Chapter 7. Where Was He Taking Her?

"Oof," she said, as her face collided with his hard muscular back. Was the guy made of steel or what?

"Focus, Raven. Are you okay?" He asked with concern, turning around and looking at her.

"Yeah, apart from a flat nose," she mumbled under her breath. Thank God, Frank was cushiony. Eww, cushiony? Was it really something to be thankful for? Ralph chuckled and placed his hand on the small of her back, to lead her to his car. The chauffeur opened the door of the car for them. Raven scooted to the far end of the back seat to make ample space for her boss. Ralph shot her a look. Why was she hanging on the edge when two people could comfortably sit at the back seat of his luxurious car. As if he could kiss her with his chauffeur around!

"Where are we going, sir?" Asked an anxious Raven. She suddenly remembered the warning her friends had given her against their boss. Was he abducting her to a deserted island as she'd seen in the movies? Raven gulped with fright. Her phone buzzed with an incoming message from Frank. She blinked twice with disbelief. How did he remember her after so many months? She couldn't even remember when he had last come down from his medical college to meet her.

Frank- My semester-end exams are over. I'm coming down for dinner tonight at your house. Be there.

Raven fumed after reading the message. After months of no contact, how can he just message her and expect her to be there waiting for him?

"Boyfriend's message?" Asked Ralph with a grunt.

"Yes," she just told him, thinking of ways to avoid meeting Frank. Ralph silently sat with a brooding look on his face thinking of ways to finish off that boyfriend of hers.

The car drove up to a huge five-star hotel and his chauffeur whose name was Bob opened their door for them. Raven's eyes widened. Why had they arrived at a hotel? She wouldn't go into any room with him. She knew these spoilt billionaires! They could go to any level to get into a woman's pants and then discard her like a piece of trash. Ralph strode into the hotel, gesturing towards her to follow him. Reluctantly, Raven followed him. He was greeted by a very eager manager who started a conversation with Ralph. It seemed that they were acquainted with one another. Maybe he had a deal with him and regularly brought his who*es here.

The manager led them to a door and opened it to usher them inside. Ralph walked inside and started barking orders at some people inside. Raven peered inside from the door to check what type of room it was. She was too scared to go in. To her relief, it was a small conference room to accommodate a very small gathering. The room was very tastefully yet professionally done up with a small sleek table in the center to accommodate ten people.

She walked inside to check what they were up to. "I want complete privacy, Mr. Howard. Please ensure that no one disturbs us while the meeting is on. I booked this conference room because of its sound-proof walls," said Ralph with a solemn face.

"Yes, sir. Rest assured that no one will disturb you. I've vacated this entire wing for your meeting, sir," said the manager.

"Thank you, Mr. Howard," said Ralph. Raven noticed that he looked a little tense.

Mr. Howard left them, closing the door after him. Ralph looked at Raven with complete seriousness. "This is a very confidential meeting, Raven. Just stay by my side and note down the important points discussed. Don't ask any questions," he instructed her. Raven nodded unable to comprehend why he brought her to such an important and confidential meeting. He had just met her the other day, how could he trust her so much?

Ralph sat down and took out his laptop. Raven sat quietly beside him and drew a sketch of a lion as she waited for the guests to arrive. After she was done, she cheekily drew a laptop in front of her lion. The door opened and she quickly turned the pages of her notebook. Two men entered and locked the door behind them. Ralph got up to embrace them. They eyed her with disbelief and looked at Ralph as if questioning her presence. It was obvious that they knew each other very well.

"Jaxon and Gilbert, this is my most trusted assistant, Raven Porterfield," introduced Ralph. "Raven, meet my best friends and business partners, Jaxon Craddock and Gilbert Prescott." They nodded at Raven and sat down with Ralph, talking in some code language. After five minutes, Ralph looked towards the door when there was a distinct knock. Gilbert opened the door and a tall man of the same age as the others walked in.

"Sorry, I'm ten minutes late. Shall we start?" He asked, eyeing Raven. Raven felt self-conscious amongst these people who knew one another. They were all top bosses and she felt like a misfit amongst them. Why did Ralph bring her along?

"Who's the beautiful lady, Ralph?" Asked the guy who entered last.

"Oh, sorry. This is Raven Porterfield, my assistant. You can trust her," said Ralph. "Raven, meet Scott Marshall, ex-navy seal, and our friend. He's helping us out," said Ralph. Raven greeted him and he came forward to shake her hand, holding it a little longer. Ralph cleared his throat and glared at him. All three chuckled and sat down to discuss the matter at hand.

"So what's going on, Ralph? Spill," said Gilbert, as they all sat down to hear him out.

"The blueprints for the Timeless Collection are stolen from the designing department, Jaxon," the others gaped at him.

"Are you sure they haven't been misplaced?" Asked Jaxon with a worried look on his face.

"The lock to the cabinet has been tampered with and broken. The designs are the only ones that are missing," informed Ralph.

"Not only that, the theft looks like an inside job as the thief didn't have to look for the designs anywhere else. He/she knew exactly where they were stored," said Ralph.

"Do you have any idea who could have done it? Are you suspicious of anyone?" Asked Gilbert.

"No, the CCTV had been tampered with. That's the problem. It was a well-planned theft. A thorough investigation is what we need to carry out. Everyone's a suspect here, so we can't involve anyone. Raven joined afterward and she's quite trustworthy from what I observed. So let's involve her in the investigation," said Ralph, and everyone agreed. Raven sat wide-eyed at what her boss said. Did he praise her in front of everyone? She had no idea when he had observed her so much.

"Scott, you need to start the investigation as soon as possible. Pick up the fingerprints and other evidence that you can find before we lose them," said Jaxon, and Scott nodded.

"Sure," said Scott.

"We've sealed the room after the theft. Only the designer-in-charge who discovered the theft knows about this. She's also a suspect for us," said Ralph.

"Raven, you would need to help with the investigation. Escort Scott to whichever department he needs to visit. Also mingle with the employees and check if anyone seems suspicious. But mind you, no one should know about what's going on. Don't utter a word about the theft or the investigation," said Gilbert. Raven nodded.

"Yes sir," she said, sincerely. Scott left the meeting to wrap up some work. He would visit the office the next day before office hours. Raven would also have to reach at 7:30 in the morning to help with the investigation.

The next few hours they discussed their business and new marketing strategies employed and finance-related topics as well. Raven noted down everything that was being discussed. They were served dinner in the conference room itself. It was then that Raven remembered Frank's message. She shrugged.  What could she do? She couldn't leave such an important meeting just to be with an always absent boyfriend? The top bosses had chosen her for such an important and confidential task. She should prove to them her capabilities. After dinner, they all left the conference room. Gilbert was flying back to New York while Jaxon would stay back for two more days. After they left, Raven turned towards Ralph.

"I'll go home then, sir. Good night," she said, hurrying towards a cab that was waiting nearby. Ralph caught her hand to stop her.

"Wait. What's the hurry? I'll drop you home, " he said.

"No, no sir. I can't bother you. I'll manage," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Why don't you want me to drop you home? Now I'm all the more interested," he said, pulling her along with him to the parking area. He unlocked the door to his car and helped Raven onto the passenger seat. He had released his chauffeur since he wasn't feeling well.

He climbed into the driver's side and drove towards her home. Raven was very restless and nervous. She didn't want her boss and Frank to meet each other. What if Ralph told Frank about the kiss?