She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 69

Abby plugged Hulda's hard drive into her computer with casual indifference. Just as she was about to open the folder, her cell phone buzzed.

She pulled her gaze away from the screen and checked the caller ID. The name 'Nadia' flashed brightly.

A genuine smile broke across Abby's face, and she quickly answered. "Hey, Nadia. What made you think to call me?"

"Do I need a reason to check in on my favorite mentor?" Nadia's bright, cheerful voice drifted through the speaker.

"Of course not," Abby replied, her smile widening.

Nadia was roughly the same age as Abby, but because she had started her graduate studies a bit later, she technically fell under Abby's mentorship as a junior alumni.

Abby genuinely liked Nadia. She felt that deep down, Nadia possessed a relentless, competitive drive that refused to accept defeat.

That cutthroat ambition to always be the best aligned perfectly with Abby's own worldview.

It was a stark contrast to a certain fraud who had coasted into a top-tier position with zero actual talent.

Hearing Nadia's voice immediately triggered Abby to draw a mental comparison between her and Hulda. She had to admit, Ursula's toxic gossiping in the break room had clearly infected her judgment. Her prejudice against Hulda was now significantly deeper than it had been an hour ago.

When Abby didn't respond right away, Nadia raised her voice slightly. "Are you busy, Abby? Am I interrupting something important?"

"Oh! No, not at all. Nothing important anyway," Abby snapped back to reality, glancing briefly at the files popping up on her monitor.

She was entirely convinced that whatever Hulda had compiled was completely worthless, so she didn't even bother reviewing it. She hastily logged into the institute's internal system, zipped the entire folder, and blasted it out to the whole department without writing a single word of context or explanation.

With that out of the way, she turned her back to the computer and focused her full attention on the phone call.

"She was his student, yes. But as for 'once-in-a-generation talent'..." Abby sighed dismissively. "I wouldn't go that far."

It was exactly as Ursula had pointed out—if she was truly a genius, her name would be ringing across the academic world right now. She wouldn't have completely vanished off the grid for seven years.

And the timing was just too perfect. She didn't parachute in when Conrad was still actively in charge; she waited until he stepped back and Brandon was running the show.

The optics were undeniably shady.

"Look, just don't stress over her. By the time you start your internship, she probably won't even be here anymore," Abby concluded confidently.

"Got it. Thanks, Abby."

Back in her luxurious living room, Nadia hung up the phone. A brief look of confusion crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by smug relief.