The morning after the Rutherford Banquet, the Lockwood family gathered around the long dining table in the main sitting room.Unlike the previous morning, when anxiety had dominated the household, the atmosphere today was filled with cautious excitement.Documents had been spread across the table.Financial projections, company reports, construction proposals, investment records and several pages of notes covered nearly every available space.George Lockwood sat at the head of the table, his expression unusually serious as he studied one of the documents in his hands.Catherine sat beside him, occasionally glancing toward Amelia.Lisa had claimed a seat nearby and was already going through the details of the opportunities they had discussed the previous evening.Amelia sat quietly, listening.Even she found it difficult to believe how quickly things had changed.Only yesterday, the Lockwood family had been worried about their declining business prospects.Now they were discussing proj