MR WALLACE'S SUBSTITUTE BRIDE.

THIRD POV-ANASTASIA

Anastasia quickly wiped the tears gathering in her eyes before they could spill down her cheeks. She lowered her face immediately, hiding behind the curtain of her hair and oversized glasses. The last thing she wanted was for the staff around the office to notice she had been crying again.

Unfortunately, in a place like Wallace Firm, nothing ever stayed unnoticed.

"Felicia, if someone had told me Ronan would break up with me, I would never have believed it," she whispered shakily. "Never."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

Felicia sighed softly and adjusted herself against the desk she had been leaning on. Out of everyone in the firm, she was the only person with whom Nastasia truly felt comfortable Maybe it was because they both came from the same background. Both held only a diploma in Business Legal Studies while everyone else in the company carried intimidating law degrees and expensive confidence.

The lawyers barely acknowledged them unless work was involved.

But Felicia never made Anastasia feel small.

"Look at me," Felicia said gently.

Anastasia raised watery eyes toward her friend.

"It is better he shows you who he truly is now. Earlier is always better than later."

Anastasia swallowed painfully.

The wound still felt fresh. Ronan had left her just yesterday, and somehow the office lights, the clicking keyboards, and the endless emails only made the ache worse.

Felicia narrowed her eyes carefully before asking the question.

"You did not give him your virginity, did you?"

Anastasia immediately shook her head.

"Exactly," Felicia breathed out in relief. "Then thank God for that."

Anastasia frowned slightly.

"I am serious," Felicia continued. "Imagine giving everything to a man only for him to walk away afterwards. That pain destroys people. Trust me, some of us have walked that road before."

There was a bitterness in her smile that told Anastasia enough.

"You are lucky he left before taking more from you."

Anastasia tightened her grip around the edge of her jacket. She understood what Felicia meant, truly she did, but heartbreak still hurt terribly.

Especially when you love honestly.

"I am never falling in love again," Anastasia muttered stubbornly.

Her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose as she pouted like an upset child.

Felicia laughed softly despite herself.

"People always say that after heartbreak." She reached forward and fixed Anastasia's glasses properly. "Love is only a scam when you meet the wrong person. Real love still exists."

The words sounded comforting, but Anastasia could not bring herself to believe them.

Felicia opened her arms and Anastasia finally leaned into the embrace, allowing herself to cry quietly against her friend's shoulder.

Unfortunately, from a distance, the scene looked entirely different.

Several staff members assigned by exchanged knowing looks.

Again, poor Anastasia had probably been yelled at by Mr Wallace.

That assumption had practically become a normal office tradition.

TRAVIS WALLACE

The atmosphere inside Wallace Firm shifted the moment Travis Wallace stepped into the building.

Just like every other morning, silence and tension followed him naturally.

Employees straightened instantly behind their desks. Fingers moved faster across keyboards. Conversations died immediately.

The mere sound of his polished shoes against the marble floors carried authority.

Travis walked forward confidently with both hands tucked into the pockets of his tailored black trousers. His expression remained unreadable as usual, cold and sharp enough to intimidate even senior lawyers twice his age.

To everyone around him, he looked composed.

Focused.

Untouchable.

But internally, his mind was nowhere near the office.

Jennifer.

Again.

The thought of her had followed him through the entire drive to work.

How long exactly was he supposed to continue hiding whatever existed between them?

Every time they spent the night together, he convinced himself things would change. Yet every morning she gathered her clothes quickly and disappeared before sunrise fully touched the windows.

As if she did not belong there.

As if she did not belong to him.

And that irritated him more than he cared to admit.

He wanted her publicly.

Openly.

He wanted the world to know that Jennifer Quinn, California's most desired model, belonged beside him and no one else.

But reality remained complicated.

Especially because her husband happened to be his client.

Travis exhaled sharply as he entered his private elevator.

"What nonsense," he muttered under his breath.

He had fought impossible legal battles for Quinn. Won properties back for him. Protected his interests countless times.

Yet somehow, he could not even fight for the woman he wanted.

The elevator doors opened directly into his private floor.

"Enough," he told himself firmly as he walked into his office. "You have work to do."

That was his routine.

Work first.

Everything else later.

He sat down behind his desk and pressed the power button on his computer. Normally, his daily schedule would already be waiting neatly arranged on the tablet Anastasia prepared every morning without fail.

But today, the desk was empty.

Travis frowned immediately.

His eyes moved across the surface once.

Then twice.

Nothing.

Annoyance slowly crept into his expression.

He checked the time on his wristwatch.

8:45 AM.

Fifteen minutes before nine and his secretary was nowhere to be seen. He stood up and stormed to her office but it was empty.

Wonderful.

He reached for his phone, intending to call her immediately, only to pause halfway.

He did not even have her number saved.

The realisation irritated him further.

With a frustrated breath, he stood up and walked out of his office, heading toward Human Resources to retrieve her contact information.

As he descended the floors, tension spread once again throughout the company.

Employees lowered their heads instantly as he passed.

No one wanted unnecessary attention from Travis Wallace.

But Travis barely noticed any of them.

Until he saw her.

At the far end of the department stood Anastasia Moore, completely distracted as she spoke to another staff member.

Felicia noticed him first.

Her eyes widened instantly in panic as she tried desperately to signal to Anastasia to stop talking.

But Anastasia remained oblivious.

Too emotional.

Too lost in her own heartbreak.

Travis approached silently until he stood directly behind her.

Felicia looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Then Anastasia suddenly went still.

His cologne.

She recognised it immediately.

Slowly, she turned around while clutching her handbag tightly against herself.

The moment her eyes met his, her heartbeat stumbled.

"Good morning, Mr Wallace," she greeted quietly.

His expression remained cold.

"I would like to know why my secretary is not in my office doing her job."

His voice was calm, but dangerous.

Anastasia swallowed nervously.

"Sir, I was actually passing through some..."

"I do not care what you are passing through, Miss Moore."

The interruption was sharp enough to make nearby employees freeze.

"This is a professional environment."

His eyes locked directly onto hers.

"And professionalism requires responsibility."

Every staff member around them had stopped pretending to work.

The entire floor listened.

"It is almost nine o'clock," Travis continued. "My schedule has not been arranged. My emails remain untouched. Yet instead of doing your job, you are standing here gossiping."

The humiliation hit Anastasia like a slap.

"I do not pay you to socialise."

His voice rose louder.

"If you do not wish to lose your job, then return to my office this instant and finish your duties."

Then he turned to leave.

Something inside Anastasia snapped.

Maybe it was the heartbreak from Ronan.

Maybe it was exhaustion.

Maybe it was years of silently enduring humiliation.

But suddenly, she could not remain quiet anymore.

"I am tired of being treated like this!"

The words burst out before she could stop herself.

Gasps spread instantly across the department.

Felicia grabbed Anastasia's arm in horror.

Nobody spoke to Travis Wallace that way.

Nobody.

Anastasia's chest rose unevenly as angry tears filled her eyes.

"I work myself to exhaustion every single day," she continued shakily. "I come earlier than everyone else and leave later than everyone else because I work directly under you."

Travis slowly turned back around.

The entire office held its breath.

"Even though I only have a diploma, I work harder than half the people here with degrees," Anastasia said emotionally. "But because I came late once while dealing with personal issues, suddenly I am irresponsible?"

Her voice cracked painfully.

"And you think it is okay to embarrass me in front of everyone?"

Silence.

Complete silence.

Travis stared at her.

Not angry.

Not shouting.

Just staring.

There was something almost fascinating about the fire burning inside the timid secretary who normally trembled whenever he looked her way.

Nobody challenged him.

Nobody raised their voice at him.

Yet here she stood with tears in her eyes and fury in her voice.

The audacity alone shocked him.

Anastasia's breathing became uneven as emotion overwhelmed her.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Then Travis finally spoke.

Coldly.

Firmly.

"You are fired."

The words landed heavily across the entire floor.

Anastasia froze completely.

Before she could respond, Travis turned around and walked away without another glance.

And the moment he disappeared from sight, the entire office exploded into stunned whispers.