CHAPTER THREE.

mitch the chauffeur

"Miss Lewis."

The brunette softly groaned, yanking the covers wrapped around her even higher. One of her legs was above it, basking in the cool air that the AC in her bedroom provided. Last night had been so warm that she had tossed and turned for hours, making the brunette actually contemplate sleeping in the bathtub.

"Go away," she mumbled when she heard the voice call her name again. "I'm asleep."

"If you were asleep, I don't think you would be talking to me."

Angeline's eyes snapped open when she realised that it wasn't her brother or father trying to wake her up. She probably should have realised when they called her 'Miss Lewis' rather than her first name, but her sleep deprived brain hadn't even acknowledged it at the time.

Mitch was standing beside her bed, dressed in his usual black shirt and dark blue jeans, his arms folded against his chest and a neutral expression written across his face.

Angeline nearly jumped out of her skin, sitting up and pulling the covers over her chest. Thankfully, she hadn't been hot enough to sleep naked last night, but she had been hot enough to wear the smallest crop top and cotton shorts she owned.

"I apologise for coming into your room, Miss Lewis, but you weren't waking up when I knocked your door," Mitch's rough voice filled her ears as she looked around, confused and dazed. "Mr Lewis told me to wake you."

"Wha- What time is it?" The brunette questioned, unsure why the house was so silent when normally in the mornings it was filled with her father yelling down the phone whilst he got ready to go to his main office.

"Eleven in the morning, Miss Lew-"

"Oh my God, please stop calling me that," Angeline cut him off, brown eyes widening when she realised what he had said. "Awh, bloody hell. I'm so fucking late."

Mitch's lips parted in shock when the teenage girl scrambled out of the covers, darting over to her closet. All he saw was a flash of skin and the smallest pyjama set in the world, causing his head to immediately flip away. Mitch cleared his throat awkwardly to remind her that he was still in the room, turning his back to the closet where she was searching for clothes.

"Mr Lewis instructed that I call you 'Miss Lewis.'" Mitch tried to ignore the fact that he had just seen Angeline practically naked.

"I don't care what my dad says." He heard her faint grumbles. "Y'know he doesn't believe in taxing the rich? You shouldn't take anything he says seriously."

Mitch smiled faintly, a small breath coming from his nose. Angeline really was something... different; a huge contrast to her father and brother who had been pushing him around nonstop since he started working for them nearly four weeks ago now.

Mr Lewis had warned Mitch about Angeline. He said she wanted nothing to do with the family business, that she was ungrateful for how hard they worked, and only ever messed around with her friends.

So far, upon meeting the teenage girl, Mitch had made a few assumptions. Angeline wasn't ungrateful for the money, she just didn't think it was everything. She seemed happiest when she teased her brother and Mitch yesterday at the pool, so he guessed she was honestly just looking for some attention in a family that didn't really care about each other at all.

"I suppose my dad said you're dropping me to school today?" Angeline asked, moments later retreating from her closet dressed in a ditsy summer dress and some white converse.

Mitch gave her a short nod. "Yes... Angeline."

"Hey, that's better." She grinned at him before she grabbed a few things from her vanity. "I need to use the bathroom, I'll be down by the car in ten minutes maximum."

"Okay. Don't be late."

...

The car ride was mostly silent, Mitch paying attention to the road whilst Angeline did her makeup in the sunvisor's mirror. He was slightly amazed at how she managed to apply her mascara with no mistakes, even when they hit potholes. She'd turned the music in the car up and hummed along, her gentle voice filling the vehicle.

"Looks like you're just in time for lunch," Mitch mentioned as he pulled up towards the front of the school, looking out at all of the teenagers walking around.

Most of them seemed to be wearing designer outfits, their bags all branded and their shoes brand new as they walked around the campus beside the car park filled with sports cars Mitch could only ever dream of owning. He'd gone to a private school himself, but nothing like this.

This seemed like something out of a movie.

"Yep," Angeline chirped, spotting three girls waiting by the entrance where she had told them to. "Thanks, Mitch."

Mitch raised his brows a little. "You're welcome. Just doing my job."

"Pretty sure your job isn't to drive teenage girls to school."

"My job is to follow your father's orders and make sure you and your brother are kept safe at all times," Mitch replied. "Dropping a teenage girl off to school may be part of that."

Angeline chuckled, shaking her head as she opened the door. "You're not as boring as my dad's other security."

"Thanks?" He said uncertainly, watching as she grabbed her bag off of the seat and shut the door behind her.

Angeline bounded towards her best friends, laughing nervously when she saw the expression written across Paige's face. Her mouth was hung open in shock and she unfolded her arms from across her chest.

"Who. The. Hell. Was. That?" Paige's eyes finally left the vehicle as Mitch peeled away from the curb and started to drive back to the Lewis residence.

"Oh my God, please tell me you hooked up with him," Grace squealed, grabbing Angeline's arm. "Is that why you're late? Round two the morning after?"

"Look at him!" Paige huffed. "If it was my way, it wouldn't be round two. It would round ten."

Angeline stared between the two of them with furrowed brows. "Urm... no. He's the new guy I told you guys about. Mitch. I woke up late so my dad made him drop me in."

"Angel, he's the not-teenage-boy that you need," Ciara smirked.

"Yeah... Mitch is hot as fuck, but I'd rather have somebody that doesn't work for my dad." Angeline deadpanned.

"But that's so hot!" Grace sighed dreamily as she thought about it. "Sneaking around your brother and your father. You'd be, like, sneaking into the security wing for a quickie or he could wake you up an hour before the rest of your family and--"

The brunette cut her off. "He's so serious. He kept calling me 'Miss Lewis' and now he calls me 'Angeline', like my dad and my brother."

"Angel and Mitch, sitting in a tree-" Ciara was cut off by Angeline's hand clamping on her mouth, silencing her.

A couple of students that had been walking by heard and looked over at them strangely. Paige felt fury run through her veins, the idea of the four of them being anything less than respected and desired physically hurting her.

"What are you? Eight?" Paige glared at Ciara.

"Eight inches deep in your mom," Ciara quoted the vine they used to love when they were twelve, causing Angeline to snort.

When the blonde-haired girl's glare intensified on both of them this time, Angeline shrunk back and sighed, running her hand through her hair. She was glad she'd slept in plaits last night so at least it looked like she had attempted some sort of style  when she woke up extremely late this morning.

"Dickheard alert," Grace suddenly sang, making Angeline glance where she was looking.

Levi was approaching, Angeline nearly rolling her eyes at the sight. The blond-haired boy wore some blue jeans and a navy Ralph Lauren jumper, a cocky glint in his brown eyes as he stopped right in front of her.

"Angel. You. Me. Senior Prom."

Angeline snorted loudly, folding her arms and taking a step back so she could glance up at him properly.

"Confident approach?" Angeline hummed. "It doesn't really work for you. You just look like a dick when I say no."

Levi's expression fell a little. "If you'd answer my calls, Angel, then you'd know how sorry I am and how hard I'm really trying here. I know I messed up--"

"I've already got a date," Angeline interrupted him.

Levi stared at her for a moment or two, clearly not believing her. "I thought you said you were done with teenage boys?"

"Who said it was a boy?" The brunette huffed.

Without thinking, she reached out to Ciara and grabbed the Korean-American girl's wrist, gently pulling her closer and closing the gap between them. Ciara smirked into the kiss, her hands resting on Angeline's hips as Angeline wrapped her arms around Caira's neck and sent a middle finger at Levi.

Levi looked astonished, slowly backing up as he listened to his friends laugh from the concrete steps of the main entrance. As soon as he was gone, Angeline pulled away, the two girls laughing at each other and fixing their lipsticks with their fingers.

"Thanks for playing along." Angeline winked.

"Anything to get rid of that leach," Ciara laughed.

...

Angeline got Paige to drop her home at the end of the school day, but not before promising that she would go to some beach party with them the Saturday coming. Just three days left of the school week and then Angeline was free to tan and eat as much vegan ice cream as Paige would allow her to.

The brunette pressed the buzzer by the gate, Mitch's voice coming through as he welcomed her home and unlocked the gate. Angeline assumed that her father was forcing him to take up a bunch of different tasks like he did with all of the new recruits.

Angeline briefly wondered about the young man. He looked like he was only about twenty-three or twenty-four, what made him want to work in security for her father? She wondered if he'd gone to college, or maybe he had dropped out. Mitch gave away absolutely nothing; she couldn't come up with a plausable backstory for him if she tried.

The garages by the front door were wide open and parked inside were about a dozen different black cars, a man stood in front of them with a gun tucked firmly in his hands. Angeline frowned, guessing that somebody important must be over. It didn't happen a lot, most meetings happened in her father's offices closer to San Fransisco.

Mitch was standing in the foyer when Angeline peeled open the door, a walkie talkie attached to his hip and the same clothes he had this morning on. He gave her a small nod upon seeing her.

"Mr Lewis is in an important business meeting. He told me to tell you that you can't be loud," Mitch said.

Angeline scoffed and raised her brows at him. "I bet that's why he cared about getting me to school this morning, right?"

Mitch didn't reply. Angeline was used to that-- all her father's staff ignored her.

She grinned anyway. "So what billionaire is he sucking off in his meeting room? Or are there a few in there? One big billionaire orgy. Their dirty talk is probably like 'oh, fuck yeah, I love the way you take advantage of the poor.'"

The man in front of her looked like he wanted to laugh, before his eyes flickered behind her and his jaw immediately clenched, lips pursing shut.

Fuck.

"Angeline Lewis."

The brunette teenager immediately winced upon hearing the sharp gasp at the top of the stairs. Angeline's shoulders were tense and she didn't even want to turn around, but Mitch was sending her a look that suggested she should probably just rip the band aid right off.

Angeline slowly turned around, sending an awkward pursed-lipped smile to her father and the man in the suit standing next to him at the top of the stairs. The man huffed and started to march down the stairs, nearly knocking shoulders with Angeline before he was out of the front door.

"Angeline!" Daniel Lewis bellowed, his voice echoing so loud across the mansion that the girl swore her ears rattled. "What gives you the right to talk like that? About our clients of all people!"

Angeline took a few steps back as her dad started to come down the stairs, heading straight for her. Mr Lewis looked over to Mitch who was glancing between them both unsurely.

"You can leave, Rapp. I will be dealing with my daughter," Mr Lewis snapped.

Mitch hesitated. His hazel eyes flickered straight to Angeline, noticing the way her shoulders were tensed and her eyes were a little watery. He knew she was scared of her dad, even if she put on this brave front that she was big and powerful.

"Rapp to the main security office. Over." Winston's voice through the walkie talkie interrupted the few seconds of hesitance that Mitch had been experiencing and he sent a small nod to his boss and retreated up the stairs.

Angeline wished that he would come back for some reason.

"You think you're on top of the world, huh?" Mr Lewis grabbed Angeline's wrist and harshly shoved her against the wall behind them. "You think you're too good for the family business and you're better than the rest of us--"

"Your family business drove away mum," Angeline fought back.

"Your mother chose to leave," the billionaire barked. "Why can't you be more like Elliot, Angeline? Your little teenage rebellion is going to leave you scraping for money when you're old enough to leave this house. Elliot actually cares about this family, he wants what is best for us."

"Good for Elliot," Angeline spat, tears burning in her brown eyes. "But you're completely stupid if you think this is a 'little teenage rebellion'. This isn't temporary, dad. This is me. I call you out on your bullshit and you don't like that. You want me to be like Elliot because Elliot follows you around like a sheep."

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," her father shoved her back even harder. "Have some respect for your father-- the person who puts a roof over your head, and a bloody good one at that!"

"You have no respect for me," Angeline yelled, trying to wriggle out of the grasp he had on her arm. "Respect is earned."

Mr Lewis stared his daughter down for a few more seconds. His chest was heaving with anger, his grip on Angeline's wrist slowly weakening. As soon as she was able to, Angeline tugged it out of his hand and lowered her arm, shoving past him to march up the stairs.

"Run away, then," the man laughed mockingly, flinging his hands into the air. "Run away like the childish little girl you are. Just like your bloody mother!"

"Fuck. Off!" Angeline screamed, reaching her bedroom and throwing the door open.

She slammed it behind her so hard that she thought it might fall off of the hinges for a second, the whole thing rattling. Rage had exploded inside Angeline like a bomb, the shrapnel flooding her veins and poisoning her system. Her hands shook out of pure fury as she swiped her lamp and other belongings off of her bedside table.

The picture frame of herself, her mother, her father and Elliot from five years ago was picked up and slammed against one of the walls, scratching the paint and leaving a small daint. Clothes from her wardrobe were thrown onto the floor with it, alongside a few plants dotted around the room that were pissing her off even more than usual.

Angeline ended up in a heap on the floor, nearly buried amongst her designer clothes that meant nothing to her. None of this expensive shit meant anything when she had a father downstairs that couldn't give less of a fuck about her existence, or a brother down the hall that was probably snickering at her breakdown.

Her chest started to heave as the anger grew and Angeline only then realised that hot tears were starting to soak her cheeks. She lifted shaky hands and wiped them away, her head resting back on what felt like the soft cotton of a Motel dress as she stared at the plain ceiling.

Angeline sometimes wished she could be as brainwashed as her brother or as ruthless as her father. Maybe then she would be able to just give in and go along with the whole thing. Her father said he would certainly love her a lot more that way.

"Fuck," the brunette whimpered, resting her arm over her eyes as she started to cry softly into it.

...

Mitch winced every time he heard something new get thrown around the teenager's bedroom, her frustrated screams following. He sat in the surveillance room with Winston and Renolds, the other two guys that protected the house and the Lewis' 24/7.

"You wanna watch?" Renolds snickered, his hand moving to switch on the cameras in Angeline's bedroom which Mitch was pretty sure she didn't existed.

"No." Mitch's large hand immediately snapped out and stopped the man. "That's an invasion of Miss Lewis' privacy. Mr Lewis specifically said never to check those cameras unless something-"

"Oh, come on, Rapp," Winston cackled, much to Mitch's surprise. "She's having a breakdown, not having sex with that blond boyfriend of hers. It will be funny."

Mitch felt sick. He very nearly paled at Winston's words, wondering if maybe the two older men switched the cameras in Angeline's room on more often than they should be. He felt personally violated for her and made a mental note to mention this to Mr Lewis. While he was a shitty man, Mitch was pretty sure he wouldn't like his daughter being watched by two men in their fifties.

"No," Mitch interjected. "It won't be funny."

Renolds rolled his eyes and slumped back in defeat. "You're a stick in the mud, kid."

He felt a little calmer knowing that they weren't going to be watching Angeline now. Mitch would have no problem in making sure that the pair didn't touch the controls to the cameras in her bedroom, but he also didn't feel like getting in trouble with Mr Lewis today when he had to explain why he broke his two best men's wrists.

"You guys look through the CCTV in her room often?" Mitch deadpanned, his voice rough and low as he looked up at them.

"Not often," Winston cackled, patting Renolds back as the pair of them laughed. "Oh, come on, Rapp. Give it a rest. She's a beautiful girl. Don't admit you haven't thought about it. You're young, you might have a chance with her, you know."

The dark-haired man felt sick with disgust and anger. "You guys are fifty. She's seventeen."

"Eighteen in two weeks," Renolds replied with a grin, his expression melting away when Mitch's expression didn't budge. "Oh, Rapp. You've got a lot to learn. Of course we're not being serious, we don't look at her CCTV. It's called a joke."

Mitch was now a mixture of relieved and disgusted. "Not a funny one," he replied bluntly and stood up.

"Where did Lewis find you?" Winston huffed. "I can just tell you didn't have friends growing up."

"I did, actually," Mitch snapped. "I just don't find rape jokes very funny."

"Hey, hey." Renolds grew stern. "Nobody said anything about rape-"

"Classic locker room chat." The Rapp man jerked his hand towards them. "Joking about watching underage girls have sex with their boyfriends. Except you guys should have grown out of that shit thirty fucking years ago."

Mitch started to leave, hearing them as clear as day mutter things about him behind his back. The man couldn't bring himself to care what the two older men thought; they truly sickened him. In fact, he hated every single person in this building-- everyone but Angeline.

If he wasn't here for a deeper cause he would have left the week he arrived.

When he arrived at the end of the hall, outside Angeline's bedroom door, he lifted his hand to knock and listened as the sniffling behind it quickly stopped. He heard some shuffling around and then the door opened just wide enough for him to see the red-eyed girl standing there.

"Can't get enough of me, huh, Mitch?" Angeline teased as if the whole house didn't just hear the argument she had with her father.

"I was checking you were okay. Heard some things being broken," Mitch replied, feeling himself calm down from how riled up the two other security guards had been making him.

Angeline sent him a fake grin, teeth and all. "Ah, you must have heard me renovating my bedroom. Yeah, I have this really niche technique that they taught me in... in London, yeah."

Mitch managed to glance behind her, brows raised. "Do they not have closets in London?"

"No, they, um, actually like to display their outfits on the floor-- easier to look at and comfy to walk on," Angeline started to slowly shut the door. "Now if you don't mind, I have, ur, more picture frames that need smashing. I really like the way smashed glass looks."

Mitch genuinely smiled a little at her attempt to lighten the mood. She clearly wasn't someone that liked to be comforted, and he understood that.

"Well, have fun."

"I will."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Mitch released a small sigh. Angeline Lewis really was something else.

...

basically all men are trash except mitch rapp

i have so much more motivation for this book than my dylan obrien social media one and i feel like thats the one people want me to update but i literally never have any inspo for it and i actually find it easier writing 3k+ chapters instead of that stuff ughhhh

anywayss,, hope you enioyed this chapter :) as you can see,, a lot more mitch like i promised before. he'll be making a lot more appearances now that angeline has properly spoken to him.