The Cage of Love

Cheryl York had just come out of the bathroom after finishing her shower when she saw Julian Lindt's tall figure standing by the bed. He was slowly undoing his tie.She faltered for a second and subconsciously pulled her towel tighter around herself. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming back?"He turned to look at her. His gaze became intense when it landed on her bare shoulders. He tugged his shirt open as his Adam's apple bobbed. There was a semblance of passion in his voice as he said, "It's good that you've washed up. Come here."He'd abstained for long enough—he'd been away on a business trip for two weeks.Cheryl felt her legs become jelly at the thought of Julian's stamina. She gulped and took a step back. "You haven't bathed yet, right? I'll go draw you a bath."She turned to head back inside the bathroom. Julian strode after her and wrapped an arm around her from behind. As their breaths mingled, Cheryl smelled the scent of another woman's perfume on him. It made h

Julian looked like he'd just heard a joke. He looked at Cheryl like he would a pitiful puppy. "Of course I have. I've treated you well, haven't I?"Cheryl looked dazed. Then, she laughed mirthlessly. "Yes, you have. And you haven't given me any reason to feel aggrieved. I'm probably the happiest among all your girlfriends; I should be satisfied with what I have."She got up to leave when Julian suddenly said, "We can break up, but you can't get back together with Jason."Cheryl faltered. It wasn't something she'd ever planned on, but it reminded her of the first time she'd met Julian. In hindsight, he'd always had ulterior motives in approaching her. Jason was the one he'd wanted to take down—she'd only gotten dragged into the fray because she was Jason's ex.This was Cheryl's guess, anyway. She wanted an answer to this, so she asked, "Why?"Julian carelessly blew out a smoke ring. For some reason, his features seemed masked even under the lights. "No reason. You should know the

Cheryl remained silent. It was only after Julian hung up that she clapped a hand to her chest and exhaled loudly. She looked at her reflection in the glass before her and realized she was as pale as a sheet.Over the years, her fear of Julian had become etched into her heart. He could easily control her emotions with the slightest things he did.She rubbed her cheeks to add some color to them, but it didn't work. She gave up on it. As she thought about how Julian had expressed his "gratefulness" to her, she held out hope that he was actually satisfied with Tina.It was this shred of hope that kept her going for the next few days. Julian did not once come by the villa, allowing Cheryl's heart to settle back in her chest. It looked like Tina had genuinely won his favor.She knew she was nothing but a sex doll to Julian. Anyone slightly better than her could easily replace her. Cheryl took a deep breath and applied lipstick for the client she was attending to. Then, she smiled at the

Cheryl gnashed her teeth and buried her face in the shawl as she curled up. When Elaine heard the rustling, she turned to ask, "Are you okay, Ms. York?"Cheryl felt like her throat was on fire. She mumbled, "Don't bother about me."Her voice was muffled. Elaine thought she was crying after the ordeal she'd been through, so she looked away. As she turned to face the front, she saw a small smile playing on Julian's lips as he focused on the road.There was something indescribably sexy about him when he smiled. Love and admiration filled her gaze. "What are you thinking about, Julian? Why do you seem so happy?"He lied through his teeth. "I'm happy that I scored a huge deal."Elaine bought it and smiled as well. Julian took the opportunity to glance at the rearview mirror. He knew Cheryl wasn't the type to fall asleep so easily.He sped up. It took half an hour to get to Cheryl's dorm. It was the longest and toughest half-hour she'd ever experienced.When they were almost reaching,

Cheryl stood frozen in shock at the sight of Jason as painful memories flooded her mind like a crashing wave. Jason dismissed the man beside him and approached Cheryl, who snapped back to reality with the gleam of his polished shoes. Just as she attempted to slip away, Jason seized her arm and called out to her. His voice echoed with a familiar allure from years past.Cheryl struggled against his hold. Sensing her discomfort, Jason let her go for fear of hurting her. But before Cheryl could make her escape, he stood squarely in her path."We need to talk, Cheryl," he insisted.After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Cheryl replied, "We have nothing to talk about."Jason remained composed. "Yes, we do. But first, let's get that wound on your face looked at."Despite Cheryl's reluctance to engage with him, she was aware of the growing attention around them after the commotion. Some people even discreetly snapped photos of them. Cheryl couldn't shake the feeling that her enco