CHAPTER 1

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!!!!!!"