She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 214

Mr. Miller turned stiffly to look at Hulda. Staring at this girl who was significantly younger than him, he completely lost the ability to maintain his welcoming smile.

Looking her in the eye, he found it physically impossible to call her 'Chief Consultant Atherton.'

Instead, he forced out a strained, rigid smile, pulled his hand back, and gave her a curt nod. "Hello. Welcome."

Noticing his weathered, exhausted face, Hulda offered a polite smile. "Hello, I'm Hulda Atherton. How should I address you?"

"Miller. Just call me Mr. Miller." His expression didn't soften at her politeness. If anything, he became even more dismissive. "Let's not stand out here. You've all had a long journey. Head to your lodgings and rest up."

Without missing a beat, he pointed to one of the younger clerks behind him. "Zane, take the people from the institute to the guesthouse."

With that, Mr. Miller put his hands behind his back and walked off.

The rest of his staff quickly followed suit, leaving without another word.

The only one left was Zane, who stood there looking intensely annoyed. Despite his obvious irritation, he swallowed his attitude and muttered, "Chief Consultant... right. Follow me."

The blatant disrespect infuriated Abby. She was about to step forward and give him a piece of her mind when Hulda caught her arm.

"Director, did you see how they—"

"Take a breath. Aren't you exhausted?" Hulda said quietly. She hoisted her heavy backpack over her shoulders, grabbed two suitcases, and followed Zane.

The five-person team trailed him to the municipal guesthouse—a run-down, three-story building.

It was painfully obvious that the place hadn't been utilized in years.

They had traveled hundreds of miles to offer aid, only to be called trash!

"This is absolutely outrageous!" Dr. Lynch fumed, looking so enraged that his combover seemed to deflate.

Hulda calmly bent down, picked up the keys, and handed them out one by one. "Alright, let's not get angry. Everyone is exhausted. Let's just put our luggage away."

Abby looked at her, completely exasperated. "Director, aren't you mad?!"

Hulda looked at her with a gentle, teasing glint in her eye. "Have you forgotten how you looked at me when I first joined the institute?"

Abby froze, her face turning crimson. "I... I was never this awful!"

Dr. Lynch and the others looked incredibly sheepish. How could they forget? When Hulda was parachuted into her position as director, they had all been entirely dismissive. Some of them had even whispered that she was sleeping her way to the top.