After a mysterious plane crash nearly claimed her life, Daphne’s miraculous survival sparks an explosive unraveling of secrets at Forrester Creations. Months earlier, Daphne had returned to Los Angeles from Paris, no longer the broken-hearted girl who once fled, but a determined woman with a mission. She launched an ambitious fragrance project under Ridge Forrester’s eye, using it as a Trojan horse to reclaim her position and, secretly, to uncover suspicious financial patterns within the company.

Her return brought glamour, style—and whispers. Just as she prepared to present key documents tied to financial fraud within Forrester Creations, her private jet exploded mid-air on a routine flight from Santa Fe. The wreckage seemed to erase all evidence—except a scorched but intact briefcase found at the scene. Inside were damning files pointing directly to Carter Walton, Ridge’s trusted legal ally. The documents revealed secret shell companies and redirected funds all tied back to Carter, suggesting he had been using the company’s infrastructure for control—not cash.

Ridge couldn’t shake the feeling that the crash wasn’t accidental. The flight had been cleared in every way, and the explosion felt more like a targeted strike than a tragedy. As Carter denied everything, claiming a frame-up, the most haunting detail emerged—Daphne’s body wasn’t found. She wasn’t listed among the dead or the hospitalized. Ridge’s instincts whispered the impossible: Daphne might still be alive.

And she was.

Daphne had survived the explosion, pulled from the wreckage by a ranger. Knowing her enemies believed she was dead, she used the opportunity to disappear. She fled to Europe, healed in secret, and began laying low while planning her next move. Her trip to Santa Fe had been more than business—she was on her way to deliver whistleblower evidence to Ridge. She had anticipated betrayal—but not sabotage.

In her absence, chaos erupted. Ridge ordered a full audit. Carter was suspended. Investors panicked. And in the shadows, a new player surfaced: Julian Dvau, Daphne’s former mentor from Paris, began buying up Forrester stock through shell companies. Julian, once in love with Daphne and bitter over her rejection, seized on the company’s weakness to fuel his own ambitions.

Then Ridge received an encrypted email—anonymous and chilling. It read: “She’s alive, but not for long if you don’t listen.” Attached was a blurry photo of Daphne in what appeared to be a hospital. Ridge flew to Switzerland in secret, tracked down the location, and found her. Alive, scarred, but fierce. Daphne revealed that a second briefcase containing even more explosive evidence—including a confession and digital proof—was hidden in a Paris train station locker.

But when they arrived in Paris, the locker had already been broken into. The evidence was gone.

Meanwhile, back in LA, Quinn Fuller re-emerged. She painted herself as a whistleblower who had uncovered Carter’s crimes, presenting herself to the media as a wronged ex-employee with a righteous cause. Ridge and Brooke weren’t buying it, but with Ridge absent, her story spread like wildfire. Carter, under attack and lacking evidence to defend himself, turned to an unlikely ally—Bill Spencer. Ruthless and media-savvy, Bill agreed to help expose the truth in exchange for exclusive rights to the story.

Bill’s publication dropped a bombshell headline about Daphne’s disappearance, casting doubt on the official narrative and reigniting public scrutiny. As panic gripped Quinn, Ridge and Daphne raced to recover what was left of the evidence.

The final twist came when Ridge and Daphne returned to LA and walked into a Forrester board meeting unannounced. Gasps filled the room as Daphne—very much alive—stood before them. Ridge played a recording saved from the cloud without Quinn’s knowledge: her voice, calm and unmistakable, ordering someone to ensure Daphne’s plane “never lands.”

Police issued a warrant that same night, but Quinn had vanished. She left behind a cryptic note: “You tried to destroy me once, Ridge. This time, I’m not coming back until I own everything.”

The war for Forrester wasn’t over. It had just gone underground—and the queen was far from defeated.