Welcome Back!

Brent in his invisible form was watching the restless Irene, pacing back and forth on the floor of her room.

He prefers hiding in his invisible form because if he will show himself to her, she will reject him right away, just like what happened the other day when she attempted to cut her finger.

Witnessing his beloved woman cutting her finger brought intense pain to his heart.

He decided to take it slow with Irene this time.

He won't be able to win Irene's heart if he will force himself on her.

He needs to cultivate patience in dealing with her or else the horrors of the past will repeat in the present times.

Sighing inwardly, he vanished from the room, going somewhere.

A few minutes later.

A hundred miles from the ancestral home's location.

Brent appeared on the rooftop of a sprawling mansion, nestled in a ten-hectare property. The place was located on the outskirts of Evergreen Town.

He scanned the whole property, big changes can be seen around the neighboring areas. He noticed some slight changes to the mansion's appearance, it was altered a little bit. He doesn't mind the changes though. His caretaker has to maintain the place to keep it up to date with the changing times during his absence.

"Home sweet home!" he murmured to himself.

He hovered down and entered his study room through the window. Everything looks the same.

Next, he went to his room and saw the caretaker inside, he was dusting the table and chairs.

The caretaker's name is Thomas, in his early 40's. He instantly turned around after sensing his old master's presence.

"My Lord, is that you?" Thomas asked.

Brent smiled broadly and made himself visible to the caretaker. "Hello, Thomas! Long time no see!" he grinned.

"My Lord, welcome back!" Thomas smiled happily after seeing his old master again.

"You still look the same, Thomas! You haven't aged even a tiny bit," Brent observed.

Thomas chuckled. "Same to you, my lord. You still look dashing as ever. I'm glad to see you again!" he stated.

"How's everything going while I'm in hibernation?" Brent inquired.

"Everything is well taken care of, my lord. Carl did an amazing job in managing your gold and coal mining business. While I focus my time on taking good care of the mansion and the whole property. So far, everything is good," Thomas replied.

"Great!" Brent said. "Anything new while I'm away?" he asked.

Thomas scratches his head. "Um... I got married and Carl as well," he said, fearing the lord would get angry.

Brent looked at his caretaker in amusement. "I see... Congratulations to both of you!"

Thomas looked at the lord with surprise in his eyes. "You're not angry, my lord?"

"No," Brent replied, shaking his head. "Why should I be angry? Anyways, inform Carl that I'm already back! I want to know the status of my businesses during my long absence," Brent ordered.

"Copy, my lord!" Thomas replied. "Do you need anything? Water, tea or juice?" he asked.

"None for now, maybe later," Brent answered.

"Okay. I'll take my leave now," Thomas said and left the room quietly.

It's nice to be back home! Brent went to bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling of his room.

After he awakened from his hibernation, he roamed around the neighboring places surrounding Irene's ancestral home. He discovered that people there owned cars and the modern household appliances he found in those homes impressed him immensely.

The horse-drawn carriages in the past were replaced by vehicles powered by fuels and gas!

Technology has improved a lot in the current times.

What a great time to be awakened!

His mind drifted back to Irene, his current muse and hopefully his last. He wants to spend eternity with her this time. He failed to convince Aurora to be with him through the end of times.

This time, he will make sure that he can convince Irene to embrace his world and accept him for who he is.

Irene seemed to be a strong-willed woman and can't be easily swayed by his charm.

He needs to work extra hard to woo Irene and gain her love and trust so that the mistake he made with Aurora in the past will never happen again in the present time.

A few minutes later.

Thomas returned to the room, pushing a cart laden with food. "My lord, I instructed the cook to prepare some food for you. Please eat something..." he said, placing the dishes and utensils on the table.

"Thank you, Thomas. Where is Carl?" Brent asked.

"He will be here anytime soon. When I called him on his phone he was at the mining site which is four hours drive from here. He was excited to see you," Thomas replied.

"Good," Brent said.

"My lord, if you want to change your wardrobe, I can give you a catalog and have your clothes delivered here," Thomas suggested.

"No need. I will go to the store myself and buy new clothes and shoes. I want to explore the whole city. I'll just wait for Carl to accompany me," Brent answered.

"How about modern appliances in your room, my lord?" Thomas offered.

"Just buy anything that is lacking in my room, I'll leave that matter into your hands," Brent said.

"Leave everything to me, my lord," Thomas responded.

"Ah, by the way... from now on... stop calling me my lord. Call me sir, instead," Brent said.

"Got it, sir!" Thomas said. "Enjoy your food, sir. I'll wait outside," he said and left the room quietly.

Brent went to the table, picked up the spoon, and began tasting each of the dishes. "Delicious!" he commented and began eating with gusto. For him, human foods are delicious just like human blood.

Several hours later.

Brent just finished showering and was currently combing his hair in front of the mirror.

There was a soft knocking on the door.

"Come in..." Brent said and placed the comb on the table. He turned around to see who the visitor was.

Carl was standing in the doorway, grinning broadly at him.

"Welcome back, bro!" Carl said smiling broadly, rushing to his friend's side, enveloping him in a bear hug.

"Nice to see you again, bro!" Brent responded with a smile. "You look the same, you never age!" he commented.

"Of course, our kind doesn't age, we can live for a long time!" Carl grinned.

"Yeah. So how's my gold mining and coal business? Still thriving?" Brent asked.

"Yes, of course! In the coming days, I'll give you a tour to all the properties and businesses that I have acquired through the years using your name," Carl responded.

"Nice to hear that! Thank you for taking good care of my businesses on my behalf," Brent said.

"Don't mention it, what are friends for?" Carl spoke. "Just tell me when you're ready. You can take over the entire business anytime and I will fade away in the background and continue as your assistant," he offered.

"Nah, not too soon. I still have many things to learn about the current world. I've been in hibernation for a century, there are so many things I need to learn first in this new era," Brent said.

"No problem. I can teach you anything and everything you need to know about the current times," Carl reassured him.

"First, I need new wardrobes, shoes and a lot more. And I also need a brand new car, teach me how to drive that amazing thing," Brent stated.

"Sure, no problem!" Carl replied enthusiastically. "What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I want to travel around the city and see with my eyes the marvelous changes that took place in the city," Brent said.

"Okay, I'll give you a tour around the city. You will see tall buildings, malls, and a lot more," Carl spoke.

"I like that! What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Brent said excitedly.

Chuckling, Carl nodded his head, "Alright, let's go!"

They left the room.

Outside the house, the two men can be seen boarding the color brown Mustang car that was parked in the driveway of the house.