ACE AND ANGER ISSUES-E

Ace put his sunglasses when he dashed to his room, avoiding everyone. His father eyed him suspiciously before he followed Ace. Just before Ace Wagner closed his room door, his father put his foot at the door and prevented it from closing. He locked the door behind him and stood with his arms crossed.

`You want to talk about it?' his father spoke testing Ace's anger.

`I don't know how the fuck it changed again. I thought it had healed', Ace was frustrated and punched the wall, slightly denting it. His fingernails had grown somewhat longer, and his eyes were almost amber.

Jacques Wagner took out an injection from the bottom of Ace's side table and pulled Ace's arm, swiftly injecting it into his vein. Ace Wagner gritted his teeth in anger. He crushed his aviators in his hands, throwing the mangled plastic on the floor.

His father's sharp eyes fell in line with Ace's neck and he lifted the shirt away only to see an almost healing puncture mark on his neck. They looked like a mosquito bite.

`Who did this?', he asked calmly, thinking it to be a rendezvous of Ace, but his gut knew better. He just did not want his fear to be confirmed. If it was another vampire, he would burn the girl down or avenge their business. But if it was the girl who came to their house, he could do nothing about it simply because he never met anyone who could be human and a vampire at the same time. Or was she a vampire in the first place? Perhaps he missed her canines? And he feared what it would do to his son. Too much was at stake.

Ace stared at his father before looking away. His father nodded in understanding.

`Does she know?' he motioned Ace to sit on the couch. Jacques Wagner put a glass of water in front of him and waited silently until Ace took several sips of the water. He heaved a sigh and rested his elbow on his knees and his head between hands.

`She was terrified',

`How is this even possible? All things we learned; it doesn't make sense.' Ace ran his hands through his hair several times.

Usually offsprings of intermarriages between humans and vampires, that is if the humans can even survive being converted to vampires, will not be giving birth to half vampires. It is simple logic, humans become vampires, survives and birth vampire babies. Homo sapiens could never carry a vampire's child in their true form, simply because they are two different species. Akin like copulation between a monkey and a fish. Impossible.

Jacques Wagner knew it was impossible, but he had heard of stories popping up from other business partners that there was a man somewhere in the USA who could turn a vampire into a rogue but discreetly meaning Ace could change from a rogue to healthy vampire and vice versa under the radar. As for curing a rogue vampire was not a big deal, every country has stored the formula for it, but to turn a healthy vampire into a discreet rogue was unheard of for since the past century or so. Ace could be an unbeatable asset.

`Meet Dr Krowzlinki tomorrow and get a full-body check-up'. Jacques patted his sons back and stood up to leave the room. He wanted to call his business companions tomorrow. The sooner he finds a solution, the better.

`Oh, get Hadwin to join tomorrow. His `house detention' is over.' Jacques Wagner concluded before looking back one last time at Ace and close the door gently.

Ace groaned at the prospect of having Hadwin with him, but he had no choice now. Ace stripped his clothes, not missing the faint smell of lavender on his shirt and relaxed under jets of hot water bouncing off his body. He recalled his memory from a year back.

A YEAR AGO,

Ace nailed a hard deal with PharmaZec, a pharmaceutical company selling medicines for both vampires and humans. After discussions and meetings spanning almost over a week, they decided to finalize the most important factor, profit margins and shares to be exchanged.

Ace was at his breaking point. He was on his edge for the entire week, snapping at his employee at the slightest mistake and terminating his incompetent staff. By Friday when the final meeting was to be concluded, he left for his office earlier, 6.30 am than the stipulated meeting at 8.00 am.

`Gordon, have you checked all our proposals and slides? Margaret, check the cables and wiring, make sure everything is perfect. James, have you manage to check on our `guests' conversations? Are they clean or they are up to something?', Ace Wagner shot one question after another to his team of people, but when James took longer than a second to answer, he stopped walking.

Ace turned his body and faced James, with icy cold looks. James stuttered `We may have a problem with that, sir'

Ace stepped closer, nose flaring and jaw tight, ready to snap. `We can talk in your office sir', Gordon Browne dismissed Margaret and moved them to Ace's office. Once in the privacy of their office Ace slammed James against the wall easily and demanded answers. Gordon had difficulty prying Ace from James.

`Ace let him speak!', Gordon was exasperated with Ace's attitude.

James slid down the wall and coughed, catching his breath. `They are working with MapleTech Biopharmaceutical company to hike up their demand value. PharmaZec's evaluation is lesser than what they proposed. With our merger, they will rake more profit at the benefit of MapleTech Bio. We lose in every way, but they don't'.

Ace was too quiet. His face was blank, but eyes like molten magma, waiting to erupt into the lava. That was the first time his eyes changed colour; Ace who facing his office glass window momentarily lost his composure. He held unto his chair for support and blinked.

`Meeting will go as usual. Everyone dismissed'. Ace waited to hear the click of the door before calling his father. Mr Jacques Wagner wasted no time in contacting Dr Krowzlinki, a pioneer in preventing vampires from mutating. Ace took a cold shower and pushed all his thought away and meditated, as advised by Dr Krowzlinki.

Dr Krowzlinki and his father came to his office by 7.00 am and injected Ace with carbamazepine after taking his blood samples. Mr Jacques Wagner passed contact lens to mask his eyes, which shone amber. His father wanted to precede the meeting, but Ace Wagner stopped him. And that was a mistake which led to PharmaZec's overnight closure, something they both did not intend to do.

At 8.00 am, Ace Wagner, Jacques Wagner, Gordon, James and Margaret were seated on one side of the table while Robert Silva, Gina Davis his secretary and Jeremy White, his IT assistant sat on the opposite.

Ace got down to dealings immediately catching his opponent off guard, his anger crawling back fast.

Ace: We can't pay your asking price. It's above the market rate.

Robert: Our products are in demand and our quality top notch.

James: There are others offering at a competitive price.

Robert: What are you implying?

Jeremy: With due respect sir, we've had many offers but-

Ace: No shares from Wagner Corp, 30% of your share.

Robert: That is not what we agreed earlier.

Ace axed his final deal by saying ` $25 mill, give or take'

Robert was fuming `You have undervalued my company to dirt. What were you thinking?'

Ace gave a sardonic grin `I was thinking along the lines of MapleTech'.

`You were spying on us the whole time! Outrageous! You are nothing but a disgusting piece of-'Ace did not let him finish but jumped over the table and smacked Robert Silva's head on the conference table, cracking the wooden table.

Both, being vampires, fought with Ace having the upper hand, punched his anger out. Gordon had to call for backup to separate them. Mr Jacques Wagner had the audacity to smirk sadistically at Jeremy and Gina and they scampered away leaving their boss behind. The scandal went big and Mr Jacques Wagner made sure to leak the conversation which transpired between PharmaZec and MapleTech to the media. MapleTech denied and blamed PharmaZec for intimidation and filed a lawsuit for defamation.

Ace took a week off after that to attend a battery of tests. His eye colour returned to normal after 2 days of meditation and yoga. He changed 2 yoga teachers in 2 days' time. The first one was more interested in Astral projection and out of body sex while the second one was a distraction itself, a man who looked like a cross between Marilyn Manson in a colourful leotard.

By the third day, Ace and his father met up with the doctor.

`How are you feeling, son?', Dr Krowzlinki asked.

`Not good. What did the result say', Ace was edgy.

`Well, have a look yourself', the doctor smiled, and passed them both a copy of Ace's health report card.

`Everything is negative. Did you mix up his test with someone else?', Jacques Wagner could not believe his luck.

`No. I made several tests on multiple batches of his blood sample. I passed it to different labs, not to worry under my discretion and all the result are the same. He is fine and dandy',

`But his mood swings are out hands. Can we curb that?',

`I will pass you some medication for mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Perhaps a holiday or some meditation, or exercise, kickboxing, anything to release the steam would do good. Remember if your eye colour changes, wait for it to subdue itself', Dr Krowzlinki noted his medication into a piece of paper and called his nurse to pack them for the Wagners.

`Any chances of me going caveman?', Ace asked with all seriousness only for the doctor to laugh.

`With these reports, I'd say you will live for another 500 years!', the doctor concluded his meeting and ushered them out with his medication.

After that one incident, thankfully he managed to keep his anger in check.