[mellow instrumentals]
I was just telling Dad how happy I am
and how grateful I am that I get to
work at Forrester with him and be his co-CEO.
Wait--that's when he dropped the bomb,
asked you to step aside so he could give your job to Brooke?
Yep.
-RIDGE: Mmm. -Mmm.
[giggling]
You look surprisingly awake,
considering I kept you up most of the night.
It was worth it. Got to kiss and make up.
We did a lot more than just kiss.
Yeah. It was a night for the ages.
-It was fun. -Yeah.
You know I'm not mad at you, right?
I mean, I would have loved to have been co-CEO, but...
I do understand why you wanna keep Steffy in that position.
And that's why I love you.
So understanding.
Oh! Oh, God. Really, guys?
What are we doing?
Ugh.
You know we have a meeting, right?
Logan's debut is outperforming expectations.
Yeah, well, yeah, it's a massive hit.
-We're still filling orders. -Which I'm thrilled about.
Don't get me wrong, but this is in large part
because of Eric's designs. I mean, we can't be complacent.
We've gotta nail down the next collection.
We need a new designer.
So what's the latest with Hope?
Is she gonna come through for us?
[phone whistles]
[edgy music plays]
♪ ♪
You know, I still gotta get used to you two
kissing all the time, but I don't think I'll ever get tired
of seeing you two happy together.
We'll never get tired of having our boy home.
That's right. We love having you home, honey.
And I love being here.
I'm gonna go home.
I'll see you after your meeting.
-I have to talk to Hope. -Good luck.
Thanks.
-Bye, Mom. -Bye, R.J.
Love you.
What's going on with Hope?
-She still upset about her line? -Yes, she is.
You guys ready for our meeting?
R.J.: Yeah, just waiting on you.
All right. One second, though.
[laughing] This makes me very happy...
to see this room filled with fabulous talent...
and all of us ready to take Forrester
into a vibrant, powerful new future.
I can't imagine Ridge asking you
to step aside for Brooke.
Wait. Actually, what am I saying?
He has an unfortunate habit
-of putting Brooke first. -Ha.
-You're not wrong about that. -Well, it's awful.
and I don't like you being put in the middle.
I'm not a fan of it either.
But I think this time I can let it slide.
Why?
Because apparently...
I...I got through to Dad.
[sighs] We have some resumes that have come in.
-I've heard of this guy. -Yeah. He's good.
He has experience. But he has a reputation
for being real difficult.
Next. Anybody else stand out?
We've got good, but we don't have great.
We need great. We need Hope's vision.
I mean, obviously, I agree with you.
She's a perfect fit. But it--this--
This all hangs on what happened last night.
[door opens]
So?
I'm sorry, sweetheart. Last night got away from me.
No. It's totally okay. Um...
How did the talk go? Please...
tell me he listened to you and agreed to make you co-CEO.
[moody music plays]
This never should have happened.
I mean, I'm happy that it's all working out,
but I hate that you were even put in that position.
Yeah, having to defend myself, what I have to offer.
I mean, it would be one thing
if I wasn't pulling my weight around,
if I was dragging the company down.
But you're doing the complete opposite.
Your father knows how valuable you are
to Forrester, Steffy, okay?
He's never doubted that, not even for a second.
I do feel bad for Dad, though,
having to choose between me and Brooke. Really?
Thank God he made the right decision.
Thank God he did.
But I did get help from someone else.
Who?
Brooke.
[bright music plays]
♪ ♪
RIDGE: Can I see the next one, please?
Next one. Thank you.
-ERIC: Ah, yes. -Oh, that's nice. Look at that.
Let's--okay, let's raise the hem like three inches.
Cut it on the bias to the back
and we'll see how it does behind her.
That's a good idea, Granddad. You know, I was thinking
we even dip the neckline a little bit more.
Really? I was just about to say that.
-Do the neckline... -CHARLIE: Hi, guys.
ZENDE: In this fabric, it would be epic.
-RIDGE: Hi there, Charlie. -ERIC: There a security problem?
Oh, no, no, no, no.
I'm just making the rounds, you know...
-RIDGE: I like that. -So, uh, you guys having a...
powwow?
-Meeting of the bigwigs? -ERIC: Yes, that is what
-we're doing, yeah. -You know, um,
i-i-if you ever need a helping hand,
I used to help my grandmother
with her sewing patterns.
And--I'm sure you all know this--
I used to, uh, model in a department store.
-Just saying. -Hey, Charlie. Thank you.
-Thank you. -CHARLIE: Sure, sure.
Um. Well, uh, I guess I'll go, uh, secure the--the...
-The perimeter. -Thank you.
-Yeah. Yeah. -We appreciate you, man.
Yeah, I know.
All right, let's look at, uh...let's get
-the next look, please. -RIDGE: Thank you.
Ah, that's the one. That's stunning. Wow.
-This is great, Zende. Good job. -Really nice.
-Thanks. Thank you. -Really good job.
I know you miss Hope for the Future,
but you're really coming into your own here in couture.
I am enjoying the challenge.
Uh, you know, getting into the flow of the whole thing, but...
I have to admit
I'm still upset about Hope for the Future.
I miss it. A lot.
I can only imagine how Hope is feeling.
At the end of the day, Hope just--
she just wants things to get better,
for herself and her mother.
And Brooke was talking to Ridge about being co-CEO.
Big ask, considering it's his daughter's position.
Yeah. I think Steffy would probably flip out,
and I can't imagine Ridge stripping her of her rank.
It's not an easy thing
for a father to ask of his daughter.
It's not going to happen.
At this point, it's anybody's guess.
We--Hope, we-- none of us know what happened
between Brooke and Ridge last night, and Brooke doesn't know
that Hope's contemplating a move here.
Well, maybe it'll all work out and she'll never have to know.
I mean, I don't know. Either way, Hope's entire career
is hanging in the balance.
If Brooke gets co-CEO,
then Hope just stays at Forrester and that's that.
But if not...
Hope may be joining us here.
It means so much...
to see you advocating for yourself,
asking for your rightful place by Ridge's side
at the company that you helped put on the map.
It...[sighs]
No one deserves it more than you, Mom.
And I appreciate your belief in me.
More than you even know.
Yeah, I think us, uh, Logan women,
for the most part, had each other's backs...
you, me, Aunt Donna, Aunt Katie.
It's kind of been us against the world.
Only now it does kind of feel like things are different.
Like we're spread out and things are just changing so rapidly.
Not for you and me.
Well, maybe there does need to be a change, though, Mom.
Like we should stop settling for scraps
and start demanding more, and that's why I'm hoping...
that Ridge agreed with you and he said yes.
I did go to Ridge with a full heart
and good intentions.
And I spoke with him,
told him everything that I wanted and needed.
And I am sorry, Hope.
It's not gonna turn out exactly the way that you wanted.
Steffy is remaining on as Ridge's co-CEO.
[heavy music swells]
♪ ♪
[mellow instrumentals]
Brooke threw you under the bus.
She tried to get your father to demote you.
I think maybe Brooke had a change of heart
and she realized how ridiculous she was being.
Brooke? [laughs] Having some self-awareness?
Yeah, I know, I know. I was pretty shocked,
especially when I got her text message.
-She texted you? -Yeah. Yeah, last night.
What did she say?
Uh, she said something like...
"You're a great co-CEO,
and no one can do it better than you."
-She really said that? -Uh-huh.
-Brooke. -Can you believe it?
I don't know what to say.
She's finally speaking the truth for once.
Yeah.
I mean, I-I have to admit, I...
I really don't wanna care what she thinks, but, um...
It meant a lot to hear her say that.
Hope's line is gonna be revitalized.
We're not just gonna let it fizzle out.
No, we can't--look, it's a crucial component
to our company. We can't, uh--
it's a very important demographic.
Gen Z's obsessed.
Every girl I meet asks when the next collection's coming out.
See? It's still very popular.
Look, I get why
we're concentrating on couture right now,
and Granddad, it's fantastic to have you back, but--
Look, I agree. We can't sit on Hope for the Future
-for too long. -That base Hope built,
those customers... they're as loyal as they come.
Yeah, we have to do well by our young customers.
-Okay, and we will. -When?
Hope has been super patient beyond understanding.
Right, and so have you, and we appreciate it.
Okay, it'll happen! It will happen because
I promised my wife it would happen, so it will happen.
Right now we gotta deal with the damage
that Bill and Katie left us
because they took advantage of you.
All right, all right, all right.
-Well... -All right.
Ridge doesn't have it in him.
Demote his own daughter? I'll believe it when I see it.
It--[huffs] you never know.
Well, at least if Brooke was co-CEO,
she could go to bat for Hope.
Yeah. Brooke would pretty much do anything for her daughter.
Right. Just like the Dressmaker
would do anything for his daughter.
So where does that leave Hope?
Hopefully here
with her husband and her family.
-Any word? -No.
I mean, Hope's going to see her mom right now
to find out what happened last night.
Basically to find out, you know,
what her entire future is gonna look like.
BROOKE: I tried, sweetheart.
I really did.
Ridge...said no.
He--he...
disregarded your wishes, his own wife.
It wasn't really like that, honey.
Are you sure? Because it's kind of how it always is with them.
They disregard our feelings.
That's not true.
[softly] How can you say that?
Think of the position that I was putting him in.
I knew it was gonna be hard for him,
asking him to have Steffy step down.
But I didn't really realize till I saw the look on his face
how hurt he was.
So what are you saying?
Imagine the sacrifice I was asking of him,
choosing his own daughter over me.
It was too much, Hope.
I couldn't do that to him.
So you chose Ridge
over yourself...
over me.
[heavy music plays]
♪ ♪
So Brooke actually gave you a compliment.
-She gave you some credit. -Yeah.
First time for everything, right?
Well, I guess so.
Maybe she really does love your father.
Aunt Katie using your designs without your permission was...
wrong.
Yes, it was a real slap in the face.
Absolutely. Although...
you kinda did kill it, Granddad.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
Even if the execution wasn't up to our standards,
the designs were incredible.
No, they had one good line, and that's it.
The king is back. Thank you.
Let's put this ugly chapter behind us.
-R.J.: Amen to that. -ERIC: Amen to that.
Amen to this, the four of us.
Pretty good.
You know, Katie and Bill can't compete with this.
They can't.
It doesn't matter who they bring in.
Nothing from Hope. I really-- I thought that I would
-hear from her by now. -All right, well,
-what's your gut telling you? -I don't--I--
I don't know, Dad. I don't really have a feeling
about what's going to happen.
My feeling is just that, no matter what,
I want my wife to be respected and inspired wherever she is.
Okay, well, she--she will be respected here.
-I know. Yeah. -Logan is a sure thing.
We'll pull out all the stops. We will set her up for success.
Well, I don't think Hope doubts that.
It's a no-brainer!
There's a new sheriff in town.
Leave that dusty old fashion house behind!
I know, but for better or worse,
Forrester is like...
it's intrinsic to Hope. She's attached to it.
She feels this loyalty to the company that raised her up.
Well, I understand how she feels.
I mean, I stuck it out for as long as I could
and then I just couldn't take it anymore.
Yeah. Best decision you ever made...
for you, for your family.
But what if Steffy is still co-CEO?
If Steffy's still co-CEO, it's just...
it's just a nightmare for Hope.
She has to continue to defer to Steffy, which is...
that might be the push Hope needs to jump ship
and come to Logan.
BROOKE: I stood up for myself, Hope.
And more importantly, I stood up for you.
And Ridge did hear me. And he agreed.
He says that he values you and all of your contributions
at Forrester.
But he just couldn't demote his daughter.
It was killing him, and it killed me to see him like that.
So you caved...
and you gave up on yourself and you gave up on me.
No. No, he said that he was going to talk to Steffy
about reinstating your line.
He's going to get through to her.
[laughs]
"Get through to her"?
Mom, that is never going to happen.
In all the years that I have worked at Forrester,
I have never once felt her support.
It will never happen, and if anything,
this is going to make things worse.
It's going to make things better.
You'll see.
[softly] There was so much at stake here.
You have no idea.
I love Ridge. He is my husband and I trust him.
And I need you to trust him too, Hope.
He said he's going to make things right.
He's going to give you a place at Forrester, okay?
Forrester is your family, your home.
Is it?
Is it really?
I-I used to tell myself that when I was a little kid.
You know, I thought I was going to grow old there.
I created my line and...
I devoted my career to Hope for the Future
and Forrester and...
I get that you are sympathetic to Ridge
and the position that he is in, but Mom...
He sold you another empty promise.
And I...
I'm sick of the broken promises.
I'm sick of Steffy undermining me
at every turn.
I mean, do you really think it's fair
to ask me to come into work with that pit in my stomach,
knowing that they are just looking for something
to hold against me? Mom, I...
I can't do it anymore.
Oh, honey.
You have to.
Okay? We'll be there together.
I needed you, Mom...
I needed you.
And you let me down.
[intense music pounds]
♪ ♪
Captioned by Los Angeles Distribution and Broadcasting, Inc.