Chapter 1650
[ 811 words ]
Thankfully, they were in the middle of a ten-minute intermission, otherwise, the uproar from the front row would have completely drowned out Claire’s lecture.
“She’s been studying clinical surgery since she was a toddler? Does she come from a massive medical dynasty?”
While a few people vaguely knew Claire had won a gold medal at an international math olympiad, these surgeons were perpetually swamped with life-or-death cases. They didn’t have the time or energy to track the pedigree of a college freshman.
Furthermore, a math competition had zero relevance to the operating room. Because of this, absolutely no one had dug into her actual background.
They naturally assumed she was the heir to a long line of reclusive traditional healers.
Barry cleared his throat. “She was personally raised and trained by Mary.”
Barry hadn’t known this from the start either. He only discovered it after witnessing Claire seamlessly assist Mary in the trauma suite.
Once he realized she was the protégé of ‘The First Scalpel’, her terrifying, god-given surgical instincts made perfect sense.
“Mary? You mean the legendary surgeon from Apex?”
The name carried massive weight in this room.
Suddenly, the way everyone looked at Claire fundamentally shifted.
Mary was royalty. That meant this girl was practically family!
When the lecture finally concluded, a horde of senior specialists rushed the podium to exchange contact information with Claire. They weren’t looking at her as an anomaly anymore; they were looking at her like a beloved niece or granddaughter. Claire was entirely bewildered by the sudden wave of intense familial affection.
Barry leaned in and kindly cleared up the mystery. “Once they found out you were a dual-threat prodigy and that Mary was your mentor, they instantly claimed you as one of their own.”
Many of the veteran surgeons in the room had worked alongside Mary or attended her legendary surgical masterclasses decades ago. Their reaction was completely warranted.
Claire blinked in surprise. She had deliberately avoided name-dropping her grandmother to coast on her reputation, but Barry had effectively cemented her legacy for her.
Seeing her slightly overwhelmed expression, Barry quickly realized he might have overstepped.
“You’ve always kept a low profile. Tell me I didn’t just accidentally ruin your peace and quiet.”
“Old Gerald was aggressively questioning why you were dabbling in surgery, so I just blurted out that you were trained in both and that Mary was your foundation…”
Claire understood he had only done it to defend her, so she let it slide with a graceful smile.
“It’s fine. It’s not like having her as my mentor is a dark secret.”
She didn’t flaunt it, but she certainly wasn’t ashamed of it either.
Miles away, in the heart of Cabinda, Mary sneezed violently.
Lance’s post-op rehabilitation was nearing its final stages. He was already capable
of standing and taking a few assisted steps.
With her guest lectures at the university limited to once a week, Mary suddenly found herself with an abundance of free time.
Having lived in the quiet countryside for so long, the chaotic noise of the city was beginning to grate on her nerves.
She wanted to move back to The
James Village, planning to commute to the city once a week for her lecture and then immediately escape back to the mountains.
Latham was entirely opposed to the idea.
“Mom, you’re not as young as you used to be. If you go back to the village and take
a bad fall, none of us will be there to help you.”
Latham’s life was currently in absolute ruins, and he was surviving entirely off his mother’s charity.
If she moved back to the countryside, what the hell was he supposed to do?
He couldn’t land a decent job, and his attempts at cooking usually ended with a smoke-filled kitchen and charred pans.
While his mother was notoriously strict about cleanliness, her cooking was at least edible.
Latham’s desperate plea was entirely motivated by his desire to keep his free ride in the city.
First, it guaranteed him three hot meals a day. Second, it meant he didn’t have to spend a dime on living expenses.
Mary stared at her eldest son as if he were a newly discovered species of parasite.
“Shouldn’t you be out on the
pavement looking for a real job? net
is your
rand plan to strap Lance to
your back and beg on the streets?
“I’ve been floating your pathetic lifestyle for months. Did you honestly expect me to
financially support you until the day you die?”
Latham kept his face carefully neutral, but internally, that was exactly what he expected.
His mother was loaded. She had a
massive pension and was pulling in an exorbitant salary from her university lectures What was the big deal about throwing him a little cash
What was the big
to survive?
FindNovel.net
“Mom, Lance is still recovering. If I take a full-time job now, I won’t be around to take care of him.”
“I just need to rely on you for a few more months.”
Latham had entirely lost his sense of shame. His ability to shamelessly leech off his elderly mother had become a finely honed skill.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.