Chapter 283 - Soft Opening Day (1)

The entire night, while netizens switched forums and threads of discussions back and forth, Sofia had a very peaceful sleep.

In her living room, Hazel stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes. For a while, the baby just kicked her tiny legs and waved her small hands in the air. After several minutes, she started to make a sound that instantly awakened her mother.

Everything around the room was still dark indicating that it was not yet morning but, the time frame of Heiz's morning was no longer usual. If her baby wakes up, it is considered the start of her day. 

Heiz sat straight and tenderly smiled at Hazel. Her face was no longer wearing any mask. But, her full appearance was still concealed by the lack of lighting. 

She took her black face mask and wore it before she picked Hazel up gently and carry her around her arms. As she looked at the digital clock on the side, it was still 3:04 AM.

Those people who poured their time into online trending gossip finally decided to sleep. Just as the lights of their rooms were switched off, it was also the same time that the light in Sofia's apartment was switched on by Heiz.

With the clicking sound of the switch that was amplified due to the silence of the night, Sofia stirred from her sleep. She stretched her body comfortably before her eyes gradually opened. 

Today is the day that they will officially operate their business! Her lips curled into a smile as she stepped down her feet and got out of her bed.

Sofia slowly yawned as she reached her mobile phone on her desk that was still connected to the charger. She swiftly unplugged the connection from the outlet and turned on her phone.

She stared at the time for a few seconds and hesitated whether she should return to sleep or prepare for the day. On her screen, it was just 03:15 AM and there was still ample time for her to return to sleep.

She moved her line of vision to the direction of her pillow and blinked her eyes a few times.

'The idea of sleeping for another hour is really enticing!' she mentally groaned. But then, she finally stood straight and stretched and bent her body side to side.

With her phone in hand, she went out of her room and saw Heiz breastfeeding Hazel. 

"Good morning, sis!" Heiz greeted softly.

"Good morning, sis Heiz!" Sofia responded and halted her steps. She looked at her phone and opened the unread messages in her notification panel. While reading, her feet moved towards the sofa too. Then, she sat beside Heiz.

Seeing that Sofia was reading something on her phone, Heiz did not speak anything. They did not have much of a conversation for another half an hour.

Among the unread messages, there were particular recipients that she managed to send a reply.

One message was from Brent giving her good wishes for the soft opening of her business. The other was from Grace with almost similar content. They both expressed their interest to join Sofia with the soft opening.

Understandably, it is the culture in their district. The very first day the business would start its operation, friends and family mostly would join them in the ceremony. It was because the business is still in the process of attracting customers. 

Sofia replied to the soon-to-be husband and wife with the same message too. "Thank you! No need to come over. I know you are busy, just relax and do your personal obligations. See you tomorrow!"

After her response was sent, she opened another unread message from FAB_Gamers WINS. There were two messages. 

FAB_Gamers WINS: Your opponents from our club are the Slayer_Gods.

FAB_Gamers WINS: In case you need their profiles... watch the last minute of my stream. I've mentioned them there.

Sofia only sent a thank you reply and proceed to open the last two unread messages from Jing Jing and boss Wang.

Jing Jing: I have sorted everything for tomorrow, Miss Sofia. We have decided to arrive at around 4:30 AM maybe. The Double Sigma staffs are very cooperative.

Sofia replied to Jing Jing: Great job, sis Jing! See you later!

Boss Wang: Miss Sofia, a gentle reminder... don't forget the endorsement project is 12:30 PM at the Jones Studio. I'll attach the exact direction. If your squad can come earlier than the time, it will be much appreciated. Outfits for the shooting are sponsored.

Sofia replied to Boss Wang: Appreciate the reminder, Boss Wang! Thank you!

By the time Sofia finished reading and replying to all the unread messages in her inbox, Heiz and Hazel were already sleeping while in a sitting position.

She worriedly stared at their position and felt that anytime, Heiz might drop her baby. She gently tapped Heiz's shoulder and said, "Sis Heiz, just use my bed to sleep with Hazel. It's more comfortable there. Don't sit here."

Heiz slightly yawned and responded to her, "It's fine here, sis." She then placed her baby on the mattress and lay down beside her.

The mother and daughter quickly drifted back to their slumber while Sofia watched at them. She could only scratch her head and went back to her room to prepare herself.

Half an hour passed and Sofia was combing her wet hair. She now wore blue jeans and a white t-shirt uniform with their logo.

'Make the most of the day! You will do great!' she told herself in front of the mirror before putting down her comb. Then, she opened her phone once more. This time, she went to the Chronos group chat and sent a meme with a roster and caption 'time to wake up!'

Unexpectedly, Clark marked her message as seen and replied at her.

Clark: Sof, I'm fully awake! I will go to Joey and Stephen's place so we can go together. Claire is still asleep. She said you can wake her up. See you!

She smiled while reading Clark's message. Then, she also type a reply:

Sofia: Good job for waking early, Clark! See you in a bit

After putting her phone in her bag, Sofia gathered all her things and exited her apartment unit. She directly went to Claire's apartment and opened its door with the key.

"Claire! Claire!" She called her name in a half-whisper after entering the unit. 

Just as she put down her bag in the chair, a groggy voice of Claire sounded from her bedroom. "I'm awake, Sof! But, my eyes want to sleep again. Ahhhhh... I've been awake. And now, I want to sleep again! Can I extend my sleep for half an hour?" 

"Hahaha, don't sleep now. We should go and make money!" Sofia said in full of enthusiasm. She quickly went to the kitchen and poured the hot water into two mugs. Then, she dropped a teaspoon of black powdered coffee in each mug and stirred it.

Claire dragged her feet out of her bedroom and went to her kitchen area where she could hear the sound of stirring. She was also dressed in their T-Shirt uniform. But, she was wearing a black skirt, just above her knee and the T-shirt was inserted on it. There was also a huge belt that complimented her waist.

"Ohh... yeah! Let's make money! My gosh, I sleep so early last night, Sof! And I woke up around 2:30 AM earlier. I contemplated if I sleep again or not. Good thing you are here now. I don't need to contemplate!" Claire groaned and massaged her temple.

"Here, a pure coffee... Careful, it's extremely hot," Sofia pushed one mug of coffee near her.

Claire gripped the handle of the mug and blew some air on it. Then, she drank the liquid only to also gag and make a choking sound. Her entire senses finally woke up at the bitterness and she hastily went to her sink and spit the liquid.

"My gosh, there is no sugar or cream!" Claire complained and gave Sofia a shocked look.

"Ahh...it's really pure... and this is your apartment. Put a sugar or cream however you like. Hahaha," Sofia said while casually drinking her coffee.

"Your taste of coffee has completely weirded me, Sof. How could you drink that? This is too bitter!" Claire pouted and shook her head. She took the small container of sugar and cream and put two scoops of both in her mug.

"It's effective to wake you up, is it? Hehe..." Sofia slightly laughed while looking at Claire stirring her newly flavored coffee.

The two spent five minutes of their time before they finished their coffee. 

"Clark said he will pick us here. He already meet Joey and Stephen," Claire said while looking at the exact message on her screen.

"Okay," Sofia nodded her head. "What a miracle that they really wake up so early!" 

"Nah, as far as I know, they also sleep the same time as me, Sof. It's before 8 PM last night! How about you, what time did you sleep?" Claire giggled.

"Several minutes after our class. By the way, I have told my teacher that I won't be attending my class today. What's your plan?" Sofia inquired.

"We also told our advisers the same, Sof. Hehe, but, we said that it's because of the endorsement project. Not, our business," Claire answered with a huge grin on her face. "They are here," she added after reading Clark's new message.

"Let's go!" Sofia said and place her mug at the sink.. Claire followed her and the two quickly went down.