cw: cheating + generally awful person!
[name_u]Jericho[/name_u] " JP " [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] [name_m]Crowley[/name_m] (37) is Monty’s stepbrother and Elouisa’s’ full blooded brother, as well as the man [name_f]Levia[/name_f] had her affair with. To say JP’s a self-serving individual would be charitable - he’s never had much consideration for other people. When his dad remarried, JP wasn’t enthused, mostly because it meant readjusting to more siblings and sharing time, attention and space, the absolute antithesis of what his selfish nature thrives in. He and [name_u]Walter[/name_u] had a quiet rivalry as the two eldest children, however JP took it much more seriously than his outward demeanour indicated, and in reality, he often felt he came up second best in comparison to his stepbrother - at least where popularity and forming meaningful relationships are concerned [no surprise why JP fails miserably in this area].
Engaging in the affair with [name_f]Levia[/name_f] was a complex situation beyond his relation to [name_u]Walter[/name_u]. JP was truthful when confessing his attraction to his sister-in-law, having had a longstanding interest in her. As [name_f]Elouisa[/name_f] noticed during their upbringing, when someone else has something, JP wants it, and he despises losing or being made to feel or appear weak. His callousness mixed into this, leading to him approaching her to instigate their illicit relationship, not that anything beyond his own ego came into JP’s head as things intensified and became consistent.
In between his involvement with her, JP dated other women - telling [name_f]Levia[/name_f] it was to divert suspicion - as his need for attention and validation is ever present. His lack of interest in her children - his stepnieces and nephews - was a point of contention when [name_f]Levia[/name_f] had inclinations to leave [name_u]Walter[/name_u] for JP, usually prompted by the charm and attentiveness her brother-in-law can summon when he feels like it. JP’s a financial lawyer, working in fraud of all ironic things, and his time in school let him study people’s wants with even greater precision. The moment [name_f]Levia[/name_f] wanted to pull away and reconcile with [name_u]Walter[/name_u] properly, he’d say and do exactly what was necessary to pull her back to him [and if it meant badmouthing his stepbrother, that was just a perk of the predicament, as far as JP was concerned].
Unbeknownst to [name_u]Monty[/name_u] and other family members, the custody prompting is JP once more surfacing to make Walter’s life unpleasant. His already poor relationships with his step and blood family soured completely when the truth came out, and JP is both no stranger and a friend to spiteful behaviour, especially when he feels he has nothing to lose. With [name_f]Levia[/name_f] distanced from her in-laws, he once more got in her ear about how [name_u]Monty[/name_u] and [name_f]Cherie[/name_f] would soon convince [name_u]Walter[/name_u] to deny her any access to the children, speculating they’d soon poison [name_f]Margo[/name_f] against her, and Levia’s panic easily led to her believing him. It confuses even JP as to why he’s continuously infatuated with her - now Walter’s gone, the lure should’ve faded - but perhaps he’s more afraid of being alone than his exterior suggests…
Levia’s credited to @jinxed_peach 
Walter’s credited to @Era_Laine 