PRINCESS IN A CAGE

They enter the topmost floor as soon as they walk out of the elevator.

Cherry stops as she gapes at the whole place. So far, it is the most extravagant and truly luxurious place among all the other rooms that she has seen inside the building.

It appears to have been turned into one big suite like a personal version of a "penthouse" that luxurious hotels would have. And as Cherry roams her eyes around the magnificent architectural design of the entire room, she finds herself gazing back to Kenji who is now standing in the middle of the living room area, just a few meters from where she pauses near the elevator doors.

"This is where you're staying," he tells her immediately, his hands gesturing to the whole place, then briefly rephrases his words again, "With me."

This is strange... and suspicious. But it's also something that could be beneficial for Cherry at this point, even when it's a little confusing as well. Is he really keeping her here with him?

"With you?" She drily repeats that part of what he told her as her eyes begin to look around for more details that she could gather while she's at it.

"I want to keep you here." Kenji just adds, smirking at his own words.

Cherry does not try to comment on that anymore, feeling a little bit wary of how things have been starting to progress for her. As she tries to scan the entire area, she takes a few steps further into the room and eventually pauses when she spots a king-sized bed placed in the furthest corner of the place.

There are sections that are only divided by halls, but only then does Cherry finally realize that there is no partition nor any wall that separates each part of the suite. There's no room for any privacy if ever she is really going to live with him. All the sub-areas are just connected to each other through hallways and you can clearly see the kitchen, the living area, the bedroom, the dining area... Except for the bathroom to which she believes is the one behind the only other door near the only big bed she has seen.

She flits her eyes towards Kenji again.

"And you said it's "nothing" like that a while ago..." she emphasizes as she chooses to repeat the previous statement he had told her in the car just a while ago. Then she continues with a raised brow, "There's only one bed."

Kenji only gives her a smirk as he walks and passes her by on his way towards the elevator's direction. He then presses a button on the wall beside the elevator doors which seems to be the only way in and out of the room.

"This is not a proposition for any sexual favors, Miss Cherry," Kenji eventually explains after a few moments, just so he could already put an end to all of her doubts, "I just want you to be safe. And this is the safest place in this whole territory."

"Safest?" Cherry pointedly repeats his words again, "And you sure are doing your every effort just to keep me so close to you, Mr. Yanagi."

She should have learned her lesson by now... But her mouth had run off before Cherry could even stop herself. And as soon as she blurts out her spiteful comment, Kenji is already crossing the small distance between them and immediately wraps an arm around her waist in an even more possessive manner. And Cherry, once again, finds herself in the same scenario as they have been just a while ago.

But it somehow feels like it's quickly becoming a habit now, yet Cherry still hasn't reacted negatively even for the third time that he has done it.

"Just so you know, Cherie Amour," Kenji's eyes deeply look into hers as he softly speaks with his silky voice, ignoring the small audience in the background who both seem to be just watching in silence from a distance but they still don't go unnoticed to Cherry. She tries hard not to look nervous and flustered despite the intoxicating smell of Kenji's masculine perfume and his strong warmth immediately hovering her senses.

"When it comes to something I really like, I tend to be really possessive."

It takes a moment for those words to sink into her as Kenji lets go of her so fast and turns around to leave. He pauses again by the elevator doors and presses something on the digital screen to open it—like a password. Yet Cherry could not make out anything from what he's doing while she just stares at the image of his broad back. Then after a few seconds, the elevator doors finally slide apart, and before he walks inside, Kenji looks behind his shoulders to glance at her.

"You can make yourself at home," he says with a small smile, "Someone will bring your meal up here by morning hours. Do anything you want while you wait for me. And if you want to have something, you can use the intercom on the small table near the bed to dial somebody from the front office on the ground floor."

After saying that, he moves to go inside the elevator.

"You'll leave me alone here?" Cherry asks him back before the doors could even close on him and the guard who is now escorting Kenji inside the elevator instinctively presses a button beside him to keep it open.

"Jin will stay with you." Kenji just replies.

"And you sure you're just gonna leave the two of us alone in this room? You're not worried?"

She has meant it to be a teasing remark but Kenji's jaw hardens a little as soon as she said it. Yet he smoothly conceals that slight slip of his reaction with a sly smile.

"Don't kid yourself," He tells her instead, "Even if you try to seduce him. He won't bat an eye on you... You're not his type."

Cherry would never really care if she was or not, but for some reason, she still feels annoyed after hearing that and she darts a pointed stare towards Jin's direction.

"Not his type?" She ruefully remarks, angling her head to one side as she keeps her eyes on the quiet man. But Jin doesn't even give any expression on his face as he only looks at Kenji the entire moment.

"I'll come back by evening or tomorrow," Kenji informs them, and Cherry turns to glance his way before he finally leaves, "I hope by then, Cherie Amour, you've already conditioned yourself to answer my questions."

His last few words have been spoken in a soft, business-like manner but it feels more like an obvious threat to her. And Cherry knows that... She has to face that scenario soon—of course—because that's the only main reason why she's even here in the first place.

"Jin?" Kenji flits his eyes and gives his silent assistant a look as he addresses him this time. "I'll leave this matter to you."

"Yes. Take care, Boss," Jin just formally responds to him, bowing his head back, "I'll wait for your return."

"Very well," Kenji nods to this. And soon after that, the elevator doors begin to close on him, "See you."

With that, the Yakuza boss has already left the room. And now it's only Cherry and Jin alone there.

Cherry chooses to walk around the whole place first just to familiarize herself with everything. And as she takes note of the few windows and other very few interesting things to give her some clues about Yanagi, she finally lets out a sigh and stops by the living room to find Jin sitting on a couch, entertaining himself by flipping through a magazine.

She studies him in silence as she stands from a distance and just stares at him. He does not even look quite fazed and he knows she's there. For a second, Cherry thought of making things a little heated between them as she finally speaks over the stiff atmosphere.

"So, I'm not your type?" Of all the things she could have brought up, she chose that one instead. And she just could not help it. After all, the remark that had been said a while ago, had bruised her ego for a little bit. Jin, however, does not even bulge on his seat nor even react.

"Are you just going to ignore me until Kenji returns?"

He still does not answer, and it slightly makes Cherry a bit frustrated about that stubborn side of him. He's really trying to get a rise out of her. But then, it does not really matter if this guy would even react to her or not. The only best thing here is that she has finally entered the territory. And now she's much closer to Yanagi.

The plan is still on the move.

"I'm going to take a shower."

Knowing that the guy won't ever spare her even an ounce of attention, Cherry decides to tease him this time. And as she takes a step right before him, she uses the "no privacy" motif of the room to her advantage when she suddenly strips all of her clothes right in front of Jin.

Stilettos...

Her tight blue dress...

Her pantyhose, slowly and seductively...

Her strapless bra, unhooking it languidly...

And at last, her underwear.

She leans down to push it off of her legs as she foolishly giggles.

Now standing stark naked, she looks at Jin and gets surprised as she catches him staring at her... And this time, she feels like she has finally won because she had managed to get a reaction from him.

His face freezes with shock, but he still stares at her body.

"What are you looking at?" Cherry spats at him, squinting her eyes, "I'm not your type, right?"

Jin lets out a choke upon hearing her and quickly moves his eyes back to the forgotten magazine that has fallen down on his lap. Cherry could not help but laugh as she turns and walks, still naked, towards the door near the bedroom.

That must have taught him a lesson, Cherry amusingly thought to herself... After all, she's still a woman.

And Jin, on the other hand, loudly lets out a loud sigh as he tries to steady his breathing after Cherry finally closes the door behind her when she has entered the bathroom. He closes his eyes and forces that very explicit image of her out of his head.

She sure knows how to push the limits... But he didn't really expect her to actually go to such length. He can't really deny it...

"After all, I'm still a man."

And that part right there is what makes Jin suddenly feeling nervous and bothered for the first time, to finally admitting the truth.

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Kenji Yanagi could already sense a headache coming.

Right after he left the private building, he received a call from one of his men, informing him about the gang fights occurring in Shinjuku... It's not a rare scene, but this time it's becoming more frequent and more aggressive. And with this news spreading across Tokyo, it would only take a matter of time before it will affect how the executives would perceive his way of taking control over the district that is under his territory.

"Mr. Sakamoto is here, Boss."

The intercom beeps with the sound of his secretary's voice, who is guarding the place outside of his office, briefly informing him of the guest. And Jin winces as he finally turns on his seat and presses on the intercom over the table to give a response back.

"Let him in."

Seconds after that said instruction, a middle-aged man, together with two huge men behind him, comes striding into the room from the doors of his office and looks around inside the place.

"This is weird." The man quickly remarks, his eyes still moving on every corner, "I don't see Sasai today."

Of course, he would notice. Kenji smirks upon hearing his comment and looks up from his desk to give the man a raised brow.

"You miss Jin?" Kenji cleverly retorts back, "Give up, Sakamoto. He does not feel the same way about you."

The man named Sakamoto just lets out a loud laugh after hearing Kenji as he settles himself on the comfortable sofa across the Yakuza boss' desk.

"You don't change, Yanagi," the man just says, "It's just quite unusual not to see him following you around like a puppy."

Well, that might be true, but to Kenji, it never really looked that way.

"He's on a special mission." Kenji briefly shares.

"More special than you?" Sakamoto curiously asks, arching his brow.

Kenji just gives him a sidelong glance and stands up from his seat. The moment he does, the two huge men who came with Sakamoto bow their heads at him and Kenji just nods to them.

"Not that it concerns you at all." He eventually replies to Sakamoto as Kenji sits on the other couch across the man.

"Touche," Sakamoto smirks back.

"Just tell me what brought you here," Kenji straightly orders, crossing one leg over the other as he gives Sakamoto a serious stare, "A casual stroll in the morning? Looking for a new toy, perhaps?"

"I have my own toys and leave my personal affairs out of this," Sakamoto's voice turns sharp as he retorts back to Kenji's words. Then he slowly pulls out an envelope inside his suit and drops it on the coffee table between them, "It's about this stuff."

Kenji immediately reaches his hand to pick the item presented to him and gives Sakamoto a quirk of his lips.

"Working faster than ever, huh?" Kenji remarks.

"You've probably heard the rumors," Sakamoto briefly informs him as he leans his back on the cushions of the couch, giving Kenji a warning look, "Aren't you worried things might change as soon as the promotion is officially announced? The big day's getting near. You know how things go when something like this is about to happen."

He's right. The executives will soon decide on the new addition in their table. Things will start to really heat up in the coming days until then. But what really makes everything more alarming is the fact that the other bosses are even trying to forsake the others, like they are doing now with him, to gain favors from the higher bosses.

"I can handle it," Kenji replies, not even feeling bothered about any of it. So far, the business around the districts under his territory is monitored with the tightest security. The gang fights aren't much of trouble but he's starting to get a move on it now. It's all still managed. There's really nothing to worry about.

"But what about when you're not present?"

"If you're worried about your safety because you're affiliated with me, don't fret," Kenji reassures the man, "I'm already providing you more protection than needed."

"That's not what I'm trying to say. And I'm not going to abandon you for something so futile. I can protect myself too, Yanagi," Sakamoto just flatly revokes him back, earning a sharp stare from Kenji as they look at each other.

"So what do you want to say then?"

"You need to watch your back, that's all."

"Get to the very point, Sakamoto. You know I don't like vague answers," Kenji sternly orders. And for a few seconds, Sakamoto just gazes at him before he finally utters the very name of the subject in question.

"Ito Yamazaki."

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