Blake turned to Dave, his face calm but hard to read. “You know, I used to be an artist. Running a company was never part of the plan. But after taking over the Lawson Group, I saw how much people respected my father. I want to be like him, learn how to lead a company. I’ve heard about the recent stock issue with the Phoenix Alliance Group. Honestly, I’m really impressed.”

Blake’s calm and composed manner caught Bianca and Dave by surprise. Bianca had expected some tension between the two. But things turned out differently. It was clear that Blake had changed a lot over the past six months.

Dave...