👑 The Founder’s Fury: Eric’s Rebellion and the Dawn of House Élan 👑

The executive office at Forrester Creations, the sacred space where Eric Forrester had conceived an empire, was now the site of a cold war. Eric sat behind the massive mahogany desk, his posture straight, his eyes blazing with a quiet, dangerous resolve. Across from him, Ridge Forrester leaned back casually, a condescending sigh escaping his lips.

“Dad, you’re being dramatic,” Ridge insisted, tossing a portfolio onto the desk. “This is a phase. A creative itch. Go back to your beautiful home, sketch a few things for Quinn, maybe play a round of golf. You don’t need to be in the trenches like this anymore.”

Eric’s hand snapped out and slammed down on the portfolio, the sound echoing sharply in the opulent room. “A phase? Ridge, this company is built on my ‘phases.’ My passion is not a hobby to be indulged during my retirement.” He spat the last word out like a curse. “I am Eric Forrester. I am a designer. I am the founder.”

Ridge’s expression hardened. “And I respect that. But the market is changing. The aesthetic is mine, Hope’s, and Steffy’s. We need youth, speed, and digital savvy. With all due respect, Dad, we need to look forward, not back.”

“And I am not capable of looking forward?” Eric challenged, his voice dangerously low. “I proposed a co-designer role. I wanted to collaborate! I wanted to be a team player, as I always have been. But you, Ridge, you don’t see a partner. You see a figurehead, a relic to be dusted off for magazine covers.”

“I see a man who deserves to rest!” Ridge shot back, standing up, his patience gone. “Your health—you need to prioritize your health! Why are you fighting me on this? Why are you trying to divide this family?”

“I am not dividing it; I am exposing the division already present!” Eric countered, rising slowly to match his son’s height. “You’ve pushed me out, Ridge. You have made it abundantly clear that my vision, my experience, and my very presence are disposable. Well, I refuse to be discarded.”

The confrontation ended abruptly, not with shouts, but with a silence far more chilling. Ridge left, convinced his father would eventually cool off. But Eric didn’t cool off. He got cold.

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Later that week, Eric sat at a modest, sun-drenched table at Il Giardino, sipping an espresso and sketching furiously on a napkin. He wasn’t drawing dresses; he was drawing floor plans. He wasn’t sketching silhouettes; he was outlining a budget.

He knew what he had to do. He couldn’t be the creative director at Forrester Creations because Ridge had usurped that role with the arrogance of entitlement. He couldn’t stay where he was merely tolerated. He had to create a space where true creativity, passion, and legacy were valued.

He was going to build his own fashion house. A rival.

It’s never too late to start again.

But he couldn’t do it alone. He needed young blood, fresh ideas, and most importantly, loyalty that hadn’t been poisoned by the current regime.

His mind immediately went to Zende Forrester Dominguez. Zende, his grandson, a talented designer who, despite his skill, often felt relegated to the shadows behind the main Forrester-Logan-Spencer drama. Zende had always shown immense respect for Eric’s vision and craft.

Eric called Zende that afternoon. They met in Eric’s private bungalow, far from the prying eyes of the main house.

“Grandfather, you wanted to see me?” Zende asked, slightly nervous.

Eric wasted no time. “I’m starting a new fashion house, Zende. From the ground up. Pure couture, focusing on legacy, sophistication, and a fearless new direction. And I want you to be my lead designer.”

Zende stared, dumbfounded. “A new… a rival house? Against FC?”

“Against Ridge’s management of FC,” Eric corrected. “I need someone with talent, but more importantly, someone who understands what it means to feel marginalized by the name they carry. Ridge dismisses me. Does he ever truly appreciate your gifts, Zende? Or are you always waiting for a seat at the main table?”

Zende’s face mirrored the conflict. He loved Forrester Creations, but he remembered the times his ideas were shelved in favor of Thomas’s drama or Hope’s influence. He remembered feeling like a supporting player in his own career.

“It would be huge, Grandfather,” Zende whispered, the implications settling heavily. “A war.”

“It would be liberation,” Eric promised, a glint in his eye. “We will call it House Élan. It’s about style, passion, and the spirit of daring. Say yes, Zende. Help me remind Ridge that a true dynasty respects its founders.”

Zende took a deep breath. The chance to lead, to design with the founder himself, was too massive to ignore. “I’m in, Grandfather. I’m with you.”

The first person Ridge heard the news from was Brooke, who was furious.

“You pushed him, Ridge! You were so dismissive about his health and his talent that you drove him out!” Brooke stormed into Ridge’s office.

“He’s unstable, Brooke! He needs to rest!” Ridge insisted, running a hand over his face. The news was already spreading through the industry like wildfire. Eric Forrester is starting a rival fashion house. The audacity was staggering.

“He’s not unstable; he’s furious! And now he’s got Zende! Zende is gone, Ridge! You just lost one of your best designers because you couldn’t step aside for your own father!”

Ridge felt a sickening lurch when he realized the scale of his mistake. He hadn’t just rejected a proposal; he had created a competitor.

The true test, however, was still to come: Thomas Forrester.

Thomas returned to Los Angeles for Christmas, expecting the usual family squabbles. Instead, he walked into a full-scale corporate schism.

Eric, knowing the power of his grandson’s immense, if often misguided, talent, met with him immediately.

“Thomas, my boy,” Eric greeted him warmly. “How are you truly? Are you feeling fulfilled in your career?”

Thomas sighed. “I appreciate the check-ins, Granddad. But no. Not really. I’m a sketch artist, not a business analyst. I feel like I’m always waiting for the next big chance to prove myself.”

“And I am offering you the chance of a lifetime,” Eric said, laying out the plans for House Élan. “I need a design genius, a powerhouse to lead the creative vision alongside Zende. I need someone who has felt the sting of Ridge’s judgment, someone who understands what it means to truly innovate and push boundaries. I need you.”

Thomas stared at the plans. Eric was offering him the co-lead designer role, a position of unparalleled power and creative freedom—something Ridge would never willingly give him.

“You want me to compete against my father?” Thomas asked, the challenge both thrilling and terrifying.

“I want you to compete for your destiny,” Eric corrected, his gaze intense. “This isn’t about revenge, Thomas. This is about establishing a legacy built on pure design, not boardroom politics. Imagine: you, Zende, and me. We could create something legendary.”

Thomas felt the pull. The promise of freedom, the endorsement from the family patriarch, the chance to prove himself on the grandest stage—it was overwhelming. He knew the move would cause an unholy storm, severing his already strained ties with Ridge and Hope. But the hunger for creative dominance was too strong to ignore.

As Christmas dinner approached, the atmosphere in the Forrester mansion was brittle. It wasn’t just Ridge and Eric who were divided; the entire family was forced to choose sides, their loyalties tested by the feud.

Ridge confronted Eric one last time, in the atelier, surrounded by the ghosts of their past collections.

“You’re going to destroy everything, Dad,” Ridge warned, his voice thick with pain and anger. “You’re going to tear this family apart just because you couldn’t take a step back!”

Eric didn’t flinch. He looked at Ridge with an expression of profound disappointment. “I’m not tearing it down, son. I’m showing you that true passion cannot be contained by your limited vision. You wanted a contest? You wanted a new rivalry? You have one. And I will not only compete with you, Ridge. I will beat you.”

With the holiday approaching, the Forrester family found themselves on the precipice of a full-scale creative and emotional civil war, a battle royale of couture where the stakes were higher than ever before. House Élan was ready to launch, and Eric Forrester, the founder, was ready to fight for his legacy.