Shattered Innocence Ch. 18
In Carmilla's office, the Carmine is giving a presentation to a potential business partner. "As you can see, Mr. Phobos. There's mutual gain for both of our companies." She gestures to the bulletin board behind her with the full business plan on display.
A purple Incubus turns in the chair, Carmilla's chair. It irritated the Overlord that the one she's trying to deal business with insisted on sitting in her chair and not one offered to him it didn't matter if the other chair was more comfortable than her own. He just wanted to assert his dominance.
Standing next to him is a Hellhound woman carrying a briefcase wearing a dress suit with a skirt riding up higher than it should, and a shirt with a few buttons undone to reveal herself.
"I don't know," Phobos stands up to walk over to the bulletin. "It still seems like you benefit more from this than I do."
Carmilla had to refrain herself from glaring. "It's not as if I'm offering nothing in return. You will be getting twenty percent of profits."
"How about ten percent?" the Incubus goes to turn the board around to see if there's anything on the other side, but the Overlord grabs a hold of it to prevent him from doing so.
The Carmine blinked as she wasn't expecting such a response. "That is quite the generous offer, Mr. Phobos. I'll gladly accept."
"Good!" Phobos snaps his fingers. "Fetch, Fifi!"
The hellhound rolls her eyes as she reaches into the suitcase and digs out a set of papers to hand over to the Carmine.
Carmilla reads over the forms and her eyes widen. "This says that I only get ten percent from my own company while you get everything else! This is theft! No one in their right mind would sign such a contract!"
"Are you sure about that?" Phobos turns to her with a wide grin. "I know that I don't need this partnership. I have more than enough money to live well in Hell. You on the other hand? How badly to you need this?" he steps up closer to the woman. "I've heard rumors about what you did and about what nearly happened to your daughters. How are your daughters anyway. They say that they're quite beautiful," there was a gleam in his eyes, one that Carmilla detests the most. "There is a clause. You'll get all the necessary manpower on every Extermination Day going forward and receive full profit. All I need is to have a moment alone with one of your daughters."
Carmilla sneers at the incubus. "You're out of your f(bleep)ing mind if you think I'd sell off one of my own children!"
"We'll see," Phobos lets out a whistle. "Come, Fifi!" and walks to the door and the Hellhound lets out a growl as she follows behind him. "There's still time before Extermination Day. I'll either have a majority share of profits or one of your daughters," he shrugs. "I'll settle for both of them if they're willing." The two walked out and just as the door was closing, the incubus could be seen pinching the Hellhound causing her to let out a yelp.
Carmilla walks over to her desk but instead of sitting down, she just stares at her chair. The very chair that filth was sitting in. The woman lifts the seat up and tosses it through the widow.
Her office door is then open to let her assistant walk in. "Ms. Carmine!"
"What, Tooth!?"
The imp flinches away. He knows how cruel his boss can be. There's a reason she's an Overlord after all. But Tooth rarely sees her unhinged. "Th-the Overlords meeting is about to start."
The Carmine takes a deep breath, regains her posture, and straightens out her clothing before walking out of her office.
.oOo.
All the Overlords are awaiting patiently for a few absent members of their ranks. It's not that unusual as there were always a few who will be unnamed that are rarely present. What's strange is that those few were actually on time. It's the ones who are missing that are setting off alarms.
The doors fly open. "Apologies!" Carmilla announces her presence as she and her daughters rush to their seats.
"Ha!" Velvette lets out from her end of the table. "Keeping us waiting on you. Who's being respectless now?" that got a chuckle from her fellow Vees.
Carmilla furrows her brows. "You're right, Velvette. It was not my intention to hold you up when I'm sure all of you have plans," the woman holds her head up high and gives every present Overlord a look in their eyes. "It was my mistake to double book meetings today. And for that, I'm sorry," she lightly bows her head. "Even to you Velvette."
The Influencer scoffed as she did not get under the hag's skin like she wanted.
"Now, then," the Carmine picks up a sheet of paper. "For today's order of business. I, I would, I would like to…" she could not get anything out as her eyes kept wondering over to Alastor who seems to be wearing a knowing work. The Arms Dealer finally lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry. Before we continue there's a personal matter I have to get off my chest. Alastor," she turns to the Radio Demon. "How's Emily? Is she doing alright?"
"Oh, your new daughter is just swell," he stands. "In fact, I find that she is quite a delightful little angel."
Carmilla had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from showing any reaction. But Clara and Odette glance at one another.
"Oh, my stars!" Rosie shouts. "You have a new daughter, Carmilla? You should have said something!"
Missi Zilla sits back. "Why haven't we met this new brat?"
Carmilla looks away. "It's complicated. You see… Emily…"
Noticing his old friend struggling, Zestial decided to speak out of term. "Young Emily suffers from great trauma. She is often uneasy around those unknown to her. Especially for those of the male sex. The child does not even feel safe in my presence, and I am the one most known to her. Outside of the Carmine's that is," he gestures to the mother and her daughters.
Suddenly, the Carmine's are hounded by questions.
"When did this happen?"
"What's she like?"
"Does she have the craving?"
"Blah, blah, blah!" Velvette shouts. "Who cares if this windbag has a new bastard or not! Now, are we going to get this meeting over with or is everyone just going to keep on gossiping? Otherwise, we're out of here!"
Vox and Valentino glance at each other. Not that they don't want to get out of this pointless meeting, but Velvette usually eats up stuff like this for her posts.
Carmilla raises a brow at the Vee. She does not like any of the Vees and despite Velvette insulting her and her family, the Arms Dealer could not help but feel like this time is different.
.oOo.
As the Vees walk out of the building, Vox turns to Velvette. "Uh, what the f(bleep) was that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about?" the Influencer just continues on.
The Moth Demon steps in front of the Influencer. "Velvette, Honey," he wraps an arm over her shoulders. "Ever since you brought that angel in you haven't been yourself."
"Uh, f(bleep) you!" she removes the limb. "I'm exactly the same as I've always been. Now, f(bleep) off! I got sh(bleep) to do," and she gets in the limo herself and it takes off without the other two Vees.
The TV Demon glares as the vehicle leaves their sigh. "She's growing soft. That's not good for business."
"What are we going to do then? We can't just fire her? Can we?"
"It's possible," Vox turns around to walk in the opposite direction. "But most of our souls are tied up between the three of us. If any of us steps away none of us will qualify as Overlords. We'd have to find a replacement. And that's easier said than done."
.oOo.
Carmilla enters her office shouting. "He knows!" while being followed by her daughters and Zestial.
"How can thou be sure?" the Ancient Overlord steps up to her as his friend takes on of the spare chairs.
"You know as well as I that, Alastor has a keen eye and he's cunning."
As her mother was talking with Zestial, Odette took notice of the bulletin board in the corner and walked over to examine it contents. It's a solid business plan. Only an imbecile would decline such ideas. The spectacled Carmine's eye then catches the appearance of something poking out from behind the board. Curiosity gets the best.
"I need to get Emily out of there before…" the Matriarch's eyes then widen at the sight of Odette turning the board around. "Odette! Don't…"
Odette takes a step back at what is before here as Clara lets out a gasp.
Upon the board are a series of pictures revolving around Emily. Her scars from the night the sisters found her, a piece of cloth taped to it, an image of her ripped off wing. There are also headshots of many demons most of which have red x's crossing them out. There are also three words written in large red letters, circled and underlined.
NOT A SINNER
"You made a conspiracy board?" Clara turns to her mother. "For Emily?"
Carmilla turns to the board. "Of course I did. As I would for either of you," the woman embraces her daughters. "This bastard messed with my family. He will to be found and even though we're already in Hell, I will make him pay."
"There is one thing that I am perplexed with," Odette steps back and points to the board. "What proof is there that bastard is not a sinner?"
The Arms Dealer looks away as she does not like being confronted by this.
"Mom?" Clara speaks up. "Is there something you're not telling us?"
"Yes," she confirms. "But I can't tell you. At least not yet," the woman glances at the board and sees the scared look on her adoptive daughter's face. "She needs to know first. She deserves to know."