The conference room was a cathedral of glass and steel, sunlight filtering through the high windows, bouncing off polished tables that seemed designed to intimidate. Celine had grown up in this room—board meetings, shareholder briefings, family arguments disguised as business discussions. She had learned early how to turn her face into neutrality and answer questions without revealing anything she truly thought.

But she wasn’t a silent heir or a dutiful daughter this morning. She was a ...