Wednesday, October 26, 2005, Episode #4668

Eric unveils the new ad campaign.

In the Forrester showroom, the latest Forrester/Spectra fashion showdown is about to start. A disappointed Thorne watches as smarmy Eye on Fashion reporter Jarrett Maxwell (with a new hair cut) and the other reporters flock to ask Ridge, Dante and especially Eric about Forrester. The reporters ask about Brooke, or should they say, "Mrs. Eric Forrester?" Eric reminds them that today is about the duel between Thomas and Ridge, but Jarrett wants the dirt on Eric's re-marriage, and on Forrester's new ad campaign. Ridge tells Eric that the press is on to them, so they might as well unveil the ad campaign. Thorne comes over and asks his dad about this new campaign. Eric says that he planned to unveil it after the show, but Ridge says they might as well show it now. Eric agrees; he says that they're loyal to all their customers, and not just to their teen line, so he's proud to unveil "Forrester Reunited." He then turns over a poster board with the "Forrester Reunited" logo, silhouetted profiles of Eric and Brooke looking at each other, with the Forrester logo and the word "Reunited" below. Eric then admits that he and Brooke have remarried, so this campaign and the collection to follow will celebrate that.

Thorne tells Stephanie that he could lose everything.

The reporters applaud; Thorne approaches Eric and Ridge and asks to have a word with them. They go to Eric's office, where Thorne blasts his dad and brother for doing whatever it takes to win. As if it's not bad enough that Eric married Brooke and humiliated Stephanie, now they unveil this new ad campaign on the day of the showing! Ridge tells his little brother that it's just business. Thorne asks if it's "just business" for Ridge to stab his own son in the back. He wants to call the showdown off right now. Like hell, Ridge fumes: he and Thomas made a deal about Thomas's marriage and future, and he intends to see his son live up to it. Thorne fumes that Ridge would trample over his own family just to get his way. Ridge points out that he didn't force Spectra to overextend themselves. Besides, he finds it ironic for Thorne to talk about ethics after all the times he used the Forrester name to promote Spectra! Stephanie comes in and tells them to stop this bickering: she tells Eric and Ridge that they'll see Thorne on the runway. Eric and Ridge leave. Thorne admits to his mother that he and Sally have everything riding on this show. He knows he should have kept a closer eye on Sally, but now that this line is a disaster, he could lose everything. He doesn't know what he'll do to support his family if Thomas loses. Stephanie says he could always come back to Forrester. And work for Ridge? Thorne asks. No way! he says.

Taylor tells Thomas that she just wants him back home.

Backstage, Gaby asks a Spectra worker to check the seams on one of the hems. As the worker says he'll get right on it, Thomas comes back; he tells Gaby that no one was paying attention to Thorne. Gaby reminds him that orders, not publicity, will decide this contest. But publicity drives their orders, Thomas says. Taylor arrives and asks how they're doing. Thomas says that everyone's buzzing about Forrester; he bets that thrills his mom, since it means Gaby will be deported. Taylor tells him that she just wants him back home, living the life he deserves. "You mean the kind of life you think he should have," Gaby says. "The kind of life your mother wanted for you," Taylor tells Gaby, who tells Taylor that Thomas will win today.

Dante fits a model, who asks how it feels to be at his first fashion show. It's like a rare bottle of Barolo (an Italian wine), he replies with a smile: you want to drink it, but you don't want it to end.

Hector shows up to support Taylor; she thanks him, but she needs him to know that she and Ridge are back together, in every way. Hector is surprised that one counseling session could be so successful. It was more than that, she says; she suggests that knowing she was attractive to another man may have opened Ridge's eyes. But For how long? Hector asks. For the rest of their lives, Ridge says as he approaches. He thinks Hector knows the way out, so the fireman leaves.

Thomas and Gaby worry about the response to his line.

Eric comes to the stage. He tells the crowd that they have two great fashion houses here, Forrester and Spectra. He reminds them of the splash Thomas made with his first collection, so he's sure they're all eager to see what Thomas has for them today. With that, he starts the show. Two young models come out, walking down the runway to a Hillary Duff-ish song called "That's What Girls Do" in a pair of denim designs that only get some light applause. In the audience, Taylor sees the concerned looks on Thomas and Gaby. Backstage, Ridge tells his models to go for it and have some fun; as the models go out on stage in a pair of trendier designs, Dante asks Ridge why he doesn't look confident. They'll win, Ridge assures the artist; they have to, since his son's future is at stake. From the crowd reaction, Ridge needn't worry; as his models walk the runway to a song with a dance beat, the crowd goes wild!

Thorne and Darla worry about their success.

Thomas and Gaby solemnly watch the rave response to his dad's designs. Backstage, Thorne tells Darla that they're sunk. Darla reminds him that the contest will be won by orders, not applause. But with all the cancelled pre-orders, Thorne explains, the success of this collection depends on today's orders.

Thomas's next designs come out; as the models walk down the runway to another one of those pop-ish songs that appeal to teen girls, the crowd response is again mild. Thomas looks even more despondent. Backstage, Sally tells Clarke that all her hopes are going up in smoke. "Bucky" can't help but agree. This could be it for them, Sally laments.

Ridge looks out on his son from backstage.

Meanwhile, the crowd is cheering and applauding for Ridge's next set of designs. Eric, Ridge and Dante are backstage celebrating with the models. Ridge walks away to peek outside from the curtain. He sees Thomas and Gaby looking somber. Thomas tells Gaby that he's sorry. Nearly in tears, she tells him not to be; even if things don't work out like they hoped, she'll never forget what he did for her. Ridge watches as they hug and goes backstage, where one of the models congratulates him. Taylor comes over to add her congratulations. She asks Ridge if he talked to Thomas. No, he says; he knows that it wasn't easy on their son, but Thomas will learn. The important thing, he tells his "Doc" as he hugs her, is that they have their son back.

On the Spectra side, Thorne turns to Darla and says that he got wiped out on the same day he watched his mother walk away from the company she founded. He recalls how Stephanie always said he just needed two things to succeed, honesty and hard work. He guesses she was wrong on both counts. He walks away, leaving a sad Darla standing there.

While all this is going on, Stephanie meets Massimo in Eric's office. She thanks him for coming and explains that there are some stocks she wants to give the children in the safe here. She wants him to witness her actions so no one can question them. He asks if she knows the combination. She says she knows her husband, so it shouldn't be hard. She starts with Eric's birthday and then their wedding anniversary; neither works. She then tries Eric's anniversary to Brooke, from their first marriage; when that works, she thinks she doesn't even know Eric anymore. She takes the contents out to look for those stock certificates, tossing a photo of Eric and Brooke she finds among the papers in the trash. Mass finds an unmarked envelope and opens it: He finds some old papers that look like a trust document. Reading through the papers, he finds that this trust was drawn up by Stephanie's father, naming her as the beneficiary. Of what? she asks. She's not going to believe it, he says. He shows her the papers, which she's never seen before. He points out a date, which she confirms is just before she and Eric started Forrester. These are the original Article of Incorporation, Mass explains. Stephanie thinks back to that time; she was pregnant with Ridge, and she asked her father to fund Forrester Creations. Mass recalls that her father wasn't happy about that. But he gave them the money, Stephanie says. And it was a lot of money, Mass says - which is why her father created this trust, to hold all the stock in Forrester Creations.

Massimo explains some documents to Stephanie.

That's not right, Stephanie says. She and Eric owned all the stock jointly, until they started gifting it to their children, and until Brooke got some from her marriages and divorces. [Actually, Brooke's stock was compensation for the BeLieF patent, as Stephanie should well know - as should the writers, since it's such a huge part of B&B history.] Mass asks who determined that she and Eric owned the stock jointly. Stephanie replies that the state of California did, with its community property laws. Not if the trust was drawn up before the marriage, Mass says. He explains that her father set this trust up to protect her if Eric left her. But what about the stock that's already been divided? she asks. It doesn't mean a thing, Mass says. And if Eric knew about the trust, he adds, every transaction Eric made was illegal. The only legitimate holder of stock in the company, Mass states, is this trust, which names her, Stephanie Douglas, as beneficiary. And if he's right about this, then Forrester Creations is hers.

"Mine?" she asks.