Chapter 1

In the quiet corner of the world class library in Stone University Washington DC sat a young gentleman. Handsome and intelligent would be an understatement in describing him. He was reading a book on Cyber crime security, engrossed with the pages of the new invention meant to curb cyber crime worldwide.

"Roland, 

Roland,"

Anthony, his best friend on campus, called his voice trembling as a brief furrow on his brow revealed his irritation.

He looked up at his best friend ,Anthony Wilson whose face was etched in shock as he stood before him.

"Anthony, what's this uproar for?

Have you forgotten that this is a world class library and the number one rule is no noise?" 

"Roland, just tune in to Aurial FM for the evening news and see for yourself."

He looked at his friend questioningly, brought out his phone from his pockets and tuned in to Aurial FM on YouTube channel.

He stared at his phone, his eyes blazing with a mixture of shock and anger.

"Isn't this the bad boy Greg Maxwell in the studio with my heartthrob Nancy?," he asked looking at the phone and his friend intermittently.

"Yes, Roland. That is Greg and Nancy professing their undying love towards each other for the world to see."

Nancy, who was Roland's girlfriend, was a tall slender lady with long black hair that cascaded down her back. She has high cheekbones and piercing green eyes. She wore a black pencil skirt that hugged her curves and a white blouse that accentuated her slender figure.

He watched as Greg held Nancy at her waist and looked intently into her eyes before kissing her.

"What!"

He screamed and rushed out of the library amidst the jeers of other students.

"The loser and trash cannot afford losing his girlfriend to the bad boy, Greg Maxwell, the most handsome and dreaded guy on campus," one of the students remarked, smirking.

"Hahaha!"

The other students laughed mockingly.

"Greg is the heir apparent to the Exclus hotel, the best seven star hotel in town.

How does this penniless nobody whose parentage is unknown think he can ever stand a chance against him?" 

Another guy asked his friend as they pointed to the enraged Roland.

"He must be living in a fool's paradise to imagine that he stands a chance with Nancy, the beauty queen of Stone University," remarked another student.

"Hahaha,!" 

They all laughed falling on themselves.

"He can't even afford half the tuition fee, not to mention the full tuition. Little wonder, he pleaded and begged to be offered a full scholarship," another student remarked sarcastically.

"Hahaha!"

The taunts from students in the library continued, each one more cutting than the other.

Roland kept rushing out of the library ignoring their taunts. His aim was to get hold of Greg and teach him a bitter lesson that he wouldn't forget in a hurry.

He stormed out of the library, eyes blazing with fire as his best friend Anthony tagged along.

"Calm down, Roland. Just calm down," Anthony beckoned, indeed so sorry for his friend.

He knew how hard his friend had invested into the relationship.

Roland bit his lips as he ran down the walkway towards the studio where the engagement was being aired. He knew without a doubt that Nancy loved him so much that she would not fall for another or so he thought.

They had been in the relationship for three years and this was his final year.

He was preparing for his final exams. So, he was in the library gathering information about his project titled 'Eradicating cyber crime worldwide.'

Having been brought up in the orphanage, he knew better than to laze around when it comes to his studies. So, he focused on his studies and earned a full scholarship to read Cyber Crime in one of the best universities in the world. 

In spite of his intelligence, everyone in the university would mock him at the slightest opportunity. He endured much humiliation from the rich spoilt kids in the University.

He could endure all other things but this he wouldn't endure. 

Who is Greg to snatch his girlfriend and future wife from him?

He would fight for his love. He was no coward.

He broke into a run and entered into the studio fuming.

"Who is that bastard, that criminal that dared woo my girl behind me?"

He fumed clenching his fist tightly standing before the couple whose hands were joined together.

"Nancy, what is this about?"

"Roland, I am fed up. Can't you see that we are not an item?

Today is my 25th birthday yet you have nothing to offer," Nancy snapped much to Roland's dismay.

"But, I promised to make it up to you soon. I promised. We still have a long way to go Nancy," he said as his eyes grew teary.

"I am tired of empty promises. I am tired of putting up with trash. I am tired of enduring penury. I am tired, Roland. You don't even have a pedigree or a name, Roland," she said with her gaze fixed squarely on his face and her arms akimbo.

"I have love and security with Greg," she said as she smiled and lifted up the chin of Greg for a kiss.

Roland rushed at Greg, gripped him tightly and punched him hard on the face.

"What!

You trash!"

Greg exclaimed, holding his face as he winced in pain.

Jack, Mark and Sydney, the right hand men of Greg rushed towards Roland and kicked him on the butts, pulled him out from the grip and beat him till he became unconscious. 

"Leave him alone," Anthony yelled at them as he couldn't fight the three hefty guys alone.

The studio manager who had been observing came into the scene and threatened to call in the security if they didn't stop the fight.

They disengaged and promised to deal with Roland for disrupting what would have ended in a blissful note.

"Roland, we are not done yet," Greg yelled and beckoned his friends to leave the scene.

Anthony looked at his friend as he lay unconscious.

"Roland, this is a distraction. You shouldn't have come into the studio to fight these ones," he muttered under his breath as he held his friend pathetically.

"They are not worth your time. Nancy is not even worth your love," he mused.

He lifted up his friend and carried him back to the hostel. He called one of the students studying nursing to give him a first aid treatment. Jane gave him some first aid treatment and pain reliever.

He regained consciousness and slept in the hostel till the following day.

He stirred with a slight headache but made up his mind to put what happened the previous day behind him and face his final year exams. So, he began to get ready for the day's lectures. 

He could not easily wave off the sad event as he trudged to the lecture room. 

The event had taken the wind out of his sails. He really loved Nancy and had plans for their future together. He knew he would be very rich after graduating from the University as a cyber crime security guru and a business administrator. 

He had menial jobs that he did at weekends to put food on his table and get little things for Nancy promising her a brighter future.

Now, all his anticipated future with Nancy has gone down the drain because he was a poor orphan. 

He believed that no condition was permanent but Nancy was just too myopic to see the bright future such that she allowed herself to get entangled with Greg Maxwell.

A tear fell off his eyelids. He quickly wiped it off, braced himself and walked into the lecture room with his knapsack hung on his back.

"Who is this rat that just strode into my lecture room lazily?"

All the students turned to see who Miss Anderson the business 301 lecturer was referring to.