"You bastard—"
The man staggered to his feet, his face red with fury. He started to shout out loud. He stood up, but before he could take another step, two security guards rushed in from the side.
"Sir, step away!" one of them ordered, grabbing the man by the arm.
"Let go of me!" he roared, thrashing violently. The guards struggled to hold him, but they were trained for this. Within seconds, they had his arms pinned and were dragging him toward the door.
"You think this is over?! You’ll regret this, you piece of—"
The man’s voice faded as they pushed him out through the entrance. His curses echoed down the street until the doors finally shut, silencing him completely.
For a brief moment, the entire store became completely silent. Then, as if someone snapped, the crowd suddenly broke into cheers and applause.
It started with claps, until he heard a few shouts and praises here and then. It came from the staff first, before the shoppers quickly joined. The reporters near the corner lifted their cameras, capturing the scene.
All of a sudden, a few flashes from the cameras appeared.
Click. Click. Click.
Joel exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Damn, Boss," he muttered, glancing toward Gray.
"This will surely make a headline."
Gray didn’t respond to it. He already knew that that would happen. Instead of giving attention to it, his gaze flew to the woman who was still on the floor. She hadn’t moved since her husband was dragged away.
Even if the man was already away, her shoulders were still trembling. Her swollen hand was clutching the hem of her dress tightly, as if afraid she’d collapse if she let go.
The applause slowly died down as Gray knelt beside her. The light from above fell softly on her face, revealing the red mark that had bloomed across her cheek from her husband’s slap.
Gray felt pure pity for the woman.
"Ma’am," Gray said gently, his voice was low and calm now. He knew that speaking in a formal tone would just make the woman more tensed.
"It’s okay. He’s gone."
The woman blinked. He slowly calmed down as if she just realized that she wasn’t in danger anymore. Her lips quivered, and a faint sob escaped her throat.
"I-I’m sorry," she stammered. "I didn’t mean to cause trouble... I just... I just wanted to buy food for my son..."
Gray shook his head. "You don’t have to apologize."
He looked around and his gaze landed on he scattered groceries. Some were already crashed, while there were some that were already leaking from torn packaging.
"You did nothing wrong. Ma’am."
She glanced at the mess, tears spilling again.
"I... I-I don’t know what to do anymore.
Gray looked at the woman. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Then, quietly, he reached out and picked up one of the fallen cans, setting it gently beside her.
"Don’t worry about these," he said softly. "We’ll replace everything. You can take them home. Free of charge."
The woman looked at him with wide and stunned eyes.
"N-no, I can’t... I can’t accept that—"
"You can," Gray said firmly, but his tone remained to be kind. "And you should. It’s the least we can do, Ma’am."
He glanced over his shoulder and called out to Joel.
"Joel, get someone to gather everything she bought and replace what’s damaged. Add in a few extras that she needs."
Joel nodded immediately. "On it, Sir."
With Gray’s words, a few employees moved quickly together with Joel. They gathered the fallen items and carefully placed them into new bags. Their movement were quick and gentle.
The woman covered her face with her hands, crying softly.
"Thank you... Thank you so much..."
Gray stayed kneeling beside her for a few seconds, giving her time to breathe. The whispers from the onlookers faded little by little as people began to disperse. With everything back to normal, they continued to shop.
Some even went to grab more items, pleased by the service that they had just seen.
"Boss," Joel said quietly when he returned from picking up the goods. "Security already called the police. They’re gonna keep an eye on the guy outside until the officers get here."
Gray nodded slightly. "Good."
After hearing that Joel left again.
"Let me help you up." He turned back to the woman and offered his hand
She hesitated, then slowly placed her trembling hand in his. Her palm was cold and delicate in his grasp as he helped her to her feet.
"Do you have anyone you can call?" Gray asked.
The woman wiped at her tears with the back of her hand.
"My sister... She lives nearby."
"Alright," Gray said softly. "We can wait here until she arrives. You’ll be safe."
The woman nodded faintly, her voice breaking again.
"Thank you... You’re very kind..."
Gray gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Just doing what anyone should."
Joel came over again, handing the woman a set of carefully packed bags from the store. "Here, ma’am. Everything’s replaced. We also added a few items you might need, as long as a first aid kit."
The woman looked at the bags, then at Joel, and back at Gray. Her lips trembled again.
"I’ll... I’ll never forget this," she whispered.
Gray gave a small nod. "Take care of yourself—and your son. That’s what matters."
She pressed her lips together, tears pooling in her eyes again. This time, they weren’t just from pain, but her gratefulness.
When her sister finally arrived minutes later, the two women embraced tightly. The sister gave Gray a deep bow of thanks before helping her out of the store.
As they left, Gray stood silently by the entrance, watching until they disappeared down the street.
"You did the right thing, Boss." When he saw that Gray was finally alone, Joel approached again, letting out a long exhale.
Gray looked down at his bruised knuckles, flexing them slightly. The skin was raw and red, but it didn’t hurt much.
"Maybe," Gray said quietly. "But I wish it hadn’t come to that."
Joel crossed his arms, nodding slowly.
"Still. It was the only thing we could do at the moment."
Gray didn’t reply right away. He just exhaled slowly, straightening up.
"Let’s clean this up," he said finally, his voice calm again. "Then we move on. The day’s not over yet."
"Yes, Boss," Joel said with a small grin. "But I think everyone’s gonna be talking about this for a while."