wilderness Liam had just traversed. He'd driven back into the city, leaving the broken-down vehicle for his team to collect later, his m

udgets and timelines, a sharp contrast to the vibrant, untamed heart of the estate. Liam wasn't looking forward to the bureaucracy,

oring over a stack of documents. The Professor looked up, his face breaking into a warm smile. "Liam, my boy! Good to se

anticipated. It feels less like a garden and more like a primordial forest trying to reclaim wh

has always had that effect. It hums with life, with history. Which brings me

st clinical grace, her dark hair pulled back in a severe, no-nonsense bun. Her tailored linen suit, a muted shade of forest green, spoke of practicality and profe

nism, but a profound sense of difference. Where he felt the garden, she would dissect i

eatures before settling into a polite, professional neutrality. She offered a b

ct," Adebayo introduced, a mischievous twinkle in his

as no warmth, no feigned pleasantry, just a directness that Lia

dent, and surprisingly cool. He noticed the faint green stain on her thumb

," Liam began, wanting to set a collaborative tone. "The s

ecies thought to be locally extinct are particularly intriguing. My primary focus, of course, will be species identification, propagation, and establishing viable conservation p

is precisely what gives the garden its soul, what will draw people to it and ensure its long-term preser

rossing her face. "Mr. Thorne, a healthy ecosystem is inherently beautiful. My

isely why you two are such a perfect, dare I say, necessary pairing. Science and art. Logic and intuition. T

ly underscored was the chasm between their approaches. Liam saw a wild, living canvas waiting for a gen

biggest variable of all. Liam, for his part, knew that to truly bring the garden back to life, he'd have to bridge the gap between his instincts and her formidable inte