On reading the sentence, we get the impression that the top management was in some sort of daydream. 'Reverie' means 'a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts'. 'Daze' means unable to think or react properly or a state of stunned confusion or bewilderment. 'melancholy' means a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause. 'trance' means a halfconscious state characterized by an absence of response to external stimuli, typically as induced by hypnosis or entered by a medium. Hence the blank is best filled by 'collective reverie' (option B), as 'reverie' means 'daydream'. Also wistfully' means characterized by a pensive logging or yearning 'candidly' means free from prejudice; impartial. 'remorse' means 'bitter regret'. Only 'wistfully' fits in the context.