"Get it out of here. I don't want to see this shit again. Get a better layout or you're fired."

Every little thing set Bill off. One misplaced picture or font sent him reeling. He usually wasn't this harsh on his employees, but today was different. Ridge Forrester was the cause. The asshole had messengered over an invite that Bill had no use for. You're cordially invited to the engagement party of Stephanie Forrester and Liam Cooper were the words responsible for his irate mood. Nothing was going right today.

"Dollar Bill." Bill's head snapped up at the sound of Justin's voice. "You can't—"

"Don't call me that. Don't ever call me that."

Hearing the name Steffy casually threw at him—while they were having what he thought was an important day—made his blood boil. He hadn't talked to her in a little over a week and a half. She'd called, texted, emailed, and he'd kept it about work. He wasn't in the mood to hear her gush over her engagement or hear her tell him their morning meant nothing. After all, she'd accepted a proposal after they were together. It had to mean she wasn't on the same page as him.

"I know you're pissed off, Bill, but the staff had nothing to do with what happened with Steffy. You're being as ass and I'm here to call you on it."

"You know what, Justin? If you say that name in my presence again, you can go too. I'll replace everyone in this damn building if they say her name again. Get out of my office."

Justin didn't leave. Actually, he did the opposite and closed the door before taking a seat. "You can act all tough and angry elsewhere, but I know you. I know that you've never fallen this hard for a woman only to lose her to another man. Now, are you going to let him win or are you going to go and get your girl?"

"I don't want—"

"You bought her jewelry and staged an elaborate birthday lunch and dinner that she didn't even get to enjoy. You want her. I'm not here for lies. I want the absolute truth so that I can figure out how to help you."

Bill looked at Justin like he was crazy and crossed his arms. "She's engaged to that bullshit Ken doll. Fucking tool. He doesn't know a thing about her, and I'm sure that ring was a size too small. If I had purchased her a ring it would have held diamonds and sapphire because it compliments her skin and eyes. She wears blue and seems to love it. That's what I notice. I notice every little thing about her."

"And you love her."

"Justin, I don't use that word. I wanted her, I thought we could have been great together. Yes, I would have given her the world—the parts of it I could manage, and the rest I'd move mountains for."

"I've never heard you talk about any woman this way. Not even Katie."

"Katie was a long time ago. She's not Steffy—no one could be Steffy."

Katie and Bill had been intimate and he'd opened up to her, but in his mind, she moved too quickly. She'd demanded they move in together or it was over; he ended it. He thought he'd cared for her, but leaving her was as easy as breathing. So why was he having such a hard time with letting go of a woman he'd only slept with once and been around for a much shorter time span? Steffy was unforgettable, that's why. He knew this, and that's what made him a so angry. Forgetting the unforgettable was going to be an impossible task, especially when deep down, he didn't want to.

"That I can work with," Justin clapped his hands together. "So, get your best suit together for tonight."

"Oh, hell no. I'm not going there to watch him touch her and moon all over her like the cat that caught the canary. It's bad enough the bastard stopped going to hotel he used to frequent before I could bust him. He doesn't deserve her. I should have said something when I had the chance."

"Let me worry about all that. Anyway, you're taking your ass to that party. We were invited, and besides, I have a date that I have no intention of breaking."

Justin and Amber had been pretty chummy over the past week. Bill swore her heard voices last night coming from Justin's room, but he didn't press. At least one of them was getting lucky.

"I'm not going," Bill threw out as Justin stood to leave.

Justin wasn't hearing any parts of her rebuttal. "Pick something out or I'll fly your sister here to do it for you. The promise of a sister-in-law will keep her and Caroline here for a month. Do you want that?"

Bill jumped from his seat. "Don't call Karen." He loved his sister, but her nagging about him finding a wife had already beaten him down enough for one lifetime. She'd love Steffy, she'd push on his behalf. Not that he was thinking of marrying Steffy, but she'd insist they were perfect for each other. It was a truth he'd admitted, but he didn't want Karen forcing it.

"Well get your ass in gear." Justin pulled the door open and turned back to Bill briefly. "No moping tonight, and don't go in there all fired up and ready to give her a piece of your mind. She doesn't need to see that Bill Spencer temper."

Justin left Bill alone in his office, and Bill stared out the window. Why did Justin think taking him to the engagement party of the woman he wanted was wise? He wasn't even ready to face her. He'd made an ass of himself giving her that expensive gift while she was promised to another man. He was half expecting her to hand it back to him the next time her saw her. How would he handle that? Horribly, he already knew that.

Thinking over his own faults and feelings, Bill decided tonight wasn't going to work. He was going to cancel and have to hear Justin's mouth later. He couldn't do this. He wasn't mature enough to see her with Liam, not after having her.

Bill always kept liquor in his office on an open bar and poured a glass, taking it down in one gulp. "Dammit!" He smashed the glass against the wall in one angry throw. The shards of glass sparkled under the lights of his office and just hardly missed the person walking in the door.

"Is this a bad time?" The frightened looking girl inquired.

"No. What do you want?" He had no time for pleasantries.

"I needed to ask a favor." She closed his office door and made herself comfortable.

"Here." Ridge slid some contracts to Steffy for her signature. "This one too." He was so cold, so withdrawn. Steffy felt the sting of his icy disposition and swiped away a tear.

"Dad—"

"The guests will be at your grandfathers' around seven thirty. I need you to make sure your mom and new president aren't late. People will expect to see them there when you walk in on Liam's arm. I—"

"Dad, I'm—I just want to talk to you."

"About what? You didn't see the need to talk to me before you made a lot of the decisions you did. I came in to work to find Amber in my office and an email told me I was fired. Who does that to their father? What kind of daughter—"

"You stop right there, Ridge," Eric spoke as he walked into Steffy's office. "Steffy fought for you. I sent you the email and she tried to call you and give you the heads up, but you seem to have a problem answering your phone these days. Amber is a bright fresh talent that was here when your daughter needed her. She's already proven her place here."

Steffy was in tears and hated that her father could drive her there. He was one of the only people she could never stand up to. No matter how hard she tried, she reverted back to the little girl he saw her as. She just wanted him to see her for the woman she was now. The unhappy woman that was being led into a life she wasn't so sure about.

After seeing her with the ring on, Liam took off with the engagement news, and it became a snowball before she could stop it. Her father was throwing this party to show stability in Forrester because they were taking PR hits with his recent dismissal and Amber's discovery of funds being missing from her grandmother's foundation.

Where Steffy tried to keep it contained, it was leaked from an unknown source and Forrester was taking a major hit. Her father blamed her, and Eric was sure to let her know none of this was her fault. He praised her for having the insight to bring Amber in to catch this.

While Steffy thought only she, Ridge, and Liam had a hand in the foundation's management, Eric informed her that he'd brought in partners to help manage it. That was a problem in itself, now there were two teams of people to investigate. Neither would be easy to catch. Someone knew what they were doing.

"Dad, stop always fighting her battles. She's an adult."

"Yes," Eric breathed out. "A responsible adult that doesn't need you belittling her. She's a professional adult, but she's also your daughter, and she's hurting."

"She's engaged to a wonderful man and running a company. Her life has never been better," Ridge threw out.

"You look into her eyes and tell me she's happy," Eric looked at Steffy apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"She's fine. She's not the one who got fired by his own daughter." Ridge pushed past Eric, slamming the door behind him.

"Grandad, you don't have to—"

Eric cut her off with a hug. "Your grandmother would be so proud of you. You're everything she ever dreamed, but she'd also be disappointed."

Steffy panicked. She loved her grandmother and only wanted to be someone she would be proud of. "Why?"

"Because you've agree to marry this man you don't love. Why on earth would you agree to this?"

Steffy had a lot of reservations and red flags about marrying Liam, but she'd gone along with it for the company and because she felt like maybe she could learn to love him the way she should. They used to have fun, at one point, and she was hoping once she freed herself of her Bill Spencer haze, Liam would look like a better option to her. She wasn't doing well with that.

"Were you in love when you married grandmother? I know she had another love before you."

"I loved her, yes, in love, no, but we got there. We had a full life, children, grandchildren, and we just ended up fitting after a while."

"Maybe me and Liam could have that." Steffy looked away and then back to meet his eyes. She couldn't hide from him.

"You do whatever you want and I'll support you. Just don't do this because of some obligation to family or a company. Your happiness is more important than any of it."

"I love you, granddad."

"I love you too." Eric stood to leave but held her hand a little longer. "If you want me to call this thing off, you say the word."

"I won't do that tonight. We will get through it and then I'll talk to Liam. Everything just happened so fast. Maybe we just need to take a minute to think about what this all means. I hope I don't hurt him with this."

"If he's the one, he will wait. He won't force you to do something you're not ready for."

"The thing is, he didn't force me. He was excited, I couldn't tell him no, and the next thing I know dad is planning this elaborate party, and guess what, I was invited."

"Me too. He invited me to my own house by messenger."

They both laughed although it wasn't really funny. Eric kissed her forehead before stepping into the hallway. Sighing into the air, Steffy thought about what she would say to Liam. She hoped he understood. She was about to crush his hopes, and she had to admit, he was much better. He'd been coming home on time and was very attentive to her. It was everything she thought she wanted, but now, her mind was elsewhere. She wondered if Liam could tell. She sure felt it.

As guest after guest walked up to congratulate her, Steffy felt sick in the pit of her stomach. Liam was standing there handsome and energetic in the Brunello Cucinelli suit she'd had tailored for him as a gift and was working the room. This was arguably the happiest she had ever seen him. Could she really end all that?

While the room buzzed, Steffy tipped her champagne glass to her nude matte covered lips. She was in a stylish silver Hermès gown with a high slit, and her makeup was 1920's glam. Outwardly, she looked amazing, but internally, she was a ball of nerves. Thank goodness the night couldn't get any more uncomfortable. She would make her way through the sea of people, dance a few dances with Liam and then head home to break the news. Simple enough, right?

Doing an eye check around the room, Steffy located her people. Her mom was with her grandfather, laughing undoubtedly at one of his jokes, Amber was in the corner entertaining, and her dad was with Brooke, scowling at the room of people. Through all the people she saw, there was one person she wished she did. It was probably best he hadn't returned any of her calls. Things would be too messy.

Standing next to Liam as he shook hand after hand, Steffy looked down at the ring he'd given her and sighed. It was a beautiful cut and exquisite with its platinum setting, but she'd have to give it back until she was sure she wanted it. She'd just now finally been able to pry it from her finger, well Amber and her mother had worked on it together.

Locking eyes with Amber, Steffy made short work of a speedy escape from Liam and the dull conversation he was holding. She needed a dose of sanity and to tell her friend she'd heard her requests to end this farce and was ready to make a move. As she neared Amber, Steffy heard a familiar voice and her heart sank. Justin.

Steffy loved Justin, but he reminded her of what she couldn't have. She'd tried calling Bill and texting after the day in the den, but he had ignored her. He had a right to be angry, but the way he went about their incident was what hurt. She wanted to tell him everything was a mistake and that he had gotten the wrong impression, but things propelled before she could, and with his rejection, she went along with the narrative, temporarily losing her will to fight.

Justin looked handsome, that was the first thing she noticed. His caramel skin looked amazing against her best friend's tan ivory skin. The second thing she noticed was how Justin's arm was looped through Amber's. Were they together? Had Amber brought him and not told her?

Swallowing her broken nerve, Steffy approached the pair and hugged her friend before extending a hand for Justin to shake. He took her hand, placing a tender kiss.

"Nice party," Justin complimented. "Sorry I was a little late."

Steffy could see his eyes scanning her, and she suddenly felt naked with noting but her cursed ring and her bracelet. The bracelet Bill had given her. For some reason, she couldn't part with it and modeled her whole look tonight around it. Blue eye shadow with silver accents and the necklace that inspired his purchase was a huge part of her look. How could she not notice how much of her preparation was inspired by Bill?

Shaking her thoughts, Steffy focused on Justin, knowing that at some point she had to sneak away. She needed to see Bill. She needed to know if this feeling was real. If she really thought of him this much because she wanted him or if it was just the excitement of something new.

Justin was saying something that Steffy only half listened to because her heart stopped when he walked in. Bill stepped into her grandfather's house and all her thoughts evaporated. She didn't care that Liam was there, her father's wishes didn't matter, and all these people watching her were forgotten.

Steffy stared until his eyes locked with hers and she slammed hers shut until he was right in front of her. He touched her arm and she shivered. It was real.

"Nice party, princess."

"I don't feel like a princess," Steffy admitted. "I feel—" She opened her eyes and his brown orbs were gazing at her. He didn't seem angry like she thought he would be. "I feel like I made a huge mistake."

"Yeah?" He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "What mistake would that be?"

"Bill, I tried to call you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or to make you feel like I didn't care—I care."

Steffy was about to elaborate further until an annoying pest in her life appeared. Snapping out of her apologetic stance, Steffy became defensive. "Go away. I'm having a conversation. This is between Bill and I, Hope." Steffy gestured her hand at her stepsister and snarled. "Bill, this is my stepsister, Hope. She seems to think she has to be involved in everything I do. Excuse yourself before I throw you out, Hope."

"If I leave, Steffy, I'll be taking Bill with me. He's my date."

If it had been a bus hitting her it would have hurt less. Crumbling, Steffy retreated, and Amber was hot on her tail. She found herself in her grandfather's library, and once Amber closed the door behind them, Steffy lost it. Papers flew from the desk, curses were yelled, and Amber grabbed her shoulders. She'd never acted this way in front of anyone, including her best friend.

"Steffy, calm down. I promise I didn't know he was bringing her. I... I told Justin to bring him because I knew you wanted to see him, but I promise—"

"I'm going to kill her."