Date: 2001-present.
Massimo and Stephanie were friends/dating when they were younger and living in Chicago. Massimo adored Stephanie and they had a good relationship. Then they both moved to Los Angeles to go to collage at Northwestern. It was then that Stephanie first saw Eric and fell in love with him, something that Massimo didn�t like. Stephanie and Massimo shared one last night together before Stephanie went after Eric.
After a party, Stephanie and Eric was left alone on a boat where they made love. Soon after that, Stephanie found out she was pregnant. She realized the baby had got to be Eric�s as she had had her period after sleeping with Massimo and before sleeping with Eric. Massimo offered to take care of Stephanie and the baby, but Stephanie wanted to tell Eric and did. He hasn�t very happy about becoming a father. He spent some time thinking about what he wanted to do. He told Beth what he had done and they broke up. Eric decided he wanted to give his child a name so he asked Stephanie to marry him. Massimo wasn�t happy about it, but had no say in it. After Stephanie and Eric married, Massimo left town to start building up his business. He kept in contact with Stephanie all the years he was gone and knew what was going on with her. Then one day, he returned to town�
He stopped by Eric�s office and wasn�t welcomed at all. Eric wanted him to stay away from his family, especially Stephanie. But Massimo didn�t listen. He met up with Stephanie who was happy to see him again. Eric spotted them hugging and overheard Massimo badmouthing him. Eric stormed right into the office and punched Massimo down. Stephanie wasn�t happy with Eric.
Massimo promised Stephanie he would handle the Brooke problem. (Brooke had once again set her eyes on Ridge). Stephanie promised him anything he wanted if he could get rid of Brooke. So Massimo made that his first priority. Eric didn�t believe there was anything Massimo could do to get rid of Brooke.
But he was wrong. Brooke moved to Paris because Massimo had paid her father 5 million dollars to fake illness in order to get Brooke to move there. Stephanie was thankful to Massimo and it was time for a reward. He wanted a kiss. So Stephanie kissed him which Eric saw and was once again livid. He ordered Massimo to stay away.
Both Ridge and Eric wanted Stephanie to stop seeing Massimo, but that wasn�t something she wanted as he was her friend. Eric told Ridge that he wanted Massimo gone, but each time he told this to Stephanie, he came off sounding like a jealous teenager. Ridge went over to Massimo to get him to leave his mother alone. It ended with Ridge getting seriously injured as he was hit by a sharp sword in the neck (his own fault). Massimo took Ridge to the hospital and called Stephanie who was in the middle of a romantic dinner with Eric. They rushed to the hospital.
They were ready to give Ridge blood if he needed it and got tested if their blood matched. As Eric was sitting with Ridge, a doctor told Stephanie that their blood didn�t match Ridge�s blood group. And that there was no way that Eric could be Ridge�s father. A devastated Stephanie realized Massimo was Ridge�s biological father. Both Eric and Massimo noticed something was wrong with Stephanie and each asked her about it. But Stephanie didn�t say anything, until Massimo forced her. She told him that he was Ridge�s father. But he had to swear not to tell anyone about it. But Sally found out as she overheard them talking. She wanted to spill the news, but Massimo was able to keep her mouth shut by dating her. Massimo started to have fantasies about being Ridge�s father and wanted to tell him. But Stephanie told him no.
Sally tried to seduce Massimo and called Stephanie to tell her smugly what she was up to. Stephanie wouldn�t have it and went over there to stop it. It ended up with her and Massimo kissing. She felt ashamed of it and went up to the cabin. She called Eric over and told him what had happened. He wasn�t happy but Stephanie reassured him she wasn�t going to leave him. Eric said their bond was much stronger than her bond with Massimo cause they shared children.
He continued to say that Brooke had once again taken control of Forrester creations which had Stephanie furious. She and Eric also disagreed on how they were to split their 49% of the company for their children. Eric wanted to split it equally, including Rick and Bridget. Stephanie didn�t think that was fair for Ridge as he would only get 9% and he had done so much for the company. But Eric didn�t think they should give him more as that wouldn�t be fair to the others. Ridge didn�t either think it was fair and wanted more. A failed try of a take-over made Ridge furious. The family had had enough of Ridge�s ego and take-over plans that Eric suggested they vote Ridge out. They all voted yes on it and Ridge was out. Stephanie was livid with Eric for what he had done. She had lost her respect for him, she told him.
Ridge got into a fight with Rick and Deacon and ended up in the hospital again, with a hand damage. The doctor was unsure if Ridge could ever design again. Massimo tried his best to get Stephanie and Ridge to come with him and leave Forrester behind. Eric came to the hospital. Stephanie and Ridge told him they were leaving without him. Eric pleaded, but for nothing. He was left alone, devastated.
He tried to get them back, but they refused to listen. As Sally tried to seduce Massimo again, he rejected her and Sally found out he was only dating her so that she would keep quiet about what she knew. She was furious with Massimo and slapped him. Sally again tried to tell Eric that Ridge was Massimo�s son, but Stephanie and Massimo stopped her just in time. But Eric got curious of what Sally might know.
Sally wanted something in return for keeping the secret and she told Stephanie to meet with her the next day. Stephanie agreed but wasn�t happy with what Sally had in store for her � she wanted Stephanie to be Sally�s maid and gave Stephanie a similar maid outfit that Stephanie�s maid was wearing. Time to scrub the toilets� Stephanie had no choice but to play along.
But Stephanie were able to talk Sally into letting it go, saying their common enemy was Brooke. Sally agreed as she still felt Brooke hadn�t payed for causing Macy�s death.
Eric tried to talk Stephanie into coming back to him. He suggested she come over for dinner. It was the night of the anniversary of their first marriage. He said he would cook for her and they would work things out. So Stephanie headed over to Massimo to tell him she was going back to Eric. But he had other plans. He needed to have Ridge or Stephanie in his life. Stephanie refused to tell Ridge and Eric the truth about Ridge�s true paternity as she had accused Brooke of being a slut in that way. She just couldn�t do it. So she had no choice but to move in with Massimo. But she wasn�t ready to sleep with him. She went over to Eric who was planning their evening. He gave her a neckless with hearts that was a symbol of them.
But Stephanie couldn�t accept it and told him she was moving in with Massimo. Eric was very upset and told her to leave him alone. She did, and moved in with Massimo. Taylor and Ridge wondered why she had done such a thing as the last they knew, she was going with Eric. Stephanie wouldn�t say. Eric tried to change her mind and not go home with Massimo, but she did. Eric couldn�t understand why. Eric tried to plead/argue with Massimo, but Massimo didn�t budge.
As Amber lost her baby, Eric asked Stephanie to come to the hospital with the family as she was still part of it. Kristen didn�t want to see her mother after what she had done, but it was a time for family gathering so she backed off. At the hospital, Eric asked Stephanie not to go home with Massimo, but Massimo arrived and Stephanie had no choice.
Massimo wasn�t late with badmouthing Eric over and over, telling Stephanie what a bad husband Eric was. He brough up his affairs with Brooke, Lauren, Beth and even Sheila. Eric came over and wanted to talk to Stephanie. They headed over to the mansion to talk and Stephanie confronted him with his past affairs. She brought up Sheila, not knowing she was back in town. Eric felt as though he was talking to Massimo and not his wife. Stephanie said that Eric brought Sheila into the family even though they protested and Sheila had tried to kill Stephanie. Next day, Stephanie told Massimo she regretted bringing up Sheila to Eric as she knew Eric didn�t know how sick Sheila really was.
Storyline continues�
