Chapter 279

"With all that debt hanging over your head, you think commission alone will dig you out? You'd be better off taking out a loan than wasting time here. Your kid touched the merchandise and bit someone—that debt isn't going anywhere."

"If you ask me, all these little brats should be leashed and muzzled when they're out in public."

Katherine had heard enough. She slammed down the clothing rod with such force that the entire rack screeched as she single-handedly repositioned the heavy metal fixture.

"I think it's staff like you who deserve that treatment. Why don't we start with you?"

Katherine's gaze locked onto the woman, who rose from her seat, smoothing her clothes as she approached. Despite Katherine's slender frame, the woman clearly felt emboldened.

"Say that again!"

Katherine's lips curved into a cold smile. "You know those were fighting words, yet if you'd bothered to learn the facts, you'd realize your staff was at fault. My children are well-behaved and perfectly lovely."

She added coldly, "Every word out of your mouth reeks of bias. You talk a good game, but it's all loaded nonsense. You'd better apologize—and fast."

Katherine was no pushover anymore. Once upon a time, love had blinded her completely, making her follow Wayne with foolish devotion. Back then, romance consumed her every thought, leaving her defenseless when trouble struck. But that Katherine was long gone. Now, as long as her children's safety wasn't threatened, she'd do exactly as she pleased without suppressing her temper.

The woman rolled up her sleeves, cracking her knuckles as her face flushed with rage.

"I was trying to help you out, but you won't listen. Someone told me to teach you a lesson, and I actually felt sorry for you. But now I see—there's always something contemptible about those we pity."

The woman lunged forward, aiming for Katherine's hair. Katherine sidestepped effortlessly, hooked her foot around the woman's advancing leg, grabbed her arm, and executed a perfect shoulder throw. In one fluid motion, she dropped to one knee, pinning her opponent completely.

This was barely a fraction of Katherine's capabilities, but her opponent was clearly outmatched. Pinned to the floor, the woman howled, "You're hurting me! I'm telling Ms. Brown—first day on the job and you're already attacking coworkers! You're nothing but trouble!"

"Katherine, let her go. Are you here to work or cause problems?" Hannah appeared in the doorway, clipboard in hand.

She hadn't gone far—just making rounds to check other shops and employee attendance. On her way back, she'd discovered Katherine and the woman locked in combat.

"Ms. Zimmermann, you need to handle this! Her son goes around biting people, and now she's attacking staff. Like mother, like son—these people will only cause chaos here! She needs to be fired!"

The woman beneath Katherine's knee raged indignantly.

How absurd. Katherine had genuinely hoped to build this store into something successful, assuming her coworker would share in the commission and naturally want to work together. Instead, she'd failed before even starting.

Hannah wrote out a citation and handed it to Katherine.

"One warning. You can't stay here anymore. Take the corner spot—the empty store."

The slip documented the time and reason for the warning. Two more incidents would risk termination.

Katherine released her grip. The woman smirked triumphantly, "Ms. Zimmermann, you should keep a closer eye on people like her. Alone in a store with no supervision—who knows what kind of damage she'll cause."

Hannah remained silent. This was only Katherine's second encounter with her, and the woman seemed like an emotionless automaton, focused solely on completing her duties while remaining utterly indifferent to others' thoughts and feelings.

Though curious about Hannah, Katherine had to admit such people were the least likely to create workplace drama.

Hannah gestured for Katherine to gather her things and follow.

At the corner store, Katherine was hit by the overwhelming stench of ammonia. She instinctively covered her nose.

"I gave you a decent spot initially, but you didn't appreciate it. Now you're stuck here. If you still can't pay your debts, that's your problem to solve. Do your best." Hannah updated her records.

Katherine nodded. "Thank you."

Hannah looked up, slightly surprised. "Thank me? Are you trying to bribe me?"

"No, you're just a secretary—many things are beyond your control. I'm simply thanking you for initially choosing a relatively decent location for me. My earlier outburst was my fault."

Most people in the mall had lukewarm relationships with Hannah. She was genuinely antisocial, with zero desire for interaction, completely uninterested in others' conversations or opinions regardless of what they said.

Hannah's gaze lingered on Katherine for a long moment, though she said nothing. After double-checking her records, she walked away without looking back.

Katherine covered her nose while eyeing the nearby restroom—clearly her first priority. This was the most remote bathroom in the building, rarely visited by customers and consequently cleaned infrequently by maintenance staff.

The supply closet was next door. Katherine stuffed tissue up her nostrils, donned protective coveralls, and entered the restroom armed with cleaning supplies.

In a distant corner, camera flashes flickered continuously. An absurd narrative was slowly taking shape, though Katherine remained completely unaware.

During her time with the W Organization, she'd done every conceivable job, including plenty of bathroom duty, so an hour of scrubbing didn't faze her. After changing out of her soiled clothes, cleaning her tools, and spraying air freshener to eliminate odors, she finally removed the tissue from her nose.

The air was noticeably fresher. With the source of the stench eliminated, everything else would be manageable.

This store had the same display issues as the previous one, though with far fewer clothing styles. Fortunately, the pieces were more uniform and could be organized quickly.

Sitting at the front counter, Katherine surveyed the merchandise and immediately conceived a promotional strategy. She created a large poster for the mall's main entrance and registered a social media account to announce the event.

Any purchase over $199 would include a complimentary color analysis and style consultation. The threshold was deliberately low, and soon young women were sharing the promotion across social platforms. Comments quickly reached the thousands.

While information spread rapidly online, Katherine still had considerable work ahead. The styles here were hopelessly outdated—she needed to implement constructive changes that would make customers willing to pay premium prices. The only solution was customization.

By afternoon, people began trickling into the mall, bypassing every other store to head straight for Katherine's corner shop. Gradually, the crowd grew until a long line stretched from the tiny storefront.