Page 17 of Promised to the Demon King (The Demon Brides #1)

Carol was pacing. Her panic was sent into overdrive now. She wasn't sure what her next step should be. It seemed as though every plan she made would backfire and only make things worse for her in the end.

Carol was starting to wonder: was this indeed an Angel? Or was it another trick of the Devil toying with her mind?

The moment she started following the directive of the Angel, nothing ended with any benefits for her.

The Angel led her to believe that having Jonathon murdered would leave her with vast riches, but it has done the exact opposite.

After a year of careful planning and three failed attempts, Jonathon was finally dead and buried, but she was left with nothing but debt. Debt and the brat she never wanted.

Then, the Angel told her to take the money from Carter Construction, and now it's become a legal matter that has robbed her of her place within the socialite circle. Once everyone finds out that Timothy was removed from his position as CEO of his family's company, it'll be only a matter of time before she is no longer seen as the Top of the food chain within her friend group.

To make matters worse, with the brat living under their roof, she had nearly tempted Timothy into adultery. Carol knew it was only a matter of time before Nova started to cause problems in her marriage to Timothy. She caused the difficulties and separation between her first marriage to Jonathon, so it was inevitable that Nova would try for Carol's second one, too.

Now, with Allister Carter in the city, sitting in the chair he had taken forcefully from Timothy, it was only a matter of time before the money trail led to the men she hired.

She tried to reach out several times, but the man had yet to answer. She sent him a message telling him not to say anything because there was an investigation of the money trail. The message showed it was read, but she had yet to receive any communication. This put her on edge. Did he leave town when he got the message? Did this man plan to sell her out?

She needed him to confirm that he wouldn't say anything; if he did, she needed him to say that Timothy had hired him. She was too deep now; if someone needed to take the fall for this, it had to be Timothy.

Allister was a ruthless man with many contacts globally. It would take no real effort for him to discover that Carol took the money, not Timothy. But if the man confirmed it was Timothy, she would be spared as the unknowing wife.

Carol continued to pace in her room. Allister had left the house with the brat and that weasel of an assistant nearly an hour ago, and Timothy hadn't left his office since he was branded the pervert in Nova's room.

It wasn't right. Accusing and defaming one's reputation and character was criminal, and Carol would not allow this rumour to spread around town.

Carol had entered the system earlier and erased all the recordings of her entering Timothy's office. When he mentioned it, she played coy and suggested that she may have seen Nova in the area of his office. She was engrossed in her laptop, acting suspiciously, but she paid no mind because Carol was on a call with a friend. She made a point to mention that Nova liked to hack into systems when she was younger; she just doubted that Nova would do something like that.

She saw the look that Timothy shot her. He had a look of disbelief, but he couldn't prove anything, and without the camera footage, he couldn't confirm it in either direction.

Carol opened the app hidden on her cellphone and quickly deleted the footage of Timothy looking around the halls before sneaking into Nova's room. Although it was dark, the cameras had night vision that captured all the event details. The footage revealed that Timothy wasn't rushing to check on Nova but was sneaking in slowly. The camera detected no sounds of her having any nightmares, despite what Timothy had claimed. The halls were silent and still; Timothy entered the room, ensuring he was unseen. Then, Carol noticed that Timothy had deliberately closed the door. It didn't close on its own, as he had stated.

Heaviness filled Carol as she watched her husband sneak into her daughter's room. His intentions were not as pure as he pledged. He lied to her.

Next, she saw Allister rush to Nova's room. You could hear her faint screaming as though she was waking up and discovering she was not alone. Allister entered the doorway, and that was where everything got loud.

The house cameras didn't see the brothers once they were inside the room, but their arguing could be heard in the footage.

In her heart, Carol knew Nova was innocent at that moment, but she wouldn't allow anything to tarnish her image. Because of that, no one could ever know what her husband was most likely about to do. If Nova hadn't given him hints or signs of interest, he wouldn't have behaved as such. She was sure of it.

Once she deleted the footage, Carol relaxed, but only slightly.

'If you wanted to destroy her, then why did you allow her to leave this house?' Vivex hissed angrily. Carol rolled her eyes.

"I'm done listening to you! All you've done is make my life worse." Carol gnashed her teeth with venom in her words.

Vivex laughed at Carol in complete mockery.

'I've made your life worse? Did I make you do anything you didn't want to do?' Vivex spoke with Sarcasm.

"Don't mock me! It's all your fault. You're a curse, not a blessing."

Vivex chuckled again. 'That will depend on who you ask.'

"Leave me alone!" Carol shouted.

Vivex sighed. 'You're right—no point in staying around here anyway. You've already failed me! You handed the girl over to the Demon King. You no longer hold value to us. Good luck cleaning up this mess, mortal.'

"Wait-- What? The Demon King? No, I didn't; she left with her step-uncle, Allister." Carol was hoping that she hadn't heard the Angel correctly.

She waited for the Angel to speak again, only to be met with silence. She was gone.

"No! Come back, please. I need you to help me!" Carol cried out desperately. Frantically, she looked around the room.

Meanwhile, in the third ring of hell, Greed. Vivex approached her King cautiously. He wouldn't like this latest update. That annoying woman just undid all of Vivex's hard work. She spent years destroying the plants that Asmodeus needed to obtain physical presence for his selected bride, and although she didn't know how he could acquire a vessel long-term, he was now in possession of the girl. This wasn't good news.

Vivex entered the throne room slowly, taking in Mammon's appearance and the tension surrounding him. She knew this situation could trigger his notorious temper, which was feared by many.

His eyes were deep black pools, reflecting her image like polished obsidian. His large horns flat from the base, swooped up dangerously sharp, and his thick talons were sharpened to a lethal point. Everything about the demonic beast perched on his throne conveyed a sense of danger and power, embodying true Greed.

That was what appealed to someone like Vivex. She was a minor demon but cunning and knew how to appeal to men of power. Mammon and Asmodeus hated one another, but they were all the same, allowing someone like Vivex to manipulate the narrative to her advantage.

Mammon had taught her the blink, a skill only for major demons or messengers, but it was now taught to her so she could sneak around between the rings, collecting vital information for Mammon. His sole focus was destroying Asmodeus, the King who stole his placement of the second ring, bumping him down to number three. Because of Greed's blindness to things around him due to his tunneling hatred for one, he fails to see that Vivex is never loyal to him but rather to herself. Greed thought he was the only King she served, but just as she had double-crossed Lust for Greed, she did so for Envy and Wrath. If the Kings learned to communicate, they would have seen the game she was mastering.

Her goal was for the Kings to fight among themselves. She would only ever be true to herself; that was all she would rely on. All these Kings thought they were leading, but that was what she wanted them to believe. This was her war; they would fail to see that they’ve been fighting it because of her. Each of the Kings used and discarded her at different points; she would have her revenge.

The only rulers she needed to be wary of were the Supreme Rulers: His Supreme Highness Lucifer and the Queen of Demons, Lilith. Only they would see through Vivex and her games. She had been careful until now but couldn't let it slip—not when she was this close to an all-out war among the rings.

"Bow!" Greed hissed, upset at the disrespect.

Vivex instantly kneeled before the throne while internally mocking the male ego's fragility. They are all the same, human or demon. Males were too prideful.

"Rise," he growled.

Vivex rose and stood before her King, awaiting further instructions. After a sigh of impatience, Greed gestured for her to speak with his hand.

"I come with news, my King."

"Go on," he spoke in boredom.

"It's not good, my King." Vivex stared down at the ground.

"Explain," He demanded.

"The human mother has failed us. She sent the girl away to live with the vessel that Asmodeus has taken possession of."

"What did you just say?" Greed leaned forward on his throne. The surrounding air became heavy and overbearing.

"I am sorry, but somehow, Asmodeus acquired a human vessel to inhabit the Earth's realm," Vivex spoke cautiously. She could feel his powerful aura building to an explosive level.

"That's impossible. Only--" he zoned out in thought.

"God and Lucifer can only approve something like that. Yes. It seems as though they granted Asmodeus this permission." Vivex finished his thought externally.

"How? I want a vessel!" he immediately demanded.

"But you have the only living Haggot plant left in all the rings. You can make the potion to walk as you are, my King." Vivex spoke rationally.

"What is your point, servant?" he growled in annoyance. He didn't like being questioned, especially by a minor and replaceable demoness.

"I just meant--" Vivex started.

"To question your King? Yes, I gathered that." He hissed.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I just figured that you already had a way to walk the Earth's realm and didn't need the hassle of a stuffy vessel of someone undeserving of your greatness, my King."

"My pathetic brother can have one, but I can't? I want a vessel if he gets one. Find out how he acquired this allowance!"

With that, she was dismissed. She knew why Asmodeus got a vessel approved, it was because she destroyed his chance of acquiring any Haggot root.

Vivex pursed her lips, fighting the urge to speak her mind; she turned around and left the throne room of Greed.

'Someday, you will fall to my feet, and I shall step over you!' she bitterly thought as she blinked and left the ring.

No King shall be above her if she gets her way. The first to fall shall be Asmodeus, followed closely by the arrogant Greed.