Page 15 of From Hell

She brushes a lock of hair out of my face, her features softening. “No, you’re not. I’m your mother. I know these things. Honey, don’t you think it’s time you returned to medicine?” she says, quickly pivoting to my career instead.

“I already enrolled.” To get my mum off my back, I applied for the only medical degree in the country that’s studied part-time and mostly online for the first three years, open only to healthcare professionals. Mum was thrilled to pull some strings. As long as I’m working in the healthcare industry by the time the course starts, I’m in.

She frowns. “Yes, and Pierre told me you deferred the admin job here for a year. Why? Are you still working at that bar?”

Her line of sight shifts to my right as the door swings open behind me.

I swivel around to see Pierre, my mother’s boss. He glances at me briefly, frowning, and then looks at my mother. “Fiona, can I borrow you for the staff meeting?”

She glances at her watch and huffs, giving me an appealing look. “Will you be around in an hour?”

“Sure, I’ve got someone to meet anyway.”

After my mum bustles out of the staff kitchen, I sit and finish my coffee. She and Pierre don’t leave right away, talking heatedly through the glass until my mum shakes her head. Pierre makes a face.

Curious, I grab my things and exit into the hallway, catching a few of their exchanged words. A surge of something hot whips through my insides as I hear one word, or name, in particular.

I would never forgetthatname, even if the world ended.

“Who are you talking about?”

My mum and Pierre turn to look at me. Mum suddenly flustered.

“Elaine, you remember Jaxon, Abe Simmons’ son? You used to go to school together.” I stare at her, trying to reconcile the Jaxon I know with the vile snake she’s dating.

“Jaxon is Simmons’ son?” I say, wetting my lips, feeling unsettled all of a sudden.

“You would know him as Jaxon Clémont. He uses his mother’s maiden name.”

“I know him, but it’s been a while since we caught up,” I say, lying through my teeth.

“You’ll catch up soon, I’m sure,” Pierre says, watching the exchange with a tense smile. His eyes dart to my arm, which I unconsciously hold with my left hand. “Dr. Clémont is going to be joining us at Mitre.”

“Oh?” I let go of my arm and shove my right hand into my pocket.

My mother rolls her eyes. “What Pierre is not saying is that he’s replacing me. He’s a junior consultant, and he’s already got my office.”

“It’s not like that, Fifi,” Pierre exclaims. “He’s one of his year’s most promising and talented surgeons. His skill and finesse on the operating table is unrivaled. We would do well to have him on the team. And I promised Simon he would have the best view in the building.”

She places her hands on her hips. “At my expense.”

“No, ma chérie. He could never replace you.” Pierre smiles, eyes twinkling, as he rests a hand on her shoulder. My mother’s mouth makes a thin line, but she looks slightly appeased. I do like Pierre. He’d be a much better match for Mum if only she would stop eating him for breakfast every time he told her no. “It’s just for the next funding round,” he adds.

Wrong thing to say.

She gives him a dark look. “Right. That’s the only reason you bribed him back from DARE.”

“Jaxon was at DARE,” I scoff, unable to mask the disbelief in my voice.

Pierre frowns. “What’s wrong with Doctors Across a Rescued Earth?”

“Nothing except that it’s a high-visibility charity where privileged rich men dirty their hands with before they get a real job when all they did was fly around developing countries in a private jet and stay at five-star hotels, all to visit the medical outreach tents once a month. Not to mention the regular abuse of drugs and women,” I spout at him. “The carbon footprint of their jaunts alone is enough to lay waste to the polar ice caps in the next five years.”

Pierre looks appalled at my outburst. Behind me, someone titters, and then two nurses, Poppy Beckerman and Kelly-Anne James, skulk past, whispering to each other. I know the rumors, I dropped out of medical school because I wasn’t good enough to be a doctor and now my mother is fucking Simon and Pierre just to get me a job.

“I sometimes forget how much like your father you are. Always trying to save the planet.” My mother winces. I let out a long, practiced sigh and shut my eyes, only opening them again after a few seconds.

“Let’s not talk about this here,” Pierre offers.