The company also faced questions about its own responsibility.
Aurelle couldn't blame every failure on Graham and Patricia.
Diana understood that.
The board had approved growth.
Senior leadership had celebrated strong sales figures.
And the company had allowed the retail division to develop incentives that rewarded revenue without adequately measuring how customers and employees were treated.
The inventory system contained safeguards.
But the exception process lacked sufficient independent review.
The complaints system existed.
But some reports were closed without meaningful investigation.
And the apprenticeship program, created to widen opportunity, had become vulnerable to inconsistent recommendations by managers.
Diana ordered a broad operational review.
But she didn't want a report that merely listed problems and then disappeared into a filing cabinet.
She asked for specific corrective measures.
Clear responsibilities.
Independent verification.
Transparent escalation procedures.
And ways to measure whether the changes actually worked.
The process required money.
It also required admitting that the company had failed people.
Some senior executives resisted.
They worried about reputational damage.
They argued that publicly discussing the problems might encourage lawsuits or frighten collectors.
Diana listened.
Then asked a question she'd learned from Evelyn.
"If we only protect the image of the company, what exactly are we preserving?"
For several seconds, the boardroom was quiet.
Then the independent chair spoke.
"Our reputation depends on whether the business deserves it."
Diana nodded.
"Exactly."
One of the first changes involved customer complaints.
Previously, many complaints were handled entirely within the store or retail operations division.
That meant a manager could influence how a complaint about their own conduct was described.
Under the revised process, customers could report concerns through an independent channel outside the boutique.
Substantive allegations required documentation and review by people who weren't directly responsible for the incident.
Employees could also report concerns without first seeking permission from the manager involved.
The system wasn't perfect.
No procedure could guarantee that every complaint would be true or every decision would be easy.
But it created a clearer route for information to reach the right people.
The company also reviewed compensation practices.
Sales performance still mattered.
A luxury business needed revenue to pay employees, maintain facilities, and support its work.
But managers would no longer be evaluated primarily on high-value transactions while customer treatment and employee concerns were reduced to minor administrative categories.
Diana wanted performance measures that reflected both commercial results and professional conduct.
Several managers welcomed the change.
Others worried it would make their jobs harder.
Diana understood the concern.
But she wasn't interested in making poor behavior more convenient.
The apprenticeship program changed as well.
Applications were moved to a more structured review process.
Candidates received clearer information about eligibility.