Stephanie accuses Brooke of bringing nothing but shame and dishonor to the company. Brooke refuses to resign and orders Stephanie out of her office. Massimo watches the TV coverage of the press conference and wonders if Eric will protect Ridge and Stephanie from humiliation, or fail them again. Eric admits to Stephanie that attacking Brooke will only make the situation worse. He acknowledges that Brooke's behavior is reckless and irresponsible, but insists that they must show a united front and not let the company be torn apart by trying again to force Brooke out. Deacon wants Brooke to stay strong and not let Stephanie shake her confidence. Bridget questions Brooke about her feelings for Whip and wonders if there's something else Brooke isn't telling them. Brooke asks for some time alone. As he leaves, Deacon alerts Brooke to his bad feeling about Whip and thinks he's going to be trouble. Ridge can't believe that Eric defended Brooke and tells Taylor that if Eric doesn't have the guts to deal with her, then he will. Brooke is ruining the company's reputation, which could the cost them a fortune. Ridge says that the battle lines have been drawn. Ridge adds that if it weren't for Eric's infidelity with Brooke, none of this would have happened. Massimo tells Stephanie that it's beneath her to be associated with the likes of Brooke and her scandals. He embraces her supportively and urges her to leave Eric and his indiscretions behind. (thetvdb.com)