The sun had barely risen over Los Angeles, yet Forester Creations felt darker than it ever had. Silence clung to the hallways like a shroud. The night before had shattered everything — the battles, the pressure, the accusations — all of it had culminated in tragedy. And now, as the city slowly awakened, the Forester family prepared for a day none of them were ready to face: the farewell of Eric Forester.

Eric’s collapse in the boardroom had been the final blow in a storm that had been gathering for months. Betrayal, corporate warfare, and a fight for the soul of Forester Creations had pushed him past the breaking point. Now, the patriarch who had shaped fashion, power, and legacy was gone — and the family he left behind was splintered in grief.

Ridge’s Guilt: The Weight of Words He Cannot Take Back

Ridge stood motionless outside the chapel, feeling every breath scrape painfully against his chest. He had always believed there would be more time. Time to fix their arguments. Time to heal the wounds his ambition had opened. Time to tell his father that he was not trying to erase his legacy, only preserve it.

But time had run out.

The final words he and Eric exchanged still echoed in his head: accusations, warnings, stubborn declarations neither meant as harshly as they sounded. Ridge now realized that beneath every heated exchange had been a deep, unspoken love. Today, he would bury not only his father but also the final chance to make things right.

Brooke approached him quietly. Her eyes were swollen, her voice soft but steady.
“Ridge… he knew you loved him.”
But Ridge couldn’t answer. Grief had stolen every word.

Steffy Breaks Down — The Strongest Forester Falls

Steffy arrived moments later, her façade of strength finally cracking. She had inherited Eric’s fire, his passion for the company, his sense of family. But as she approached the casket, her knees weakened.

“Granddad… I’m not ready,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Finn wrapped an arm around her, but even he couldn’t pull her from the tide of sorrow drowning her. For the first time, Steffy — fierce, unshakable Steffy — looked small. Lost. The anchor of her world had disappeared.

Thomas Faces His Own Demons

Thomas stood in the back of the room, separated from the others by guilt he couldn’t shake. He had challenged Eric, sided against him at times, and believed modernization was the only option. But now, staring at the man who had once believed in him when no one else would, Thomas felt the sharp sting of regret.

“If I hadn’t pushed… if I had been better…” he muttered under his breath, tears threatening to fall.

Hope gently touched his arm.
“You loved him, Thomas. He knew that.”

But Thomas wasn’t sure he could believe it.

The Funeral Begins — And Tensions Rise

As guests filled the chapel, whispers of shock, sorrow, and speculation drifted through the air.

Bill Spencer arrived last.

His presence sent a ripple of unease through the room. After all, it was Bill’s aggressive business proposal that had ignited the final confrontation between Ridge and Eric. Some blamed him outright for pushing Eric to his breaking point.

Bill took a seat alone, his expression shadowed. Whether by regret or calculation, no one could tell.

The minister invited Ridge to speak. Hands trembling, he approached the podium.

“My father… lived and breathed Forester Creations. It wasn’t a business to him — it was his heart. And I… I failed him.”

The room watched as Ridge, usually composed and commanding, broke down.
“I pushed too hard. I forgot what he taught us — that beauty matters. That family matters. Dad… I’m sorry.”

Brooke reached for his hand, guiding him back to his seat as the room fell into heartbreaking silence.

An Unexpected Guest Sends Shockwaves

Just as the ceremony was ending, the church doors creaked open.

A woman stepped inside — tall, elegant, with an unmistakable familiarity in the curve of her jaw and the sharpness in her eyes.

Whispers spread instantly.

“Is that… could it be…?”

Katie Spencer’s breath caught. Brooke froze. Even Ridge stared in disbelief.

It was Morgan DeWitt — the woman whose scandal with Ridge decades earlier had almost destroyed the family. The woman Eric himself had once tried to protect Ridge from.

Her sudden return at Eric’s funeral was an earthquake no one had seen coming.

She walked silently toward the casket, her eyes softening with a grief that looked too real to be faked.

“I’m so sorry, Eric,” she whispered, brushing her fingers over the flowers. “I owed you more than I ever gave.”

The room buzzed with questions.
Why was she here?
How long had she been back in Los Angeles?
And what did her reappearance mean for Ridge, especially now that he was so vulnerable?

The Aftermath: Bill Makes His Move

Following the funeral, the family gathered at the estate. Emotions ran high — sorrow, fear, and uncertainty swirling like a storm no one could escape.

Ridge retreated to Eric’s study, staring at the unfinished sketches on the desk. His father’s last designs. The last pieces of the legacy they had fought so fiercely to protect.

Brooke approached him quietly.
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
Ridge nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the drawings.

Outside, Bill Spencer stood at the edge of the property, watching through the window.

He wasn’t finished.

Forester Creations was weaker now than ever — fractured by grief and leadership uncertainty. And Bill knew exactly how to exploit a broken dynasty.

A Legacy at Risk — And a Future Uncertain

As night fell, the family sat together, united by loss but divided by everything else.

Steffy vowed to protect the company in Eric’s name.
Thomas pledged to change for the better.
Brooke held Ridge close, terrified of the weight he now carried.

But Ridge…

Ridge looked at his father’s portrait, tears falling silently.

“I will honor you,” he whispered. “No matter what it costs.”

With Bill plotting, Morgan resurfaced, and the company vulnerable, one thing is certain:

Eric Forester’s death is not the end — it is the beginning of a war that will reshape everything.

And as Los Angeles brace for the fallout, Ridge must face the question that will haunt him forever:

Did he lose his father… because he tried too hard to save the empire Eric built?