Liam left Bills office and went straight back to his own, fully intending to leave immediately, instead he was waylaid by Wyatts assistant Darren and given some files that needed to be finished up by close of business. Cursing silently he grabbed the files and set to work, two and a half hours later he was finally ready to go. '
He looked at his watch as he grabbed his phone, it was still only three -forty- five, he absently wondered what Steffy was doing, and if she was at least thinking about him and his offer to resume their relationship. He didn't understand why she was so reluctant. They had children together, they had been happily married until circumstances, including his father, and Hope, had torn them apart, and he believed she must still have feelings for him, despite what she said. He knew he still had deep feelings for her, so how could hers have just disappeared when his remained?
Shrugging he typed in her name in the search engine of his phone, he wanted a picture of her to remind him of why he was still working for his father – despite his constant ridicule of him and the choices he had made.
A new news item popped up on his feed –
Forresters Do It Again – Steffy Forrester throws down the lingerie gauntlet – frowning he started to read, and the more he read, the more upset he became.
Why couldn't she have involved him instead of that new designer? She must have known he'd love to be apart of a campaign launch like that, helping her and her company, not to mention showing the entire world what they still meant to each other.
Even now he could picture himself sweeping her into his arms, the way she'd look up at him, and cling to him, but instead she'd chosen that Marius dude.
He kept reading to make sure that, that was all it was, once he read the lingerie designer -Adelyn Bryant's statement – he became more sure it must have been a campaign stunt, otherwise, why would she even be there? To be sure he rang Wyatt.
When Wyatt finally answered Liam got straight to the point.
"Hey Wyatt, it's me. I just saw the news on Steffi's little stunt at the airport and rang to see what was happening."
"Hey Bro, how's it going? Look, I haven't got time to talk, I'm in the middle of organising some ongoing campaign strategies," he said evasively.
"So was that all it was?" Liam persisted.
When Wyatt hesitated Liam said angrily.
"Wyatt, I need to know, I'm trying to get back together with Steffy and I need to know if I have a chance, or if this Marius guy has moved in on my wife!"
"Dude! Steffy isn't your wife, and hasn't been for years. As to you two getting back together again, well, you know I'm rooting for you . . . "
"But?" said Liam.
"You're right to be worried, Steffy and Marius may be together right now, this wasn't a planned campaign launch, it was Steffy being Steffy and going after something she wanted, all guns blazing so to speak. Me and my team are just trying to take advantage of the opportunity she's given us."
"Damn it! Thanks Wyatt." Said Liam before he hung up abruptly.
He looked around his office blindly, impotent rage filling him as he thought of Steffy with another man. It wasn't supposed to happen like this! Steffy was supposed to be his!
He walked over to the small bar in his office and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, he'd never drank at work before, the small bar had ever only been for show, not functionality, that was about to change.
An hour later, and with over half of the bottle gone, he finally came up with a plan, he needed to talk to Ridge, if he could just have a word to Steffy on his behalf then things might change, she might give him a chance with her and their kids again, the trouble was, he now had no idea where Ridge was living.
He narrowed his eyes in thought, Brooke would know, he knew she'd never give up on Ridge, and that she'd follow him anywhere to get him back, but would she tell him?
"No choice," he muttered, "got to go see her so she can't just fob me off."
He lurched to his feet swaying precariously as his head spun for a moment, taking a steadying breath he grabbed his phone and called an Uber, he needed answers, and nothing was going to stop him from getting them!
Brooke - - -
Brooke walked into her home and slammed the door behind her, she stalked over to the divan and threw her purse and coat down, all the while cursing Taylor and her daughter. She'd been driving around for over an hour trying to come to terms with what she'd been told, and still, she couldn't comprehend it.
Why was this happening to her? First that lowlife Thomas robs Eric of his shares in Forresters, then when she, Ridge and Eric branch out into a new venture, Steffy, with the help of Bill, ruin their huge opening fashion show and make a mockery of them by staging their own event. Not satisfied with that, when her daughter Hope makes a sill mistake, that evil bitch Steffy humiliates her publicly, not only destroying her career, but making a mockery of her and her social standing, and now? Now her and Hopes' one chance of turning it all around and coming out on top of that lying, treacherous, family had somehow been ruined, and because of that, Brooke now had no choice but to head into the bank tomorrow and beg for an extension on her loan.
A tear trickled down her face, she'd even tried to call Katie, but she hadn't answered her phone since yesterday, nor had Donna, it was if even her own family were ignoring her.
She glanced over at the fresh bottles of alcohol that had been delivered for Ridge yesterday, with-out thinking she walked over and grazed her fingers over the Vodka in a soft caress.
"Why not?" she asked her herself. "It's not as if anyone would care if I had a drink or not."
She reached for the bottle and opened it, staring at the contents with a lustful gaze.
"Just a couple of drinks to relax," she murmured to herself, "No-one could deny me that."
She picked up a tumbler and poured herself a hefty amount before heading back to the couch and sitting.
She slowly brought the odorless liquid to her mouth, her hand shaking as her body began to tremble in anticipation.
"Just a couple of drinks." She opened her mouth and took a small mouthful, and as the liquid cut a fiery path down her throat, she was lost.
An hour later Brooke was just pouring her fifth drink when Liam knocked and walked in.
"Liam, what are you doing here? Hopes not here, she's out somewhere again, probably at her fathers."
Liam stared at the bottle in her hand, frowning as he watched her pour another tumbler full from a bottle that was now only two thirds full.
"What are you doing? Tell me you aren't drinking again?"
Brooke snorted derisively, "and why shouldn't I? It's not as if anyone would give a damn?"
"Ridge?" he slurred as his mind slowly put together what she was saying.
Brooke held up her glass as a tear slipped from her eyes.
"He left me, and when I tried to see him to talk to him, he threw me out. After all the years we've spent together, after all we've gone through and meant to each other, he just threw me aside as if it meant nothing to him."
Her face screwed up as she fought back tears, she raised the glass in a toast towards Liams confused bland face.
"So here's to us Liam, the ones who keep getting screwed over by everyone."
She laughed, wiped the tears from her eyes, and raised the glass to her lips. Liam walked over to her and took the glass from her hand, putting it back on the sideboard, he then led Brooke back to the couch and sat down beside her.
"Brooke, this isn't you, I know you're hurting, but you shouldn't be drinking."
"Why not Liam? Why can't the both of us have a drink and just forget about everything and everyone, just for one god-damned night? Don't we deserve that much? Haven't we suffered enough?"
She reached out and cupped the side of his face with her hand.
"You're such a good man Liam, you're loyal and true, you deserve so much more than what happened to you, we both do." She whispered.
She stared at him, her eyelids becoming heavy as she slowly leaned in,
"I want to feel loved again Liam, I want to feel needed, desired, make love to me, please." And then she was kissing him, leaning against him as she pushed him backwards onto the couch.
"OH MY GOD!"
At the shouted words from the doorway Brooke pushed herself away from Liam and quickly stumbled to her feet.
Standing just inside the doorway, staring at her in both horror and disgust, were Katie, Donna and Bridget.