chapter 4 proposal ring

George wrinkled his brows upon hearing Baldwin's words.
Max suddenly leaned into George's ear and said, "Dad, since Violet refused to comply with us when we play nice, why don't we let her spend the rest of her life with the rapist? Anyway, this rapist won't live for long. When the time comes, she will cry and return to Mr. Zhang's side."
Hearing this, George's expression changed. He smiled slyly and said to Baldwin, "I'll give the impure Violet to you if you are interested in her."
He sounded as if he was passing an enslaved person over to Baldwin. The older man didn't regard Violet as a person, let alone as his granddaughter.
The moment George spoke, Violet's face paled. She knew she couldn't refuse her grandpa, nor did she have the power to refuse him.
However, her parents couldn't accept that a rapist first ruined their daughter's life, and now she had to marry another rapist.
"Dad, how can you treat Violet like this? She contributed a lot to the Qin Family. She is your granddaughter," Zara shouted at George.
Matthew pulled her back forcefully, speaking bitterly, "Forget it. Maybe this is Violet's fate!"
Slap!
A crisp slap fell on Matthew's face immediately, and Zara cursed angrily, "Matthew Qin, you useless piece of shit! You can't even protect your own daughter."
Matthew allowed Zara to beat and scold him without fighting back because he was indeed incompetent. He had no way of protecting his daughter with his current status in the Qin Family.
Baldwin stared at Violet's helpless and desperate gaze, feeling heartbroken. He could only apologize inwardly because only in this way could he protect Violet and Alyssa.
Then, he stated, "It seems that you, old man, have accomplished a beautiful thing. I should present an engagement ring since this is an engagement."
With that, Baldwin abruptly produced an exquisite box from his pocket and then slowly walked toward Violet.
Violet's hand that was holding Alyssa tightened instinctively when she saw Baldwin striding toward her, as the wariness and disgust in her eyes became even more intense.
Meanwhile, Baldwin tried to keep his gaze and smile as gentle as possible. He first said to the little girl, "Alyssa, can I be your father?"
Alyssa looked at Baldwin with fear in her eyes, for she had just witnessed Baldwin's earlier violent behavior.
She shook her head and replied, "My mother won't agree to this."
Hurt appeared on Baldwin's face as he persuaded, "If I were your father, no one would be able to separate your mother and you in the future."
A hint of hope glinted in Alyssa's eyes when she heard this, but she didn't nod. Instead, she gazed at Violet.
Although Violet was wary, disgusted, and terrified, she focused on Baldwin. She could sense Baldwin's heartfelt tenderness toward Alyssa.
This emotion was not something that someone could pretend to possess. Violet was a mother, and she could tell whether someone was earnest or not.
However, she knew that rapists were sadists, and she had witnessed Baldwin's violent actions with her own eyes. She could not even imagine how hellish her future life would be.
Baldwin stared at Violet, taking into the details of her stunning, awe-striking face at a close distance. He actually had an insane and perverted thought crossing his mind, feeling grateful for the mistake he had made in the past.
"I didn't know you were so beautiful," Baldwin suddenly complimented.
Violet bit her lips as a look of dilemma flashed across her eyes. She didn't know that she looked so seductive that even a strong man like Baldwin was transfixed by her.
"I'm sorry..." Baldwin suddenly uttered the three words he had wanted to tell her for the past eight years.
Violet was evidently taken aback. She had no idea why he apologized to her.
Baldwin opened the box and promised Violet, "Please marry me. I will protect you and your daughter for the rest of my life."
This proposal vow was romantic if it came from an ordinary person's mouth, but it sounded different when a rapist spoke it.
Violet grew up dreaming about a romantic, beautiful relationship as a woman. But she had never dated before nor held hands with a man.
And her life was utterly ruined by a rapist.
Violet wished an average man had spoken the words that Baldwin had just said.
But she also knew she couldn't reject Baldwin's proposal as Violet slowly extended her trembling hand toward him.
Such a romantic proposal was a joke to the rest of the onlookers, and they looked on with ridicule and disdain.
"A rapist happened to have a ring. I'm sure he must have robbed it." Max snorted mockingly.
"Maybe it's a street stall goods worth dozens of yuan!" Mockery and scornfulness filled Horace's eyes, and he sounded jealous. He should have been the one to put the ring on Violet today.
Suddenly, Horace took a delicate box from his suit pocket and opened it. The diamond ring, which was at least ten carats, instantly radiated a stunning sparkle under the bright lights.
In an instant, everyone in the hotel gasped. The market price of a ten-carat diamond ring was at least tens of million yuan. They didn't expect Horace to spend so much money on Violet.
"Violet, if you are willing to send the child to a foster home, this ring will be yours." Horace looked at Violet with smugness written all over his face.
Women were defenseless against money and jewelry, so even a proud woman like Violet would be willing to bow down shamefully before a diamond ring worth tens of millions of yuan.
This was what Horace had learned after fooling around with multiple women because he knew that no matter how arrogant a woman was, she would succumb to the seduction of money.
However, Horace's expression turned gloomy soon because Violet never once gazed at him after he took out the diamond ring worth tens of millions.
At the same time, Baldwin slid the ring onto Violet's ring finger. He smiled with satisfaction. "It fits you perfectly."
"That's..." A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes suddenly spotted the ring on Violet's hand.
For a moment, the man looked highly shocked because the ring was actually set with a sapphire the size of a thumb, and he could even see the high luster of the gemstone from around 32 feet away.
The other onlookers spotted the ring on Violet's hand, and the bright blue luster attracted their eyes. Many women even had envious expressions on their faces.
In an instant, the ten-carat diamond ring in Horace's hand paled compared to Baldwin's, and everyone's eyes were attracted to the large and dazzling blue sapphire.
The middle-aged man in a suit said solemnly, "If I'm not mistaken, that gem should be one of the three treasures, the Blue Sea Gem. There are only two worldwide, each worth hundreds of millions."
The onlookers were shocked, and even George and Max's eyes widened when they heard the middle-aged man's words.
If others told them the same thing, they might ridicule the person's statement and brush it off as a joke, but this man in a suit and leather shoes was the most famous jeweler in Haihua City and was also an outstanding jewelry appraiser.
And so, if the gem on the ring was genuine, it was worth two to three of the Qin Family's properties.
Horace, who initially held up the diamond ring arrogantly, became increasingly embarrassed as a rapist was proven to be superior to him.
But George quickly assumed that the gem couldn't be authentic. After all, the treasure came from a rapist. One would be foolish to believe Baldwin could afford a genuine sapphire ring.
Moreover, this rare treasure was currently being worn by an impure woman.
Violet never looked at the ring on her hand throughout the process. Even if the ring was really worth hundreds of millions, what did it have to do with her? She would never accept these things given to her by Baldwin.
She hugged Alyssa tightly again after putting on the ring.
But everyone around them took a deep breath. They were apprehensive that Violet would scratch or damage the gemstone. After all, Violet acted too casually in hugging Alyssa.
After Violet accepted his ring, Baldwin breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "Honey, I'm hungry. Please take me home and cook a meal for me."
The word "honey" repelled Violet. However, she knew she couldn't control what he wanted to say. Judging by his words, it seemed Baldwin had just been released from prison and had nowhere to stay.
She mused, "Am I really going to bring a rapist home to stay with me?"
"Mother, Uncle is hungry. Let's go home," Alyssa suggested abruptly.
Violet finally nodded resignedly after hearing Alyssa's words and walked toward the hotel entrance expressionlessly.
Matthew and Zara followed closely behind.