Wolf’s task was easily seen as the most difficult out of all of them, and he knew that himself. That was exactly why he had decided to take it upon his shoulders. Someone had to handle it, and if anyone was going to do it properly, it had to be him.
From reading the reports and speaking directly with the guards, it was clear that employees had been doing a number of strange things, things that were directly affecting the shops in ways that weren’t immediately obvious at first glance.
Some employees had been arguing openly with customers, offering poor service without any care or professionalism. That alone was unacceptable, especially in a high-end store like this, where reputation and experience mattered just as much as the products being sold.
Other employees were stealing directly from the tills, slipping money into their pockets when they thought no one was watching. Then there were those who weren’t even after money. They were trying to cause scenes, intentionally stirring up incidents that could be filmed and spread online.
They filmed certain moments, messes, and arguments inside the shops, often ones they themselves had caused, hoping to spark some sort of viral backlash. Because the incidents were so different and were happening across several stores, Wolf found himself wondering whether they would even manage to catch one of them in the act.
’What I also need to think about,’ Wolf thought as he walked, ’is how to stop others from being convinced to do the same.’
’Once the carjackers have been stopped, the message will pass on quickly. Same with the other incidents, once people know guards are here, it will discourage most of them. But even then...’
His eyes narrowed slightly.
’Even if I manage to calm down a situation, they’ll continue trying to cause trouble in different ways.’
Wolf knew this wasn’t something that could be solved cleanly. There was no single action that would end it all. For now, he would have to take things as they came and adapt on the fly, dealing with each situation individually.
He continued walking until, as they passed a designer bag shop, a sudden commotion could be heard coming from inside.
"That’s it! I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to report you to the police!" a male voice shouted.
Wolf stepped toward the entrance, and by the time he arrived, a small crowd had already formed, drawn in by the raised voices and tension in the air.
"What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything!" a woman said. She placed her hand over her mouth, her voice trembling as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"What, you think just because you’re a woman, you can use those crocodile tears whenever you want and get away with it?!" the man shouted back. "You make me sick! You’ve been sexually harassing me nearly every day at work! And just now, you kept slapping my backside!"
His voice echoed through the shop.
"I told you it’s not a joke, and I don’t find it funny!"
"Hey, hey, that’s a serious allegation you’re making there, Bark," the manager said quickly, stepping in between them. "If there’s something to talk about, or an incident to address, why don’t we sort it out in private so we can deal with it properly?"
"In private? In private?!" Bark shouted. "What, so she doesn’t get publicly embarrassed and shamed like she should be?"
The tension only continued to rise, the voices drawing more attention. Phones were already coming out as people started filming, whispers spreading among the onlookers.
Eventually, it became too much. Wolf decided to step in.
He leaned casually against a nearby corner, his hands still tucked into his pockets as he spoke calmly.
"We have security footage of all the shops," Wolf said. "Why don’t we just take a look right now? Then we’ll know exactly who’s innocent and who isn’t."
There was no real reason for Bark to decline. He had already achieved his goal of causing a scene, so the result no longer mattered to him. Still, Wolf had his reasons for suggesting it.
He didn’t know if this was a fabricated incident or a genuine one. If it had been real, stepping in the wrong way could have made things worse. This was the safest option, for everyone involved.
They headed to the security room and pulled up the footage.
As Wolf expected, the recordings showed that the woman hadn’t gone anywhere near the man. She hadn’t touched him, followed him, or acted inappropriately in any way during the entire shift.
The truth was clear.
"Well... I guess it must’ve been the wind or something," Bark said, shrugging his shoulders. "Looks like I got it wrong."
The way he spoke made it obvious he didn’t care.
"Hey. Hey." Wolf stepped forward, his voice firm now. "You can’t just go around accusing people like that. For something you were so sure about, you didn’t hesitate to make a public scene."
Wolf glanced back toward the shop floor.
"Did you see how many people were filming with their phones? Regardless of the truth, people are going to believe what they saw. Even if we release a report, that image of her is already out there."
He looked directly at Bark.
"People will always go with what they saw first."
"So what?" Bark replied flatly. "That’s her life, not mine."
He turned and started walking toward the exit.
That was when Wolf moved.
He grabbed Bark by the back of his hair and slammed his face straight into the metal door. The impact was so hard that the door burst open, Bark’s body collapsing forward as blood smeared across the surface.
The sound echoed through the hallway.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen in shock.
Then Wolf stepped forward, moving past the door as he grabbed Bark again, lifting him by the collar. Bark barely had time to react before Wolf’s hand came down hard across his face.
Smack.
Blood sprayed from Bark’s mouth as his head snapped to the side.
"This," Wolf said coldly, striking him again, "is my way of making everyone think twice before pulling something like this again."
Another slap landed, just as brutal as the last, blood splattering across the floor.