She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 164

Down in the first-floor lobby of H&J Technologies, Justin Jameson had been waiting forever for Herbert and his team to return. He hadn't dared to call, terrified of interrupting what he assumed was a crucial networking opportunity.

By all logic, the press conference should have ended ages ago.

Just as his patience was running completely dry, he finally spotted the bespectacled executive walking in with two other managers.

"You're finally back!" Justin practically ran up to them, his excitement faltering when he realized they were alone. "Where's Mr. Jewell and Ms. Sinclair?"

"Ms. Sinclair fainted. Mr. Jewell is at the hospital with her," the executive explained, though his expression looked incredibly strained.

"What happened? Is something seriously wrong with Sylvie?" Justin demanded, catching the man's odd demeanor.

The executive quickly shook his head. "No, the doctors said she's going to be fine."

"Then what's with the long faces?" Justin frowned deeply. "Did something go wrong at the press conference? Did you manage to meet the new Director of the Research Center?"

At the mention of the Director, all three men looked even more uncomfortable.

"We saw her," the executive nodded. Thinking back to Hulda's breathtaking, flawless presentation, he still felt a rush of adrenaline, but...

He looked nervously at Justin. "Actually, Mr. Jameson, you know the Director too."

"I know her?" Justin stared in disbelief. Since when did he rub shoulders with such high-level, elite figures?

If he had known someone with that kind of pull, H&J's crisis would have been resolved weeks ago!

While Justin was busy trying to mentally flip through his contact list, the executive dropped the bomb. "The Director's last name is Atherton. Hulda Atherton."

Justin's pupils contracted violently. The image of Hulda's face exploded into his mind. "Hulda Atherton? You mean... Hulda?"

"Yes, exactly," the executive nodded grimly. "The same woman who was waiting in our lounge on the day of the institute's inspection tour. The one Mr. Jewell and Ms. Sinclair practically chased out of the building..."

The man's voice trailed off, heavily weighed down by regret.

If only their boss hadn't treated Ms. Atherton with such brutal, biting cruelty that day, the crisis threatening H&J might have already been resolved. They wouldn't be sweating over a brutal open bidding process right now.

Justin sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, his entire body going rigid.

When he finally snapped back to reality, he was horrified to find that he was actually smiling just thinking about her.

He was losing his mind!

He had completely lost it!

He was sitting in the middle of his office, utterly unable to stop fantasizing about his best friend's wife!

Desperate, Justin slapped his own cheeks hard, punishing himself, praying he could physically knock her image out of his head.

But her silhouette was already branded into his mind, impossible to erase...

...

The very first thing Hulda did upon returning to the institute was ask Abby to call a City-Wide Express Courier. She packed up the two supplementary credit cards Herbert had originally given her and shipped them straight to his house.

Those two plastic cards were the final remaining thread connecting them.