He seems conniving and diabolical, but within that layer, the character John Ross is very complicated, he wants his birthright of course, but also his father's approval. And most of all someone at his side, since his parents neglected him most of his life, and people branding him as being as evil as his father. But the audience can see that he has a bit of a playful side as well. With that he keeps people at arms length because he doesn't want to get hurt again because of what happened when Elena broke his heart. Putting it simply he's a sweetheart with a twist.