Entangled with the Ruthless CEO

CHAPTER 2

TALIA’s POV

“Then what will happen to the necklace I saw you pick just now?”

I blinked hard, as if it would ground me to reality and pull me out of whatever nightmare this was.

“Which necklace?” I hissed, raising my head to meet his gaze.

“Don’t play dumb, Talia. You know better than that.”

Fuck.

Scratch that. Double f**k.

I was fully masked, and no one knew I was coming here this night except my client. Even so, he did not know who I was physically, so who was this strange man?

“My name is not Talia. You’ve got the wrong person. Now if you will excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

“You don’t have anywhere to be, and your name is Talia. Now if you’re done playing games, let’s talk about why I have you cornered here.”

I twisted the knife still digging into his tux.

“In case you’ve forgotten, I have you cornered, not the other way around. And if you knew me as much as you thought you did, then you should have known I wouldn't mind twisting this knife until your intestines were on the floor.”

“Nice threat.” His larger hand clasped around my hand that held the knife, and he twisted it sharply, leaving me with no option but to loosen my hold. I might have fought it, but that would have gathered too much attention, and attention was the last thing I needed right then.

The knife was in his hand within the blink of an eye, and the situation was completely reversed. The knife was now painfully kissing my thigh as he used his second hand to draw me closer, so anyone looking would think we were caught in a romantic embrace—not that his hand held a knife to my leg in between the pleats of my dress.

“What do you want from me? And I’m not giving you the damn necklace.”

“I don’t care about the necklace. I care about Talia accepting my deal, or I call the police to arrest her for pickpocketing and attempted murder. This time, even your richest client won’t be able to save you from me and the law.”

“Who the f**k are you?”

“Where are my manners? I’m Damian Romano. Anyone and everyone’s greatest nightmare, and you are Talia Ross, a small-time con artist,” he said easily, as if we were discussing which drink to get.

I swallowed heavily, my heart rate picking up. Anyone and everyone knew Damian Romano. He was one of those people you had never met physically or had any dealings with, but once you heard his name, you started shaking in fear. Right then, I was shaking, even though I was trying my best to conceal it.

Rumor had it that he ran the entire Chicago underground and killed without batting an eye. Some went as far as to say that he bathed in the blood of his enemies, and if he didn’t kill at least a dozen people personally within a day, he couldn’t rest. The scariest part was that he had never been arrested, detained, or even questioned by the police or the FBI, despite all his crimes and the overwhelming evidence regarding the people he had murdered.

“Hello?” He waved his hand in front of my face. “Earth to Talia. Don’t overthink it. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead by now, but I find you useful. Let’s—”

He was still talking when a graceful and absolutely stunning woman came closer toward us. Despite looking entirely gorgeous, there was an ugly glint in her eyes that I knew well enough to recognize anywhere.

Jealousy.

Her red silk dress fitted her like a glove and looked even more expensive on her. When I looked into her eyes again, she didn't bother to hide the disgust and hatred as Romano’s hand went back to my waist, holding me close as if we were actually involved romantically.

“Darling,” she drawled out, her perfectly manicured fingers trailing possessively around Romano’s arm. She stepped closer until her body was flushed against his side, while my own body was flush against his front.

“Elena Moretti, what can I help you with?” he asked coldly.

“Don’t be so formal with me, Damian. You’re my date tonight, and I can be as clingy as I want with you, but who the hell is she? She looks so tacky against you,” she whined like a spoiled child who had lost her favorite toy.

“Why don’t you get lost? I’ll see you when I need you,” he bit back.

I watched in real time as the color drained from her face and she gasped in shock.

“I will make you regret this!” she cried, tears already falling down her beautifully made-up face.

I almost felt sorry for her, but the knife digging into my thigh reminded me that I was no better off than she was with this man. In fact, I was in a far more dangerous position. I could have had my leg bleeding in a blink of an eye, or I could have had the police after me for thieving—or even both, if this man got really pissed off. So I shut my mouth and watched it all play out.

“Get lost,” he barked at her without raising his voice. I could feel his gaze on my face, but I refused to meet it and instead focused on watching Elena actually run toward the bathroom. Now it was just the two of us at the corner of the ballroom, and I looked at the exit where I was supposed to have gone through with longing.

“Back to you, Talia-the-pickpocket.”

I might have argued on a normal day, but I was in a very tricky situation and knew I had to think first and act later if I valued my life and my career.

So I just nodded without saying anything. Let’s get this over with.

“You see, I’ve had my eyes on you for weeks, maybe a few months now, and you’re quite good at what you do. I watched you steal a vintage car from Andrew’s house despite how tight the security was. I watched you invent a fake high-value Basquiat to sell to Brittany Chloe and even give her a certificate of authenticity. I watched you pose as an Indian heiress to get Timothy to marry you and sign his assets over. I mean, I could go on and on about how creative you are and how incredibly good you are at your job.”

He was smiling by the time he finished, looking almost like he was proud of me. One couldn’t be too sure with a notorious gangster and killer.

“Okay… so did you stop me just to compliment me?”

“I’m not even halfway done, sweetheart.” The way he said *sweetheart* had my heart missing a beat, as if he meant it literally. Even though I knew it was nothing but a random word to him, I couldn’t help but notice his emerald green eyes and black wavy hair, as well as how nicely he filled out his tuxedo.

My eyes went back to his face. His features were striking if you didn’t know how dangerous he was. My eyes moved to his mouth. Then I realized he had been talking all that while, and my ears had temporarily stopped working so my eyes and heart could work overtime.

“…and if you successfully deliver the encrypted hard drive, I am willing to pay one million dollars in cash.”

“Excuse me?” I spluttered, blinking furiously as if it would rewind whatever he had said before I started paying attention, because I hadn't heard a thing.

“Alright. I can do two million dollars cash, and nothing more,” he said in a non-negotiable tone.

“I mean… excuse me, can you repeat what you said again? The job details.”

“The Belcastro family. I need you to steal an encrypted hard drive from them and have it delivered for two million dollars cash.”

I almost choked on my own spit.

“The Belcastro family?”

“Judging by your facial expression, you’re about to say something I won’t like. But let me warn you, if you turn me down on this offer, then I’m handing you over to the police for stealing a diamond necklace and causing chaos. I might also tip them off on who is responsible for your previous crimes, and sweetheart, you will spend a very long time in jail that even your connections won’t be able to get you out of. So take your time and think carefully before saying whatever it is you want to say to me.”

“But why are you doing all this?” I was already flustered and annoyed.

“Because I can do whatever I want.” He brought out his phone, and I watched in real time as he searched for and clicked on the sheriff’s contact.

“Are you done thinking?”

“Yes.” I swallowed hard again.

“Yes, and what?”

“I’ll do it,” I said after a brief, heavy pause.