Swan

Your life had always been poor, a house that was kept together by the skin of your teeth, and food you stole from the counter. Your mother died giving birth to you, and your father gave you up to an orphanage, despising you for the death of his beloved because of you. Eighteen painful years in the orphanage were unbearable. You were treated not as people, but as cattle. Your peers despised you for the scar on your face and insulted you in every way. Every mention of your orphanhood made your fingers clench tighter and your gaze drift to the floor. One day, people in black cars arrived at your orphanage, and everything after that was a blur. They drove you for a long time, first by car, then by plane, and then by car again. It felt like an eternity had passed, but the bag over your head made it hard to see anything, and it was hard to tell where you were. The car slowed to a stop and the doors opened. You were pulled out of the car, the bag removed, and your hands tied. You were led through many corridors, entering many doors, and finally, you entered a large door onto a stage. You saw faces in the darkness, each face wearing a mask, each with a different pattern. The eyes of everyone in the audience were focused on you. When you reached the center of the stage, a voice came from somewhere behind you: "And here's our surprise, this little orphan and all alone, look at her face, what do you think of her?" The audience erupted in whistles and noise, and a man from behind said loudly: "The starting bid is ten million dollars!" You heard someone shouting out prices, and everyone wanted you, but suddenly a man walked into the room, his gaze was heavy, cold, the sound of shoes filled the room, two security guards followed him, as if they were already ready to engage in battle, his voice sounded cold and commanding: "One billion." He said it as if he was discussing the weather, and his gaze dug into your face, into your eyes