You Hit My Heart by Kylie Stanford

Chapter 1730: Seize the Initiative

Joyce believed what Reuben said. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you saying they're colluding? They've always been?"

Reuben smiled and shook his head. "More than colluding, it's symbiotic. They're comrades, the hidden hands of the royal family,

who engage in dirty deeds behind the scenes to maintain their glamorous facade."

Joyce couldn't help but be astonished. She hadn't expected OGW to have connections to the royal family. If that was the case, it

would be much more difficult to deal with them.

Reuben's dazzling silver hair shimmered in the sunlight.

"Are you not the strongest contender for the throne?" Joyce asked. "Sorry, | might be too direct. Although I don't know much about

the Rohomes royal family, I've read sreports. Besides, you also have half-Pascaylian blood."

Grizela couldn't help interjecting, "Your Highness, although you're not the strongest contender, you're undoubtedly the most

suitable one. The current crown prince is cruel and sinister..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Reuben interrupted her. "Grizela, you're going too far."

Grizela looked aggrieved, tears welling up in her eyes. She suddenly turned and ran away, disappearing into the Bryant family's

villa.

"l apologize. I've spoiled her too much," Reuben apologized to Joyce. "I'm sorry if she caused any inconvenience."

"She's really angry. Should we call her back?" Joyce looked in the direction where Grizela had disappeared, feeling somewhat

worried.

"I'll go check on her. You two can talk," Darrin quickly left his seat and chased after Grizela.

"You may continue," Joyce shrugged. From Kiki, she had learned sthings about Reuben's mother, the story of her being sent to

a mental hospital. It must have been a heartbreaking story.

Reuben sighed. "The crown prince's nis Clint. He comes from a powerful matrilineal family, the Yoshikawa family of Rohomes. |

don't know if you've heard of them."

Joyce shook her head. "I don't usually pay attention to politics. I'm sorry, | haven't heard of them." In fact, she had heard about

them from Luther, but there was no need to reveal that in front of Reuben.

"That's alright. You only need to know that the Yoshikawa family has a tight grip on Rohomes. They have immense wealth and a

dark network. OGW was established by the Yoshikawa family. The current director of OGW, Cloud, is known toas Charity's

adopted son. Charity has shown him great kindness, so Cloud is fiercely loyal. He's extremely skilled, and his Rohomes ninjutsu is

extraordinary," Reuben explained.

Reuben's explanations continued.

Cloud-something about that nmade Joyce suddenly think of the mysterious man in black she had encountered in front of the

Capital Peninsula Bank. He had incredible skills, catching the falling coffee in a way that seemed impossible for an ordinary person.

And on the helicopter, besides Athena, there seemed to be another man. Could he be the Cloud Reuben was talking about?

"Joyce?" Reuben called out, seeing Joyce lost in thought.

Joyce immediately snapped out of it and shook her head. "Oh, Charity. The Yoshikawa family... | feel like I've heard of them

somewhere, but | can't remember. Have | had any dealings with them? It doesn't seem likely."

"Perhaps you have. | know you have sconnections to the Ballard Group," Reuben shrugged. "Il won't hide it from you. I've

conducted background checks on you, so | know sthings about you."

"Connections with the Ballard Group?" Joyce was taken aback. This information seemed to be converging on Athena. It was

definitely related to Athena.

"Well, Charity, when she remarried, entered the Ballard Group's family. So, the Yoshikawa family and the Ballard Group have had

sinteractions," Reuben explained.

Joyce was greatly surprised. How could she have known these undisclosed details if Reuben hadn't mentioned them?

"Why was it a remarriage? Who was Charity's first husband?" Joyce wondered.

Reuben shook his head. "I'm not sure. Perhaps it was a husband of her own choosing, and they had a daughter together. Later, her

husband passed away or for sother reason. In any case, Charity entered the arms of the Ballard Group with her daughter. The

two families have similar backgrounds, so the marriage made sense. The Yoshikawa family didn't object.”

"So, OGW is connected to Charity. Because Cloud is her adopted son, and with her entering the Ballard Group, OGW frequently

appears in Pascaylia?" Joyce analyzed based on Reuben's words, leaving out the last part. Could Charity's daughter withher

previous husband be Athena? After all, Christian had claimed that Athena was brought into the Ballard Group and had no blood

relation to him.

So that's how it is!

Reuben nodded. "You're right. That's exactly it. This time, OGW appeared in Khebury because of Clint's instructions. Their purpose

is related to his desire to obtain the position of Emperor. The general election doesn't start until the end of the year, so they're

making early moves, probably searching for something they need within the Pascaylia region."

Joyce's mind churned with thoughts. She hadn't expected Athena to be involved in the struggle for the Rohomes throne. If Athena

sided with Clint and he ascended to the throne, OGW's power would grow, their background would becstronger, and they

would be even harder to deal with.

She hadn't realized that to bring down Athena, she would have to becan enemy of the Rohomes royal family.

This went beyond just her personal problems. The international situation would be affected as well.

Just as when dealing with Otis, she had to be cautious.

Squinting her eyes, Joyce's expression becdangerous.

"According to what you said, | can only join forces with you to bring down OGW. Many things are beyond my country's scope, and

it's inconvenient forto act," she said, looking at Reuben intensely. She finally understood why he had approached her for

cooperation.

"Similarly, there are things within Pascaylia that | can't handle either," Reuben smiled.

He suddenly reached out his hand. "A pleasant cooperation!"

Without hesitation, Joyce also extended her hand and shook Reuben's. "Indeed. Let's each get what we need. If you have any

plans, we can discuss them."

Reuben's expression beccontent. "No rush, let's see what they do first. | prefer to strike from behind, seizing the initiative."

Joyce nodded.

She looked around and wondered why Darrin hadn't returned after chasing after Grizela.

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