Chapter 302 - The Chronos Squad's Endorsement Of Shoe Brand (2)

"Young master Clark, we have arrived at the Jones Studio," the driver announced in a low voice. He slowly turned around and saw Clark responding with a slight nod of his head. He did not look surprised at the sight of his young master holding the sleeping Claire in a hug. 

When the driver shifted his attention to the others, he could not help but smile at their peaceful sight. Sofia was leaning on Stephen's shoulder and the two were also napping. Joey covered his face with his hand and curled his body at the corner of the car. He was obviously sleeping too.

Only Clark was awake. He glanced at his limited sports watch and noticed that it was just 11:24 AM. He looked on the side window of the van and checked for any traffic signs to see the location was a no parking area. When he did not say any no parking sign, he felt satisfied.

"Let's stay here for a while, uncle," Clark told his driver and decided not to disturb the rest of his companions. There is still a lot of time for them to rest.

"Okay, young master," the driver muttered and quickly twisted the ignition key to turn off the engine of the van. Just a few meters away from them, the three-story building with a large billboard on it could be seen. It was the Jones Studio.

The Jones Studio was located just in the upper area of the downtown. It was situated along Fue Avenue, which was the most digitalized street in district 7. This was the only street where citizens could see billboards and ads on most buildings. 

When it comes to the reputation of the place, the Fue Ave could be considered to have the opposite of the intersection street where Sofia's business was located. 

If the intersection Street was the home of the fraternity and gang fights, the Fue Ave was the most secured street. Every now and then, a police car would patrol in this area to ensure the safety of the people.

Speaking of people, most personalities in this street were local celebrities and models. And the buildings along the road were various network talent agencies and studious.

Clark was about to close his eyes and also take a rest when out of a sudden, there was one of the security personnel knocking on the driver's window.

The driver's hand quickly pressed the inner button in the car door and let the window slightly roll down. He stopped when it was half-open.

"Which media celebrity?" the person inquired in a formal tone.

His voice caused everyone to open their eyes and look at him.

"We have arrived?" Claire whispered and snuggled closer at Clark.

"Yeah," Clark gently replied.

Meanwhile, Sofia quickly opened her phone and scanned her messages. Then, she stopped at the certain picture that boss Wang sent to her. It was the confirmation of their endorsement shooting.

"We are here for an appointment. Here is the schedule," Sofia told the man and extended her hand for him to see the message on her phone.

"Okay. Does your group want to go inside? The management of Jones Studio doesn't allow vehicles to park in front of the building. This van must move to the other side to park," the man politely informed them.

Sofia stared at the man and closely observed his countenance. His tone sounded professional, however, she could sense that there was something off in his expression. His lips would curl into a somewhat ominous smile and there was a glimmer of deceit flashed in his eyes.

She thought for a few seconds before she responded, "My group will go inside."

The man nodded his head and started walking towards the building. Sofia's eyes followed his figure until he turned to the left and disappeared.

She yawned and spoke, "That nap felt so good!"

Consequently, the others also yawned. "Yeah!!!"

"It's because you slept on Stephen's shoulder?" Joey poked the other shoulder of Stephen and teased him. However, Stephen only slapped him and give him a challenging glare.

"Joey ahh... just bring your girl next time. No need to use such subtle statements with double meaning," Sofia sat straight. She assumed that Joey's words probably meant that he felt left out of their group because of not having a partner.

Sofia's statement earned a burst of playful laughter from the others except for Joey who was pouting and felt dejected.

"We should go inside. Uncle, no need to wait for us in the parking lot. We will contact you after we are done here. If you have personal errands, just do it," Sofia simply said.

"Ahh...?!" The driver was slightly taken aback. He did not expect Sofia's suggestion at all. He quickly gazed at Clark to seek his confirmation.

Clark smiled and nodded his head. "Mmn. Uncle, this may take longer. I will give you a call later."

"Thank you, young master! Thank you, Miss Sofia!" the driver expressed and hopped out of his seat. Then, he sprinted on the side of Clark and opened his door. 

Not long after, the group made their way towards the Jones Studio building. They were all using their hands to shield their faces against the burning sunshine.

When they reached the entrance, there was a group of three females who were talking to the guard. As they overheard their conversation Sofia could not help but raise her eyebrow.

"Why do we need to pay 20$ for the entrance fee? That is ridiculous!" one of the females exclaimed in annoyance.

"There is really an entrance fee here! What do you think of our studio? A place that you can freely enter in and out? Bah! If you don't want to pay, then scram!" the guard responded in an intimidating tone.

The group looked at one another before dramatically opening their bags. One of them even snapped the zipper of her bag open and purposely made a harsh sound, showing her unwillingness to pay.

Then, they counted their money and paid the entrance fee with much reluctance shown on their faces.

"If I become a celebrity, I will definitely come back at you and take revenge for this humiliation!" the female said and almost throw the money at the guard's face. "I will remember you!"

"Bah! Pass the audition first before acting arrogant in front of me!" the guard snickered before he move to the side and let the group enter.

Claire tugged Sofia's hand and worriedly whispered to her, "Sof, there is an entrance fee?"

"It's probably for that audition. We are not going there so we should be fine," Sofia said.

The security guard looked at Sofia and her group from head to foot before calling them, "Next! 20$ each to pay the entrance fee. Total... 100$!"

The guard extended his palm and gave them an expectant look. The kind of gaze that meant he expected the teens to comply with his demand easily.

However, Sofia could only curl her lips into a small smile. This smile did not even reach in her eyes. 

"We have an appointment," Sofia said and showed the confirmation of their appointment on her phone. 

She thought that it was enough for them to enter the place. But, to her dismay, the guard did not even look at the phone. His eyes remained at Sofia with the same intimidating expression that he used from the previous females.

"It doesn't matter if you have an appointment or not. It is mandatory to pay the entrance fee," the guard stated.

Clark stepped forward. He intended to pay the entrance fee. However, Sofia raised her hand to stop him.

"This appointment is arranged by the shoe company that we are endorsing. They did not tell us to pay. So, this entrance fee should have been settled by them," Sofia simply said in a calm tone. 

Clark looked at Sofia's reaction and realized that it was not just as simple as she did not bring money to pay for the entrance fee. It was but a matter of principles of professionalism!

Since the other party made the arrangement to use the Jones Studio for their endorsement shooting, they should not be obliged to pay any fees as it was a business activity!

If there were mandatory fees, they should have informed them ahead of time! 

"Miss, you are obviously not dressed for an audition. But, it does not look like your group has the face of becoming an endorser too!" the guard commented but he remained his hand extended and was still waiting for Sofia to hand down their payment.

"Hahaha, do you know that extortion is a crime?" Sofia stared at the man in the eye. Her face turned serious that the way she laughed almost made the man feel goose bumps all over his body. "100$? This entrance fee is too expensive to be the real entrance fee too. Hehehe,"

"What do you mean extortion? HAHAHA, I am not forcing you to give me that amount, young lady! In fact, I don't need your money. I am just following the rules of this building!" the guard insisted. This time, he finally retracted his hand and crossed them on his chest. His expression did not seem to care about what Sofia had just said.. It was as if, the man is used to such a type of argument.