She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 207

The moment she walked in, an enthusiastic sales associate approached her. "Hello, miss! How can I help you today?"

Hulda scanned the displays and laid out her needs. "I'm looking for a solid pair of hiking boots, a few sets of outdoor apparel, a large backpack, and some essential outdoor gear."

Realizing this was a massive sale, the associate eagerly ushered her deeper into the store.

When Justin Jameson walked in, Hulda was in the middle of trying on the hiking boots the associate had recommended.

She had just changed into a windbreaker and quick-dry pants, her hair pulled back into a neat, practical ponytail. She crouched down, meticulously tying the laces of the boots.

Then she stood up, pacing back and forth, occasionally exchanging a few words with the associate.

At that moment, Justin's legs seemed to move on their own, drawing him toward her like a magnet.

"Alright, I'll take these. Please pack everything up, and I'll head to the register," Hulda told the associate.

The young woman beamed and was about to agree when she suddenly spotted Justin. She immediately tensed up and opened her mouth to speak, but Justin waved her off.

"Don't mind me, I'm just browsing," he said to the associate, before his gaze drifted back to Hulda.

Hulda paused, turning around to see Justin.

Why was she running into him again?

She frowned slightly, gave a brief, polite nod in greeting, and clearly had no intention of striking up a conversation.

She slipped off the outer windbreaker, revealing a fitted quick-dry shirt underneath.

The sleek, athletic curves of her silhouette made Justin swallow hard. "You... like hiking?"

Having no desire to chat with him, Hulda gave a dismissive "Mhm" and headed straight for the dressing room.

When she re-emerged, she had changed back into her everyday clothes. She handed the quick-dry gear and the windbreaker to the associate. "Pack these up as well, along with the other sets you picked out for me earlier. I'll take them all."

"Right away!" The associate efficiently bagged the items while asking, "Miss, would you like to register for a membership? We have a promotion running right now that gives a great discount."

Hulda followed the associate to the register without much thought. After all, it was a standard retail tactic to build a customer base. "Sure."

She scanned the QR code and used her phone number to register.

A small smile tugged at his lips. He turned and walked up to the register. "Quick, log into the system and get me her number."

The associate hesitated, looking conflicted. "Boss..."

"Hurry up!" Justin urged.

The poor associate had no choice—she was just a corporate drone. Obediently, she accessed the backend system and pulled up the number Hulda had just used to register.

Yes, that's right.

Justin Jameson was the owner of this store. He was an avid outdoorsman, so he'd opened this high-end gear shop as a passion project.

He rarely visited, but purely by chance, he'd dropped by today and run straight into her.

Justin carefully punched the numbers into his phone, one digit at a time, his eyes glued to the screen.

Then, under the contact name, he meticulously typed out 'Hulda Atherton'.