American variety show: Sniper Elite

Chapter 88 Family
Jaina looked up from the documents and onto the two men who walked into the office.

One was young, with blond hair and icy blue eyes, exuding youthful energy and sunshine; the other was also a man.

Ashley led the two into the office, then turned and closed the door, standing in front of it.

John glanced back at Ashley, who was blocking his way, then turned to Jaina and said, "Jaina."

Jaina ignored her, gazing at Beta with a gentle smile, her eyes carefully tracing every change in the young man she hadn't seen in so long.

Beta turned to Ashley: "I remember she used to be Santino's bodyguard."

“She’s always been one of my people, just keeping an eye on that good-for-nothing Santino during the power transition,” Jaina said with a light laugh as she stepped out from behind her desk.

"And if I remember correctly, she should be your girlfriend?" She winked mischievously.

Beta turned sharply to look at Ashley, whose face was filled with shock.

He turned to Jaina again, his voice filled with disbelief: "You're not trying to say that my meeting and falling in love with Ashley was all part of your plan?"

Jaina walked up to Beta and, like any loving mother, gently pinched his cheeks and pulled them outwards: "I'm not that idle, Saron."

Her tone was full of doting affection, yet also carried a hint of slyness.

Ashley's expression froze between shock and confusion. Her gaze darted back and forth between Jaina and Beta until this moment, when the two stood side by side, a certain inexplicable similarity suddenly became apparent.

This resemblance is not a simple copy of facial features. Beta's angular features are quite different from Jaina's softer lines.

But when they stand together, a subtle feeling begins to resonate in the air. The slightly raised chin, the rhythm of the eyebrows when speaking, and even the habit of leaning slightly backward when standing—these small physical codes only form complete evidence of blood ties when the two are in the same frame.

Ashley held her breath.

This similarity is not a copy that can be measured with rulers and compasses, but rather like the same piece of music played on different instruments, where only by listening to them simultaneously can one recognize the same melody.

Ashley never imagined she would find herself in such a dramatic situation, not only falling in love with the princess's son, but also having her relationship exposed by the princess on the spot, and now being forced to stand in front of the princess with her lover.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward John Wick, the legendary assassin, who was standing just a few steps away.

A chill ran down her spine. She realized that she had inadvertently stumbled upon a terrible secret.

The blood ties between Jaina and Beta, the relationship between John Wick and Jaina, and the fact that she herself is involved—this combination seems like a dark comedy about to draw blood.

"I have to stay professional," she told herself, forcing herself to straighten her back.

Ashley's Adam's apple bobbed as her mind raced: Should she pretend nothing was wrong? Or resign? Or...? She stole a glance at Beta's profile; the person who had captured her heart now seemed both familiar and strange.

Jaina finally and reluctantly released her hands from Beta's cheeks, leaving two faint red marks on his face. With a doting smile, she gently rubbed her son's flushed cheeks with her thumb before turning her gaze to Ashley.

Ashley's forehead was already beaded with sweat. No one would be naive enough to believe that the matriarch of the Antonio family, the former princess who controlled the entire Italian underworld, would be an easy opponent.

Jaina watched Ashley's tense expression with a satisfied smile. "Relax, Ashley." Her tone was gentle yet authoritative. "Now that you and Saul are together, you're family. You have the right to be involved and to know about our relationship. All I need is for you to keep it a secret as always and continue doing your job."

Ashley immediately straightened her back and bowed slightly: "Understood." Her response was brief and forceful, but the taut lines of her shoulders betrayed the turmoil within her.

Beta's gaze darted back and forth between Ashley and Jaina, his brow furrowing slightly: "You really didn't interfere in our affairs?"

Gianna sighed and reached out to smooth out non-existent wrinkles on her son's collar: "I'm not so busy as to interfere in your love life."

Her fingertips lightly traced Beta's collar: "Even if I really did arrange your meeting, did I orchestrate your falling in love? Was your relationship with Ashley fake?"

Seeing that Beta's expression softened slightly, Jaina continued, "As for when I found out..."

She lowered her voice, flicking her fingertip lightly at Beta's collar. "I know far more than you think. For example, the firefight with the security services in Paris—even though you took the warhead..."

Her voice carried a mother's unique reproach: "But the bullet holes at the scene, and the bloodstains with your DNA that the French collected, were all cleaned up by me."

Beta slowly widened her eyes.

Gianna watched her son's surprised expression with satisfaction, her eyes gleaming with the satisfaction that comes with every mother catching her child in the act.

Gianna finally stopped teasing her son, and the smile faded from her face. She slowly turned to John Wick, her eyes cold.

“Wow—” she drawled, her voice sharp with sarcasm: “Look who this is? The legendary Baba Yaga has graced my castle with his presence?”

She gracefully folded her hands: "Although, in principle, I shouldn't be arguing with a dead person named Helen."

His tone suddenly turned somber: "But if I may be so bold, John Wick, I have no red carpet prepared to welcome you."

The air seemed to freeze.

John stood silently in place, while the resentment surging in Jaina's eyes almost materialized.

In this tense moment, Beta realized that if he didn't intervene, Jaina might summon her minions to beat John up and throw him out the door in the next second.

“Perhaps,” Beta stepped forward at the opportune moment, deliberately making his voice light and cheerful, “could we sit down and have a cup of coffee first?”

He stood between the two, his gaze shifting back and forth between his mother and father: "Italian coffee is world-famous, isn't it?"

His suggestion gave Gianna a way out and also gave John some breathing room, since no one would actually start a fight while enjoying coffee.

Gianna's gaze swept back and forth between her son's pleading eyes and John's tense face.

Finally, she snorted and turned to walk towards the reception area: "Ashley, prepare coffee."

(End of this chapter)