Sophia felt the tension thicken around her.

The truth was, the globally renowned designer known as Lovely had held the top spot for three years straight. Sophia couldn't even come close to her level. Her fifth-place win last year was mostly due to fortunate circumstances.

Still, that single achievement had elevated her to near-legendary status within Stellar Group. The employees regarded her with something akin to reverence.

Despite the quiet disapproval directed at Elise, Christopher Brown made his conclusion. "Perhaps you should consider a macro management role instead? It would simplify things for everyone."

Sophia smirked internally as he openly mocked Elise.

She knew Elise wouldn't have an easy time reclaiming Stellar Group. Aside from Thomas Wright, everyone here was loyal to her and her father, Benjamin Scott.

They were perfectly content to give Elise three months before she inevitably gave up.

"When I was at Mitchell Corp..." Elise began.

"Certainly, they are a high-fashion designer here in Crestwood," Christopher interrupted, not letting her finish. "But you worked in public relations. That has nothing to do with actual design work. They're completely separate fields. Please, don't strain yourself."

Elise stood up. Everyone expected her to storm out in frustration, but she remained perfectly composed.

She retrieved a USB drive and plugged it into the conference room laptop. A series of slides appeared on the screen.

"These are Stellar Group's fashion lines from the past two years," she stated calmly. "It's evident that very little has changed season to season. The design presented by Ms. Sophia Mitchell is nearly identical to previous work. If not for the different color palette, I would have thought it was last year's draft."

"That has been the trend for the past two years," Sophia argued defensively.

Elise let out a soft, dismissive sound. "Didn't you gather any inspiration during your visit to Mitchell Corp today?"

"I am a professional. I don't plagiarize other companies' work," Sophia declared with feigned righteousness.

"And I'm informing you that since this spring, industry trends have shifted dramatically." Elise advanced the slides. "Look at the planned releases from several major international brands. It shouldn't be difficult to see that your designs bear no resemblance to current directions."

Elise was being merciless, but she couldn't tolerate Sophia's lack of effort.

Recycling the same basic design for two years? It was no wonder Stellar Group's market performance kept declining.

Sophia's face darkened as Elise dismantled her arguments. It was true—she had lacked inspiration and hadn't put genuine effort into her designs for the past two years.

With such clear evidence presented, she had no defense.

Even the other department heads, loyal to Sophia though they were, couldn't deny what was right in front of them.

A heavy silence fell over the room. They all felt the sting of Elise's rebuke.

"From this moment forward," Elise told Sophia, "all drafts from your department will require my assessment before production. Additionally, you have one week to prepare a new design. Submit it to me personally by next Tuesday."

She then addressed the rest of the room. "Since none of you prepared the summaries I requested, I expect them on my desk by nine tomorrow morning. Any department that fails to meet this deadline will have their performance marked as null for this quarter."

With those authoritative words, she exited the conference room.

Thomas quickly followed her. The remaining executives stared after Elise's retreating figure, stunned by her commanding presence and undeniable authority.

Had she just given them direct orders? But she was only twenty-five, and a woman!

Back in her office, Elise said to Thomas, "Every department manager is Benjamin's loyalist. I'd love to overhaul the entire company and bring in fresh talent."

"A complete overhaul might make it difficult to secure loyalty," Thomas cautioned. "An organization needs its members to work cohesively."

"Then we make examples of a few," Elise replied. "But the priority is removing Natalie Green. Otherwise, Benjamin will have eyes and ears tracking my every move."

Thomas was genuinely surprised. Elise far exceeded his expectations.

His loyalty was rooted in a debt owed to Elise's mother, but Elise's performance was astonishing.

It was almost like seeing her mother leading the company once more.

Meanwhile, at the CEO's office in Levine Holdings, Samuel Wilson stood behind William.

Samuel had a distinct feeling his boss was distracted but didn't dare interrupt.

He knew better than to disturb William during work hours.

"Samuel," William said, suddenly setting down the document he was holding.

"Yes, Mr. Levine?"

"How are things progressing over there?" William inquired immediately.

Over there?

Where exactly?!

The northern division? The eastern branch? The southern region? The western office?!

Samuel's mind raced across the corporate map before realization struck him. Mrs. Levine!

But hadn't William said to trust her? That was why Samuel hadn't been actively monitoring the situation.

Still, Samuel was quick to adapt.

"I'll find out immediately," he said and left the office.

He returned shortly with a report. "Mrs. Levine convened an executive meeting. It appears it didn't go entirely smoothly. However, it wasn't a defeat either. The executives seemed quite agitated afterward. Our contact mentioned that Sophia left the conference room with noticeably red-rimmed eyes."

William's lips, which had been pressed into a thin line for most of the day, finally relaxed.

He picked up the coffee beside him and took a slow sip. "Mrs. Levine?"

"...Correct?" Samuel replied, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

Samuel nearly voiced a complaint. William was practically smiling.

It was unsurprising, really. Men in love viewed everything through an optimistic lens.

"Also, Mr. Davis called while you were in your earlier meeting," Samuel added, suddenly remembering.

"What did he say?"

"That Amanda Mitchell burst into his office like a rabid dog, causing chaos and nearly giving him a stroke."

"Simply inform him that I'm assisting him in disciplining Amanda... for the disrespect she's shown him over the years."

Samuel was speechless. Nathan would never believe that!

At 10 PM, Elise stretched her arms, realizing she had worked quite late.

She was accustomed to this, however, from her time at Mitchell Corp.

Pushing past memories aside, Elise picked up her coffee mug and stood before the large glass window, enjoying the city lights.

Her primary goal now was to steer her mother's company back on course and prevent it from falling into the Scotts' hands.

Although she told herself she had moved on from matters of the heart... a certain man's face surfaced in her mind.

He was tall, reserved, and commanding, yet possessed a hidden tenderness...

Elise pressed her lips together firmly. She eventually chose indifference.

She held no expectations for anyone these days.

Setting down her coffee, she left her office and returned home. A delivery person was waiting outside her door.

"Ms. Scott?"

Elise was surprised. She hadn't ordered anything.

"One order of heart-healthy chicken soup. Please sign here!" the delivery person said cheerfully, offering a pen.

Elise was about to decline when she spotted 'James' written on the order slip.

Understanding dawned on her. She signed for it and brought the container inside.

As she drank the flavorful broth, she contemplated whether she should thank William... but she ultimately decided against it.

Once bitten, twice shy.