Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, the timer began.
The lady immediately fired a round of shots at the moving target, all hits being close to the highest points available.
Alex wasn't left behind in this either.
His shots were precise and he had his body in a much better control than the lady beside him.
Alex didn't feel too hurt by the recoil from the guns.
The same wasn't the case for the lady whose hand was hurting by the constant recoils. She still showed great perseverance and didn't back off.
Since this was his first day, Alex was having slight trouble keeping up with this seasoned person.
Halfway through the challenge, the lady's body was starting to get tired with the constant focus and work she was putting on.
Alex's case was different. The Gene Cultivation came in a clutch and brought great stamina while also making his body strong and less prone to injuries.
The challenge lasted for a whole hour with both parties trying out different guns and targets.
Alex's guess of the lady being a bigshot proved right as just from one command, she made the whole shooting range empty and available only for the two's challenge.
The challenge eventually came to an end with Alex winning against the lady.
Despite having the best manuals, against vast experience, Alex still had a long way to go.
If the manuals weren't the best of the best, Alex was sure he would never be able to beat this lady.
This just went on to show how talented and skilled she was.
"Huff… Huff… I didn't know you were this talented," the lady breathed heavily while resting on a couch in the shooting range's lounge.
Pop!
Alex opened a can of diet soda and gulped it down. He was feeling really thirsty due to continuous gun practice.
"Say, what's your name? And how old are you?" The lady asked.
Alex looked at her and said calmly, "Alexander Gray, 21."
"Holy moly!" The lady sat in an upright position. "21, you say!?"
She then slumped back on the couch and sighed.
"I was beaten by a child… damn… is this the curse of being old? Or is the younger generation just that good?" The lady sighed again.
Alex couldn't help but ask, "if you don't mind, what's your age, miss?"
The way she was speaking and the way she looked didn't match at all.
She looked to be in her early 20s and she spoke as if she was a forty year old something woman.
The lady sat in an upright position again and said with a smile, "it's Madeline. Call me that, you've earned it. And as for age…"
The lady chuckled.
"Has nobody taught you that one shouldn't ask a man his salary and a woman her age?"
Alex sighed and shook his head. "I was gonna keep my curiosity to myself and not ask you your age. Now look, the consequences of my actions."
The lady laughed. "You're funny. Anyway, since you beat me, I'll tell you. It's 24."
Alex's assessment was correct about her age and he couldn't help but think, 'this woman…'
Madeline sure loved to joke around while also hurling insults to people she didn't like.
"So, Alexander, tell me about yourself. How come you're so good at guns?" Madeline started asking the important questions.
Alex shook his head. "It's nothing much. I am a Texan, all Texans by birth know how to operate a gun."
Madeline laughed out loud again hearing that. "See, I wasn't wrong about you being funny."
In some or the other way, he avoided the talks of how he learnt such better control and steered the conversation in a direction that wouldn't cause him trouble.
Madeline had a wonderful time conversing with Alex and during their light talks, she ended up asking him what he was doing in his career.
She asked that because if he was doing something stupid, she could always suggest him to be a pro sniper or gunman either for the military or some mercenary group.
The pay was high for such skilled individuals in these places.
However, before she could even suggest anything, her eyes opened wide like saucers once she heard that he was Neurosurgeon, not just any, but the youngest in history!
"WHAT THE—" Madeline stood up and exclaimed. "Are you THAT Alexander!?"
Suddenly something clicked her.
"Yes, that same one from New York Medical School," Alex didn't reject this.
"Holy… you're one talented person, aren't you?" Madeline was genuinely impressed now.
She sat back down on the couch and asked Alex, "you're such a famous person now, no offense or anything, but why are you still driving a Honda Civic? It's a genuine question."
'Rich people just cannot fathom seeing someone be rich and live a middle class lifestyle it seems…'
Alex thought that, but on the outside, he smiled and replied, "I was in New York for the most parts. I own an Urus, it's on its way to Texas. Until it comes back, I am just driving my old car."
"Ah, I see, I see," now Madeline felt Alex was normal.
The two conversed for a good while and stopped only when someone came and whispered in Madeline's ears something, making her get up and bid farewell to Alex.
"It was nice meeting you, Alexander. Give me your number, if I am at the shooting range, I'll give you a text. We can have fun challenges again sometimes later."
"Sure, no problem," said Alex and exchanged numbers with Madeline.
Madeline left and Alex did so as well.
It was six in the evening and he had gotten quite a few texts from Melissa asking where he was.
Alex texted her while on his way to the car that he was coming back home in a few minutes and put his phone aside.
While driving back, he thought to himself, 'Mel said I'll be coming across my other wives soon. Is Madeline one of them? No… can't be the case…'
One thing Melissa advised Alex was to trust his intuitions.
On the very first day when Alex met Melissa in some fantastical place, he knew she was a stranger but somehow felt a strong connection with her.
It was as if he had known her for ages.
She gave off really comfortable vibes and this was what ultimately caused him to accept her as his wife without thinking too much.
Alex felt no such things when with Madeline and she seemed like a stranger to him. However…
When he met Nix yesterday, she was giving him some good vibes during her talks.
She did feel close, but Alex didn't know if it was due to the fact that she had met him when he was younger or if it was because their parents were literally best friends.
Whatever the case, Alex felt more close with Nix than Madeline.
Madeline was a complete stranger while Nix wasn't.
Since his wife asked him to trust his intuition, Alex was going to see how things would fare off with Nix and test the waters.
Meanwhile, Alex thought of so many things yet never questioned himself about accepting the fact of having a harem so easily.
It never crossed Alex even once that having a harem wasn't normal, yet he felt it was completely normal and just accepted it when Melissa mentioned he had more wives.
Part of the reason was Alex's strong subconscious and another part was the amount of love his wives had for him and he had for them.
Overthinking things and making plans for the future in his head, Alex finally reached home.