Chapter 287

Chapter 287

When Hannah entered Stella's office, she found the place in complete disarray.

She silently bent down to collect the scattered items from the floor, then handed Stella a performance report. "Katherine's presence has significantly increased foot traffic throughout the mall. While most of the spending centers around her shop, it's boosting sales in other stores too. We should consider adding mobile food and beverage stations—the revenue potential is substantial."

"It's not your place to tell me how to run my business!" Before Hannah could finish, Stella hurled her glass tumbler across the room, where it shattered near Hannah's feet.

The soundproof carpeting muffled the impact, leaving the broken glass to settle with barely a whisper. Hannah, unfazed by such outbursts, calmly retrieved the fragments and placed them on the nearby coffee table.

"Ms. Brown, I'm part of the executive team, and this falls within my job responsibilities. Whether you choose to listen is your prerogative, but I'm obligated to present these findings—it's what I'm paid to do." Hannah's voice remained perfectly steady.

Her unflappable composure only fueled Stella's rage further. She grabbed her phone and summoned her personal assistant, Madeline Eve.

Hannah tactfully excused herself, closing the door firmly behind her. She had no interest in eavesdropping—her sole purpose at the Wilson Corporation was executing her duties with precision.

"Get me five security guards right now, and tell them to trash Katherine's shop!" Stella's voice shook with fury.

Madeline's face paled, but she didn't dare question the order. Within minutes, five burly guards appeared, each gripping a baseball bat.

Stella snatched her phone from the desk and personally led the group downstairs. 

In the elevator, Madeline finally found her courage. "Ms. Brown, this is our own mall, and there are customers everywhere. Perhaps we should reconsider—"

"Katherine has violated her lease by unauthorized modifications and selling outside merchandise for personal profit. I'm not asking you to destroy everything—just remove her illegal additions!" Stella turned to address the guards behind her. "Make sure you only target her unauthorized installations. Don't damage anything that belongs to us!"

The guards nodded eagerly. Getting paid to cause destruction? Who wouldn't jump at such an opportunity?

Katherine was still serving customers when the sound of shattering glass pierced the air. Her handmade welcome sign lay in pieces by the entrance.

Screams erupted throughout the store. Monica immediately leaped from her chair, positioning herself protectively in front of Katherine—her boss deserved proper protection.

"Who are you people? This is destruction of property!" Katherine frowned while simultaneously calming her frightened customers and moving toward the commotion.

Stella pushed through the crowd. "Remember what I told you—stick to the plan!" 

The guards charged into the shop, systematically destroying Katherine's carefully arranged displays.

Amid the chaos, some customers retreated to watch the spectacle unfold, while others simply left in disgust.

Katherine stepped into the doorway, blocking their path. "What's the meaning of this? Didn't you say I could work off my debt through commission? I've been driving traffic to this mall—how is that wrong?"

Several loyal customers rallied to Katherine's defense. 

"Having Ms. Wilson here is a blessing for your mall!" 

"Without her skills, who would bother shopping in this dump?" 

"If you don't want to make money, then close down!"

Stella produced a formal warning notice and slapped it against Katherine's face. "These unauthorized fixtures don't belong to the Wilson Corporation. We never approved this type of business operation. How exactly are we supposed to account for this revenue? If it goes to your personal account, you're using company property for private gain—a clear violation of your contract terms! This is your official warning: remove all these unauthorized services immediately. I hired you as a sales associate, not to run your own business on our premises!"

Katherine had already endured one previous incident, but she couldn't keep closing the shop every time someone caused trouble.

Monica watched Stella's mouth moving with increasing irritation, unable to contain her anger any longer. "We charge fair prices and offer customer perks. Your mall doesn't even provide basic amenities like food or drinks. What's wrong with a little customer service?"

The guards ignored all attempts at reasoning. Within moments, they had demolished half the shop's setup, making it impossible for Katherine to continue operating.

Stella smirked with satisfaction, turning her disdainful gaze toward Monica. "I don't recall this person being on our payroll. Having her assist you here is also a violation. Katherine, you've committed so many infractions that as the manager, I'm duty-bound to stop this behavior and set an example for others! If everyone decided to operate whatever business they pleased within their assigned spaces, how could we maintain any semblance of order in this mall?"

"If everyone performed like Katherine, this mall wouldn't be hemorrhaging money the way it is, Ms. Brown. I tried calling you several times, but when you didn't answer, I had to come see for myself." Flame emerged from the crowd, followed by a familiar figure—Hannah.

In that moment, Katherine finally understood where Hannah's unshakeable composure originated. It was the same relaxed confidence that Flame possessed.

The realization hit her: Stella had long suspected that Sterling Capital Group had planted someone within her organization, but couldn't identify the mole, leaving her paralyzed with uncertainty.

Hannah met Stella's gaze directly. "I was in the executive office when Flame couldn't locate you, so she checked the security monitors and came down here."

Flame bent down, picked up the warning notice, and tore it in half. "Ms. Brown, this should have been a private discussion between us, but your refusal to capitalize on profitable opportunities is becoming problematic."

Faced with Flame's presence, Stella's bravado evaporated instantly. With core technology still in her company's hands, antagonizing the primary investor would be catastrophic.

She lowered her voice defensively. "But these activities clearly violate our established policies and lease agreements. Requiring her to cease these operations is perfectly reasonable—it's standard corporate governance!"

"Any policy that prevents profitability gets revised. If this continues, I'll have no choice but to recommend that headquarters withdraw our proprietary technology. Yes, we'd face substantial breach-of-contract penalties, but we can afford them." Flame repositioned herself, effectively shielding Katherine from Stella's view.

Stella remained defiant. "These are just walk-in customers, not contracted accounts. Sacrificing established protocols for short-term gains hardly seems worthwhile!"

"Who says these aren't contracted accounts?" A deep male voice cut through the tension.