chapter 12 Touched against the scales

Initially, Hayden planned to have a welcoming dinner for Baldwin as well as use the opportunity to apologize to Violet. But Violet rejected his invitation with the excuse that she needed to pick Alyssa up from school.
Therefore, Baldwin and Hayden made plans to have dinner the following night. He wanted to delve deeper into the inside stories of Haihua City, and he couldn't know everything in detail by just relying on the help of Leif and the rest.
The Qin Family and the Overlord of West Tiger must be wiped out from Haihua City before the start of his mission. This was the compensation he owed Violet for the past eight years.
As the low-cost Chevrolet sped through a spacious urban area, Baldwin could clearly hear the sound of the aging engine.
He took the initiative to be the driver since Violet was still in a state of shock.
Baldwin said, "You should have accepted Denny's Ferrari. That car is worth at least five million yuan."
Viole's face was still pale. She stared out of the car window, her mind blank. Everything today was like a nightmare. She almost witnessed the death of seven people with her own eyes.
When she heard Baldwin's statement, Violet said casually, "Thank you... for your help today."
Baldwin broke out into a grin upon hearing Violet's words of gratitude. However, his face turned taut instantly, saying, "If you are only thankful to me because I saved you, then I hope to not hear them from you again in the future."
Hearing this, Violet turned to face Baldwin, musing, "Is it because he does not want to save me from these circumstances?"
Immediately afterward, Baldwin stated seriously, "Never allow yourself to be trapped in such a dangerous situation again. If you are hurt in the slightest, I will... not be able to bear it."
Surprise filled Violet's pale face, and she looked at Baldwin with mixed emotions.
She could clearly feel how much Baldwin cared for her, but she wondered why.
If he weren't a rapist or an outlaw, Violet would have been attracted to him based on what he did for her and what he said earlier.
"Promise me, okay?" Baldwin wanted to grab Violet's hand, which she placed on her thigh.
Unfortunately, at the same time, Violet lifted her hand to move her stray hair away from her eye. So, Baldwin ended up touching Violet's thigh with his outstretched hand.
Even though she was wearing long pants, Baldwin could feel the softness and elasticity of her leg.
As for Violet, she didn't expect Baldwin to take advantage of her suddenly. She slapped at his hand forcefully.
Slap!
Ah!
Yet, her violent attack did not land on Baldwin's hand. Instead, she hit herself as the pain caused Violet to furrow her brows.
Violet's reaction and speed were incomparable to Baldwin's. Hence, the moment her slap neared him, Baldwin retracted his hand instinctively.
Baldwin almost laughed out loud when he saw what happened. He grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and apologized, "I'm sorry. My apology. That's my instinctive reaction. You can do it again. I won't dodge."
With that, he shamelessly placed his palm on Violet's thigh again.
Violet's eyes were filled with tears, maybe because of the pain or maybe because of grievance, but there was no further action from her as she allowed Baldwin to rest his hand on her leg.
"Just do whatever you want. I'll accept my fate." Violet turned her head to face the car window again.
She had met the Overlord of East Dragon, who controlled half of Haihua City, and found out that the terrifying existence was Baldwin's subordinate.
So now, Violet knew there was no hope for her after she got entangled with Baldwin. She only prayed that Baldwin would not hurt her family after he tortured her.
If Baldwin knew the truth about Violet's thoughts, he would probably drive the Chevrolet directly into the ditch.
He mused, "I must win her over with sincerity so that she knows that I'm a true gentleman."
Therefore, Baldwin, following his impulse as a man, merely pinched Violet's slender thigh lightly and retracted his hand.
"Aren't you curious about my relationship with Hayden Jiang?" Baldwin suddenly asked.
Violet replied lightly, "Not interested!"
Baldwin felt embarrassed when he heard her response. He was ready to brag. Wasn't it true that women loved men who were cool and domineering? Yet, Violet's reaction was one-of-a-kind.

As for Hayden, he was Baldwin's childhood friend. The two of them dropped out of school after graduating from junior high school and then got engaged in fights to collect protection money. Even now, Baldwin gritted his teeth when he thought about his past.
Even though his life back then was cool, he was misled by the gangster movies he watched in his youth.
When Baldwin was eighteen years old, he had already made a name for himself in the underground world of Haihua City while also offending many people at the same time.
He saved Hayden's life on multiple occasions, so from that time onward, Hayden greatly admired Baldwin and listened to every word he said.
Following that, Baldwin was drugged and framed by Perry and was sent to jail for being a rapist.
…
Violet glanced at her watch from time to time during the journey, anxiety written all over her face.
Alyssa ended school at half past five in the evening, and it was already twenty-five minutes past five. Violet feared that she would not make it in time.
"Drive faster," Violet urged Baldwin for the third time.
Baldwin pointed to the long queue of cars ahead with a grimace and said, "Honey, there's a traffic jam."
Violet bit her lips with indescribable anxiety in her eyes.
Baldwin didn't understand what the big deal was when he saw her reaction. They were just going to be late in fetching Alyssa, and that was all. So he stated, "Don't worry. Alyssa is intelligent. She will find a safe place to wait for us."
His words did nothing to comfort Violet. The anxiety in her eyes remained undiminished, and even the hands that gripped the corner of her shirt turned white.
Baldwin was even more confused now. What was Violet worried about? Could there be trouble brewing for Alyssa?
With that thought in mind, Baldwin abruptly slammed on the horn to urge the cars before him to move.
He drove for fifteen minutes for a distance of less than one mile before finally stopping at the gate of the primary school Violet mentioned.
There, many parents had already picked up their children and left.
Meanwhile, Violet pushed the door open and jumped out of the car, running toward the school entrance before the car stopped still.
Seeing this, Baldwin quickly trailed behind her.
From a distance, Baldwin could see a group of people gathered at the school entrance, including students aged around 8 to 9 years old and many parents.
Baldwin heard bursts of mocking laughter when he was around 30 feet away from those people.
"Alyssa Qin, you little bastard, your father is a rapist, and your mother is an impure woman."
"Alyssa Qin, you little bastard, your father is a rapist, and your mother is an impure woman."
…
Baldwin's expression turned terrifyingly gloomy instantly as he strode over.
Among the crowd stood Alyssa with her bag on her back and saliva on her school uniform. Determination and grievance filled her delicate, porcelain-like face at the moment.
There were tears in her eyes, but she didn't cry. No one knew whether she had to endure this kind of humiliation every day.
At least a dozen unruly children were mocking and humiliating Alyssa while their parents stood aside and observed the scene with smiles on their faces. It seemed like they were unaware that their children were facing a critical moment of moral distortion.
A little boy said to his mother, "Mom, this is Alyssa Qin. A rapist ravaged her mom, and she doesn't even know who her father is."
Although the little boy's mother was only thirty years old, her skin had become dull, and she had to cover it with a thick layer of foundation.
The woman looked at Alyssa disdainfully. Then, she said to her son dotingly, "Don't mix around with kids like her when you're in school. She's filthy."
"Alyssa..."
At this moment, Violet ran over, taking in the aggrieved look on Alyssa's face and her messy school uniform. She was upset but suppressed her urge to cry as she carried Alyssa and walked through the crowd.
She didn't want to hear those people's humiliating remarks anymore.
Violet was dressed in professional clothes, accentuating her perfect figure. Many male parents widened their eyes, impressed, while many female parents became jealous when they saw Violet's gorgeous face.