Hope Rages at Carter for His Betrayal — and Brooke Makes a Play for Ridge

At Forrester Creations, Brooke tells Steffy to stop and asks what’s going on. They haven’t even been back a day and they’re canceling Hope’s line. Steffy reiterates that the leadership isn’t there. The line is suspended, effective immediately. Hope says she’s outta there and adds, “Come on, Carter.” Ridge warns Carter if he walks out, he won’t get another chance. Steffy makes it clear that Carter is wanted there. Hope reminds her boyfriend that they’re a team. “Don’t let them drive us apart.” Carter sighs. Finally, he steps closer to Hope and tells her, “I’m sorry. This is my livelihood. They’re my family.”

Hope asks Carter, “So, you’re staying?” He’s sorry. She must know how much he loves her. “This is just business.” She disagrees. He says she’s right… especially for the Forresters. He tricked them and stole their company. He has to stay and make things right. Hope can’t believe he’s really staying. Brooke steps in and tells her daughter, “Honey, there’s been so much division…” Hope snaps, “You too?!” She decides there’s nothing left to say but goodbye. “Goodbye to you too, Carter.” She leaves with Carter protesting on her heels.

News Travels Fast

In the wardrobe area, Zende and Daphne discuss Carter tearing up the LLC papers. Zende knows Carter feels bad about the coup… but he was holding his own. Daphne agrees. He is a good man and a good leader. He deserves much better than Hope. Zende knows her plan to get close to him went beyond that… her connection to Carter isn’t an act. Daphne admits her feelings surprised her. It’s the reason she wanted to go back to Paris. “But I can’t.” Zende muses, “Because of Carter.”

In the design office, Electra and Will kiss and discuss his father hiding a murderer in his home. Will has no idea what Bill was thinking and laments Luna being out on the loose. Switching gears, Will says Electra must be thrilled that her family is back in control of Forrester again. Electra hates what the takeover was doing to her family, but she holds nothing against Carter and Hope, who were kind to her. She hopes they can find a way to work together again, but doubts that’s possible.
Electra and Will join Daphne and Zende as they’re dropping off some accessories. Talk turns to the meeting going on upstairs and they speculate if this will put an end to the tensions. Will questions if Hope and Steffy can find a way to work together. Electra asks if he’s heard anything about Hope For the Future. Zende says he hasn’t. The only person who saw this coming was Daphne. Daphne says she knew Carter would come around… but she can’t imagine Steffy would let Hope remain at Forrester. Daphne tells the group she’s seen the damage Carter’s relationship with Hope has caused first-hand. He needs to walk away from her for good.

Hope Lashes Out at Carter

Hope slams into her cabin and exhales. Carter soon appears and tells her they need to talk. She fumes that there’s nothing more to be said. “You made your choice.” She rants that he chose their side. “You and my mother. You let them force me out.” Carter stayed to make sure that everything they accomplished isn’t thrown away. Hope reminds him her line is dead. Carter didn’t foresee that happening. Hope complains he stood there and watched it happen. He didn’t even speak up for her. Carter argues that if he stays, he can advocate for her. Hope has already said goodbye; there’s no reason for him to be there. Carter argues that what Steffy did was unfair, but they can’t let it tear them apart. He reminds her they made a commitment. They fell in love and that doesn’t go away because her line was canceled. “Tell me you understand that!”

In the cabin, Carter tells Hope the guilt was eating him alive. Hope complains that he had no problem betraying her. He didn’t even fight for her! Carter points out he’s standing there at her home. Hope thinks he only came to justify it. She was wrong about the kind of man he is and can’t believe she believed in him. Carter tells her she can still believe in him. She shakes her head. This was a family business for her too. The Logans helped build Forrester Creations. She and her line belong there. “I thought we were a team.” Carter assures, “We are.” She replies, “We were. Why don’t you just forget it, Carter. Just forget any of this ever happened.”

Carter won’t turn his back on Hope. She laughs, “Oh, so you’re going to leave the company then?” She can’t believe he fell for their empty promises. Carter did what was right. Hope seethes that what would have been right was discussing it with her first. She mocks him for being so grateful for another chance with Eric and Ridge. “And now you want another chance with me?” The only thing she sees in front of her is another disappointment of a man. What happened to advocating for her, her family, her line? Carter folded like a house of cards. She’s revising her opinion… he doesn’t have what it takes to lead a company and certainly doesn’t have what it takes to be with her. She believed in him and risked her reputation to support him. “And you,” she screams, “Stabbed me in the back!” She tells him to go have fun with his chosen family and leave her alone. Carter thinks she’s saying these things because she’s hurting. He won’t let her push him away. What they have is worth fighting for. He cries, “I won’t let it be the end of us. I won’t.”

Brooke Kisses Ridge

In the main office, Steffy tells Brooke they couldn’t give Hope a chance to undermine them again. Brooke won’t defend what they did; it was wrong. But what Steffy’s doing is wrong too. Eric tells his granddaughter to give Brooke time to process what’s happened. Brooke wants to talk to Ridge alone. Ridge tells his dad and daughter that they’re a team and walks them out. He warns Brooke not to ask him to overturn Steffy’s decision… that’s what got them into this mess in the first place. Brooke reminds him she warned him about the coup and took the CEO job to help get the company back. She’s still hurt, however, over the way he turned to Taylor. She’s willing to overlook it and says she misses him. She senses he misses her too.

Brooke tells Ridge it feels right seeing him and Eric back in the office… even Steffy, though she doesn’t want to talk about her right now. Ridge says it’s a chapter he’d also like to forget. Brooke goes on about how much she misses him and all the times they’ve shared together. Now, he’s back in his office where he belongs. She was right about Carter and became CEO to help him. It hurt to see him pull away and go straight to Taylor. Plus, all of the things he said about her daughter. Moving closer, Brooke says she wants to forget about the pain and mistrust. “I want us to move forward with our lives, you know? And I think you want that too.” Moving in for a kiss, she asks if he wants a future together. Their lips meet as tears fill her eyes. “I want you to come home. I want to be your Logan again.”