William felt a sudden prickle of cold sweat at the base of his neck. His impatience to secure the necessary resources for his future plans had caused him to overlook a fundamental flaw in his current persona. He had been so focused on the logistics of power that he had momentarily forgotten the narrative he had spent weeks building.
If he truly were a materialistic person, he should have negotiated a steep price the moment he stepped foot into the clan's territory to save Berry. By acting out of pure, selfless devotion back then, and then suddenly demanding a cut of the war spoils now, his actions looked blatantly contradictory.
To a strategist like the old patriarch, this was a flashing red light signalling that William had an ulterior motive—or worse, that his entire "helpful youngster" act was a calculated facade.
