At Forrester, Caroline was sobbing, but Ridge told everyone that Maya had made a big deal over nothing. He insisted that it merely had been two people working, and he asked if Maya had followed him and Caroline to Brooke's cabin. Tears and mascara streamed down Caroline's face as she told Rick that she'd just gotten caught up in the moment, and it had been just a few kisses.
"You're a married woman. I can't believe this!" Hope exclaimed, leaving the room. Ivy strode out, too. Rick asked how long it had been going on, but Caroline continued to cry. Maya said she'd tried to warn Rick, and Carter told Maya that they didn't belong there.
Carter prodded Maya to leave, but she wouldn't budge. Carter asserted that they all knew why Maya was really doing it. Maya claimed that it was because she cared, but Ridge retorted that her agenda was showing. Carter exited, and Rick bitterly said he didn't give a "damn" about any of them.
Eric began to berate Ridge, and Rick turned to leave. Caroline wanted to go with him, but Maya shouted that Caroline had done enough. Caroline told Rick that she and Ridge had done some foolish things, but that had been the end of it. "No, Caroline, this is the end of it," Rick said.
Grabbing Rick's arm as he retreated, Caroline begged everyone to give her and Rick a moment alone. Rick felt that they'd already been humiliated enough. He roared that Eric's big buildup had been a bunch of theatrics. Rick wondered why he'd fallen for it.
Sobbing, Rick said he'd actually believed that for once, his hard work and ambition would pay off, but in reality, Eric always chose "the anointed one." Eric tried to defend his decision, but Rick didn't want to hear excuses from the man who always seemed to say the right words.
Rick just wanted to know if Eric's choice was out of loyalty to Stephanie to select her son over his own blood relation, or if Eric was too ashamed of the second family he'd formed with a woman he'd shared with Ridge. Rick asked if he was still a little boy to Eric, and Ridge asked if Rick thought their father didn't think Rick was good enough. Rick retorted that Eric wasn't Ridge's father.
Ridge rolled his eyes. Rick had thought that Eric had wanted a son that he could count on, not one who'd say "to hell with it" and go to Paris for a year. "And I certainly think you'd want one you could trust," Rick bit out. Ridge told Rick to grow up.
Eric silence Ridge, who Eric felt needed to hang on to some dignity after what he'd done. Ridge wondered how he'd do that when one of his daughters was dead because of Rick and the other daughter couldn't stand the sight of Rick. Rick retorted that it wouldn't be by sleeping with Rick's wife.
Caroline screamed at the men to stop it. She said it wasn't about every skeleton of the past. It was about a betrayal, one that she begged Rick to forgive her and Ridge for. She insisted that Maya had blown it out of proportion for her own gain. Maya quipped that it wasn't about her that time.
Caroline invited Rick to go home, and he asked whose home. He told her to go to the cabin with Ridge, and she declared that she'd never do anything like that again. Rick bellowed that she shouldn't have been there to begin with. He asked if Ridge had invited her to the cabin and if she'd asked him why that place. Frazzled, Caroline said the call had been short. Rick asked her what she'd thought about it.
Caroline replied that she'd assumed that Brooke allowed Ridge to use the place. Rick asked if she'd thought of all the guilty kisses she'd share with Ridge or about adding a bed into the mix. "Did you think about me? Did you think about coming home to me? Did you think about touching me with the hands you touched him with, kissing me with the lips you kissed him with?" Rick asked.
Rick had believed that the day would be his big day, and he'd receive his award after being sent away for years. He'd believed that his father's office would be his, and his beautiful, talented wife would be there to carry on the tradition with him. Eric said that it could still happen.
"No. You two made your choice," Rick stated, turning to Eric. Eric declared that there had been no family conspiracy against Rick. A conspiracy wasn't necessary to Rick, who felt that the family was like a pack of wolves who all knew when to turn at the same time. "And you certainly knew your target," Rick concluded and turned to leave.
Caroline tried to go with Rick, but he refused to let her. As Rick left, Caroline cried out that she loved him, and Maya tried to suppress her grin.
In Rick's office, Hope entered and saw Ivy there. Hope expected Rick to retreat to his office at some point. Ivy thought that Maya had struck to inflict maximum damage when there was really nothing going on with Ridge and Caroline.
Carter entered, and the three wondered what Eric would do. Hope figured that the odds that Rick would work beneath Ridge had gotten worse. Carter said the problem had to be resolved because Rick and Caroline were too valuable to lose. "The question is -- is Ridge?" Ivy asked.
The trio wondered if they should get to work, but they weren't sure what to work on or who they'd be working for. Ivy wondered if Maya would have a job. Hope replied that Maya couldn't get fired for telling the truth. "But she didn't," Carter responded. Hope figured that telling a version of the truth was better than not saying anything. "Is it?" Carter questioned.
Carter labeled the incident an unnecessary crisis. It sounded to him like Caroline had corrected her course before it had been too late. Hope replied that it was what Caroline had said, but Hope had been around people who'd earnestly sworn not to do something again -- only to do it again.
Ivy asked how Carter could work daily with a former lover whom he obviously still had feelings for. Shrugging, he said Maya's honesty had improved things between them. Hope noted that Carter appreciated Maya's honesty, the very thing Maya was being condemned for. He asserted that it was about Maya's motivation, and he didn't like her hurting people to get her way.
Day turned to night, and Hope noted that Eric's door was still closed. As a newcomer, Ivy didn't feel entitled to take sides in the matter. Hope believed it was pretty clear-cut, but Ivy replied that it was what they kept telling themselves.
Back in Eric's office, Eric sent Maya out so that he could speak to Caroline and Ridge alone. Ridge said Eric couldn't have expected the day to be easy because Rick had predicted that Eric would hand it all over to him. Eric didn't think the idea had been unrealistic, and he decided to retain the right to change his mind. "Can I please just go?" the exasperated and crying Caroline asked.
Eric refused to release Caroline. He grimaced. He'd known the day would be hard, but he'd never expected to hear what he'd heard about Ridge and Caroline. Ridge asserted that it had been a whole lot of nothing, and Maya was a drama queen.
Eric sensed that the whole thing with Caroline had been some sort of seduction. He theorized that Ridge had wanted to sell Eric on a design team because of Ridge's impairment, and the added bonus was sending Rick into a tailspin. "You think I'm that calculating?" Ridge quipped. Eric stated that he knew how calculating Ridge could be.
Ridge figured that Eric remembered what it was like with designers working closely for long hours. Ridge claimed that his lapse in judgment was over, and he and Caroline knew what kind of team they could be and what kind they could not be. He was sure Rick would get over it and decide against throwing away his wedding vows over a foolish infatuation. Eric asked Caroline if Rick would get over it.
At Brooke's cabin, Rick arrived without turning on the lights. He flashed back to the very first day he'd seen Caroline and to moments in their relationship and marriage. He recalled the first time they'd said they loved each other and when he'd proposed to her. He looked at a design that was on an easel. Beside it, a vision of Ridge staring at Rick while kissing Caroline appeared.
Rick hurled an object at the vision, and the object smashed through the cabin windows. He smashed item after item against the walls and windows and kicked the easel.
Rick's phone rang. Caroline was on the line. "We were just newlyweds," he despondently murmured. She implored him to listen, but he said she had let "him" run all over them.
Caroline asked Rick not to hang up on her, but he threw the phone across the room. He sank to his knees and sobbed. Behind him, the door opened, and Maya cautiously entered the cabin. Rick looked up at her, but then he hopelessly looked down and sobbed.
At Forrester, Eric chastised Ridge and Caroline for their dalliance. Caroline said she had to find Rick, but Eric advised her to leave Rick alone. Eric turned his attention to Ridge. "She's your brother's wife," Eric shouted at Ridge. Eric calmed down and told Ridge that Rick thought Ridge was trying to take everything away from him. "Were you that afraid that I would choose him as the CEO? Did you plan this?" Eric asked.
Ridge tried to explain that he had never planned to hurt anyone. He defended his and Caroline's actions as those of two passionate people -- two artists. "One thing led to one another," Ridge said. Eric angrily disagreed. "You should have had the maturity to walk away. Not another word," Eric ordered.
Eric again chastised Caroline and Ridge for betraying Rick. Eric said that at least Caroline had the decency to feel horrible. Eric noted that they had spent hours together, supposedly for the company, and had instead betrayed Rick. "He's my flesh and blood," Eric said.
Ridge furiously said that Eric was pulling the bloodline card, but Eric dismissed his concern and said that Rick had been suffering, and that meant that Eric suffered. Ridge angrily said that neither Eric nor Rick had suffered. Ridge asked if Rick had died in his arms. Eric paused. "Little Ricky will be just fine if he chooses to be," Ridge sneered.
Ridge wondered what Eric wanted. He asked if Eric wanted him to apologize and to admit that he had been wrong. "Well I can do that," Ridge said. Ridge explained that he had been lost after the accident and had lost his ability to draw -- he'd lost his career until he started to work with Caroline. "She helped me," he said.
"We helped each other," Caroline said. Eric said they both were responsible for their feelings. He told them they should have stopped or asked for help. He blamed himself for not stepping in. "The two of you have given me a lot to think about," Eric said, and he left.
Ridge worried that Eric had changed his mind about the CEO's position, but Caroline was discouraged that her marriage was in trouble. Ridge shushed her. He asked her why she had confessed in front of everyone. Caroline said that Maya had laid it all out there. "You confirmed it," Ridge said. Caroline insisted that she'd had to tell the truth.
Caroline realized that Ridge only cared about the CEO position. "Rick thinks that you're conning me. Is that true? Were you just playing me?" Caroline asked. Ridge replied that he hadn't meant to hurt her. He added they had been a great team and had created something amazing.
Caroline angrily suggested that Ridge had known what he had done. She guessed that their partnership had been a joke. She wondered if he had gone home to Katie each night and laughed about the girl with the crush. "Naïve Caroline making a big fool of herself," Caroline said.
Ridge argued that Caroline had never been a joke to him. He added that after he had left a session with Caroline, he'd always had memories of her -- even when he'd gotten into his car. "I couldn't get the smell of your hair out of my head," he said.
Caroline worried that she had lost her husband, but Ridge said that Rick would return to her because he knew better than to leave. "What he knows is that I've been kissing you," she said. Ridge countered that Rick had always been a hothead, but he would blow off some steam. "He knows what he has in you. Little Ricky is a lot of things, but he's not stupid," Ridge said.
Caroline wondered how Rick would stay if he had to wonder what was going on every time Ridge and Caroline were alone. Ridge said that they would no longer be together, but they agreed that what they'd had had been "pretty amazing."
"We got carried away, and the lines got blurred. For the record, the times we spent together were some of the most magical moments in my life. And I didn't mean to hurt you. It wasn't my intention," Ridge said.
In Hope's office, she looked at sketches, and she sent a text to Rick. Carter entered, and Hope said she had been worried about Rick. Carter said that he was convinced that Maya had gone after Rick. Hope lamented that Caroline had been so foolish and had done something with Ridge, of all people. Carter said that Maya had never given up on Rick. Carter said he should have seen it coming with the "millions of ways she avoided planning the wedding. She was just waiting for Caroline and Rick to implode," Carter said.
Carter wondered if the Forresters would have fired Maya if she had been wrong. Hope said that people in love often did crazy things and took big risks. Carter and Hope agreed it had all paid off for Maya because she had gotten exactly what she'd wanted. Carter wished it hadn't been at the expense of Rick and Caroline.
At the cabin, Rick had been drinking whiskey and had trashed the place, and Maya tried to calm him down. She guessed that he had returned to the "scene of the crime." "I keep picturing their hands, their lips," Rick said. Maya nodded and said that she wouldn't leave him alone. Rick shook his head and gulped more whiskey. He lamented that he and Caroline had been newlyweds. "This is where my marriage ended," Rick said emotionally. Maya looked concerned but smug.
Rick's phone rang, and it was Caroline. He told her to stop calling him. Caroline begged him to meet her at home, but he refused. She asked if he had been drinking, and she offered to pick him up, but he refused. "I'll be fine," Rick said coldly. Caroline begged him not to hang up on her, but he did.
Maya moved closer to Rick. Rick poured another glass of whiskey. He thanked Maya for standing up and telling the truth. Rick guessed that Caroline would have continued lying and playing him if Maya hadn't called her out. "She would have never confessed," Rick said.
"Stop torturing yourself," Maya said. Rick shook his head. "I should have never married her," Rick said. Maya said that she understood Caroline had been beautiful and in the right place at the right time. Rick added that it had been a Forrester-Spencer merger and had seemed right.
Rick took off his wedding ring. "Thank God we didn't have a child. My marriage is over," Rick said. He lamented that he had never mattered to Caroline, and he gulped more whiskey.
Maya sympathized with Rick. "I never stopped caring about you -- even when it seemed like I should give up. I love you," she said. She kissed him and reminded him that she had loved him ever since the first day they'd met at Dayzee's. Maya reminded Rick that Caroline had disappointed him then, and he had turned to Maya then. "Turn to me now," Maya said, and she kissed him passionately. They made out on the couch.
At Forrester, Caroline entered several offices and looked for Rick. Eric entered, and Caroline asked if Eric had heard from Rick, but Eric had not heard anything. Eric warned there was nothing she could do until Rick had cooled off.
"Where is he?" Caroline wondered. She said that it was not too late to fix everything. Caroline worried that it would cause more problems if she and Rick didn't patch things up. Eric reminded Caroline that she had been involved with another man -- a difficult thing to hear, but Eric added that Caroline was not the only one to blame. Caroline said that nothing had been more valuable than her marriage.
At the cabin, Rick and Maya were undressed but covered by blankets. Maya awakened first and flashed back to how Rick had undressed her and made love to her. She smiled and hugged Rick, who did not awaken. Maya watched Rick sleep, and she recalled Rick's words from the previous night. He had said that he was glad that he and Caroline had not had a child. Maya remembered Rick had taken off his wedding band and left it on the table. She picked up his wedding ring, grabbed her clothes, and left the cabin.
Maya went to the main house -- Brooke's house -- and walked around the home in a silk robe. "I will never lose you again," Maya said out loud, but no one could hear her. She looked around the house and recalled walking down Rodeo Drive with Rick and kissing him. She remembered trying on dresses at Forrester Creations, and Rick had been wowed.
Maya also flashed back to her stints on the runway, and Rick had been watching and smiling offstage. Rick entered, and Maya handed him coffee. She told Rick that the previous night had been beautiful. Rick realized that he had removed his wedding band. Rick lamented that his father had appointed Ridge CEO.
Rick was angry, and Maya agreed no one should have treated Rick so poorly. Maya said that she had spoken up at the meeting because she couldn't stand to watch him be mistreated. Rick said that Caroline and Ridge never would have admitted anything if Maya hadn't spoken up. Maya agreed that she'd been worried that Ridge might fire her, but she couldn't let Ridge and Caroline get away with what they'd done.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. It was Caroline, who was thankful that she'd found Rick. She begged him to allow her to explain, and she apologized for breaking his trust. She poured out her heart and said that she loved him. She started to explain, but she saw Maya.
"What is this? Why is she here?" Caroline cried. Caroline realized what had happened. "You didn't," Caroline said. Rick and Maya looked smug. Rick said he had only two words for Caroline. "Screw you," Rick said.
At Ridge and Katie's, Ridge got ready for work, and Katie entered to wish him a good morning. Katie congratulated Ridge. She asked how it felt to be CEO, and he replied that it was not as good as he'd thought it would be.
Katie wondered what had happened, but she assumed that Rick had been upset. Ridge admitted that Maya had accused Ridge and Caroline of having an affair. Katie scoffed and shared that Maya was vengeful. Maya had warned Katie that Ridge and Caroline had been getting too close. Katie said that Maya had been out to get Caroline ever since Caroline and Rick had been married. Katie said that Maya's accusations had been ridiculous, but Ridge remained quiet. "Ridge?" Katie asked.
"We kissed," Ridge admitted. He explained that they had been too close, but Ridge added that he had learned to draw again because of Caroline. He added that he and Caroline would no longer work together. Katie angrily wondered if there was more to it. She wondered if Ridge had been making a fool out of her.
Ridge admitted that he should have stopped. "But you didn't," Katie noted. Ridge tried to explain to Katie that his collaboration with Caroline had drawn him in for a moment, but it was over. "What I want is you. I love you. I do," Ridge said.
Katie said she was confused. She mocked that Ridge felt it was all behind him, and there were no hard feelings. Ridge argued that he didn't want to minimize the situation. He explained that he'd been a designer for so long that he knew what could happen. He promised that it would never happen again. He'd never wanted to hurt Katie.
"I don't think you have any idea how much this hurts," Katie said. She realized that Ridge felt she shouldn't be upset because Ridge and Caroline were artists. "You can't help yourself," she said angrily.
Katie walked away, but Ridge apologized and grabbed her arm. Katie said she'd heard it all before -- from Bill, and she'd heard it more than once. Ridge interrupted that it was not history repeating itself. Katie told him that she had tied the string around her finger every morning as a reminder that Ridge loved her, and they were meant to be together. She said some people felt it was silly that she had continued doing it for so long.
Katie tearfully said she clearly wasn't the one who needed a reminder. "I should have tied a string around your ... finger to remind you not to make out with your muse," she said.
Ridge interrupted that Caroline was not a threat to their relationship. Katie argued that she couldn't understand how such powerful men could have so little control. She said that she expected Ridge to be much better than Bill. "Caroline was your brother's wife," Katie shouted. Ridge tried to dismiss Katie's fears. "We're fine," Ridge said. "No," Katie said.
In Liam's office, one of Liam's reporters invited Liam to a Halloween party at the Bikini Bar. As the man left, Ivy arrived, and Liam was anxious to hear who Eric had named as the new CEO. Ivy teased that she couldn't spill the confidential information to the media. They joked about Pam being the successor, and Ivy told Liam that Ridge had gotten the position.
Liam guessed Rick wasn't happy about it. Agreeing, Ivy revealed that Rick had more to be unhappy about than that, and it involved Caroline.
Later, Liam was stunned by what Ivy had told about Ridge and Caroline. Ivy said that Caroline had confided in her, and Maya had known exactly what she'd been doing. Liam assumed Maya had acted because she still had feelings for Rick.
Ivy conveyed that it had only been kissing between the designers, but Rick and Ridge had a long, contentious relationship. Liam wondered if Eric had second thoughts about his decision. Ivy didn't know, but she doubted Eric had expected such an outcome when he'd chosen his successor.
Liam asked if Ivy wanted to relieve her work stress at a Halloween party. Ivy had no costume, but he said she could go as "Liam's date." She asked if he was needed at work, and he wondered what the point of being the boss was if he couldn't play hooky "every now and again."
Later, the party at the bar was in full swing when Liam and Ivy arrived. They wore street clothes, and observing the crowd, Liam said he'd told her that not everyone would be in costumes. A Spencer employee found Liam and Ivy at the bar and introduced Liam to Zack, who was the "H.H.O.H." Liam asked what that meant, and the employee said, "Head Honcho of Halloween."
As Liam ordered drinks, he overheard a woman talking about her fiancé proposing to her in her big brother's backyard. Ivy thanked Liam for inviting her and taking her mind off things at Forrester.
At Brooke's house, Caroline couldn't believe that Rick had gotten sucked back in by Maya. Caroline claimed that she and Ridge hadn't even slept together, but Rick asked what she took him for. Caroline asked to speak to Rick alone, and Maya asked what he wanted. Rick said he wanted Caroline out of his life. He told her to go back to New York or "whatever the hell" she wanted to go.
Maya echoed Rick's command to leave, and Caroline began deriding Maya. Rick ordered his wife not to speak to Maya that way because Maya hadn't driven Caroline into Ridge's arms. Caroline hardly felt that a few kisses could compare to what Rick had done, but Rick told her not to go there after her betrayal with Ridge. Caroline raged that she'd kissed a man, but Rick had slept with Maya.
Rick decided that what he and Maya had or hadn't done wasn't Caroline's concern. Caroline couldn't believe he'd say that to his wife. He muttered that she wouldn't be his wife after the divorce. Caroline told him that he wasn't filing for divorce, but he said she needed to get it through her head that he wasn't going home or returning to Forrester after his father's deception.
Rick argued that Eric had stabbed him in the back, and so had Caroline. Caroline apologized, but he said he wanted nothing but a quick divorce from her. Caroline was willing to take the blame for what she'd done, but she refused to take all the blame, especially after what she'd walked in on.
Rick told Caroline to run Forrester with Ridge, but Rick didn't plan to be around to see it. In his view, Caroline had humiliated and deceived him, and there was no returning from that. He credited Maya for telling him the truth, but Caroline said he was only seeing what Maya wanted him to see. Caroline insisted that she and Rick could get through anything together.
Maya applauded Caroline for trash-talking "Myrna" but said it was "Myrna's" time to speak. Maya claimed that she'd had the best night of her life, and Caroline's snooty put-downs hadn't mattered because the man Maya loved had no longer been lost. Maya said Caroline thought she could get away with "smacking" all over Rick's brother, but Caroline had lost Rick to her worst nightmare.
Caroline asked if Rick would let Maya talk to Caroline that way. Maya asked if Caroline saw a ring on his finger. Rick held up his ringless hand, and Maya held up his wedding band, saying, "This belongs to you. Rick doesn't want it anymore." Caroline wouldn't take it, so Maya dropped it.
Caroline picked the ring up off the carpet and told Rick to put it back on his finger. She refused to give up on them, but he turned his back to her. Caroline left, and Maya held Rick from behind. She said she was there for him. Silent tears streamed down his face.
In the CEO's office, Ridge arrived, and Carter congratulated him. Broaching with Carter the subject of Caroline, Ridge said that he'd seen where it had been headed, but he hadn't been able to stop. Carter was aware of what could happen between passionate artists, but he was sure that the strong couples involved would survive. Ridge murmured that Katie wasn't happy with him, and he didn't know if they'd survive. "But, hey, Carter, I'm CEO," Ridge mirthlessly added.
Later, Ridge told an employee that Rick had overstepped in changing a design, and Ridge wanted it changed back. Ridge also wanted decisions steered toward him. Eric listened at the door until the employee left, and when Eric entered, Ridge tried to show him a press release. Ignoring it, Eric told Carter that, later, they needed to discuss the legalities of Eric's stepping down.
Carter took the press release and left. Ridge thanked Eric for having faith in him, and Ridge apologized for what had happened with Rick and Caroline. Ridge was sure that things would be fine after Rick got over the initial shock of it.
Eric tried to make sense of Ridge trying to win Caroline to his side by letting her think he had feelings for her. Ridge described it as more complicated. Ridge and Caroline had each felt something, but they'd stopped it before it had gone too far. In his view, it had been innocent.
Ridge was excited about becoming CEO as soon as the papers were official. He felt he'd been groomed for it for years, and though no one could fill Eric's shoes, Ridge promised not to let Eric down. "But you did, Ridge. You did," Eric gravely responded, referring to kissing Caroline.
Ridge said he'd tried to explain himself, but Rick had run off. Eric didn't want Ridge to badmouth Rick after all that had happened. Ridge claimed not to be doing that, but instead, he was trying to explain something. Eric didn't want explanations. He had something of his own to say.
Eric had agonized over selecting a successor. In the end, Ridge's talents had won out, but Eric wondered if he'd given the talents too much weight. Eric said Forrester's success didn't rest exclusively on designs. He and Stephanie had built the business upon integrity and honesty, and he'd believed that Ridge would lead the same way. "Unfortunately, I no longer feel that way," Eric stated.
Eric reminded Ridge that Eric had reserved the right to change his mind about the leadership, and Eric had decided to exercise that right. Ridge's involvement with Caroline had called into question Ridge's judgment and values, which were qualities that Eric felt necessary in a leader. For that reason, Eric rescinded his decision and announced that Rick would be the CEO.
At the Bikini Bar, the Big Brother Halloween party was in full swing. Liam wanted to win the party games and the Bikini Bar perks that went with it. Ivy warned him that she played for keeps.
Liam encountered Carter, who was flirting with ladies. Carter pretended that he wasn't skipping out on work, and he became pleasantly surprised to see that Ivy had accompanied Liam.
A song played, and a montage of the Halloween games appeared on the screen. Ivy and Liam teamed up for a dance contest. Liam won the handless pie-eating contest and smeared pie all over Ivy's face as he kissed her. For the pumpkin carving contest, Liam carved the Spencer logo into a pumpkin.
After the competition, everyone gathered around to hear who'd won. The announcer gave out the second place prize and announced that Liam and Ivy had won first place. The announcer handed Liam a trophy. Liam began to speak as if he'd won an actor's award, but the deejay abruptly cut him off with music. Liam and Ivy retreated outside to have their complimentary champagne in the cabana.
Ivy revealed that she'd never won anything before, and Liam complimented her exceptional pumpkin-carving skills. Ivy reluctantly voiced her need to return to work, but Liam said she wasn't returning to work -- "not now, not ever." He insisted that after winning the grand prize, she needed a publicist for her world tour. Ivy thanked him, and he said they made a great team.
Ivy had meant her thanks for more than winning. She thanked Liam for figuring out what she'd needed, which had to been relieve stress, and for doing what he could to make it happen. Liam said he'd just been catching up for the times she'd been there to help him. Ivy exclaimed that she loved the beach, Halloween, pumpkins, and America. "Anything else?" Liam asked. Ivy kissed him.
At Forrester, Hope located Caroline in Rick's office to find out how long Caroline and Ridge had been carrying on together. Caroline claimed it hadn't been like that, and the designers had gotten caught up in working together. Hope didn't understand why Caroline hadn't gone along with Ridge's lie about nothing going on. Caroline said it wasn't a lie.
"So you were involved while married to my brother!" Hope exclaimed. Caroline didn't want to "do this" with Hope. Caroline knew she'd made a mistake, but she'd been working with her idol. Hope yelled that Caroline was making excuses and asked if Caroline had talked to Rick. Caroline revealed that Rick had been out all night with Maya.
At Brooke's house, Rick still reeled at the betrayals he felt had befallen him. Maya asked for forgiveness for what she'd put him through, but he said she'd been the only one to do anything right at the meeting. Done with Forrester, Ridge, and Caroline, Rick suggested that he and Maya take a trip.
Just then, Eric called Rick to invite him to the office for a talk. Rick wasn't interested in meeting in Ridge's new CEO's office and announced that he was leaving town. Eric asked where Rick was going. Rick said he'd go to a safe place where he wouldn't be stabbed in the back. Eric asked Rick to calm down and listen, but Rick said he was done with Eric.
Later, Eric arrived, and Maya went upstairs. She listened behind wall as Rick immediately began berating Eric for his bad decision. Eric acknowledged that Rick was right, and it had been a bad decision. Handing Rick a contract, Eric announced that he wanted Rick to be the new CEO, and upon signing the papers, the job would be Rick's. "Congratulations, son," Eric stated.
Rick was calm but cynical about the offer, which included stock options and jet use. Maya smiled in delight as she listened from upstairs. Rick called it generous, and Eric said Rick had earned it and deserved it. Rick agreed that he had but noted that Eric hadn't thought so before then. Eric said he'd changed his mind. Rick decided that Eric just pitied Rick after Ridge had trashed Rick's marriage.
Eric disagreed, but Rick was sure the position was punishment for Caroline and Ridge because they'd made a fool of Rick. "But the fact is, you still offered it to him first," Rick replied. Eric asked his son not go that route, but Rick stated that it was the truth, which only he and Maya knew how to speak. Rick roared that he didn't want the position and wouldn't take it even if Eric held a gun to Rick's head.
Eric offered to give Rick a few days to calm down, but Rick insisted that he didn't want the position. Eric asked if Rick really no longer wanted a position he'd sought his whole life, and he reminded Rick that they'd be partners like Rick had always wanted. Rick replied that Eric hadn't wanted it, and Rick could no longer trust his father.
Eric decided to leave the papers and give Rick time to reconsider. Rick persisted in being angry and done with Forresters. "So if you don't mind, I have a flight to catch," Rick said, and Eric silently left.
Rick continued to brood as Maya returned and revealed that she'd heard what Eric had said. Rick called it pathetic, but she felt that Eric had at least owned up to his mistake. Rick asked if he should forget about his wife's mistake, too. Maya felt it was different because Eric had offered Rick what he'd wanted his whole life. Rick complained that he'd just been a fallback.
"So what? You've earned it," Maya softly explained. She believed that the money and the prestige was a dream made true. Rick felt it was a nightmare that he wanted to get away from. She reasoned that the best revenge was living well, and "we'll be living very, very well."
Maya asked Rick to reconsider and forget about Ridge and Caroline. Maya imagined that Rick would be the leader, and she'd be the model on his arm. She said they'd run the company together and be the face of Forrester. Rick was still upset that Eric had offered Rick the position second.
Maya urged him to accept the position, and she and he could work from Brooke's house. Once Brooke returned, Maya and Rick would build another mansion. Rick replied that he didn't need a mansion; he needed a life. She stated that they'd have each other, and they'd be a team.
Maya claimed to want the promotion for Rick's sake, and she said she'd make sure he never felt lonely or betrayed. She promised to be the woman behind her man and be there for him always.
Maya kissed Rick and handed him the papers. She instructed him to sign them and give them to Eric. "And Forrester Creations will be ours," she added.
