Chapter 4. Dropping Her Home

Raven couldn't figure out how he knew that they were planning something? Anyway, she wouldn't have gone with them. She had to figure out her online and weekend class schedule. But did he have spies around to keep a check upon his employees? Maybe.

She composed herself and picked up the file that was on top. She had no idea what she had to do with it. Ralph Van Halen looked up impatiently at her.

"Here, take this list of documents. Check which folder they should go into. The documents are all haphazardly stored. You have to search for them and place them into their respective folders. Am I clear?" He asked impatiently.

Raven nodded, "Yes sir," she said softly, taking the list from him. This wasn't her work but how could she argue. He was the boss after all. Didn't he have any PA to do all this work? The faster she completed the work, the earlier she would be able to go home. She concentrated on her work. The next few minutes she only worked, dedicatedly, hunting for the documents and sorting them accordingly. It was very tiring work but she never complained even once. She hadn't even looked up once to check what her boss was doing. Her neck felt stiff and her stomach grumbled but she kept on and on.

At last, she was done. She closed the last file and closed her tired eyes. She could go home now.  Opening her eyes, she looked up at last. To her horror, Ralph Van Halen was sitting and staring at her fixedly,  with his head resting on his hand. His laptop was closed. How long had he been watching her? She had no idea. Blushing furiously, she got up.

"I've finished the work, sir. Where do I keep these files?" She asked courteously.

"They could wait till tomorrow. It's late already, " he told her in a husky tone. Raven looked at her wristwatch. It was eleven o'clock already? How did time fly away so soon, she had no idea! She took out her mobile phone from her backpack and saw ten missed calls from her dad. They would be very worried about her!

Ralph watched her expression with interest. It was clear that she had no idea of time. Maybe her boyfriend was waiting at home for her after all she had told him that she was in a relationship. His blood boiled and his jaws clenched at the thought.

"Can I leave sir?" she asked with an anxious expression.

"Is your boyfriend waiting for you at home?" He asked with disgust but Raven was too worried about her parents to hear anything. She rushed towards the door without realizing that she didn't have a car to go home. She'd never traveled alone in the tube rail so late at night. She could take a cab home. She walked into the elevator but to her surprise, it didn't close. Ralph Van Halen walked into the elevator with her.

"Anthony brought you from your college, didn't he?" He asked her. She shook her head, looking lost. Did her parents already go to the police? Were they hunting for her everywhere? She'd never been outside till so late at night. Raven's family has been living in a two-storied house in an affluent neighborhood of Fulham for the last 40 years. Her parents had handed her their old car on her eighteenth birthday and insisted that she use it. They had been doing well in their software development business until recently. However, she used public transport for commuting to college. 

"My car's gone for repairing, " she told him in a nervous voice. Ralph was surprised at her vulnerability. He felt a little guilty that he retained her for so long. He didn't want her to take public transport so late in the night. 

"I'll drop you home. No arguments, " he ordered. To his surprise, she didn't reply at all. He could see that she was too tired to retaliate. He led her to his car and helped her to the passenger seat. He climbed onto the driver's seat and started the ignition. "Tell me your address, Raven, " he asked her, gently. She told him her address, her voice drowsy with sleep. She had woken up at 4 o'clock in the morning to complete an assignment and she couldn't keep awake any longer.

Ralph drove towards the address she told him. He was very curious to know who she lived with. Would she go home and kiss her boyfriend just like she had kissed him in the morning? A strange restlessness filled his entire body.

"So, your boyfriend should be very worried at home?" He started again but there was no answer again. Was the girl deaf or dumb? He was frustrated and angry at being ignored. So he cast a quick glance in her direction, ready to blast her but to his surprise, he found her fast asleep on the seat beside him. She looked so innocent and her creamy complexion glowed under the street lights. He reached her home and parked his car right in front of her house. Switching off the ignition, he turned and watched her quietly. He didn't want to wake her up. She looked so ethereal, like an angel. He had never felt himself soften for any girl in all his twenty-eight years of life. He had just met the girl today and hardly knew her but his mind didn't listen to any logic. He just wanted to kiss her again. Maybe after another kiss, he'd feel normal again.

"Ralph, she's eight years younger than you and she already has a boyfriend. She would never kiss you again, " he tried to reason to himself. He never believed in relationships, for him a no-strings-attached, one-time, casual sex was the way of life. His good looks, money, and position always made him a hot favorite amongst women. There never was a dearth of women willing to warm his bed and he was no saint. He took advantage of it and lived life on the edge.

Then why was that innocent kiss so special to him? Why did he crave it again and again? He stretched his hand and touched her cheek, stroking it with the back of his hand. It was so soft, he could do it the whole night and not be tired of it. She might be extremely exhausted to have fallen asleep like this in his car. He stared at her slightly parted mouth as she slept.  Could he run his thumb along and feel their warmth and softness again?

She suddenly stirred and he stilled. Surprisingly, she leaned into his hand. Ralph felt himself soften at her behavior. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her as he had in the morning.

"Raven, we've reached your house, " he whispered into her ear, inhaling her sweet smell.

"Hmm," she mumbled, stirring a little and again going back to sleep.

"Wake up or I'll kiss you again, " he whispered into her ear.

"I-I'm s sorry, sir. I f-fell asleep, " she stammered, opening her eyes wide. "I'm going. Thank you, " she said, opening the door and climbing out, and staggering towards her door. Ralph sat inside the car and silently watched her ring her doorbell. The door flew open and he could hear a male voice yelling at her. He couldn't see the man from his car. Was it the boyfriend?

Ralph couldn't sit back and watch the man blast Raven anymore. How dare he talk to her in this manner? She was so tired as it is. He strode towards the door and then saw the man who was yelling at a quiet Raven, taking all the scolding quietly. The man's features resembled Raven's and he was old.

"I'm sorry, dad. It won't happen again," she told her dad meekly. Ralph froze. He was her dad? He went forward to save the girl from her father's wrath. After all, it was because of him that Raven was late.

"Mr. Porterfield, it's not her fault that she's late, " he started but her dad glared at him.

"Who the hell are you?" He glared at Ralph.

"Sir, today there was a campus interview at Raven's College. She has joined my company on internship from today itself. I'm Ralph Van Halen, Production Head,  Partner, and Founder of JC Group Inc. Since we were finishing some work, Raven was held up at the office. Next time, I'm sure she'll inform you," he informed. Her dad's mouth hung open. He recognized Ralph immediately.

"Thank you for dropping our daughter, Mr. Van Halen, " said a woman coming to stand beside Raven's dad.

Ralph smiled at her. "I'm Eva Porterfield,  Raven's mom. This is James Porterfield, Raven's dad," she introduced.

"Hello, good to meet you. It's late. I must be on my way," he told them and left without looking at Raven anymore. He knew she was watching him and if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to leave.

He left and drove home with images of Raven's sleeping face cropping into his mind. It was well past midnight when he reached his huge sprawling mansion. Parking his car, he unlocked the main door as quietly as possible. He knew his grandma would be asleep and the slightest noise always woke her up.

His grandma was the only one who was permanent in his life. His parents had separated when he was five years old. His grandma had brought him up, giving him the love and care of both parents. He had never felt their absence because of his grandma. She loved this house which his grandpa had built for her and refused to live anywhere else. It was because of her that Ralph came back to London and spent most of his time here with his grandma in his childhood home.