Winning brought attention.

Attention brought approval.

And approval was the closest thing to affection his father seemed capable of giving.

At twenty-seven, Derek had almost half a million followers across his social media accounts.

His manager, Miles Trent, believed that number could triple.

But they needed something special for Christmas.

Something shocking.

Something people would share.

Their previous videos had become predictable.

Derek defeating amateur fighters.

Derek insulting opponents.

Derek mocking people who refused to spar with him.

The audience was getting bored.

So Miles arranged what he described as a Christmas promotional event.

A surprise appearance at Northbridge Mall.

A confrontation with Santa.

A few jokes.

Maybe a harmless wrestling demonstration.

The footage would be edited into a viral holiday video.

Derek had laughed when Miles explained the idea.

“You’re telling me people want to watch me fight Santa Claus?”

“They want to watch Santa try to fight you,” Miles replied.

“What’s the difference?”

“About two million views.”

Derek agreed immediately.

But there was something Miles didn’t tell him.

The mall’s property management company had recently entered negotiations with Graham Sloan’s investment group.

Graham wanted to convert a large section of the mall into a luxury fitness and combat-sports entertainment complex.

He wanted a flagship gym, a retail showroom, and a premium training facility.

The proposed location included the Christmas photo area, the charity’s year-round storage rooms, and several adjoining spaces used by community organizations.

The Red Door Project had a long-term occupancy agreement.

Removing it would be difficult.

Especially during December.

A public safety incident, however, could provide justification for suspending operations while the mall reviewed its obligations.

And Graham had discovered something else.

The old man playing Santa Claus wasn’t an ordinary seasonal employee.

He was Arthur Bell.

A former national judo champion.

A man with decades of experience controlling aggressive opponents.

A man who would almost certainly defend himself if somebody attacked him.

Graham understood exactly what that meant.

If Santa fought back, the footage could be presented as evidence of an unsafe Christmas attraction.

If Santa didn’t fight back, the confrontation could be used to argue that the charity’s events were poorly secured.