PART 3THE AWAKENINGOnce the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.~John O'Donohue  CHAPTER ELEVENShe could hear the hands of the nearby clock ticking. There was a cackling noise, probably from the modern fireplace warming the room. Someone was on the phone. It was a deep melodious male voice. Clair found the sound of it soothing.Strange."Yes Alice. Just for two weeks. I want you to shift all the meetings I'll be having till then, the ones that cannot be postponed, have Stanley stand in for me." A minute. Two minutes.

The botanical garden was a real sight to behold. There was a full collection of all kind of plants, shrubs and flowers. Clair was sure she has never seen as much plants in one place in her whole life on this earth. The whole place looked like tourism material. Not having a vast knowledge about plants, Clair however did recognya few of them.There were azaleas and rhododendrons, lily ponds arranged in some a breathing sequence, dogwoods, and much more. Beside the pond, Clair could see an orderly arrayed line of  tropical fruit pavilion, Montgomery Palmetum. There was also a giant waterfall exhibition at the center of the garden, the waterfall gave way to a water channel that veined the whole garden. The effect of the whole arrangement was nothing short of breathtaking. Clair was sure that jaw was already hitting the the floor. She couldn't wait to tell Hailey about the place. If only to appease her sister's anger, because angry she will be when Clair recounts the events o