After ending the call with Samuel, Sophia's eyes turned vicious.

There was more to her desire to expose Elise than what she had told Samuel.

She wanted William to be utterly repulsed by Elise.

That would give her the perfect opportunity to steal him away.

Following a week of unprecedented sales, Stellar Fashion's autumn collection faced nationwide shortages.

Instead of implementing scarcity marketing, Elise immediately authorized another large-scale production run.

She never anticipated the autumn line would sell out completely.

Her philosophy in fashion mirrored her mother's.

They both believed in making their personally designed clothing accessible to as many people as possible.

However, just as production concluded and the second batch prepared for market release, a scandalous exposé made headlines.

The shocking article was titled: The Shameful Rise of Elise Scott, Owner of Stellar Group.

The details were elaborate and specific.

It claimed Elise had cheated on Samuel with multiple men during their relationship.

According to the piece, her affairs with these men enabled her successful takeover of Stellar Group.

The article also alleged these connections propelled Stellar Fashion's sudden popularity, generating millions in profits.

Public outrage erupted instantly across social media platforms.

[Elise Scott is disgusting! How could she cheat with so many men?]

[Poor Samuel Mitchell deserves so much better.]

[She doesn't appreciate Samuel wanting to marry her despite her history.]

[I was starting to appreciate local designs through Stellar Fashion, but this ruins everything.]

[Let's boycott Stellar Fashion, sisters! No more purchases from them.]

[I've already requested a refund for my order.]

[I worked so hard to get one of their dresses, but I'll never wear it now.]

Simultaneously, Samuel posted an announcement on his social media account.

[Elise Scott and I amicably ended our relationship some time ago. We kept it private to avoid wasting public attention. I have no comment regarding Elise's current situation. Please stop direct messaging me about this.]

His statement effectively confirmed the cheating allegations.

Elise's reputation plummeted to rock bottom.

Chaos erupted throughout Stellar Group headquarters.

The sudden crisis created pandemonium from executive offices to ground floor operations.

Elise's scandal triggered massive refund demands across all online platforms and physical retail locations.

The public relations team faced mental breakdowns as angry calls flooded their lines twenty-four seven.

Through it all, Matthew stood respectfully in Elise's office.

He watched her eerily calm expression with growing concern.

Nobody could maintain such composure under these circumstances.

Matthew wondered if she was simply enduring the storm or possessed extraordinary inner strength.

He observed silently as she scrolled through her phone.

She examined each compromising photo from the exposé.

Every image showed potential sponsors she had courted for Mitchell Corp.

They depicted uncomfortable situations where men had overstepped boundaries.

Now Samuel was using those moments as evidence of her infidelity.

The irony was both tragic and laughable.