You Hit My Heart by Kylie Stanford

Chapter 1705: Self-Proof

At this moment, the butler of the Ballard family knocked on the door and entered.

Following Christian's previous instructions, he brought a fine Rain before Dragon Well tea.

The butler placed the tea in front of Joyce and respectfully stepped back.

Just as Joyce was about to pick up the tea, Darrin suddenly stopped him, "General, please wait."

Before Joyce could speak, Darrin took a step forward, took out a thin needle, and pierced it into the tea, testing it before saying,

"General, it's safe."

Christian narrowed his long phoenix eyes, revealing dissatisfaction, "Are you worried about being poisoned in my house? Joyce, do

you consideran outsider?"

Before Joyce could respond, Darrin replied directly, "Mr. Ballard, it has nothing to do with the General. It is my duty, please

understand."

Now, he wouldn't trust anyone, even if Christian had no ill intentions, he couldn't guarantee that someone among Christian's

subordinates wouldn't cause trouble. Once bitten, twice shy, he couldn't allow himself to make mistakes again.

Joyce glanced at Darrin and whispered, "You're being too nervous. Mr. Ballard has been kind to me."

Darrin nodded and stepped back behind Joyce.

Christian didn't mind any further and said to Joyce, "Well, having someone so attentive by your side ensures your safety."

Joyce shrugged, picked up the tea in front of her, and took a gentle sip. "To get back on track, you mentioned earlier that your

sister was Luther's first love. They fell in love with each other, and then what happened?"

Christian glanced at Joyce, who remained calm. Her expression didn't change, and she showed no reaction when the words "first

love" were mentioned.

He sat up straight and continued, "I, Luther, and Felix were good friends. Both of them often cto my house to play. During the

summer vacation, they even stayed at my seaside villa for a while. It was during that tthat Luther met my sister. My sister is

very innocent and kind. She is polite to everyone she meets and quite shy. She doesn't speak much and rarely smiles. In short, she

is a pure and flawless girl."

When Christian mentioned the past, his expression becnostalgic, as if he was immersed in beautiful memories.

From his longing expression, Joyce sensed something unusual.

She exchanged a glance with Darrin, who also noticed that Christian seemed to have a different kind of affection for his sister. But

since they weren't blood-related, there was no ethical issue.

Joyce understood in her heart. To be honest, although Christian often spoke to her in a non-serious manner, half flirting and half

ambiguous, she never felt that Christian had any feelings for her. She always felt that Christian's heart had another place to nest.

Now, Christian's demeanor and tone, along with the conflict between Christian and Luther, confirmed her speculation.

Christian liked his sister.

"May | ask what your sister's nis?" Joyce asked softly.

"Her nis Athena. It's a beautiful name. Athena is the goddess of Mount Olympus in mythology, the daughter of the supreme

god," Christian explained.

Joyce nodded, understanding that their names were inspired by mythology. Christian was named after the archer Yi, who shot down

the sun.

"I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but in the following years, whenever Luther cto my house, Athena would always be

present. At first, | didn't notice anything unusual and thought it was just a normal meeting. But one day, | found Luther's school

jacket left in Athena's room," Christian said, and his brow twitched.

"If I had realized it earlier, | would have put an end to Luther's inappropriate thoughts. Unfortunately, by the t| found out,

Athena was already deeply in love with him. | discovered Luther's jacket in Athena's room, and | got very angry. | threw away the

jacket on the spot and questioned Athena if they had done anything inappropriate, after all, Athena was only sixteen at the time,

she was still underage."

When Joyce heard this, she paused with the tea in her hand. Ripples formed in the bright green liquid in the porcelain tea bowl.

She didn't want to judge; she just wanted to hear the whole story.

"And then?" she asked. "Did you object?"

Christian nodded, "Of course, | objected. Athena promisedthat she would no longer see Luther. Over the next two years,

Luther's visits becless frequent, only once or twice a year. And | always found ways to keep Athena away from him, not letting

her see him. That continued until Athena turned eighteen."

Joyce felt that the story was finally reaching its climax. She held her breath and listened attentively.

Christian took a deep breath and continued, "Although | prevented them from meeting, | could tell that Athena was unhappy. She

often cried alone. Sometimes in the morning, when | called her to get up, | could see traces of tears in her eyes. She even

attempted self-harm by cutting her wrists, but | discovered it in tand stopped her. | knew she was deeply trapped, and | wanted

to send her abroad to study. However, Athena beggedtearfully for one request before going overseas. She said she wanted to

say a final goodbye to Luther. | couldn't resist her, so | reluctantly agreed."

Pausing for a moment, Christian continued, "Coincidentally, that year, Luther and Felix planned a camping trip in the mountains,

and | joined them. | agreed to take Athena along, meet Luther once, say goodbye, and then send her back. Little did | know that

this wrong decision, a moment of weakness, would hauntfor the rest of my life. Luther, he was simply... beyond despicable! He

was worse than a beast!"

As he said this, Christian suddenly becagitated. He stood up abruptly and walked to the window, with his back turned to Joyce.

His chest rose and fell continuously, as if harboring immense anger. By then, the setting sun had fully descended, and the thick

darkness enveloped the surroundings, obscuring everything.

"That day happened to be Athena's eighteenth birthday. That beast Luther, he violated her innocence forcefully in the camping

tent. Not only that, but he also refused to admit it. Poor Athena, played with, abandoned, heartbroken... and then..." Christian

clenched his fists tightly and struck the window glass with a punch.

Joyce's nerves tensed along with Christian's outburst. As if unable to continue, Christian finally closed his eyes, took a deep breath,

and said, "Athena accidentally fell off a cliff."

Joyce was taken aback by the revelation. She didn't expect such a turn of events.

She cautiously asked, "So, your sister... she died?"

Christian's silhouette stiffened, "Yes."

Indeed, everyone at the tbelieved that Athena had died.

After the accident, he went mad and mobilized numerous people to search for her. When she was finally found, she was barely

her heartbeat had already stopped.

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