Bastard?

The other side of my face burned too.

My face turned right and left with each slapping sound, and it hurt like hell. It repeated until I parted my lips and breathed greedily, allowing in the oxygen I had blocked out.

I had to hold my breath until the whispers faded away entirely. It was how it worked. The less oxygen, the farther that dissonant whispers, the dimmer my sight, and the more weight on my breasts. 

Of course, the imagination was only something to distract me from my lack of oxygen. An addictive drug that made me forget about the painful reality.

As expected from the solution a child comes up with. Temporary, painful, and futile. Like I could change anything... and it wasn't even like I was blessed enough to believe in my imagination. If I hadn't been addicted to this distraction, I would have just recited some of my boring medical books instead of imagining crazy nonsense.

After all, it was a reality I had to deal with. So those imaginations became obstacles and regrets that I, however late and the hard way, learned to bury.

"Are you okay, miss?" asked the woman in an ambulance uniform with a thin voice and attitude that screamed 'my supervisor forced me to come'. 

I didn't know if my head ached because of the lack of oxygen or the hits, but I was dizzy. Nevertheless, I nodded and drank the water she offered.

"Do you have pain anywhere? I think you need to visit a doctor. We can take you to the hospital." She said, ready to drag me as she saw her superior approaching.

"No, thank you, I'm fine. I was just a bit shocked.", I answered horridly and a bit scared, as I politely declined her offer. Then, leaning against the wall, I stood up and slowly walked away towards the elevator. This time, not wanting to risk seeing or hearing anything in the hall, I only looked at my steps and then my reflection on the shiny door of the elevator.

"Chairman's office," said the annoyingly beautiful recorded voice, as the golden doors opened. 

Behind those doors were four good-looking teenage boys, wearing summer outfits and sunglasses. As I wondered who they were, the secretary's voice clarified their identities.

"Young masters, you shouldn't be here.", said the secretary with a panicked voice. 

"Just what in the world is happening here? We saw ambulance men coming up! Why are there police officers he-", stopped the boy who had just started asking questions as the ambulance men carrying a covered stretcher passed them.

"Wha ..?"

"The heck??"

"Where is grandfather? Is he okay?"

"Blegh.."

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer your questions or allow you in. If you don't leave, I will have to ask the guards to escort you out.", she said charismatic.

 "The driver is waiting in the parking. Take care on your way out!" she added and turned to me with an ugly look on her face.

"I don't know what your appointment was about, but as you can see, there is nothing here for you anymore, so please leave."

'What's up with this woman.' I thought, with mixed emotions. Didn't she see me pressing the elevator button to leave? Why was her tone so disgusted?

Not wanting any more trouble for today, I just ignored her and turned my head to my reflection in the golden metal.

'She must be in shock.', I thought, trying to reason.

 The elevator opened with a screeching sound and again came the voice.

"chairman's office"

 Entering the very light room, the boys followed me inside. I pressed the lobby bottom and this time, instead of the golden metal, glared at my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't the only one who did. Everyone inside the elevator was looking at it, my reflection.

Confused, I observed my face. It didn't look as neat as when I came, but I definitely didn't look like someone who found a person dead and almost went crazy.

"Ouch! " I shouted out after being elbowed by the boy beside me.

Flustered and tired, I glared at him to explain himself. Seeing that he had my attention, he took off his glasses and glared back at me with his golden-colored eyes and then suddenly blurted out,

"Are you the bastard daughter?"

"What?" I said, confused. 

This time an oddly similar to Teodor boy, with a hostel voice, said: "The one who came last week and made father change his will.. Are you that one?"

I stayed quiet, but not because I wanted them to misunderstand. It was just that someone else was explaining things in more detail. So, finding out what had happened, I only had to listen to them chattering away all the gossip. 

"Wow, so it is true!?" said the one behind me as he stretched his neck and took off his sunglasses to get a better look at my face. Curiosity showed on his face as his blue eyes glowed with mischievousness.

"Should I call her aunt..?!"

*"Pfft, hahahahahahah! Should he call her aunt? Should she??? Hahaha!!

I like how empty this human's head is."* 

Saying that, the creatures suddenly started sniffing around and their face crumpled with disgust.

Based on what I had heard so far, it was quite an accomplishment to score a meeting with the chairman, but on my last visit, I skipped that step and went straight to the Chairman's office. Then someone thought I was Mr. King's daughter and posted a picture of me on the workers' forum, which was seen by the fifth son of the chairman, and a rumor spread through the king's family.

This rumor was confirmed to be true when the chairman called for his lawyers and changed his will the next day.

*"Ugh, I hate this women's energy! She reeks of curses and bad chance.."*, the sniffing creature stated as it fled off the curious boy's head and backed away from me with utter disgust.

*"Bad chance Yuck!!!"* Another creature said, agreeing with the other one.

The curses weren't new, but the awful chance piqued my interest. What a bad chance... I wasn't supposed to have a bad chance... Not while carrying around these damned curses.

*"I hate it yuck! Yuck! Yuck, yuck!"*

*"YUCK!"*

"Lobby"

The creatures' back-shaking screams collided with the elevator's announcement.

I showed no reaction to the chit-chattering creatures as always and left the elevator with ringing ears and a worse mood than earlier.

'I should visit that damned fraud-ester fairy,' I thought as I ran to the exit with an alarming sense of urgency, leaving behind the misunderstood young masters and their hostile glares.