What makes a perfect villain? They come with different character traits. Sometimes, they are grandiose or carry a God complex. Other times, they are weak, sniveling cowards. You can even find villains who are smart and conning with their approach. But true villainy is present in the pursuit of personal gain. Without it, the villain may seem like a hero or someone who thinks he has a noble cause.
The ambition to fulfill personal desires is not an evil trait. But when someone disregards other people’s well-being over their selfish desires, that’s when things get evil. Betraying others and fiddling in their personal lives to manipulate them for personal interest is a different kind of evil. Even among these evil people, the worst are the snakes growing within yourselves. These are the people who are your close friends or family, but they harbor betrayal and have no sympathy for your losses.
One such example comes from the main villain of the Amiss series by the author L. L. McCall. This story is a two-part series with some anticipation of a third installment coming soon. It follows a typical rich couple with a man too busy for love and a woman starving for emotional connection. Their lives seem perfect on the surface, but internally, they are struggling to retain their flame of love.
However, the twist in their lives comes when the man’s brother comes begging for a job. He claims to be a good groundkeeper and requests a position to care for their home garden. His reality is different from what it seemed. He was struggling to make ends meet because of his bad choices. While he claims he will work hard to earn his keep, he actually hates the idea of working for his brother. He is lazy, selfish, and jealous of his brother’s success.
Out of sympathy for his struggling brother, the man hires him on the spot. Even though his old groundkeeper is a master of his trade, he believes having two can improve the job. Little did he know that a snake was entering his house with the intent to byte. With this initial kindness, the man of the house gives shelter to a person who intends to betray him.
Immediately, the new groundkeepers start looking for openings to penetrate their daily life. Meanwhile, he even takes credit for the old groundkeeper’s work to build up his trust and credibility. While appearing to be working on the lawn, he keeps an eye on their routines. He observes their lunch, work, and together time to find a weak point. He observes both his brother and his sister-in-law, who she finds to be everything a man can desire.
When he learns that the couple is enable to spend time together, he starts making advances towards the woman. His frequent advances were not attempts of flirting but a part of a bigger scheme to lower the woman into a trap. He wants nothing to do with the woman and only sees her as a tool to set his plan into motion. With wicked but consistent effort, he starts making a dent in their seemingly perfect life.
The astonishing fact is that even the woman is enjoying this attention. She wants to be faithful to her husband, but out of desperation for attention, she welcomes these advances. Little does she know that she is walking into a trap and is dragging her peaceful life into turmoil. To feel that emotional connection with someone and to fulfill her intimate desires, she falls for a demon in disguise.
Conclusion
The choice of using selfishness, betrayal, and lust to create a great villain proves accurate. The Amiss series by L. L. McCall proves that it can; these three are the ideal ingredients to write a pure force of malevolence. However, the book also shows that there is an extra element necessary for such villains to succeed. It shows that unless there is a contribution or weakness from the other side, these villains can not exist. This way, the book exemplifies its villain as an evil force that strikes when the target is at its weakest.
The villain in Amiss series by L. L McCall has more wicked schemes up his sleeves. To know how he intends to manipulate the cover, grab a copy of the book and follow the tracks revealing his grand plan.