Brooke noted that Hope was struggling with something, but Hope said it was just the crossroads she was at that was on her mind. Brooke offered her support and encouragement. Hope thanked her mom but gushed some more about Carter.
Brooke joined in listing Carter’s attributes and encouraged Hope to have feelings for him. Brooke noted that Carter wasn’t married to anyone else, too. Hope said she worried about Steffy and Ridge losing faith in Carter for defending her. Hope said Carter was risking his potential future with the company for the underdogs. Brooke got a text and went outside to deal with a phone call.
At the cliff house, Taylor told Finn she admired his commitment to Steffy. He said she was his world, so staying committed was easy. Taylor couldn’t fathom why Hope tried seducing him.
Taylor and Finn agreed that how Hope had changed was unfortunate. She used to be someone who championed for ethics, and valued friendships. Finn said that Hope started gaslighting him and Steffy as soon as she was caught. Taylor chalked that up to repeating her mother’s traits.
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Taylor told Finn that Hope tried for years to avoid becoming her mother. They both laughed when Taylor said it was commendable that Hope lasted as long as she did before going to the dark side and becoming a typical Logan. Taylor said she’s always trying to encourage Steffy not to have an ‘us vs them’ mindset but sometimes it’s frustrating to watch.
“Tell her, Ridge. Tell Steffy you’re overriding her,” Carter says to Ridge in the CEO’s office at Forrester. He wondered if Ridge would allow Hope to be treated the way she had been. “What about how I’ve been treated, Carter?” Steffy asked.
Carter said that “Logan” wasn’t a dirty word; without them, there would have been no Men’s Line or the BeLieF formula. He noted that Brooke’s Bedroom still brought in revenue, and HFTF could, too, if given the chance. Ridge lightly told Carter that it was getting out of hand. “I love you, you’re my brother, I trust you–” Ridge started to say but Carter interrupted. He said if Ridge trusted him, then he should tell Steffy that firing Hope and canceling her line was wrong.
“This is more important than you realize. More rests on this decision than you could possibly know,” Carter told Ridge intensely. Steffy told Carter that the firing would cause waves, but they knew how to handle it, and it would become old news fast. Carter reiterated that the future of Forrester Creations would be different if they didn’t heed his advice.
Carter insisted he was coming from a place of deep respect and devotion to the company, but Steffy didn’t hear that in his tone or his orders to heed his advice. Carter said that Steffy made him COO for a reason. “Of course, because we trust you completely!” Ridge exclaimed. “Then prove it! Change your decision! Change your decision right now before it’s too late!” Carter demanded. Steffy and Ridge were taken aback. “Before it’s too late? What’s that supposed to mean?” Ridge asked.
Carter said that canceling HFTF meant cutting off young customers who could one day buy couture. Ridge started to tell Carter that they understood his point but Carter interrupted him. “Stop talking to me like I am some employee. I help run this company, too. We are partners in this,” Carter snapped. Ridge looked at Steffy like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Carter ranted to Ridge and said that Steffy was making business decisions based on personal feelings.
Carter said he had worked there too many years to let Steffy steer them in the wrong direction over some “stupid rivalry.” “I won’t let it,” Carter declared. “You won’t let it,” Steffy repeated, unimpressed.
Carter told them that it was insane to punish Hope because Steffy’s husband was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He repeated to reinstate Hope before it was too late. “And while we’re at it, let’s have some healthy, productive meetings about my plans to expand Forrester into a global luxury brand,” he added. Ridge rolled his eyes and sighed, then turned his back on Carter.
“Ridge, look at me,” Carter said. He told them that he cared about the company and saw its future, but Steffy stopped him from making his pitch yet again. “What has happened to you? We’ve heard about your ideas, Carter. Multiple times. It’s not happening. You’re constantly defending Hope. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I am losing my faith in you,” Steffy snapped. She said if he wanted her to be honest, she would be. “Maybe it’s a little personal because I’m okay with losing buyers if it means I don’t have to work with that bitch,” Steffy challenged. Carter’s eyes glowered as she added, “Yeah, Carter, you heard me: Hope Logan is a bitch.”
“Hope’s a bitch?” Carter repeated, livid. Steffy said she wouldn’t apologize for telling it like it was. “Especially after everything Hope’s done to me and my family. So yeah, she is a back-stabbing little bitch,” Steffy added. Carter thought that was unforgivable.
Ridge intervened and said it was time to move on. He told Carter there were changes at Forrester, and he had to accept them. “Speaking of changes, did you get that LLC done that I asked you about?” Ridge asked again. Carter whipped it out and said, “Right here, ready for you and Steffy to sign.” Carter stared at the copies of paperwork in his hand until Ridge had to ask him to hand them over. Carter said there were two copies and to sign them both. From the desk, Steffy thanked Carter for getting it done and noted that Ridge had been stressing out about it. Carter watched intently as Ridge flipped through the pages and asked where to initial as he and Steffy chatted, distracted. They both signed all of the paperwork, trusting Carter’s words of where to initial and sign without reading. Steffy went back to work, and Carter waited anxiously while Ridge flipped through the pages. Ridge stopped when he saw Carter’s signature. “Carter Walton? Why did you sign this? What’s going on?” Ridge asked.
At the cabin, Brooke said she pleaded with Ridge to get through to Steffy before it was too late. Hope hinted that time may be running out. Brooke wanted to know what she meant by that comment. It was obvious that Hope was stuck for words so Brooke wanted to know if there was something going on that she didn’t know about.
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