Monica couldn’t believe what she was hearing on the phone or seeing on the television.

She stood frozen in the middle of the living room, silk robe loosely tied, hair still wrapped in a towel from her interrupted shower. The wide flatscreen on the wall showed a live feed of the company's lobby, now flooded with reporters, news stations, cameras flashing, microphones stretching over each other like eager hands.

“It seems there’s been a shocking turn of events this morning at Caldwell Technologies,” the reporter said. “Now operating as Valcore Holdings, the company was once the crown jewel of the Caldwell family. And today, it appears the last Caldwell has...