Earl was introduced as the silent partner of T.E.C.'s Restaurante, also co- owned by Taneia Ralston and Crystal Perez, who were at a point in their partnership where they could not agree on anything.  Earl often had to intervene as the mediator between them, which became tiresome since he was trying to build a life for him and his brother away from Hallandale.  However, when Taneia and Crystal's bickering started to turn into second-rate schemes, he felt it was time to breach his contract.  This was one thing Taneia and Crystal agreed they did not want to happen, but in the long run, it proved to be beneficial to them.  They would each have equal ownership in the restaurant, which meant they would have to learn the value of true partnership one way or another and work together to solve any problems that arise.  Despite initially wanting to buyout, due to some clever strong arming by Taneia, Earl allowed his shares to stay with the company, but remained firm in his decision to no longer be a partner (silent or otherwise).  His time in Hallandale allowed him to see what he had been missing, including the daily operations of his company, Pryce International.  So, against his brother's wishes, he decided to settle back in Hallandale.  Of course, being back in Hallandale wasn't all hugs and kisses, he had to deal with the likes of Alexander Pierre and his best friend, turned arch-nemesis, Royce Keller.

Royce, who believed Earl's mother to be responsible for his [Royce] mother's suicide, has never been able to let go his hatred against the Pryce family, especially Earl, ironically.  That might be for the sole reason that Earl's mother and father are deceased, so Earl is the easiest target to blame for his (Royce) mother's death.  As for his feud with Alexander Pierre, well, no one in town really likes Alexander, but there is more to this story than what's been revealed.  Anyhow, after settling in Hallandale, barring the occasional run-ins with Alexander or Royce, things were pretty quiet for the Pryce brothers... until Matthew came across a book that revealed his father and Dana's mother possessed the same psychic powers that he and Dana now have.  When Matthew realized Earl already knew, it angered him because Earl had made such a point of discouraging Matthew's powers and telling him that he was just over imagining things.  The fact of the matter was that Earl kept the truth from Matthew at the request of his parents, and because he didn't want Matthew to embrace that life.  Earl considered that the reason for his father's death, which intrigued Matthew because Earl never talked about their father or what happened until now.  It appeared he would hold true to that decision as he refused to get into a discussion about what led up to their father's death.  This also upset Matthew because this was really something he had the right to know and his own brother was lording it over his head.  This ultimately led to Matthew denouncing Earl as his brother.  The rift between them further escalated when Matthew quit his job at Pryce International, and moved out of his brother's home.

Things took a dramatic turn when Earl came back from Springfield and was found to have contracted the blackadder36 virus, a deadly pathogen that feeds off your red blood cells.  His immune system, however, had manage to fight off the virus thus far, but the impact and strength of the virus sent him into a deep sleep.  After weeks of little change, Earl awoke from his sleep, allowing him and Matthew to share a moment of brotherly love.  Since his resurrection, Earl has wasted no time trying to convince his brother to tell Dana how he feels.  Matthew, of course, doesn't feel it's the right time with Earl's condition and Samantha and Brock both awol.  Earl then cautioned Matthew not to wait too long because the right time might pass them by.  Following their conversaion, Earl plotted with Evelin for a way to bring Dana and Matthew together.