The hallowed halls of Forrester Creations, usually a beacon of design and innovation, are now echoing with the shattering sounds of betrayal and heartbreak. The patriarch himself, Eric Forrester, orchestrated an elaborate and cruel deception, feigning a terminal illness to force his son Ridge into a marriage with Brooke Logan. This was a desperate bid by Eric to secure what he believed was Ridge’s true destiny before his supposed final breath. Ridge, caught between his love for his father, a sense of duty, and the desperate need to prevent a corporate scandal, reluctantly agreed to marry Brooke in a somber, private ceremony.

As Ridge slipped the ring onto Brooke’s trembling finger, a mix of joy and a dark, unsettling guilt flickered in her eyes. Both believed Eric was on his deathbed, a truth they dared not question. But Taylor Hayes, Ridge’s devoted wife, felt a gnawing unease. The entire scenario reeked of impropriety, a deathbed drama too convenient to be true. Fueled by an anonymous tip – or perhaps her own sharp instincts – Taylor stormed into Eric’s hospital suite, surgical mask forgotten, demanding to see his medical records. She refused to lose Ridge again, not to Brooke, and certainly not to a manipulative scheme, regardless of Eric’s apparent noble intentions.

Ridge, torn between loyalty to his father and the terror of losing Taylor, tried to placate her, insisting on Eric’s grave condition. But Taylor pressed on, citing her legal right as next of kin to full disclosure. Eric, a mischievous twinkle in his eye that betrayed his feigned weakness, simply told her, “Not yet. Let this moment be sacred.” Taylor, who had witnessed Eric’s cunning before, felt the cold dread of suspicion solidify. As she reached for his chart, Eric’s hand clamped over hers, his voice suddenly strong as he whispered, “Trust me, Taylor. I only want what’s best for this family.”

Unbeknownst to them, in a sterile lab-turned-makeshift office, Dr. John “Finn” Finnegan, Taylor’s stepson by marriage, sat before a stack of digital files. Eric had privately summoned him, revealing a far grimmer truth: Eric’s health was perfectly fine. His heart was strong, lungs robust, and prognosis excellent. The cunning patriarch had blackmailed Finn into falsifying the medical records – altering lab results, adjusting imaging reports, inserting fabricated notes about organ decline – all to ensure the wedding proceeded. In return, Finn was promised unlimited access to Forrester Creations’ charitable foundation and a secure place in the prestigious Forrester dynasty. Finn hovered on the precipice of a moral chasm: loyalty to his mentor and the promised future, or duty to the truth, his conscience, and Taylor, who trusted him implicitly.

Outside, the heated argument between Taylor, Ridge, and Brooke reached Finn’s ears