was dressed was in no way concurrent with such a notion - after all, her outfit paled in comparison to those of the people around her.

Women dressed in extravagant dresses and heels, with diamonds and golden jewelry covering every corner of their bodies, men dressed in suits with tophats and monocles, wealthy people of all sorts were gathered as they seemed to converge upon the casino.

'This... seems like it's a place for rich people.'

Many casinos were places where people would go and throw money away with the hopes of getting rich, but the majority of people here appeared to be people of high standing already.

Or perhaps they had merely dressed the part, and were in reality using everything they had to simply put on a show.

'I stand out quite a bit... don't I?'

With a high cut crop top and a pair of jean shorts, Celia gave off the impression of a typical college girl. Without question, she didn't carry the same classiness of the women around her.

Even so, such things were insignificant.

She came here for one reason - to save someone.

Therefore she pressed forward.

And upon entering the casino, an entire world opened up to her.

It was outstanding.

There were so many people that she couldn't even count them, and more games and gambles going on than she could perceive.

Music played and dealers shuffled, some players grabbed their hair in despair while others shouted out in joy.

Machines whirled and coins fell, balls rolled and chips were bet.

Truly, it was a world of gambling.

"Ahem. You must be Celia Marinor. Am I wrong?"

From behind her, a man spoke up, causing Celia to turn around with surprise.

"Based on that reaction, I will assume that I was correct. Come with me."

"Wait... how did you know who I was?"

As she motioned for the man to hold on, he seemed to be ready to head out, but halted himself as he smiled.

"You don't exactly fit into this casino, so it was relatively easy to assume that you were a first time guest. The fact that you are a young woman who matches the description given to me would allow me to at least make such a guess."

"I see..."

Nodding as she accepted the explanation, Celia followed the man as she was led to the back of the casino.

"This particular gamble will be held in one of our private rooms. Please follow me.", the man ordered.

The man carried himself with an excessive amount of confidence, taking each step without hesitation as many eyes fell upon him.

He wore a white suit with a purple tie, and he couldn't seem to avoid the spotlight even as he shuffled along the side of the casino.

"There he is..."

"The owner..."

Celia overheard numerous whispers of some of the players, at which she gazed at the man.

"You're the owner?", she asked.

"Ah, did I fail to introduce myself?"

Turning around as he came to a halt, the man bowed politely as he flashed a pearly grin.

"Evan Stirling. The owner of this casino, and the Leader of the 2nd Branch of the Street Rats Organization - also known as the Stirling Family. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Celia."

As soon as the man uttered these words, a pressure overcame Celia, to the likes of which she could not explain.

Her throat tightened, and she found it difficult to even speak in response.

"You as well..."

This was the only timid response that she could muster.

----

"You see... I have a certain philosophy."

While the man led Celia to the back of the casino, the two entered a hallway which was far quieter than the lobby area where they were previously.

"As the owner of a casino, you might say that gambling is my very lifeblood. Everything I do is gambling. From the oversight of gambles that take place in my casino, to their intricate design and implementation, gambling is everything to me."

The man walked in front of Celia, not so much as looking back as he monologued without provocation.

"There are two things that are more important than anything else in a gamble. Rules and results. The rules establish everything, and must be crafted with great care. Both parties must mutually agree upon the set of rules which they play with, and rules must apply equally to both parties - unless otherwise agreed upon. As such, fairness is created."

Stopping in place, the man now stood in front of a door as he turned to Celia.

"I've seen many in my days, as the owner of this facility, who have shouted and complained that certain rules are 'unfair' or 'underhanded'. However, allow me to share my philosophy with you, Celia."

Thinning his eyes, the man spoke with a deadly resolve.

"So long as the same rules apply equally to both parties, there is no such thing as unfairness."

With a smirk, the man lifted his finger as he continued.

"Take a politician for example. How often do you hear politicians criticize the flaws of the system in place - so long as their party is not in power to abuse such flaws? They will claim that certain tactics are dishonorable or unfair, and rant about how such methods should be removed or prevented. Yet the moment they are able to abuse such methods for themselves, all such honor disappears."

Looking up to the ceiling, the man spoke with disgust in his tone.

"There is nothing I hate more than those who wish to change the rules only when they do not benefit from them."

Looking back down to Celia, the man opened the door as a grin returned to his face.

"The rules shall never change, from the moment they are decided. No matter who wins or loses, no matter who benefits or suffers, the rules are absolute. And anyone who wishes to change such a thing... is nothing more than a hypocrite."

Entering the room, a venue opened up in front of Celia.

"Of course, the same goes for results."

Two red velvet couches faced one another with a mahogany table between them, and a recliner to the side of them.

And sitting on one of those couches was none other than the woman who had invited her here - dressed in a luxurious outfit so flashy that one might have truly thought her to be a Queen of this underworld.

The man took off his jacket and hung his hat on a coat rack before taking a seat at the recliner, leaning forward as he hung his hands over his lap.

And with a notion to the empty couch, the man extended his invitation to his guest.

"Please do have a seat, Miss. Celia. The fun is about to begin."

----

Having taken her seat, Celia looked back and forth between the man and the woman - both who clearly were in cahoots with one another.

Was coming to this place the wrong decision?

"I can sense your worry. After all, this IS a casino. They are quite well known for stacking the deck in their own favor."

With a wry chuckle, the man slicked back his hair with his hands.

"Worry not, however. I've put forth some precautions to ensure that no such stacking will occur."

"Even if you have put forth such precautions, that doesn't exactly ease my concerns.", Celia stated quietly. "After all... you're the owner..."

"Which is exactly why I have put forth such precautions."

With a smile, the man gazed back and forth between the two.

"You see, Celia, I will be administering this game. However as the owner of this Casino, I've instilled a particular sentiment to ensure that our guests are at no disadvantage whatsoever when they face us. To put it simply... as the owner, I am nothing more than a neutral spectator in this gamble."

As the man said this, Celia looked at him with surprise.

"Huh? But... this whole situation..."

"Yes, yes. I am aware. We are in possession of your mother. Incidentally, your mother owes us a debt of 1 Million Sin. And you are gambling in order to relieve her of such debt. Correct?"

"1 Million!?!?!"

Celia could do nothing more than drop her jaw at this earth shattering value.

"Wait just a minute!!! A Million Sin!? There's no way that she could've-"

While Celia was about to protest, the gaze in the eye of the man silenced her.

'No... maybe she could have driven herself into such debt.'

It was not the gaze of a man who was lying or exaggerating - nor even one of someone manipulating her.

It was a gaze which said that he was telling the genuine truth.

Whatever gambles her mother had gotten into, her debt of 1 Million was real.

"I understand the shock you are in right now, however please remain calm as I explain. Well, to put it simply, you are gambling in order to retrieve from us 1 Million Sin worth of debt. Then, it is only fair that you put 1 Million on the line yourself, correct?"

"I..."

With a gulp, the girl spoke without a shred of true conviction in her tone.

"I suppose..."

The number was far too great for her to comprehend.

"However, this must greatly concern you. After all, there is far too much for me to gain in such a circumstance. If you were to win, I would lose 1 Million Sin, and the potential 1 Million of debt that you yourself would fall into. There is a 2 Million deficit between winning and losing from the perspective of this casino - therefore cheating would be almost inevitable from our side. Or at least... that is how any logical person would view it."

Looking at the man with surprise, Celia was unsure how to respond.

Why would this man deliberately bring up such a thing?

If he considered her to be easy prey and was just trying to take what he could from her, then he should stay quiet about such a thing, instead allowing her to fall into the trap without issue.

"Which is why as the owner of this Casino, I will act as nothing more than a referee to this match between yourself and Jessica. She is acting not as a representative of the casino, but rather as an individual in this gamble."

And as the man said this, Celia's head shot over to Jessica.

"Eh!?"

"That's right. I wanted to gamble with you myself. Take this how you will. If you win, then you can take it as an apology from my end for ruining your life. If you lose, then you can take it as my revenge on you for haunting my entire life."

"So... what are you betting?"

The situation still hadn't changed.

Regardless of how they spun their words, this was still a gamble where the casino stood to gain greatly from Celia's loss and Jessica's victory.

"In the case that you lose, as a result of the potential 2 Million that I will have lost, Jessica herself will bear that burden.", Evan stated.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a shiver went down the spine of Celia.

"Why... would you do such a thing?"

She couldn't understand it.

However in that instant, every instinct within her sensed it.

"You see, Celia... those underneath me have no right to decide what gambles they take place in."

This man was someone far more terrifying than she could ever imagine.

"Now then... the tables have been leveled. The wagers have been placed. Therefore..."

At that moment, the man reached into his pocket.

Pulling out a revolver, the man spun the chamber, clicking it into place with a smile as he placed it upon the table.

"It is time to explain the game."