Edward loyld: Rise of the underrated biochemist.

In a large, spacious laboratory filled with sophisticated medical equipment and professional doctors, lab scientists carried out their experiments on various chemicals, while a short, bald-headed man dressed in corporate attire walked around the lab, carefully supervising the janitors cleaning any spills made on the floor by the scientists.

"Be fast with the cleaning. Immediately," the supervisor said to Edward, who was spying on one of the lab scientists having difficulty with his experiments.

"Use hydrogen peroxide instead of sulfur in mixing the chemicals. There's a high probability it would give you the required specimen you need," Edward said to the scientist with a voice above a whisper. Following Edward's advice, the scientist did exactly what Edward suggested, and "Tada!" he screamed.

"Yes, it worked, Edward. You are a genius," he said to Edward, who just smiled and continued with his cleaning.

"Edward is actually a genius. I don't know why he is working as a cleaner when he's supposed to be a lab scientist in a company like this," another lab scientist at the other end testified to Edward's brilliance.

Edward smiled at the compliments like it was no big deal. As a certified biochemist who graduated from a prestigious university with first-class honors, he had encountered many such challenges in the lab. He had been lucky to secure a scholarship into Presvile, the most prestigious university in town, after high school. While at Presvile, he hardly associated with the rich kids who always despised him because of his poor background. Everyone knew Edward as an errand boy for the rich kids. He did this to get paid. However, this changed when he first met Sandra Hudson, one of the campus beauties.

Sandra Hudson was the daughter of Mr. Hudson, owner of Hudson's Corporation, which was the largest pharmaceutical company in the whole town of Asheville at the time. Edward was heading for his BCH 341 afternoon lectures when he stumbled upon a group of people encircling a girl on the ground struggling for her life. The girl had just had a seizure, and there was no emergency team nearby, so Edward stepped in and saved the girl's life, who he later discovered to be Sandra Hudson. He later learned that she had a terminal illness that required her not to be alone. Sandra eventually found a friend in a poor errand boy like him.

Their friendship grew into something intimate, and after school, Mr. Hudson, who had heard how Edward saved his daughter's life, decided to marry Sandra to him in appreciation before he passed away. As the son-in-law to one of the richest men in the city, Edward was given a contract to work at Hudson Pharmaceutical Company, but he couldn't get the job of his dreams as he was discriminated against by the Board of Directors for being poor. Instead, he was made a cleaner while the scientists asked for his ideas any time they encountered problems in the lab.

"It takes more than knowledge to work in a company like this, and it will be more suitable if you accept the job of a cleaner here," the chairman of the board said to him. He would have rejected the offer, but being the only child to a sick mother who had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, he had to accept the work so he could meet up with money for his mom's dialysis.

The discussion about Edward's intelligence amongst the lab scientists soon stopped the moment the door opened and a very beautiful woman with an hourglass shape walked into the lab. She wore a fitted red gown, accentuating her cleavage and curves, her long black hair cascading down her back, and her red lipstick syncing with her dress. The woman was Sandra Hudson, and beside her were the Board of Directors. The next personality that entered the room after her left everyone starstruck.

"That's Mr. Richard, the owner of Richard's Pharmaceutical Company," a cleaner said at the tall, handsome man in a black suit, now standing next to Sandra Hudson with a smile. Richard Pharmaceutical Company was currently the top leading company in the world. Since they came to the limelight two years ago, they have miraculously taken over the world of medicines, bringing Hudson's company down to number five on the social ladder. Sandra Hudson and the directors all showed Mr. Richard around all corners of the lab: chemicals, drugs, sophisticated medical machines, etc. Edward stood, wondering what his wife was doing with Mr. Richard, who was supposed to be their opposition in the medical business.

When they got to where Edward was standing, Edward called Sandra, waving at her, but got snubbed. He noticed a giggle from his fellow colleagues staring at him in mockery as they noticed Sandra's behavior towards him. They had always been jealous of him being the smartest cleaner among them, who was often praised by the lab scientists.

After a few minutes in the lab, Sandra Hudson and the BOD began escorting Mr. Richard out of the lab when Edward decided to call again.

"Hey, Sandra! Sandra!" he ran towards her, still holding firmly onto his mop. Sandra halted at the door and turned to him with a frown, leaving Mr. Richard with the BOD.

"What is it, Edward? Why have you been incessantly calling my name despite seeing I'm having an important guest?" she spat angrily at him, her eyes glaring into his.

"An important guest? Who could be more important that you couldn't even reply to your husband's call?" Edward said, and she widened her gaze on him in surprise.

"Are you for real? Tell me you're joking, Edward. I might just consider you a comedian. I'm speaking with Mr. Richard, owner of the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world now, and you are asking this?" she said. Edward's heart saddened when he noticed her lips curved into a smile as she mentioned Mr. Richard's name. She couldn't hide the excitement she felt inside, and he felt jealous.

"That doesn't justify you ignoring me when I called you, right? You should have introduced me to him as your husband. Isn't that what a wife should do?" he said.

"What? Introduce, you say?" Sandra paused for a minute and examined him from head to toe as if her brain was processing what Edward just said, and she burst into uncontrollable laughter, displaying mockery.

"I should introduce him to you as my husband? The daughter of Mr. Hudson married to a cleaner? Haha," she laughed in mockery.

"Nah, that isn't the right thing to do. Mr. Richard is trying to help the company climb back up the social ladder again, and I don't want to do anything that would discourage him," her words made him look at himself.

"Help? Don't tell me you are trying to partner with him?"

"Of course, that's what I'm doing."

"Why?" Edward asked in surprise.

"Why? Are you too blind to see that our company is gradually losing all of its glory since my dad passed?" she said.

"Yeah, and that's because you and your mom aren't handling the company as well as your dad did. If your dad was alive, he wouldn't be happy with the decision you're making to partner with a company that suspiciously came to the limelight a couple of years ago and successfully took over the world. You need to do a proper investigation about-"

"Enough!" she screamed at him, making his words hang midair. "You're just trying to say I and my mom are the problem of the company? You're saying we aren't managing it well, right? Why don't you do it yourself then?" Sandra attacked.

"C'mon, you know I would have if you had given me the chance to-" he didn't get to complete his words as she hissed and left the lab.

Edward was lost in thought as he watched her walk away when a giggle brought him back to the room. He turned and saw his colleagues laughing at him.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked angrily.

"Nothing. But she's right though. I can't imagine a person like Sandra Hudson being married to a mop boy. It's kinda degrading to her status."

"Yeah, me too. I think Mrs. Hudson should consider. This marriage ain't right," his jealous colleagues laughed at him until a voice echoed through the room.

"Stop that right now," the voice was no other than Mr. Cassel, an old lab scientist. He signaled to Edward to come closer.

"Don't mind them. They're just jealous because you're married to Sandra Hudson. People get jealous of something they can't get. Just continue with your work. I'm sure she was overly excited with Mr. Richard's presence that she acted that way," he said to him.

*****

After cleaning the big lab, Edward proceeded to clean the restrooms. The company had many restrooms: the menial staff's restroom, which was downstairs, and the executives' restroom, which was on the top floors. As the head cleaner, he was given the top-floor restroom to clean.

He mopped each one of the restrooms, and when he reached the last one, he heard noise emanating from inside. Bringing his ear close to the door, he could hear a feminine voice moaning and two bodies colliding against each other.

"Who's in there?" he asked as he wondered why two workers would be making out in the bathroom during work hours. He knocked on the door twice but didn't get an answer. Just as he was about to turn to leave the workers to whatever they were doing, the feminine voice echoed again and sounded louder. His heart plummeted in his chest when he recognized the familiar voice. His mind began racing fast, and he tried to console himself, praying it shouldn't be what he was thinking.

Slowly, he pushed the door open and peeked into the restroom, which was partially covered in smoke. He waved his hand to clear the smoke so he could have a clearer view, and the first thing his eyes met was the smooth skin of a blonde lady, fully naked, and a man with his pants down, having sex with her with a cigarette in his mouth. The man was Mr. Richard, but Edward's heart melted when he discovered the lady was Sandra Hudson, his wife.

"SandrAAA!!!!!!"

Edward's voice broke through the pleasurable sounds that filled the room, making Sandra and Richard jolt in shock and face reality.

"Edward, what the hell are you doing here?" Reaching for her clothes on the floor, Sandra said in shock. Mr. Richard also dragged his pants up to cover himself.

"What do you mean by that question? Are you out of your mind? I should be asking what you are doing with your so-called business partner," Edward answered, his voice breaking in disappointment as he found it difficult to believe what his eyes were seeing.

"Baby, who is this guy?" Mr. Richard asked with a confused expression, his eyes still locked on Edward. But Edward was quick to reply before Sandra did.

"I'm her husband, and who the fuck are you?" Edward said angrily.

"Enough, Edward, just shut up!" Sandra yelled at him, turning to Richard. "Don't mind him, Richard. He's the peasant I told you about, the one I fell in love with while I was in college, who unfortunately turned out to be my husband," she said and cupped Richard's face with her hands.

"Oh, you mean the loser of a husband?" he asked, and she nodded. Edward couldn't believe his ears. What was he hearing?

"Sandra, I'm your husband, remember? You loved me..."

"Oh, shut up, please. I have had enough of your nonsense. You must be stupid to think I have ever loved you. How do you expect the daughter of Mr. Hudson to fall in love with a pauper like you from a poor background? I was only close to you in school because I had a terminal illness and needed someone close by who would look after me, and you were the only available option. Well, thank goodness the illness is gone, and I don't need you in my life anymore," she spat angrily, leaving his emotions shattered like old bricks smashed on the ground. Edward couldn't say a word as he stared at her, astonished by the words she had just said. Was this actually coming from Sandra, the girl who had bragged about being in love with him?

"Edward, I can understand how life is for someone as poor as yourself, but let me give you a piece of advice. I'll leave Sandra alone if I were you. I can never be you, though. Haa," Mr. Richard said and laughed in mockery. "She's not your level. Sandra had told me your mom is diagnosed with kidney cancer. I can help you with $10,000 to go help your dying mom if only you heed my advice, huh?" Richard raised a brow as he awaited a response.

"I don't need your money, you bastard! Leave my wife alone," Edward sneered angrily, and Richard flinched in shock.

"What is wrong with you, Edward? How dare you insult Mr. Richard? You should be grateful for him being a kind person," Sandra said, staring at him in disappointment.

"It obviously shows he's a dummy. I want to help his poor sick mom. I don't know where you get your dumbness from; it might be from her," Mr. Richard said and burst into laughter together with Sandra.

Annoyed by his words, Edward covered the distance between Richard and himself, fixing his eyes on him. "Don't you dare talk about my mom like that," Edward said, clenching his fingers, glaring at Richard.

"Oh yeah, and what would you do, pauper!" Mr. Richard hit him on the chest, trying to initiate a fight, but Edward shook his head and said, "I'm not interested in having this conversation. Sandra, let's leave. I forgive you." Edward grabbed Sandra's arm and turned toward the door to leave with her, but she hit his hand off hers.

"Leave me alone," she hit his hand off her immediately.

Edward, in shock, stared at her for a moment and tried to hold her arm again, but Mr. Richard quickly landed his fist on his chin, and he staggered back.

"Leave her alone," Richard said, setting his hand for another punch.

"You wanna do this, right? All right, cool," Edward said, clenching his fist while Mr. Richard did the same. Mr. Richard was obviously a fighter as he maintained a proper stance. Richard made the first move, but Edward dodged, and before he could make a second move, Edward punched him in the face and sent him crashing to the floor. Immediately, Edward got on him and began punching him incessantly while Sandra shouted, "Stop! Stop that now!" When she noticed she couldn't stop Edward, she quickly rushed out and returned with some security guards who grabbed Edward off Richard.

Before they helped Mr. Richard up, Taylor Hudson, Sandra's mom, came running through the hallway with two bouncers flanking her side. Terror was written all over her face. She came to a halt in front of Edward, and before Edward could say a word, she slapped him three times across the face before speaking.

"How dare you touch a personality like Mr. Richard? Do you know the repercussions of what you have just done?" she said, glaring into his eyes angrily.

"Ma'am, it's not what you think. He attacked me first!"

"And so what?" she said.

"He was also having sex with my wife, Mrs. Hudson."

"How dare you even call Sandra your wife? I never knew you were this stupid to think a girl like Sandra would be for you," she said, and Edward stared at her, unsurprised. He had known Taylor Hudson hadn't been in support of him marrying her daughter. She had always been against Mr. Hudson's decision to marry Sandra off to him, but she had kept her hate on a low profile when he was alive. Since he passed away, she showed him her real character.

"You are so gonna pay for this," Taylor Hudson said and signaled the two bouncers who held Edward to the ground, facing up.

"Mr. Richard, please have your own share of the fight. Do whatever you want until you are satisfied," Taylor Hudson said, and Richard smiled.

"That's so nice," he said, clenching his fist. He got over Edward and started punching him heavily in the face. He punched and punched until Edward's face became messy with blood, and his eyes were bloodshot that he couldn't see again. Still, he didn't rest. He kept switching arms until Sandra decided to intervene.

"Baby, it's okay. Leave him alone," she wrapped her hands around him, and he straightened up.

Just as he stood up from Edward, the policemen hoisted him up, flanking him by his sides. They hurled him into the elevator and down the stairs, where they put him in a police van and headed away.

When they arrived at the police station, he was placed behind bars and asked questions which were all formalities.

"Mr. Edward, you are charged with three offenses. One is battery on a high-profile individual, two is you being accused of sexual assault on Mrs. Sandra---"

"What? Sexual assault? Sandra is my wife, how can I---"

"Quiet! I'm not joking with you," the policeman said, hitting his hand on the desk before him, and Edward jolted in shock. His rude manner showed that he had already been bribed by Mr. Richard.

"Third is public disturbance in a prestigious company like Hudson Corporation.

"You have 24 hours to pay a $10,000 fine to be granted bail or serve a jail term of 20 years," the officer said, and Edward opened his mouth wide in shock.

Where was a poor boy like him supposed to get $10,000 in 24 hours from?

*******

With both hands cuffed, Edward walked through the narrow corridor of Ashville's prison, with two prison guards flanking his side. Each step he took further was him passing a cell locked with inmates. The 24 hours grace given to him to pay up the fine had elapsed without him meeting up to the charges. Where was he gonna get $10,000 from when he couldn't even come up with part of the money for his mother's surgery? His savings was barely up $2000 as he had taken out from it several times, trying to satisfy his wife's incessant quest for material things. Mr.

Richard had intentionally caused this because he knew Edward wouldn't be able to come up with such an amount. Who was going to take care of his mom now when he's away? He had no friends or relatives. Who was gonna pay for his mom's dialysis in his absence? She wouldn't even last more than a week before the doctors disposed of her body. Life is indeed difficult for the poor.

As they guarded him to his cell, the noise that emanated from the cell rooms melted his heart, instilling a kind of fear in him as he began to fantasize what his cellmates might look like. He had heard several stories of new inmates being bullied by the old in cells and he wasn't ready for any trouble. What if the cell he was being taken to was occupied by notorious gang leaders who would hit him at the slightest opportunity they had?

They soon halted at cell number 315 and the warder uncuffed Edward's hands before opening the door, shoving him into the cell, and locking it back. An awful smell enveloped his nose, one that he was definitely gonna find unbearable. The cell was a portable one, had a toilet sitting at the side and a two-bunk bed with small mattresses, and on it were two people laying quietly. One of them kept staring at him the moment he walked in while the other was focused on his book. He didn't even bother to look at Edward.

"Hey, I guess you are our new cellmate," the first guy said as he got off his bed and gently walked to Edward.

"Yes, I'm Edward," Edward said, staring at the muscular guy in fear.

"My name is Rodney," the guy accepted his hand. Edward then averted his gaze to the other inmate laying on the bed and asked, "And what about you, bro?"

The guy laying on the bunk just shot him a glance and continued what he was reading.

"Haha! He's Junior, but you don't have to worry about him. He has been like this since the last brutal experience he had," Rodney said.

"What experience?" Edward curiously asked and Rodney motioned for them to have a seat on the bunk as they discussed.

"He was bullied last week during our sports hours by the Black Vipers. He just arrived in the cell some weeks ago without knowing absolutely nothing about how this place works. So he got into a basketball competition and he outshined everyone, winning against the opposite team. The opposite team wasn't happy with this and so they planned him. A week after, Junior was seen laying unconscious in an abandoned room in the prison. The Black Vipers had taken him to one of the lonely rooms in the cell and bullied him till he passed out. Fortunately, one of the prison warders found him laying there, bleeding from the nose and mouth in an unconscious state. He was rushed to the clinic where treatment was administered and fortunately, he was revived. Since then, he has refused to speak about what happened. He has also refused to leave the room or even associate with anyone; the only company he had is his book. The doctor said he is suffering from severe trauma and the beating must have caused it."

"Who are the Black Vipers you are talking about?" Edward asked.

"They are a group of 10 called the Black Vipers. The group is led by Marcus Santosh, a renowned gangster and drug lord who was very notorious for several crimes in the city. He was arrested 20 years ago for killing one of the biggest politicians in town. Marcus has been a bone to the neck of everyone here, even the prison warders are scared of him," Rodney said.

"So you mean he molested Junior and no one could do anything about it? I thought this place is supposed to be fair or is he bigger than the law?" he asked.

"Actually, he wasn't caught red-handed. We only suspected that they were the ones, which is true. Junior has been asked to confess what happened but he has kept calm, I guess it was because he was scared of what would happen next. I would do so if I were him. No one dares cross Marcus' path. It's better Junior remains quiet. Marcus has a lot of police officers working for him, including the prison warders that brought you here so I can say he is above the law here."

"Wow, that's terrible," Edward said and Rodney nodded.

"I'm telling you this so you won't make the same mistake Junior made. If your team is unfortunately picked to play in a competition with the Black Vipers, please make sure you do everything in your power not to win. Don't play your best, allow them to win and have the glory to themselves. If they notice you trying to outshine them in anything around here, believe me, you would be severely dealt with and you will get no justice, don't ever walk on the same path with them!" Rodney warned sternly.

"And how can I identify the Black Vipers gang?" Edward asked, already terrified by what he heard.

"They are always with a black durag on. That's their symbol," he said.

Before Edward could say another word, he heard the sound of a loud bell which began to be followed by the sounds of inmates hustling out of the cell.

"What's happening?" he asked confused.

"It's lunch break, and we are going to the dining hall," Rodney said and some moments after, he heard the rustling sounds of keys on their door and it opened.

"Let's go."

"What about him?" Edward turned to ask about Junior but Rodney waved the question off.

"Don't worry about him, he will join later," Rodney said.

They set out of their cell and Edward saw thousands of prisoners making their way through the door which they followed and led them to a wide hall with chairs arranged. The hall looked old and stank a little but it was really large. They both reached out for a plate and went to queue up for food. When it finally got to their turn, they served Rodney first and he took his food before serving Edward.

The moment Edward collected his food, he quickly headed to his seat but suddenly bumped into somebody. He raised his head to see a tall muscular man towering in front of him. The man wore a grin on his face, his fist clenched tightly.

"I'm sorry sir," Edward apologized as he brought his hand to clean off the stain he made on the man's cloth, but the man shoved his hand away.

"You're sorry?" he spoke in a Mexican accent.

"Yes I am," Edward said respectfully and turned to walk away but the man clasped his arm and dragged him back.

"Where the fuck do you think you are going boy?"

"I just said I'm sorry," Edward said to the angrily looking man who stared at him with no emotions.

"And sorry isn't enough," he hit the plate out of Edward's hand and the food dropped on the floor.

"You have to pay," he said, smashing and using his legs to smash the food on the floor.

"Hey, it was a mistake okay, why are you acting all troublesome-" as soon as he completed his words, the man punched him in his stomach and Edward staggered back.

"That's what I mean by paying." the man said.

Provoked, Edward sprinted towards the man and punched him in the face heavily. The man stood and stared at him with a surprised look. Amidst the drama between both of them, Edward noticed the hall had suddenly gone quiet and he quickly averted his gaze to notice what was happening, but he was shocked to see that everyone had suspended their meal and were looking at him in shock. They couldn't even say a word. He also sighted Rodney who sat on his seat shaking his head in disapproval, but why were they all quiet?

However, seeing Rodney's reaction suddenly took him aback to the discussion they had moments ago. He trailed his eyes over the head of the angry man standing in front of him and saw a black durag over his head. Before he could say another word, a group of rugged looking men, all heavily built, emerged and surrounded him.

"You asked who I am. I'm Marcus Santosh. The man who runs this whole place," he said with a vicious smile all over his face.