Greythorne Manor had the same look as it did before Irwin had left.
The new paint job had had spiced the manor's homey atmosphere more than he could ever imagine. The yellows and green felt like spring had passed by his home and brought forth its bounty. Of course, replacing the rusting fences and manicuring the lawn had helped sell the new look.
The redesign and restructuring of the estate had nearly cost Archibald a whooping quarter of a million dollars. Granted, most of the cost came from the materials used in the construction, but that still ached Irwin's heart when he first heard it.
"I guess it's all worth it." He muttered as he drove past the metal gate that separated his home to that of Lisbon Valley.
To his left is a mouth-slacked feature of Gordon Walker, the newest member of his team. " I guess you really are rich. Scrooge Mcduck looking-ass house"
Their blue SUV halted at the front of the double door where Ella, clad in a simple white shirt and tight jeans, awaited with an irate expression.
"Looks like your wife's angry at you," Gordon quipped, getting out of the van.
Irwin chuckled, spreading his arms towards Ella as if to placate her. "Why the long face?"
"Shut up!" She yelled, hugging him tightly. "Are you okay? No injuries?"
"None." He replied, relaying the hug as he caressed the back of her head. "I'm alright, Ella."
"Good!" She gave a radiant smile before returning her irritated face. She grabbed him by the ear and scolded her as if she was his mother and had noticed his porno magazine. "Now, what the fuck was that, huh? The damn workers and the priest? You tell me what's going to happen? Alright?"
"AH, fuck! Yes, ma'am." He agreed, nodding at her with a pleading look. "I already said yes, damnit! It hurts!"
Gordone, feeling out of place, cleared his throat, eliciting a blush on Ella's face.
"Ha! Ella, meet Gordon Walker, hunter extraordinaire." He motioned towards Gordon. "Gordon, meet Elizabeth Thorrin, my secretary and, if her mood's right, owner of the house."
Ella hastily pinched Irwin's side, before shaking the calloused hands of Gordon Walker. "You look like a killer, Gordon."
Gordon chortled at her direct words. "That's because I am. I fell in love with the hunter's life."
The man's words came from the heart, and Irwin knew that. He didn't anticipate for the both of them to suddenly have a precocious impression of each other, but he guessed that this was better than Ella being outright hostile to his new employee.
Irwin scanned Ella's reaction and, to his utter surprise, a relieved smile was on her pretty little face.
"That's good. My boy here needs a killer." She said, motioning for the two of them to follow her inside.
"Yeah, he's a big softie." Quipped Gordon, earning an eye roll from Irwin.
The trio entered the manor, revealing the subdued splendors and refined taste of the century-long British aristocrat clan.
The wonderment in Gordon's eyes could not be hidden for long as he scanned the halls multiple times as if strolling around a museum of antiquities; which, if any historian where to peruse the items in the manor, would firmly suggest they donate to one.
Ella and Irwin decided to let the new guy take in the view, its not everyday someone had the opportunity to walk through the treasures of the Greythorne clan.
Settling in the study, Ella left the two to make some juice.
Gordon eyed the rotten spines of the tomes and the dented stains of the oaken office table. "All this must've cost... shit, my whole car."
"And some." Irwin added, perusing the documents that bedecked the ancient table. "Those books there? It came from the Library of Alexandria."
"Fuck you," Gordon replied instinctively, unbelieving of his fact. He went towards the nearest tome and, with great care, uprooted it from its shelf, feeling the bumps and holes on the tome's cover. "The Poems Of Apollonios Rhodios, Volume I. Jesus fucking Christ. T-this is made from-"
"Papyrus. Enchanted papyrus; can't be torn nor destroyed by the sands of time, unless the magik fades." Irwin muttered absentmindedly as he signed the papers authorizing the construction of his proposed garden. "What? You a fan of the Argonauts?"
"Not one bit," Gordon replied, eliciting a chuckle from Irwin. "If this is just in the office, what more do you hide in your basement?"
"A lot more." He replied, giving Gordon a smirk he will never forget. "Now, I'm gonna be busy for a while. Ella is going to set you up in the guest bedroom on the second floor. We're going to talk tomorrow. I'm sure you have a lot of questions."
"Coo. I figured i'd just rent a motel." Gordon's face measured a relieved expression.
"Please, with your skills, you're at least a 3-star hotel."
As soon as Ella came in with a glass of pineapple juice, Irwin told her of Gordon's sleeping situation. As usual, Ella booed Irwin's orders with a smile on her face and led their newest recruit on a further tour of the Greythorne Manor.
Irwin, however, sat in the large office chair, spreading his tired butt on the soft leather seat. Although he had only been away for two days, the documents in the sizable table had been filled to the brim.
He set about at least clearing half of it and that, much to his chagrin, took until the better half of the morning. Most of it pertaining to off-shore assets and rental properties in Europe. Apparently, the Greythornes left in the United Kingdom only had the castle and estate to their name. The rest of the assets were transferred to the current patriarch of the Greythorne clan, who in this case was Archibald.
At exactly noon, Ella came in with a tray of sandwiches and another bottle of juice. "Hey, orphan!"
"I hate you so much." He chuckled, head raising up to her level. "Sandwiches? It's lunch."
"And I'm not your maid." She reminded, placing the tray on the mountain-sized document like a delicious paper-weight. "There's 10 kinds of sandwiches, though. Kinda got into a groove while cooking some risotto."
"You made risotto just for yourself?"
"Nah, I made one for Gordon too."
Irwin groaned at her words, for he had a special place in his heart for Elizabeth's homemade mushroom risotto. In fact, most of her dished had quite an effect on each member of the family, more so now, for none of them knew how to cook complicated dishes.
"So, any news from Garth?" He asked, taking a break from his paperwork.
"Yep. Said he's settled down. Basement construction will take a while, though." She informed. Ella had requested to be responsible for Garth's mission, as well as the manor's daily operations. Granted, of course, that Irwin apprises her of his future plans. "He said thanks for the knife. Did you give him the iridium knife?"
"No. I gave him an Angel Blade." He answered. "Did he say when he'll be coming back for debriefing?"
"Next week. Question: What's an Angel Blade?" Her eyes widened at the name.
"It's a blade... used by angels." He said slowly.
"Like... Wings, halo, lord-thou-smite-thee-living-shit-out-ye angels!?" She cackled as understanding came upon her. "What the hell!? Where did you get it?"
"Somewhere." He answered mysteriously.
"Oh, bullcrap!" Ella guffawed at his response. "God, so, angels are real?"
"Yeah, demons too."
"I know that." She waved her hand. "So, if angels are real... is, I mean, God real too?"
Irwin gazed into her eyes and nodded. Ella fell silent after seeing his response, occasionally bringing her hand to her face just so she can bite her fingernails.
If it were any other person who had just received providence regarding the existence of an all-mighty, all-seeing, creator of everything that is and will be, Irwin would be consoling them or, if possible, not telling them at all. But Elizabeth Thorrin had suffered much worse revelations. She killed her own mother, for Irwin's sake. Not much can deter the woman he will spend his whole life with.
Still, seeing her this way ached Irwin's heart, so he decided to change the subject. "Speaking of the Holy Trinity: Where's Gordon?"
"He said he wanted to see the town. Nice guy." She remarked absentmindedly.
"Is that what you really think of him?" He asked as he steepled his fingers, his full attention now on her expression. "He's going to be here for a long time. I want a pleasant work environment for that guy."
Ella scoffed, contemplating his words. She moved her mouth after a while. "I don't trust the guy."
"I don't expect you to."
"I know. But he's like Sir William. Steady. Resolute. A real killer. Unlike you." She spoke in a critical tone. "I know you, Richard. At least, before the accident. He won't give a rat's ass about consequence. You brought him here because you need-"
"A weapon." He nodded. "He's the greatest vampire hunter on this side of the world, maybe even the entire world."
"Most weapons can kill its owner." She reminded. "Be careful, Richard. Unlike Garth, this one is as dangerous as the Ancestor. We conversed, and he seemed obsessed with killing monsters. That obsession could backfire like you cannot believe."