Page 30 of Promised to the Demon King (The Demon Brides #1)

"Philip," Carol smiled as she purred excitedly upon seeing her handsome guest enter the house.

Phillip Carter was only a couple of years younger than Timothy, but he carried himself more confidently and with a power aura around him that commanded recognition and respect. When Carol looked between her husband and his cousin, it was like night and day. Timothy was a beaten-down man. His pride was bruised, and shame hung over him like a bright neon sign.

Phillip stood poised in the home's lobby. He allowed Carol to take in his features while he smirked triumphantly at his cousin.

Carol itemized everything he wore, from his tailored suit to his polished designer shoes and elite Rolex watch. His left hand wore his gold and jewelled family crested ring, symbolizing belonging and power. She quickly noted that he had no wedding band. A smile graced her face at the prospect.

"I'm so happy to see you again." Carol continued as she pulled him into an intimate hug.

"Carol, beautiful as ever." Phillip smiled while Carol giggled flirtatiously. She reluctantly pulled back from the hug, and they caught each other's eyes. Phillip smirked; he knew what he was doing and enjoyed riling up his shameful cousin. Carol, however, set her sights on her new mark.

Timothy cleared his throat aggressively. "If you two are done with the disrespectful flirting, we should move into the family room until dinner is ready."

Timothy led the way without waiting for a response from either. He was aware that Carol was drawn to men of power and wealth, and with his fumble within their status, it would be only a matter of time before she started looking elsewhere.

"My sincerest apologies, dearest cousin. You have such a beautiful life; I can't help but admire it all so openly. A beautiful seat at the company, a beautiful home within a sought-after gated community and above all, a stunning wife. You can't blame a man for his momentary envy. Now, can you?"

Timothy laughed humourlessly. "Well, you've taken my seat; I may be required to sell the house to pay for these falsified charges and it's only a matter of time before my clout-chasing money-hungry whore of a wife looks outside of our marriage to level up her status. So, of course, I understand what is happening in front of me." Timothy had no interest in this dinner. He could care less about keeping up appearances; he was still trying to save himself and clear his name. The two traitorous people before him could have a nice romantic dinner alone for all he cared.

"Timothy!" Carol hissed. Your infidelities are our problem, not my friendliness to your visiting cousin. Don't you dare project those issues onto me."

"My infidelities? So, you've been spying on my matter at the office. For what it is worth, those claims are unsubstantiated and false. I would also like to point out that you didn't deny my claims about your pursuits. Interesting." Carol scoffed.

"I am told that there is proof, Timothy. Stop lying to me." Carol grounded her stance as she stared at her husband.

Phillip smiled, taking a seat after gathering a drink from the liquor cabinet. He was enjoying the drama that was unfolding before him.

"It is falsified, Carol! If you had done a better job of investigating those claims, as any faithful wife would have, instead of listening to office gossip and rumours, you would have discovered that those claims have been dropped due to their falsehood!" Timothy clenched his teeth. Now that he was no longer busy with the company, he was starting to see more of Carol's true face. She wasn't a good Christian, as she had presented herself to be for all these years.

He was no saint; he had many sins under his name, but he also didn't make of the current claims of cheating and embezzlement.

"So tell me, Timothy. When was it decided that they were false claims?" Carol challenged.

"Just the other day. Call Allister if you don't believe me. But," Timothy turned to his smirking cousin.

"You can have the harpie. She brings nothing but bad luck wherever she goes. She is a black widow. I wouldn't be surprised if I meet with a curious accident at some point, like her first husband that she tried to use for cash."

Phillip and Timothy watched as Carol's face flushed red with anger and her lips pressed thin. She was fighting back on what she wanted to say. Carol knew he was lying. Patricia gave her all the evidence that she needed. There was no denying his affairs now, but she'd let it slide. He would learn not to mess with her after the divorce took place.

"Cousin, I can assure you that I would never consort with a married woman. Some of us have a certain level of morals and standards. Carol is a beautiful woman, but even I can see that is only skin deep." Phillip chuckled. His subtle jab didn't go unnoticed by Timothy, but it appeared that Carol missed the one shot at her.

Timothy's expression went from cold to murderous. His eyes didn't leave his cousin's calm expression.

"Timothy," Carol spoke, her eyes flickering between the two challenging men. Part of her liked the idea that they were fighting because of her. She thrived on the power and control she held within the room.

"If the affairs were a misunderstanding, we can rest this matter. You don't need to argue with Phillip over trivial pursuits and defamation of others."

Timothy scoffed. "I find it rather curious how quickly you advance to others at the first whiff of problems. Is there no loyalty within you, Carol? Or did your plastic surgeon remove that, too?"

He hit his mark. Carol shook with rage.

"How dare you! Don't you dare put all this on me? May I remind you of your late-night creeping into my daughter's bedroom?"

Phillip laughed and shook his head.

"Well, well, Dear cousin. Someone has been becoming messy in their aging years." Phillip smirked as he watched the darkness take hold in Timothy's eyes.

Timothy ignored his cousin's obvious baiting and turned his heated rage back onto his wife.

"I told you, she had a nightmare. She was screaming. I fucking heard her! I approached cautiously as I didn't know what was happening to her."

Carol laughed and rolled her eyes. "You heard a scream? Screaming that no one else in the house heard? I watched the footage, Timothy. There was no urgency in your approach, and there was no cause for an alarm from Nova's bedroom late at night. Who knows what you would have done if it wasn't for Allister coming in behind you."

"I know what I heard. I heard Nova screaming, and I am willing to swear on a stack of Bibles to this claim. When I entered her room, she was tossing and turning but fast asleep and silent. I was about to turn around and leave, but she woke up. Then Allister entered, and everyone jumped to conclusions. I didn't go in there to touch her, but no one was willing to listen to reason. Drop it, Carol."

Phillip continued to sip his bourbon, basking in the drama. Timothy had always been squeaky clean, the pride of the Carter legacy. Watching him fall so far and quickly brought Phillip pure joy and entertainment.

"Wait!" Timothy froze suddenly. His eyes snapped back to Carol's smug and calm sitting form on the sofa before him. He rose from the plush accent chair in anger and realization of what Carol just admitted. "How did you get access to the camera footage, Carol? When I asked you about that day that the money was taken from the company through my personal IP address from the laptop in my locked office upstairs, you swore you didn't have access to the camera footage. You used that reason as an explanation that you couldn't have been the one to delete the recordings around my office. You even went as far as suggesting it was Nova. The very footage that could have proven my innocence was deleted. So, you do have access to my cameras?"

Carol's face paled, and her eyes widened at her recognized mistake. She collected herself quickly.

"Sweetheart," she started, only to be cut off by Timothy's scoff.

"Don't start. You lied, and I am even more suspicious of you, Carol. The money was taken from my IP address when I wasn't in the office all day. How do I know that? Because it was the very day we picked up Nova. There was no time to be around the office during the timestamp period. When it was extracted with my authorization code, I ate my meal and watched a movie with Nova while you threw a tantrum around upstairs. Do you remember?"

"You must have been mistaken on the time frame." Carol offered with a shrug.

"Nope!" Timothy popped the 'P' as he spoke. "I sent a text message to my assistant letting him know I was eating McDonald’s and watching a carton movie. I asked him what other things teen girls like to do. I was trying to make her welcoming into my home more enjoyable. This verifies my whereabouts; I even have a witness to confirm. Where is yours?" Timothy shook his head in disbelief. "I am investigating the bank account to which the stolen money was transferred, Carol. If it comes back tied to you, I will destroy you just like you are trying to destroy me, Carol. You won't get a cent from me. If it is the last thing that I do, I will ruin your life worse than you've done to mine!" Timothy was yelling by the end of his declaration, and Carol was visibly sweating. He knew without a doubt that Carol did it, but he needed the proof, or else he'd end up taking the prison sentencing for her.

"Timothy, please listen to reason." Carol tried to de-escalate the tension.

"Dinner is ready, Mr. Carter. Mrs. Carter." Glenda, the housekeeper, announces, breaking through the growing tension.

Carol hissed and glared at Glenda for the interruption. She needed to convince Timothy to drop the trail leading to her.

"Perfect! I love a meal with a show that is dramatic and juicy. Shall we?" Phillip teased as he rose to his feet.

"I've suddenly lost my appetite." Timothy snarled as he stormed out of the room, but not before he marched over to Carol; he tightly grasped her shoulders, pulling her in close. "If you did this to me, I will not go to prison for your crimes, but I will go to prison freely after I kill you. Do you understand me, Carol? I will kill you for this." Timothy's whispered promise sent a shiver of fear down Carol's slender body. The panic filled her shortly after.

With that, Timothy stormed out of the room, out of the house, slamming the door behind him.