Rebecca stood in the middle of the living room with a notepad in hand, tapping her pen lightly against the paper as she eyed the space. The afternoon sunlight poured through the wide windows, catching in the dust motes that swirled above the polished floor. She had called in extra staff earlier, and now they were arriving one after another, cleaners, decorators, a delivery boy carrying boxes of fresh flowers.

“Alright,” she said, addressing the small group in front of her, ...