The Pinnacle of Life

Smack! Smack!
Alex did not go easy on Felix, and landed three heavy lashes on his back.
Three lash wounds immediately surfaced on Felix’s back, and blood began seeping out from some of the wounds.
Then, Alex threw the sprig away and said, “Get up, remember what you said today.”
Words of gratitude came out of Felix’s mouth as he got up on his feet. He even took out a little gift box and handed it to Alex. “Mr. Rockefeller, thank you so much for the three lashes. I will always remember your teachings. Here’s a little gift for you as a token of appreciation! Mr. Rockefeller, sorry for the bother and I’ll be leaving! May you both live a long and happy life together.”
After handing over the gift box to Alex, he turned around and left.
Looking at Felix’s disappearing silhouette, Alex secretly thought, “He is a smart guy after all! Well, good for him, I will leave the Shepherds alone for now.”
Felix was nowhere to be seen but Claire and Beatrice were still in a state of confusion. Even Dorothy could not help but ask, “What’s with that guy, Alex? I do not understand.”
Alex said with a smile, “What do you not understand? Well, I had a little chat with him the other day and lectured him on life’s philosophy, morals, and ethics. After all, he is a rough diamond that needs refinement. Immediately, after listening to my lectures, he realized his mistakes and came to apologize.”
Beatrice rolled her eyes; as if she would believe him!
Beatrice pointed at Alex and exclaimed, “It is him! He must have used some dirty tricks to force bro…”
She did not finish her sentence as Alex gave her a vicious glare.
“Beatrice Assex, is your face feeling better?” asked Alex in a frigid voice.
In that instant, Beatrice was reminded of the slap previously. Realizing that the situation did not look good for her, as though her mother was powerless to protect her, she hurriedly ran into her room and locked herself in.
Meanwhile, Claire, who seemed to be greatly agitated, sat on the floor and wailed, “Henry, what did I do to deserve this life? Why do I have to suffer such torment? Was I wrong? I only wanted a better life for our family and our daughter! Oh great, we have a useless son-in-law who has contributed not a single penny to our family but just living off the family. Finally, there’s a rich son-in-law from the Shepherds but this trash just screwed up everything! I hate this trash!”
Alex was infuriated listening to her rants.
Even Dorothy was at a loss for words as her mother spoke of her late father like that.
Enraged, Alex took out the check given to him by Edgar and slammed it on the table. “You want money, right? Here are twenty million dollars for you! Furthermore, I will prove to you that your daughter chose the right guy. I will make her the richest woman in California in a year’s time!
“I am leaving now. Dorothy, get some rest.”
Claire finally returned to her senses long after Alex’s departure. She looked at the check with glistening eyes and said, “Twenty million dollars, is it real or fake? It must be… fake, right? How can that trash have so much money?”