Chapter 74: The Other Informant

Over the next two weeks, Timothy gave William and Luca nuggets of inconsequential information that Luca could check out.

“Mr. President, it is just as you said. He is giving us information. But this is nothing out of the ordinary. We could have found this out on our own,” Luca grumbled.

“That is why he is giving it to us. He either underestimates us or wants to give us information that can be checked out. I suspect Senator Barn is feeding him all the correct lines to say. But he stutters when he is not in Barn’s presence.”

William had a devious smile on his lips.

Luca immediately understood what he needed to do. “Do you want me to set aside an appointment with Timothy for you?” he questioned.

William nodded. He stopped for a while before looking up. “Call Sarah. Tell her I need to ask her a few questions about the analysis she sent me.”

Luca gave a curt nod before retreating. When Sarah was given the information, she looked confused.

‘There is nothing mind-boggling in that analysis. It’s all numbers and talking points that I discussed with William before I put it on the document.’ She didn’t show too much on her face and stood up.

She didn’t fail to notice Wendy’s eyes on her. If her guess was right, Wendy was trying her best to spy on Sarah. But she was not good at it. Sarah never worked on the project or spoke about it while she was in the office. Most of the time, she was in the privacy of her or William’s home. At most, Luca would be there, taking notes and guiding Sarah on what to do better.

She knocked on the glass door and William looked up and waved her in. He had a stoic expression on his face as she neared his work desk. Sarah heard the tell-tale sound of the privacy shutter coming down and she looked over her shoulder with a peculiar expression.

“Why did you put that down?”

“So that everyone thinks we are talking about business,” William said. His expression melted into a soft smile and mischief in his eyes.

Sarah arched her brow. “Is this the benefit of a workplace romance?” she asked. “I don’t feel the same thrill as I hoped I would. And I have a lot of work to finish, so, Mr. President… please don’t take too much of my time.”

William chuckled. “If you want to feel the ‘thrill’ of an office romance, you need to find cozy corners and hold me tight. And I am not into quick gratification, baby.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and took a seat opposite him. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Timothy has reacted exactly as I thought it would. Now, I want to ask you about your opinion on giving him some information.” He placed his elbows on the table and wound his fingers together.

“False information?” Sarah asked, knowing the answer well. But her brow furrowed in concentration. “But the information is going to Senator Barn directly. He will sniff out if we lie.”

“Correct.”

“But you already have a solution to that,” Sarah hoped.

“I was hoping you would.” William waited for her to come up with something. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to see how far Sarah could think into the future.

Sarah bit her lip as she thought carefully. “Didn’t you tell Timothy that you have an insider beside Barn?” she questioned. When William nodded, she added, “You should feed him information that is not verifiable.”

William was smiling. It was enough confirmation for her to carry on.

“Even if it is verifiable, it plants a seed of doubt in Barn’s mind. Either he suspects Timothy and completely pushes him in our direction, or he is uncomfortable with the person we name.”

“Excellent analysis. And who should that be?”

Sarah drew a blank. She could come up with petty ideas, but when it came to human resources, she didn’t mingle with people enough to know who was the best target.

The helpless expression on her face made William stop pushing her. “Okay, I will tell you the answer to that,” he whispered. “But you have to come with me to the meeting.”

“Didn’t you feel uncomfortable taking me to those?” Sarah asked, confused by his sudden change of mind.

“Not this one. Timothy has been insinuating that he wants to see you. If I want to win over his trust, I need to show him my weak spot, too. That way, he will know that I am willing to protect you and am adamant on it.”

“He is asking about me because Barn and Vera want to poach me,” Sarah said. “Aren’t you afraid they will find a way to contact me?”

“Not right now,” he responded confidently. “And when they try, I will be there to protect you. Don’t worry.”

She rolled her eyes at his cheeky smile and agreed.

- - - - -

Sarah looked slightly uncomfortable as she entered the nightclub. She was holding William’s hand, but it didn’t help with the crush of people who surrounded her. It was a high-end club and the unfamiliar faces all looked at her like a piece of meat.

The only reason no one approached her was because she had come with William Colton.

She also noticed a few gaudily dressed people calling for William to join them. It told her that William had a thriving social and nightlife before she got to meet him.

“You know a lot of people here,” she started curiously.

He hummed. “I rebelled quite late. I didn’t want to feel insufficient after doing everything my father asked, so I hung out with second-generation spoiled brats and party animals for a while.” He thought about the good things he had learned. “It expanded my connections and I can hold my drinks. Not a bad trade-off.”

Sarah hummed and looked at him critically. “When do I get to act out?” Then she remembered that she had no one she could act out against.

“You can party… supervised.” He made the suggestion knowing she hated the scene. Looking down at her red dress and expression of unease, he felt guilty about bringing her to the club.

He felt especially upset when they were seated in the private room and Timothy swaggered in. There was the smell of alcohol coming from him and were eyes were rather red. Sarah and William exchanged a look, happy that they had a target that was easier to manipulate than usual.

But William’s happiness evaporated when Timothy stared for a tad bit too long at Sarah’s exposed legs. Sarah crossed her leg and knocked against the table, bringing Timothy’s attention back to her face.

“You look different when you are dressed to party,” Timothy commented. His eyes flickered to William and his expression fell. William’s expression was deadly. And an angry William was not something Timothy could handle.

Timothy cleared his throat and offered William a drink. It was hard liquor. William took it graciously and downed it quickly. The waiter brought a bottle of wine which Sarah opened and poured herself a glass to drink. She nursed her drink slowly as the two men spoke about inconsequential things.

“President Colton, I have given you so much juicy information since I became friends with you, but you never even brought your girlfriend around until now. Is today an important date?” Timothy asked. Clearly, he was getting restless.

William smirked. “We have met at the office. Where will I get her there from?” he questioned. “Moreover, the information you gave me before was… unimpressive.”

Timothy sat straighter and thought carefully about how he should justify the quality of the information. Finally, he came up with a solution.

“I didn’t want to leap into your side without knowing what your intentions were. What if you take all my information and then throw me to the wolves?”

He had a point.

“So, you want something from me in exchange for worthwhile information?” William challenged.

Timothy shrugged. “It is only fair.”

“What do you want to know?” William asked.

Sarah watched over the rim of her glass at the minute shift in Timothy’s expression. He had not been expecting such an open-ended question. He took the opportunity and asked too quickly, stumbling over the words.

“Who is the other informer?” he whispered.

William scoffed. “Do you think I will tell you that?” he questioned. He leaned back and threw his arms on the backrest. He slowly drew circles on Sarah’s shoulder and asked her if she liked the wine.

Sarah hummed and put the glass down. She leaned a little closer to William but turned her body towards Timothy.

“I heard Senator Barn gifted a penthouse apartment to his campaign manager,” Sarah said in a light, gossipy manner. “Your uncle is a generous man. It makes me want to be on his side too,” she joked.

Timothy’s eyes brightened.

Sarah knew instantly that the bait she had put out was well understood. The campaign manager… Senator Barn’s confidant was deemed the Coltons’ informant.