Chapter 42
Sofia Bliss
Morning came… and I was still awake.
Actually, I don’t think I even blinked all night. My eyes burned like I’d cried for hours, even though not a single tear had fallen.
I felt completely drained.
And no… it wasn’t just physical exhaustion. It was mental. Emotional. Spiritual. Every kind of tired a human being could feel.
It was like the entire weight of the world was pressing down on me, and I couldn’t even breathe.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
The shrill alarm nearly startled me, and even in that miserable state, I had to force myself out of bed.
I dragged my body across the room like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Legs heavy, muscles sore.
I stared at my phone screen, hoping, praying... but there were no calls from my aunt.
No texts. No explanations.
Just silence.
I let out a long sigh, trying to calm down.
My mind raced with all the things her “important” message could’ve meant.
“I can’t just sit here and obsess over this.”
My life couldn’t stop just because someone left me hanging in suspense.
I needed money. And fast.
The deadline to get my dad transferred was closing in.
If I didn’t do something soon… I didn’t even want to think about it.
So even though I was dead on my feet, my body begging for five days of sleep, I made myself get ready.
I washed my face.
Tied my hair back in a rush.
Looked at myself in the mirror.
Dark circles hollowed out my face.
I found some of Letícia’s concealer in the drawer and dabbed it on. Didn’t help much.
I still looked… wrecked.
But I inhaled sharply and told myself:
“You’ve got this, Sofia. You have to.”
I went to the kitchen and brewed coffee so strong it smelled like danger.
Downed it in two gulps, like some cheap vodka from a dive bar.
I changed, grabbed my bag of résumés, and braced myself for another exhausting tour through the city.
Same plan as always.
Walk. Smile. Hand out résumés at every shop, office, café — hell, even bakeries if needed.
Anything to get me out of that club.
Yeah… I knew some minimum-wage job wouldn’t even scratch the surface of my dad’s hospital bills, but I had to try. Especially after that cop showed up.
Before leaving, I headed to the living room and ran straight into Letícia.
She was leaning against the couch, clutching a mug like she was trying to pretend I didn’t exist. But I saw the way her shoulders tensed the second she noticed me.
“I’m heading out,” I said, trying to sound casual.
She looked up.
Forced a weak smile.
“Job hunting again?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded. Didn’t feel like talking.
I was still upset with her.
But what was the point in fighting?
“Good luck,” she offered.
“Thanks.”
I opened the door and stepped outside with purpose.
The sun hadn’t even fully risen yet, but the heat already licked at my skin like fire.
And, just as expected, the start of the day was the same as all the others. Walk. Drop off résumés. Be ignored.
I tried not to let the rejection crush me, but each unanswered smile felt like another nail in my coffin.
It was almost noon when I spotted a small café downtown, tucked between a pharmacy and a flower shop.
The sign on the glass door read "Books & Flavors"
Cute.
And honestly? It wouldn't hurt to try.
I pushed the door open and was instantly wrapped in the scent of coffee, chocolate… and old paper.
Books lined every wall, warm lights hung over small wooden tables where people read in silence, and behind the counter, a display of pastries sparkled beneath glass domes.
It felt... cozy. Like a place that could hold you together when everything else was falling apart.
I walked up to the counter, feeling something like nervousness and anxiety.
“Hi,” I said, trying not to sound too shy. “Are you hiring, by any chance?”
The man behind the counter looked like he was in his fifties. His salt-and-pepper hair gave away his age, but his warm smile softened the serious lines on his face.
He took my CV and flicked through it as if it had something important written on it.
“Well… Sofia, right?” he said, peeking at me over the rim of his old glasses. “You’ve got a good energy, you know that? And I’m terrible with names — but energy, I get right.”
I smiled awkwardly, not sure what to say.
He kept going:
“We’re definitely needing help. Right now it’s just me and my oldest son running the place, but he’s got classes, his own schedule… It’s hard to keep up with everything. I think he’ll really like you. You’ve got the right vibe for this place, you know?”
There was something about the way he said that…
Like he was more eager to set me up with his son than hire me for the job.
But hey — I needed the job, not the man.
It was a chance. An open door.
“If you want, come by tomorrow. We’ll do a proper interview, and I’ll introduce you to my son. Let’s exchange numbers, yeah?”
“Yes! Absolutely. Thank you so much for the opportunity!”
We exchanged numbers. He seemed genuinely excited.
And for the first time in days, so was I.
Maybe — just maybe—something was finally going right.
I left the place smiling.
Stopped at a nearby bakery, bought a cheap snack and a cup of juice, and sat on a bench outside to eat.
As I took a slow bite, I checked my phone.
Still no message from my aunt.
No missed calls.
Nothing.
The food turned to stone in my stomach.
My fingers itched, and before I even realized it, I was biting my nails again.
Had she really forgotten?
I took a deep breath.
Stared at her name on the screen.
My fingers trembled before I hit “Call.”
Each ring on the other end felt like the ticking of a bomb.
I was about to hang up, thinking it would go to voicemail—
When a click.
“Sofia?” my aunt’s voice came through, rushed and muffled. “Hi, sweetie! Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I couldn’t call earlier. After signing the transfer papers, everything’s been chaos over here.”
"Aunt... is everything all right? I was worried about your message. I thought it was something serious," I confessed, trying to hide the tremor in my voice, until I realized what she had said. "Wait... transfer?"
“Yes! After your boss called and made the payments, everything moved quickly. When you said you’d talk to some of your contacts to handle things, I didn’t expect this, sweetie. I’m honestly shocked.”
“…My boss?”
“Yes, honey! That man — the owner of that company you work for. That powerful one… What’s his name again? Oh, yes — Adrian Valehart.”
That bastard....