The man in front of me went through the procedures, but he still continued speaking.
"Mr. Corvin. I must ask you one last time, in light of the lengthy and loyal service you have provided this company, are you sure you want to resign? If you are unsatisfied with your package or anything else, they can still be discussed."
I smiled at his words.
"No, Mr. Connors. It is not about any of that. As you know, I was in an accident recently and I...Let's just say it put some things into perspective. I think I want to spend some time with my brother before I think about what to do further."
Mathew Connors, the HR head that I've known for years, and secretly a vampire if his unnaturally pale skin and golden eyes are anything to go by.
I should be scared of him, to be in his vicinity. But I am not.
To him, I may be nothing more than livestock, a lesser creature, but to me, he has been someone I called a friend for a long while now.
And, I think, somewhere deep down, he feels the same.
The creature of the night that took the form of a middle-aged man took off his glasses and stared me in the eyes.
"Gabriel. Tell me the truth. Are you really quitting because of that accident? Did you get some kind of serious injury or something? Because if so, well, I can arrange for some...alternative....treatments, even if it is something terminal."
See? This is why I think he saw me as a friend. If I were still as clueless as before, I would have thought his words meant risky, experimental treatments. But the new context I gained from my past life tells me otherwise. And it is not just his words either. Many conversations that I had with Erika in the past, words that left me confused, now have a whole different meaning now that I have the proper context.
Case in point? Mathew's disguised intent to turn me into a vampire should I take up his offer.
My smile became a bit warmer as he addressed me so informally.
"No, Mathew. Like I said, I just want some time to myself. I think that accident has rattled me more than I believe, and I want some time to reorient myself."
Mathew sighed at my answer before going back to the paperwork.
"Well, it's your choice. I won't bore you with the usual guidelines and ethics expected of you after quitting and reminding you of your NDAs, since I know you and know what kind of man you are, but I will tell you this."
"Should you feel up to it, I am prepared to welcome you back into the fold in the same position in the future. There is no time limit to this offer, so you can take it up whenever you feel ready."
"....Thanks, Mathew. Really."
The vampire waved off my words.
"I am just doing what I should for a loyal and responsible employee like you. We might not appear like it, but we always keep track of how our employees are working, and we always reward those who remain loyal to us."
The exit procedures after that did not take long, after which Mathew walked me to my temporary car.
It was only after I was in my car and drove all the way back home, my enhanced senses always tracking everything around, did I let go of the tension rising within my body.
Despite our friendship, my instincts were still high-strung ever since I walked into that office, and rightfully so.
I have no illusions that, should I prove to be a threat, Mathew would try to kill me then and there, regardless of our friendship.
And then there is Erika.
'Oh god. What do I even do about her?'
I did not like thinking about those two like this, but I must put logic above feelings in moments like these, and my logic tells me that I must be on guard with these two and every other vampire for the sake of my own safety and the safety of my brother. At least until I can get a proper read on how I stack against the vampires and the lycans.
Shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts, I focused back on the present.
With the task of leaving the company done, I must now decide my path forward.
First things first, I need to start preparing for the inevitable.
If I remember right, Michael was targeted by the wolves because of our bloodline, which traced back to the first immortal.
Then, his future wife? Girlfriend? The vampire called Selene walked into the picture, and things escalated from there.
A lot of things happen after that, but the end result is that Michael dies tragically and in excruciating pain in the end, leaving behind a daughter and his girl.
To me, that is a definite no-go.
There is no way I am allowing my brother to die like that.
That means there are a few people who need to go.
First, the Antigen. The damned front company of the Lycans that I remember from the movies.
Based on my memories from this life, they are already a thing, even if they are just a startup at the moment.
I do not remember much about what their whole plan was. What I do remember is them freezing my brother, his potential spouse, and their daughter, and then experimenting on them.
Yeah, fuck that.
There are many differences between my personality from my past life and this one, but there are a few traits that remain the same.
And one of them is how I view my family.
Anyone who touches what is mine will suffer. No matter the consequences.
This is an ironclad truth. One I will always follow no matter the cost.
And Antigen has the potential to cross this line. That is why they must go.
Next on the list are the Vampires and Lycans, specifically, their leaders.
Victor, Amelia, and Marcus. These three must go. They are too much of a threat to both my life and my brother's safety, which goes doubly so for Lucian, who has plans for my brother and possibly me as well, since I share the same blood.
I remember Lucian's story, and I do sympathize with him, but that does not mean I will allow him to ruin my brother's life.
.....Even if it means my intervention might deviate things and make it so that Selene never meets him, and I miss out on having a niece to spoil.
My brother's safety is more important than whatever future family he might have. Hell, he might even end up having a normal family in the future with a human wife and children, which is much more preferable than the vampire/werewolf nonsense.
And then there is Marcus. The damned original Vampire.
If I remember right, he kills off all of his Coven once he wakes up, which also includes Erika.
Again, that is a huge no-no. I will not allow that bastard to kill off the woman that I've come to call a dear friend of mine, even if the feeling may or may not be mutual.
Anyway, these four must also go. But here is the biggest problem.
Even with Extremis, I don't think I am strong enough to defeat Elder Vampires like Victor, Amelia, let alone Marcus, who is even stronger than the original Vampire.
Lucian, I think I can handle as I am now. But for the others, I will need the full power of the Heart-Shaped herb, which is outside my reach for now.
So, I got to start out small.
Track down and destroy Antigen and its Lycan members.
The image of Michael's imprisonment that remains vivid in my mind made my blood boil, literally, as my body temperature started to rise.
It was only when I caught sight of myself in the mirror, showing my glowing white pupils set in molten red eyes, that I calmed down, allowing my body to cool off.
I did not like that look. The face that looked so identical to my brother that I could pass off as his twin, with the only difference being my height, which is slightly higher than his, with my frame being a bit more well-built, a result of both workouts and Extremis, set in a rage-filled expression.
It reminded me of our childhood, where I always had problems controlling my temper. Probably because my mind was struggling with fragmented memories of a life before this one.
Michael used to be scared of my angry looks when we were kids because of my short temper, until I learned to control myself for his sake and never show such expressions in front of him again if I could help it.
With a sigh, I concentrated back on reality.
'First target. Antigen. How to bring it down without things leading back to me?'
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: https://patreon.com/Tiranus2