Viscount Fairchild blinked once, then twice, his expression flickering between disbelief and amusement.
For a man usually so composed, it was the closest he'd come to looking genuinely surprised.
Wade stood calmly before his desk, the firelight painting flickers of gold along his pauldrons.
"You… want to clear your debt?" Fairchild repeated slowly, as if the words themselves were foreign.
Wade inclined his head. "That's right."
The Viscount leaned back in his chair, staring at him with open curiosity. "All of it?"
"All of it," Wade confirmed.
Fairchild chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "You're full of surprises, Mr. Barrett. I wasn't expecting to hear that for at least another month."
Wade didn't respond, he simply stood, staring.
"Tell me, Wade," Fairchild said conversationally, "where exactly did you come across this sudden… fortune?"
Wade met his gaze evenly. "I've been working."
