Jason Van Glare awoke with a start; bad dreams had plagued his sleep. He took a few breaths of calming air before he finally threw off his blanket. Slowly, he left his bed and readied himself for the morning he had ahead. Within fifteen minutes, he’d showered, brushed his teeth and dressed, only once, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. Pale white skin and soul-piercing red eyes, almost like those of a vampire. His soft white hair was a puffy mess, but he kept it that way, even if he didn’t like it when people called him cute because of it. His neutral expression was almost cemented into his face, in fact, he almost never smiled. He wore a dinner jacket over a red shirt with a wing collar, black trousers and as his own personal touch, he wore polished leather military boots that reached half-way up his calves.

It wasn’t even 8:30 yet and already he was looked like he was about to attend a cocktail party. As he gave his hair a small fix, a knock came from his bedroom door. He opened it to find an elderly valet waiting for him

“Good morning, master Glare.” The valet greeted with a friendly smile

Jason scanned the man up and down. He was the new valet he’d recently hired. He around seventy, though his wrinkles gave his appearance a bonus ten. Said he’d taken the job to make a little money on the side to spoil his grandchildren, seemed like a nice family guy

“Same to you,” Jason replied, his voice low and apathetic

“The car is waiting to take you to AlphaTEK whenever you’re ready.”

Jason replied with a small nod as he started to walk away.

The valet followed but kept a few steps behind. He hadn’t even been acquainted with master Glare for more than thirty seconds and already he could already sense something that there was something different about him. An eerie cold seemed to resonate from him, one that chilled the old valet to the bone.

The Van Glare manor was not your typical manor. No, it wasn’t like others: it wasn’t large and confusing; it didn’t require a dozen maids to uphold and function. The Van Glare manor was relatively small, around the size of a large house. The third floor was his private study and room. He preferred to be alone when he worked. The second floor was the living quarters for all the maids. Even though the manor wasn’t very big he still employed 5 maids to keep the place neat and tidy. Plus they made it feel alive as opposed to his ghostly atmosphere. The first floor was where the kitchen and dining room were held. At best he could hold a party of at the max seventy people. Finally came the yard, a very beautiful welcome sight; thanks to his maids. They kept the front yard’s grass trimmed and the back-yard pool’s water bight, clean and clear.

All of those things made the manor an extremely lovely place, but what Jason found great peace in was the quiet atmosphere that flowed throughout the floors. That was why he’d bought the manor in the first place. Nice and quiet, just right for him

As he opened the front door, Jason took a moment and allowed the rainy day air to greet him. The valet came to his side and gestured to a black business car that waited for him. The parked car had its windows tinted black and license plates removed. One could never take chances with security measures.

“Are you ready sir?”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he opened the back door, but as he was about to get in, he paused. He turned around and stared back at the manor. A chill had run up his spine as if something watched him with invisible eyes

“Are you alright sir?” The valet asked, “Is there something wrong?”

Jason remained frozen, but after a few more moments, it felt like the invisible presence suddenly disappeared

“No.” he replied, as he sat down in the car

“Alright then, Sir” the valet awkwardly nodded as he closed the door behind him

The valet, himself, quickly got in and prepared to start the drive, but gave a small glance at him in the rear-view mirror. He sat upright but slouched into his seat, his mind in its own little world

Jason didn’t even notice as the car started to move. He was still so focused on the strange sensation he’d felt. For some reason they made him feel uneasy. He took note of that strange feeling. He wasn’t one to feel uneasy.

“Master Glare,” the valet coughed to break the awkward silence “Pardon my faulty memory, but I almost forgot to wish you a happy birthday”

Almost immediately, the temperature in the car seemed to drop below zero. The valet gulped. Had that hit a nerve for some reason? If Jason had been sitting in the passenger seat, he would have seen how badly he’d shaken the valet with his cold behavior.

He raised his head to the mirror, which allowed his soul-piercing red eyes to stare into the valet’s soul

“Thank you” he finally replied, as he closed his eyes

The valet didn’t reply but managed to calm his nerves enough to keep the car steady. He sighed. Jason Van Glare was a very intimidating person. He pondered the thought. Most enjoyed their birthdays. Didn’t he?