Giovanni’s voice echoed with the kind of commanding precision you'd expect from a top-tier attorney in a legal drama—crisp, resonant, and touched with an almost impersonal authority.

I figured Ms. Wood must’ve given him a heads-up. Time was money for someone like him, and people like Giovanni didn’t bother with pleasantries. They dove straight into the heart of the matter, bills ticking by the minute at astronomical rates.

Eager to keep up, I chirped, ...