Chapter 554

At three in the morning, the fake Cedric stepped forward to hold a press conference.

He made a fleeting appearance, tears of remorse glistening under the harsh camera lights as he confessed to every allegation circulating online.

"I sincerely apologize. My actions have not only caused public chaos but have also hurt my beloved wife. As of today, I will officially resign as CEO of Phillips Group to atone for my mistakes. I vow to never set foot in the business world again."

Standing on stage, "Cedric"-impeccably dressed in an elegant suit-bowed deeply, his face a mixture of regret and turmoil.

"Additionally, I extend my deepest apologies for the irreversible harm this scandal has inflicted upon my wife. I have utterly failed in my dutiesas a husband,and for that, I believe the only way forward is divorce.Daniela deserves far better than a disgrace like me.I have never been worthy of her! From the very start,I was drawn to her wealth,power, and status-I never truly loved her. Now that the truth is laid bare before the world, I cannot face her anymore. I will leave everything behind, entrust my lawyer with the divorce proceedings, and ensure I walk away with nothing as a token of my repentance.Thank you."

"Cedric" came, delivered his statement, and disappeared just as swiftly the entire ordeal unfolding in less than five minutes.

Yet mere moments after the press conference,paparazzi caught "Cedric" slipping into an upscale club,indulging in an intimate rendezvous with another woman.

And with that, the carefully curated image Cedric had built over the years came crashing down in an instant.

The internet erupted in outrage."Daniela,leave him!Dump the scumbag!"

The shocking turn of events left the PR manager and the entire tech department reeling.

They glanced at the Cedric standing before them,then back at the Cedric in the press conference footage.

Indistinguishable!

But how?

If the man at the press conference was truly Cedric,then who was the person standing here? The room buzzed with silent confusion,a collective disbelief hanging in the air.

Cedric let out a quiet sigh, his gaze flickering to the press conference footage before he tenderly pulled a blanket over his sleeping wife.

The PR manager, barely containing his shock,whispered hoarsely, "Holy hell! Mr. Phillips is actually innocent!"

The tech staff groaned internally. "We're done for!l think I went too far with Mr. Phillips earlier. I've been calling him a scumbag in my head all this time! How do I even face him now?"

The PR manager hesitated, rubbing his temples."I'd love to know that too. Also, it's been over thirty minutes. Should we wake Daniela up? The internet is practically on fire. If we don't act soon, we're going under. What's the plan?"

The tech staff said, "Forget it. Let her sleep. With the way the public is raging, unless Mr. Phillipsand the fake one magically appear side by side, the only way to calm them down is if Mr. Phillips takes his own life!"

They exchanged weary looks and let out a collective sigh.

Lately, exhaustion had been Daniela's constant companion. When she finally opened her eyes,she found everyone else had dozed off.

She checked the time, her brows knitting together.

She nudged Cedric awake. "I told you to wake me in thirty minutes! What happened?"

Cedric gestured towards his phone. "No point. You would've just exhausted yourself for nothing. I'll head to the office later and figure things out."

In crises like this, the only way to stabilize the company was to follow through with what had already been announced-his resignation.

Stepping down as CEO of Phillips Group and weathering the storm was the only logical course of action.

It was the standard move the executives made when facing major scandals.

The tech department, now awake, caught Cedric's words and their faces instantly fell.

Cedric, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered.

Daniela studied his easygoing expression and let out a soft chuckle. "Aren't you wNorried? You've married a difficult woman, and now you're walking away from the empire you built.Any regrets?" Cedric pulled her into a warm embrace, laughter rumbling in his chest. "Not a single regret. You're worth everything."

The Phillips Group staff collectively shut their eyes in exasperation.

Of all the times,now?

These two were really acting like this wasn't a full-blown crisis.

Daniela freshened up, then invited everyone to sit down for breakfast.

Once breakfast was over, she pulled her hair into a sleek high ponytail and grinned at the team. "Alright,it's time to strike back! The harder we're hit,the higher we'll bounce. I need everyone on board for the rest of the day."

Under the gentle spring sunlight, Daniela stood in a crisp green sweater, her bright, confident smile radiating assurance.

Without hesitation, they set off for Phillips Group.

A restless crowd had gathered at the entrance, but seemingly out of nowhere, a team of men in black moved in, securing the perimeter with military precision. Not even a single fly could slip past them. Hand in hand,Daniela and Cedric stood tall at Phillips Group's entrance, ready to face whatever came next.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Daniela, CEO of Elite Lux and Cedric's wife. Last night, we were blindsided by an unexpected wave of slander, leaving us no time to react. I don't know who held that press conference,but I do know my husband was with me the entire time.We married young and aren't seasoned in handling such rumors, but we ask for your patience as we address this and set the record straight. Thank you."

After finishing her words, Daniela took Cedric's hand and stepped into the building.

Their figures carried both solitude and defiance.

The public admired Daniela's strength while continuing to vilify Cedric for his betrayal.

Inside the conference room, Daniela addressed the employees eager for revenge."Alright, let's all go all out and roast Cedric. You have one hour-crash the servers with your comments."

A wave of confusion swept through the room.

They exchanged puzzled glances. "Huh?" Did they mishear her, or had she misspoken?

Daniela turned her gaze to Cedric. Cedric strolled in, sipping a glass of juice. Catching everyone's bewildered stares, he smirked."You heard her. Get to it."

And just like that, the entire Phillips Group, along with Elite Lux employees, spent the next hour flooding social media with relentless criticism of Cedric until the servers crashed entirely.

This overwhelming storm of condemnation, combined with the fury of uninvolved netizens, soon became known as The Darkest Hour.

Spectators whispered,"Phillips Group is doomed. Even their own employees and Elite Lux staff are turning on Cedric. A large-scale employee backlash like this has never happened before!"

The man at the center of the storm sat in the break room, casually inspecting the juicer, wondering if it was time for an upgrade.