the room was packed for the preview of Forester Creations latest collection a private gathering of elite clients media insiders and the inner circle of the Forester family the models walked with precision the lights were flawless and Eric Forester stood at the center of it all radiating quiet command as he had for decades but then came the sound no one expected a rasping cough that tore through the quiet moment between runway changes sharp and violent then came the blood bright undeniable on the silk handkerchief eric
pressed to his lips time froze chaos followed eric was rushed to the hospital surrounded by a swarm of family and security at first everyone clung to hope maybe it was stress maybe it was exhaustion but the test results didn't lie the scans showed advanced pulmonary fibrosis complicated by an autoimmune collapse the prognosis was brutal and clear eric had months not years maybe less no treatment could reverse it no surgery could save him just time pain management and the final countdown of a man who had
defined a dynasty once alone in his hospital room Eric stared out the window silent his hands which once shaped fabric and fortune trembled slightly he'd built an empire watched generations rise fall love betray and redeem themselves all in the name of Forester now he was faced with the only design he hadn't completed his legacy not the clothes not the company but the people the power who would take the throne when he was gone he called for Carter his trusted lawyer within 24 hours a new will was drafted in secret it didn't just divide assets it outlined a shift in the company's future a divided structure of influence split among those he believed
could and should carry the torch ridge Thorne Stuffy Hope and in a surprise twist that would send shock waves through every corridor of Forester Nick Marone the ink had barely dried before the whisper started someone leaked the draft no one confessed but once the information spread the family erupted ridge was furious he had always believed Asterisk assumed Asterisk he would inherit everything the business the legacy the right to reshape the future in his image he had sacrificed bled lost
love lost time all for Forester but now he was just one vote in a power block unacceptable thorne returned from Europe the next morning he hadn't even been in LA for the collection preview but the news of Eric's health and the wool pulled him back like gravity he had been overlooked for years cast in Ridg's shadow but now with Eric fading Thorne saw his chance no more compromise no more second place stephie saw an opportunity already running the European division with ruthless efficiency she moved quickly she met with lawyers PR heads she rallied her allies inside the company she wanted to secure her stake not just for herself but for
her children for Hayes for the continuation of the Forester name through her line hope too found herself drawn into the fray at first hesitant unsure of her standing in a company that bore another family's name she realized Eric had included her for a reason her brand Hope for the Future had become one of the few bright lights in a turbulent fashion market she had earned her place and now she would defend it but no inclusion shocked the Foresters more than Nick Marone the longest aranged son of Jackie former
rival former lover to Brooke and past coco of Forester when things were at their most chaotic Nick had been gone for years sailing around the world removed from the drama but now with one clause in Eric's will he was back and he wasn't here to play nice the fight began in boardrooms and spilled into bedrooms onto headlines into whispered conversations at Cafe Roose and behind closed doors at the Forester mansion ridge accused Nick of manipulating Eric in his weakened state thorne accused Ridge
of entitlement stephie held meetings behind Rididge's back hope saw alliances playing on her image as the heart of the company eric watched it all unfold from his hospital bed both amused and heartbroken this was the cost of legacy every name on that wall had loved him hated him wanted his approval and now they wanted his empire the first battle came over the creative director role ridge had held it for years but Stephie argued the role should rotate allowing for innovation and equality among stakeholders
thorne countered that Ridg's recent designs lacked originality and fresh vision hope lobbyed for Thomas to take the reigns again if only temporarily citing his recent redemption arc and design genius nick did something no one expected he stayed silent at least publicly privately he began buying up small controlling interests in Forester subsidiaries he met with old investors rekindled his alliance with Donna Logan and began building a quiet foundation of influence he didn't need flash he needed leverage brooke caught in the middle as usual tried to mediate but ended up fueling the fire her loyalties were split ridge was her eternal love
but hope was her daughter and Nick well Nick was a memory that never truly left her her influence once unquestioned now fractured eric returned home under hospice care he called each Aaron one by one to Ridge he offered honesty you are always the heart of Forester but sometimes the heart can't beat alone to Thorne you've waited your whole life for the light i hope you use it wisely to Stephy your ambition is your gift and your flaw don't let it consume you to hope you bring soul to this company never lose
that to Nick you're the outsider that's your power don't forget it the final board vote approached five stakeholders five voices one future rich launched a campaign to reclaim full control proposing an amendment to Eric's directive thorne sided with Stuffy to block him hope stayed neutral publicly nick proposed a third option split the company into two arms with shared ownership but independent creative leadership it was bold radical risky the vote came down to the wire ridge no thorne no stuffy no hope paused
looked around the room said yes three to two the company split nick's plan moved forward ridge stormed out vowing to reclaim what was stolen thorn simmered with resentment stephie calculating as ever shifted her strategy focusing on dominance in Europe hope found herself aligned with Nick an unlikely alliance but effective and Eric watching from afar nodded his empire had fractured but perhaps in that fracture it would survive because legacy wasn't just about control it was about forcing the next generation to earn it in the shadows other threats stirred bill Spencer smelled blood in the water thomas began drafting
designs no one understood dark brilliant unstable katie asked questions no one wanted to answer and Donna still at Eric's side wondered if love was enough to keep him alive just a little longer but time was running out the final days of Eric Forers's reign weren't peaceful they were a war of inheritance identity and ambition but they were his and in the end that was what he had always wanted to matter to provoke to pass on something more than silk and thread to pass on fire the news came quietly no
dramatic moment no lastm minute miracle just a soft beeping that slowed then stopped in the quiet bedroom of the Forester estate donna was holding his hand eric Forester the architect of fashion the patriarch of a dynasty the man who ruled his world with a sketch pad and a stare was gone word spread fast ridge was the first to arrive stunned into silence thorne came next face tight refusing to cry stuffy collapsed into her mother's arms hope stood alone unable to speak nick lit a cigar on the balcony silent the loss wasn't just a man it was the end of an era but the final blow the real explosion came days later eric's final was revealed not the
one the family fought over not the one that split Forester into fragments no this one had been signed notorized and locked away delivered postumously by Carter following Eric's explicit instructions he had written it himself and it changed everything eric Forester left the majority of his personal estate not the business but the empire he built mansions art cash reserves shares private accounts and the Forester name itself to Luna his daughter gasps erupted in the room ridge stood white-faced "what the hell is this?" he demanded carter said nothing just handed over the papers legal clear final luna the woman many had dismissed the
outsider the scandal the one they had blamed for chaos for pain for nearly destroying the family with a single bullet the same Luna who had spent years in the shadows unacknowledged the truth had been buried deep protected by Eric for decades but now it was out eric had fathered Luna in a long hidden affair years ago kept secret to avoid scandal only a few had known Stephanie who had kept the secret out of spite and Eric himself who carried the guilt until the very end luna had never demanded recognition she never needed the name but Eric had given it to her anyway quietly legally and now publicly ridge lost it he gave her the legacy she nearly
killed Stuffy she shot Liam she's not even a forester she is carter said by blood and by Eric's word the estate wasn't just about wealth it was about power control of key family trusts voting rights on the board the symbolic weight of the Forester patriarch's blessing with Luna's inheritance she now held leverage no one could have imagined stephy's eyes burned with betrayal thorne sat down speechless hope blinked back shock trying to calculate what this meant nick watching from the side let out
a low whistle well he muttered didn't see that coming luna herself was silent when asked for comment she only said one thing he did what he thought was right but the fallout was nuclear ridge called for the will to be contested he accused Luna of manipulation coercion deception he launched a legal attack hiring investigators digging into every record every document every doctor who had treated Eric in his final days he argued diminished capacity emotional blackmail thorne joined him so did Stuffy even Brooke questioned the move calling it a disgrace to the family but the will held ironclad validated witnessed luna was Eric's daughter and
she was now the single largest private holder of Forester wealth the house divided even further luna did not move into the mansion she didn't host parties she didn't give press interviews instead she quietly hired a new legal team took meetings with board members and started reshaping her role in the company she appointed her son to a junior executive position under watchful supervision she donated part of her inheritance to charity in Eric's name calming some of the public outrage but inside the family things were burning ridge stopped speaking to Donna he accused her of conspiring with Eric thorne threatened to resign from
Forester altogether stephie doubled down in Europe trying to build an empire of her own without the tainted influence of Luna hope became the quiet diplomat the only one who tried to maintain ties with everyone she didn't trust Luna not completely but she saw the writing on the wall luna wasn't leaving and she wasn't backing down nick as always stayed close to the storm without getting soaked he offered Luna advice old school ruthless advice they'll never love you he said so stop trying beat them at their own game luna took that advice she launched a new division forester Legacy focused on honoring Eric's original designs archiving unreleased pieces expanding internationally under her creative direction it was a direct challenge to Ridge and Stephie and it worked
sales surged media praised her investors took notice but then came the final twist eric's private journals were discovered personal notes letters sketches and within them an entry luna is my redemption the daughter I failed the only one who doesn't want the crown and therefore deserves it most it shattered what was left of Ridge for a man who had spent his life trying to win his father's approval these words were the final blow he withdrew from the company stopped designing vanished into a self-imposed exile in
Big Bear unreachable angry and grieving the family splintered the name Forester now belonged as much to Luna as to any of them and no amount of rage lawsuits or denial could erase the fact that Eric Forester legend creator father chose her not because she was perfect but because she was his
