American variety show: Sniper Elite

Chapter 180 Acting or Reality
Beta pushed open the door to the Continental Hotel office, and the afternoon sunlight flooded into his eyes.

Ashley was sitting on a velvet sofa by the window, dressed in a white chiffon dress, a stark contrast to her usual attire.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the thin, misty fabric almost transparent. The light flowed along the curves of her body, clearly outlining the pattern of the lace inner layer and the graceful undulations from her waist to her hips and legs.

She turned slightly to the side, her skirt spreading out on the sofa cushions, the thin straps leaving faint red marks on her fair shoulders.

Katalia sprawled undignifiedly on the opposite sofa, an open copy of Time magazine covering her face, the magazine bobbing gently with her steady breathing.

She wore a loose-fitting white cotton T-shirt that revealed her collarbone. She wore tight jeans that accentuated her long, straight legs, and sneakers with the laces hanging loosely on the carpet.

What's most striking is her sleeping posture: her legs are casually propped up on the sofa armrests, one hand dangling over the edge of the sofa, and the other hand resting on her abdomen, rising and falling gently with her breathing.

Sunlight streamed over her stretched-out body, and she slept like a completely unguarded cat.

Beta walked over to Katalia, bent down to take off her shoes, then picked her up and placed her on a large, comfortable sofa next to him. This sofa, as big as a bed, was his usual place for taking a nap or reviewing documents.

He pulled the cashmere blanket over her, only to find her eyelashes fluttering; she was already awake. She blinked at Beta, but kept her mouth shut, pretending to be asleep.

Beta shook his head helplessly, then turned to Ashley: "Tell the men to get ready, a battle is about to begin."

Ashley put down her magazine, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Is it because of the Frank and Fabio families?"

Beta walked over to her, squeezed into the single sofa, and put his arm around her shoulder: "As the newly appointed head of the household, I have to use some methods and abilities to make the Frank family willingly obey me in the future."

Ashley nodded and swatted away Beta's restless hand: "Okay, I got it."

Beta was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Actually, there is another purpose."

Catalia stopped pretending to be asleep and sat up from the sofa: "You suspect that the Frank and Fabio families are working together to put on a show and test your abilities as the future head of the Antonio family?"

“No.” Beta stood up and walked towards the liquor cabinet: “There are only two possibilities. Either the Frank family deliberately caused trouble, wanting to use me to get rid of the Fabio family and expand their territory to Philadelphia; or the Frank family orchestrated this to test my methods.”

He poured himself a glass of whiskey: "Once McCree and the others bring the Fabio kid back, the answer will be clear."

Katalia sat cross-legged on the sofa: "So, do you really think the youngest son of the Frank family is dead?"

Beta hesitated for a moment, slowly swirling his wine glass: "If Madame Frank was decisive enough and her act was convincing enough, she's most likely dead. But if she ultimately softened and left some room for maneuver..."

He looked out the window: "Someone will eventually be able to dig him out."

He put down his wine glass, the glass base making a crisp sound as it struck the table.

"Ashley, contact Blue. Ask him to find out whether the youngest son of the Frank family is dead or alive."

Ashley nodded.

Katalia twirled a strand of hair with her finger and asked, "Does it make a difference if he's dead or alive?" Beta shook his head: "No difference. Whether he's dead or alive, I'll dig him out and tell the Franks that I have plenty of ways to solve problems. I'll warn them not to give me any more trouble and to behave themselves."
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McCree and his team have always been extremely efficient, especially after the mute joined them. This taciturn woman, who earned that nickname, single-handedly raised the entire team's professional level to new heights.

Beta was awakened from her sleep by her vibrating phone. She picked up the phone, which was flashing on the bedside table, and saw that it was Sterling calling.

He gently pried Katalia's arms off his chest. But as he tried to pull away, he found the woman, sleeping so freely, had her legs tightly wrapped around his waist, and sweat was seeping from where their warm skin touched.

With a little effort from Beta, Katalia began to mutter in her sleep, only to cling to him even tighter.

He had no choice but to press the answer button in this awkward position: "Speak."

Sterling's voice came through the receiver: "The mute guys have succeeded, and the man has been brought back to New York."

While answering the phone, Beta pulled Katalia, who was writhing and coiling around him like a snake, into his arms. Ashley couldn't keep Beta in her room every night, and occasionally allowed him to stay overnight at Katalia's place, though such opportunities were rare, and tonight was one of them.

"Location?" Beta asked succinctly.

"It's already been sent to my phone."

Beta hung up the phone and gently "removed" Kataria, who was clinging to him like an octopus, and tucked her back into the blankets: "Go to sleep, I have to go out and run some errands."

Katalia opened her eyes in the darkness, her pupils showing no trace of the drowsiness of just waking up. This female assassin had never lost the vigilance etched into her very bones.

"You brought the person back?" Before she finished speaking, she had already turned on the bedside lamp, filling the room with warm yellow light. Under the warm yellow light, she hooked the trousers off the back of the chair and pulled them onto her legs.

Beta buttoned the last button of his shirt: "You don't need to go tonight."

Catalia ignored her and reached for her lace bra, only to find the straps torn. She casually tossed the damaged bra into the trash can, turned, opened the built-in wardrobe, and took out a black sports vest to put on.

"You think I can just lie in bed and relax?" She zipped up her jacket, the metal teeth clicking as they snapped. "Leave you to do things all by yourself?"

Beta straightened his suit cuffs and saw Katalia standing on one leg, putting on her sneakers. She pulled a cummerbund from the wardrobe, fastened the metal buckle, and holstered her Glock 17.

Beta paused slightly, then took off the suit jacket he had just put on. He took out two bulletproof vests from the closet.

He wore the bulletproof vest over his silk shirt, and when he put his suit jacket back on, his shoulder lines were noticeably raised, and his entire upper body silhouette became heavy and full of defensiveness.

He handed another bulletproof vest to Katalia: "You did the right thing. I've been wearing suits and ties for so long that I almost forgot the most basic principle of caution. Put this on, it's just the two of us, no family security."

Katalia took off her coat, put on her bulletproof vest, and then put her coat back on.

Beta then took two Glock pistols from the wardrobe, inserting one into a special slot under the armpit of his bulletproof vest and the other into a hidden holster on his right lower back.

(End of this chapter)