Dealing With Father And Son

She actually f*cked his dad!

Vanessa's jaw dropped, unable to believe what she had just heard. The file in her hands shook slightly as she swallowed invisible sputum.

"Dad?" She repeated, in her head.

How?

There were so many questions running through her head right now. The man she had slept with last night was actually Justin's father?

That bastard was actually the son of the hot hooker that got her all washed out?

Oh f*cking God! This wasn't good at all. In her past life, she never met Justin's father.

"Is there a problem, Miss Vanessa?" Justin inquired, smugly.

Vanessa threw him a deadly glare, trying to strangle him in her mind. The bastard had a big smile on his face, as he watched her go from being confused, to being shocked.

"Finding it hard to process everything you've heard, and seen?" He gloated, obviously trying to rub it on her face.

How satisfying would it be if she could shove it on his face how his father was banging her all night long.

"Nothing here surprises me," Vanessa replied, sighing to her fate.

Then with a shrug, she mumbled loudly. "I'm just surprised to see that a man like this…gave birth to a nonentity like you."

“ You…!” Justin was tongue tied but the next minute, he chuckled. “ I can still accept your apology if you can satisfy me tonight."

Vanessa let out a dry laugh. “ Nah… I think I still prefer to bang your dad.”

Or rather she had actually banged his dad.

Sawyer, who was watching the two, asked. "Do you know her?"

"Yes." Justin replied. "She's a 'friend' of mine. We are just catching up.".

Vanessa wanted to retort but she held herself. Creating a scene here wasn't the best thing. Sawyer would be suspicious as to why she was being rude to Justin and that was the last thing she wanted.

She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him he was her Ex's father.

Sawyer looked at her, his eyes were scrutinizing her like he was trying to find out the reason behind her uneasiness. He then turned his attention back to others, the meeting had commenced.

"Shall we begin?" He looked around, and they all nodded.

"I welcome all of you to this meeting where you get to know who will be in residency in this prestigious hospital," His baritone voice rang in the private room.

It was hard to tell if they were listening to Sawyer's words or his voice. However, he averted his gaze to Vanessa. She quickly turned her eyes away like she hadn't been staring at him.

He smiled faintly as he continued his lecture. "...and those who won't be getting it."

How could this man be the father of Justin ? She wondered. Justin was twenty seven, that means Sawyer would be around Forty seven or Fifty?

Oh God! That made matters worse, his looks were very deceiving. For someone who was in his fifties, she wasn't sure of his age yet, he could pass off for someone who was in his thirties.

Sawyer picked up his glasses, put them on, and began scrolling through the laptop that was before him.

"The residency can last up to seven years depending on your field of study. Surgeons are expected to spend three to five years on their residency," He informed them, just in case they were oblivious.

"I know you all are here for your residency, right?" He asked. "You've all passed each and every test that was required of you before you get this residency, but there's one more test you weren't told about."

"Test?" A man, who was dressed in a crimson suit, and a multicolored tie that made him look like he had been dressed by a clown asked.

"Yes, Test." Sawyer replied. "This hospital organises its own special test to ensure that the residency is being given to the right people."

Then he added as he stood up," Let's move to the test right away at the auditorium."

The hospital auditorium smelled like stale coffee and nerves.

Two hundred residents sat in rigid rows, white coats starched, badges clipped, eyes fixed on the stage. It was mandatory attendance.

Vanessa sat near the back, arms crossed, file folder balanced on her knee. She hadn’t slept more than four hours in the last forty-eight. The bandage on her hand from the car window incident itched under her glove.

She kept her face blank.

Sawyer walked onto the stage like he owned it. Tall, broad-shouldered with salt-and-pepper hair and a suit that probably cost more than her car. His face was sharp, unreadable. His eyes were the color of storm clouds.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t need to. The room quieted further just from his presence.

Vanessa’s stomach tightened.

He moved to the podium. His gaze swept over the audience, slow and assessing. When it passed over her, it paused. Half a second. Barely noticeable.

But she felt it.

Heat crept up her neck. She looked down at her folder.

“Good morning,” Sawyer said. His voice was low, controlled. It carried without effort. “I’ll keep this brief. I expect competence. I expect punctuality. I expect you to treat every patient like your own family is on that table.”

No fluff. No motivational speech. Just standards.

“Residency is not a right. It’s a privilege. If you can’t meet those standards, you’ll be out. I don’t care whose son or daughter you are.”

A few people shifted uncomfortably.

Sawyer turned back to the audience, ignoring the whispers. “Dr. Campbell will be completing his final year of residency under my supervision. His performance will be judged by the same standards as everyone else.”

Justin beamed, like he had just been given a prize. He returned to his seat, glancing back at Vanessa with a smirk.

Vanessa forced herself to look away.

Sawyer continued for another five minutes, outlining changes to the surgical rotation, new protocols, stricter oversight. Vanessa heard maybe half of it. Her mind was stuck on one fact:

She had slept with her ex-boyfriend’s father.

When Sawyer finished, Chief Ripley stepped forward again. “Dr. Campbell has reviewed all resident files. He’ll be assigning teams directly. Dr. Campbell?”

Sawyer stepped forward, holding a tablet.

“Team assignments are based on performance, aptitude, and need,” he said. “No requests will be considered.”

Names started flashing on the screen behind him.

“Team A: Dr. Liu, Dr. Chen, Dr. O’Mara.”

“Team B: Dr. Patel, Dr. Ruiz, Dr. Kim.”

Vanessa’s name didn’t come up. She kept her face neutral.

“Team D: Dr. Monroe, Dr. Jason, Dr. Singh.”

Her head jerked up.

“Team D will report directly to me,” Sawyer said. “Dr. Monroe will serve as lead resident.”

The auditorium erupted in quiet murmurs. What nobody realized was the soft pounding on Vanessa's chest and the urge to swear at the man staring at her nonchalantly.

Good.

She has to deal with father and son.