William's grip on his platinum fountain pen loosened as Samuel's words provided the reassurance he needed.

Samuel exhaled quietly in relief. Thank heavens for his quick thinking, or the coming days would have been catastrophic.

"I'll maintain constant surveillance on the situation there, sir," he immediately added. "I won't allow those despicable lowlifes to harm her in any way."

"Excellent," William responded, finally shifting his attention back to his computer screen to resume his work.

The atmosphere in Stellar Group's conference room was unbearably tense.

Though never a corporate giant, the company had always maintained stability and never faced such a devastating crisis before.

At their wits' end, none could conceal their growing anxiety and panic.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"Elise, have you devised a solution yet? If this continues, I fear our company might..."

Sophia deliberately let her sentence trail off while maintaining a concerned expression. Elise glanced at her, fully aware of who the true mastermind behind this crisis was.

Her tactics hadn't evolved over the years—Samuel was merely her accomplice at best.

Turning to address the others, Elise declared, "We'll honor all customer refund requests. Follow the complete procedure for every customer who asks—no questions asked, including items that show signs of wear or damage."

"Impossible!" Gary Bryant protested anxiously. "Ms. Scott, our autumn collection consistently sells at least 50,000 units nationwide. The company can't withstand such massive financial pressure if we refund everything!"

"Please let me finish," Elise responded calmly, maintaining the composure she'd exhibited throughout the meeting.

Since she had restructured Stellar to some extent, most key figures in the company had become genuinely committed to working under Elise's leadership. Though they had concerns about this crisis falling squarely on her shoulders, they found themselves impressed by her unexpected calmness.

Indeed, a twenty-five-year-old woman's self-control amid such a massive scandal certainly surpassed the anxious crowd's expectations, making them sincerely willing to follow her directions. "Accepting refunds is our first step toward reputation recovery. Second, Finance needs to calculate our projected losses, assuming fifty percent of all refunds proceed and including all outstanding supplier payments. I need the capital loss figure today... My apologies, but this means the Finance department will be working overtime."

Iker Kinley, head of finance, promptly responded, "Understood. I'll arrange it immediately."

"Third step—we're organizing a press conference tomorrow. PR will notify all major media outlets in Crestwood, but there's no need for bribes or persuasion. However, the PR team must maintain positive relations to prevent negative preconceptions before we begin, and naturally, that includes preparing everything for the press conference: stage setup, refreshments, beverages, and similar details."

"Yes, Ms. Scott," Stacy Dawson—the PR director—quickly acknowledged.

"Finally, every department head must maintain order within their teams and prevent employees from causing disruptions during this crisis. Additionally, once we leave this room, everyone is prohibited from discussing this situation with anyone outside the company. Violators will face immediate dismissal and appropriate legal action."

"Yes, Ms. Scott," all department heads responded in unison.

"Until we reach the conclusion, no one knows how this will end. I understand everyone's concerns, and while I can't promise a perfect resolution to this mess, I hope everyone will trust that I'll never abandon Stellar Group."

As Elise finished speaking, she rose to her feet and bowed slightly, catching everyone by surprise.

She had always been authoritative, never this humble before.

"I believe in you, Ms. Scott!" Gary was the first to speak up. "Everyone has a past, and I don't believe you've done anything wrong. I'll support you to the end as long as you don't send me away!"