At the cliff house, Liam and Hope lounged on the sofa, and Hope talked about her second visit with Katie, who Hope had concluded wouldn't give up the Spencer marriage easily.
Later, Liam and Hope ran inside from the terrace, laughing. While getting something to eat, Hope noticed cold cuts and other different kinds of food in the refrigerator. Liam explained that it was because Wyatt would be returning -- after Bill had made the brothers work things out. Hope exclaimed that it would be the only thing she'd ever agree with Bill about.
As they ate, Liam told Hope about Wyatt's office visit and request to be pals. Liam thought it was weird to have a brother around his age who was nothing like him. He guessed that Wyatt was fun and quirky; however, he suspected that Wyatt didn't respect boundaries.
Liam still didn't like that Wyatt had kissed Liam's fiancée in Liam's house. Though Wyatt had apologized, Liam wasn't sure how sorry Wyatt actually was. "He is," Hope replied with a kiss.
Hope decided to head home, but Liam thought that was a terrible idea. She guessed he wanted her to spend the night, and he added that he wanted her there for every night after that, too. He said he had great respect for her principles, but they'd lost a lot of time. He didn't want to lose more.
Lulling her with kisses, Liam asked if Hope would move in. Hope supposed he wanted her to live with him -- and Wyatt and Bill. Liam offered to kick them out, but Hope said he needed time with his brother. She reasoned that she'd learned that time lost was time gone forever.
Hope wanted to start a life with Liam, and she concluded that the best way to do it was to be there with him. Liam cocked his head, wondering if she was agreeing. He decided she was agreeing, and giggling, Hope said she'd move in. He spun her around, and they said they loved each other.
At the loft above the Quinn warehouse, Quinn was relieved to see Wyatt enter with a bag over his shoulder. She was prepared to hear all he had to say about "that horrible man," Bill. Wyatt, however, had only arrived to pick up some things before heading back to Liam's house.
Quinn asserted that she wouldn't accept it, but Wyatt claimed that Liam and Bill were family. Quinn declared that she was Wyatt's family, and she was also the mother he'd abandoned without a chance to explain. She said Wyatt didn't know Bill, and she'd been protecting her son from the man who hadn't wanted him to be born.
Wyatt insisted that he should have been given the chance to assess his father for himself. Quinn apologized for keeping him from his father, but he asked her to say it again with feeling. She didn't know what else to do and asked how they were supposed to get beyond it.
Wyatt didn't know, but he revealed that he'd gone to Spencer Publications that day. He supposed that he could have had a position there or be the vice president by then. Quinn remarked that she'd thought he was fine running their jewelry business. Wyatt exclaimed that he had been, but it had been the only option available to him. Since then, he'd discovered the multi-national corporation.
Wyatt felt that his life would have been different if Quinn had told him about his father. Quinn apologized for Wyatt's "horrific upbringing." Wyatt said his mother was missing the point; as a Spencer, the company was his birthright, but Liam was the one on top, practicing yoga.
Quinn assumed Wyatt didn't like Liam. Shrugging, Wyatt murmured that Liam was all right, but he didn't deserve his position or Hope. Quinn asked if Wyatt planned on doing something about it, and he hinted that he planned on doing something about a lot of things.
Quinn asked what her son was planning, and Wyatt chuckled, saying that he shouldn't tip his hand. She knew her son well enough to know that he wanted more than a relationship with Bill. Wyatt asserted that he wanted his birthright and the woman. She reasoned that he couldn't forget Bill's other son, Liam. "How can I forget? He's in the top spot," Wyatt bitterly responded.
Quinn remarked that Hope had stirred it all up, and that was Quinn's problem with "those people." Wyatt retorted that Quinn's problem was that Hope had revealed what Quinn hadn't wanted him to know. He credited Hope for opening him to a world of possibilities, and he said Quinn could go along for the ride or get left behind.
Later, Wyatt entered Liam's house as Liam and Hope kissed on the sofa and discussed making something official. Wyatt asked what they were talking about, and Hope asked if he could handle another roommate. Wyatt replied that he had no problem with it -- if she was the roommate.
Liam looked unimpressed by the comment. Saying he'd try not to get in their way, Wyatt headed for the kitchen. "You won't," Liam murmured, and Wyatt stared as Liam kissed Hope.
At Bill's house, Bill was teary-eyed as Katie implored him to give the marriage another chance. He said she'd thrown him another curveball, but they couldn't sprinkle magic dust on things to make them better. Brooke advised him to listen to his wife. Katie asked him to return home to her and Will. "No," Bill matter-of-factly replied.
"You don't want to try? You won't even want to work on it?" the disillusioned Katie asked. Bill retorted that it had been all he'd been doing while she'd been spying on him and conning him out of his company. Bill decided that it was too much work, stumbling through her insecurities and neurosis.
Brooke ordered Bill to stop. Bill replied that he'd forgotten that he had to be quiet. He'd forgotten that he had to tiptoe around Katie's feelings and ignore his own.
Brooke asked Katie how she could have done it, and Katie looked confused. Brooke said she'd told Katie again and again about Bill's true feelings, but Katie had chosen to spy on them. With mascara streaming down her cheeks, Katie asked why Brooke was there. Katie guessed it was to rub it in her face and make her humiliation complete.
Katie demanded to know why she was always the guilty party when Brooke had slept with her sister's husband. Bill ordered Katie not to make it about Brooke, and Katie raged at how quick he was to defend Brooke. From over Bill's shoulder, Brooke asserted that every man had a breaking point. "And you pushed me to mine," Bill added.
Bill asserted that he couldn't do it anymore, and he was out. Brooke implored him to think about his son and family. Bill didn't intend to turn his back on his son, but he wouldn't live with a woman who spied on him and set up rules for him. "This is because of her, isn't it?" Katie yelled.
Bill claimed that it wasn't, and if Brooke were gone, he'd feel the same. In his mind, it was about him and Katie; they were incompatible and too different. "Lesson learned. Moving on," Bill concluded.
Katie asked if he thought he could dump her for her sister without repercussions. Bill exclaimed that she hadn't heard a word he'd said and ordered her to take responsibility. He asserted that she'd stacked the wood, struck the match, and lit the fire; however, she blamed Brooke and Bill for the ashes.
Bill recalled that he and Brooke had made a mistake, but they'd meant it when they'd said it would never happen again. He said he'd begged Katie to let him return home; however, Katie had become too fixated on her fears, and she'd set up cameras and spied. He declared that doing so had been Katie's betrayal, and her fear had become a reality.
Katie angrily agreed that her actions had caused terrible consequences. She predicted that his would, too, and he wouldn't like it. Brooke said it wasn't the time for idle threats. Katie ordered Brooke not to tell Katie how to talk to her husband but then decided that Brooke did understand him better.
Bill advised Brooke not to try to reason with Katie. He stated that he and Katie had passed the point of no return, and it would never work for them. Katie yelled at him to get out of the house. Bill strode out, and Katie exclaimed that she'd been a fool to ever trust Brooke.
Katie recalled Brooke doing the same thing with Eric, Thorne, and Deacon. Katie didn't know why her husband should be any different or why Brooke would respect Katie's marriage. "I did! I do!" Brooke replied. Katie didn't believe it. Katie said that even though Brooke and Bill wanted to blame it on Katie, the truth was that Brooke had wanted Bill. "You stole my husband!" Katie screamed.
At Katie's house, Katie and Brooke argued about their relationships with Bill. Katie noted that Taylor had been right all along about Brooke. Taylor had warned that Brooke would steal Bill from Katie, and Katie had never believed Taylor. Brooke angrily insisted that Katie had refused to own up to her own role in pushing Bill away. Katie laughed at Brooke's view of the situation.
Katie was incredulous that Brooke wanted Katie to take responsibility for everything that Katie had done and everything that Bill and Brooke had done. Katie shouted that Brooke had betrayed her own sister in the worst possible way.
Brooke haughtily claimed that Katie had a selective memory, and Brooke was sick of Katie's claims that Katie was a victim. Brooke reminded Katie that Katie had been erratic. One day Katie kicked Bill out of his company and his home, and the next day Katie had wanted Bill back. Brooke maintained that Katie had been abusive to Bill. Katie laughed, but Brooke narrowed her eyes and spat that Katie always had a test for Bill. Brooke refused to watch Katie hurt Bill any longer.
Brooke said that Katie had often blamed herself for things others had done -- including her brother Storm's death. However, Brooke pointedly noted that Katie rarely accepted responsibility for the things that Katie had done. Brooke wanted Katie to grow up and accept responsibility for her loss of Bill.
Katie called Brooke a hypocrite. Katie reminded that Brooke had continued to tell Katie that Katie and Bill would get back to together, but Brooke clearly loved Bill. Brooke tried to backtrack and justify her feelings, but Katie called attention to Brooke's constant need for a man. Katie said Brooke was never above stealing other people's men.
Katie snarked that Brooke had found herself another destiny to add to Ridge, Eric, Nick, and Deacon. Katie accused that Brooke had to have her sisters' and daughters' men. Katie had lost count of how many times Brooke had been married or had supposedly fallen in love. Katie added that Katie had only been in love and married once.
Brooke tried to defend herself. Brooke maintained that she had fallen in love many times, and Katie had been too selfish to understand Brooke's feelings. Katie countered that she understood Brooke all too well. Brooke would steal a man at any cost because she had fallen in love. Katie added that Brooke wouldn't find it easy to love Bill Spencer.
Katie reminded Brooke that Bill had loved Katie first, and Katie had Bill's child. Katie snarked that Brooke had tried to have Bill's baby. A shocked Brooke admitted she would not apologize for that. Katie warned that Brooke would always have to wonder if she truly had Bill's heart because Bill had loved Katie first.
Katie marveled that Brooke could be such a hypocrite. Katie wondered how Brooke would recommend what Katie could do to get her marriage back. Brooke was speechless. Katie warned that Brooke could use all her tricks to keep Bill, but Bill had loved Katie first, and Bill would never forget Katie or Will.
Brooke tearfully listened as Katie confidently advised that Brooke would never have Bill all to herself. Later, Katie cried, and she heard Will crying on the baby monitor. Katie said that she missed Bill, and she promised to get him back.
At Liam's, Wyatt offered to go pick up barbecued dinner with the new credit card that Bill had given him when he moved in. Wyatt teased that Liam had a mansion on the beach, so Bill clearly still loved Liam best. Later, Wyatt returned with dinner and offered to move his things out of his room so that Hope could have her own room. Liam and Hope told Wyatt that Hope would be staying in Liam's room.
The discussion turned to Wyatt's feeling that he was a guest and that the house was not truly his home. Liam promised that Wyatt could make it his home, and he could share everything in the house -- except Hope. Hope and Liam went to bed and made love. Wyatt looked up everything he could find about Liam and Hope on the Internet.
After Brooke had returned home, she heard a noise and discovered Bill. Dressed in a towel, Bill said they were going to start their lives together. Brooke argued and encouraged Bill to return to his wife, but Bill said he was done with being judged by Katie. Bill and Brooke kissed, and Bill unbuttoned Brooke's blouse. They made out on the bed.
At Brooke's house, Brooke walked around her bedroom and recalled her argument with Katie over Bill. Brooke flashed back to Katie's comments that Brooke had won. Brooke looked pensive. Bill awakened in Brooke's bed. He coaxed her to return to bed.
Bill said he hadn't slept that well in years. Brooke said she hadn't slept at all. Brooke worried that she had ruined her relationship with her sister and stolen Bill from Katie. Bill said that Brooke couldn't steal something that had been thrown away.
Brooke worried about Will and Katie, but Bill insisted they would be fine. Bill said that he was moving on with Brooke. He encouraged Brooke to let go of the guilt. Brooke whined that Katie had said awful things to her. Bill insisted that he wanted what was best for Katie and Will, and Bill was not what was best for them. He reminded Brooke that Katie had pushed them together and there was no reason to feel guilty for it.
Brooke caressed Bill and told him that he was a unique and remarkable man. Bill said they had to be happy and stop blaming themselves. Brooke complained that she had waves of guilt and couldn't get Katie out of her mind. Bill grabbed her and passionately kissed her.
Later, Bill advised Brooke to stop looking back. He felt that Brooke appreciated him for who he was while Katie had wanted to change him. Bill confessed that people had been out to change him and hurt him his entire life, but he refused to allow it. Bill said that he and Brooke had met their matches in one another. Brooke wondered if she had tamed the stallion, and Bill agreed. He said it had not been an easy feat.
At Forrester, Eric, Thomas, Rick, and Thorne met. Thorne and Thomas wondered if Rick was ready for the day's showing. Thomas and Thorne reminded Rick that Rick had to have $100,000 in sales or lose the presidency. Rick said he was ready, and he announced that Hope for the Future would be known as HFTF. Thomas noted that many buyers had no faith in the show -- they had no plans to attend.
Thorne wondered if they should cancel it because the company would be embarrassed. Eric advised that the audience would decide if HFTF succeeded or not. Thorne predicted he'd be running things by the end of the day.
The group discussed that Thomas wanted to take the company in a new direction. Rick agreed that the company needed to adopt some of Thomas' ideas, like making Forrester products more accessible, but Rick wanted to retain the company's identity. Rick said that they could compromise. Thorne and Thomas were not optimistic.
In the showroom, Caroline frantically prepared for the fashion show. Carter entered and encouraged her not to give up on Rick because he had no plans to give up on Maya. Carter fondly recalled his kiss with Maya. Caroline received a phone call from Rafael, but she told him she was busy. Rafael said he had something important to tell her, but she was busy with the fashion show.
Maya showed up, and Caroline was nice to her. Maya said that Rick was grateful to Caroline for helping him try to retain the presidency. Caroline said she had worked all night, but she owed it to Rick and the company. Caroline noted that her mistake in her relationship with Rick was that she had kept secrets from him. Caroline said that she understood him after everything that Amber had put him through.
Caroline continually requested more coffee from Forrester staff. Maya left, and Rick showed up. Rick thanked Caroline and said that Thorne and Thomas were already hoping to get the presidency and vice presidency.
Caroline promised that she and Rick would be celebrating later. She apologized to Rick that she had ruined everything in their relationship. Rick disagreed. He said that he had fallen in love with someone else. Rick admitted that previous girlfriends had lied to him and cheated on him. He never worried that Maya would cheat on him. Rick left, and Caroline received a text from Rafael that he needed to see her ASAP.
Outside, Maya met with Carter and asked if he had kept their secret. Carter agreed he would never tell anyone. Maya worried that she might have to tell Rick because honesty and loyalty were important to him. Maya told Carter that she would tell Rick what had happened with Carter after the fashion show.
In the CEO's office on fashion show day, Eric, Thorne, and Thomas were curious about why Rick had been mysterious about the showing. Rick said he was building excitement for the new brand awareness campaign. Eric assumed that the audience's reaction would tell him all he needed to know.
Rick left, and in the corridor, he nervously gazed at his nameplate on the door across the hall.
Back in the office, Thomas and Thorne were still skeptical of Rick. The men doubted that withholding information was the right way for Rick to create buzz or hold onto his job.
Eric left, and Thorne showed Thomas the guest list for the showing. Thomas didn't recognize the names, and Thorne guessed Rick hadn't been able to convince their regular buyers to be there. Thorne predicted that Rick would be the one in the basement by the end of the day, and he almost felt sorry for Rick. "Yeah, but not quite," Thomas replied, and they grinned.
At the sky lounge, Maya told Carter that she had to tell Rick about what had happened the night of the premiere. Carter said that he'd merely slept on her sofa. She replied that it had been more than that, and she loved Rick too much to lie to him.
Elsewhere, the showroom was brimming with models and backstage workers who prepared for the show. Caroline was on her fourth coffee drink by the time Hope asked if she were really supposed to read a certain script to their guests that day. Caroline explained that everything had been calculated for strategic awareness, and Rick's career depended upon it.
Rick arrived in the showroom as Othello was telling Caroline that the music wasn't what people would be expecting. "Nothing about this show is," she touted. Rick asked how things were going, and Caroline assured him that they were about to make fashion history. Rick hoped so because Thorne and Thomas were upstairs, licking their chops.
Caroline said they'd pull it off and celebrate all over town later. Rick knew that if the show was a success, it was mostly due to Caroline; however, he planned to celebrate with Maya. Caroline claimed to understand that it was because she'd made mistakes and shown him a bad side of herself. Rick explained that his relationship with Maya was different, and Maya didn't keep secrets.
Rafael arrived in time to hear Rick saying that Caroline had changed the way he looked at her, but not the way he felt for Maya, who'd been honest with him from the beginning about things that others would probably try to hide. Rafael flashed back to seeing Carter exiting Maya's place.
Rick left, and Rafael told Caroline that they needed to talk. Caroline didn't have the time, but Rafael said she'd want to hear what he had to say about Maya. At a furious pace, Caroline continued checking on models and other details. Rafael followed her around until he found the opportune time to say that Rick thought Maya didn't keep secrets, but Maya did have a secret.
Caroline sucked down another coffee drink as Rafael explained that he'd seen Carter leaving Maya's place the morning after the premiere in his premiere clothes. Caroline gasped and called it the "walk of shame." Rafael bet Rick didn't know a thing about Carter spending the night there.
Back in the showroom, Marcus asked his wife if Rick seemed nervous. Dayzee assessed that Marcus seemed to be. Marcus relayed that it was his job to watch the press, but the press had yet to show up. Carter arrived and asked Marcus if Rick could pull it off. Marcus conveyed that Rick had said to expect the unexpected, but Rick was probably the surprised one.
Later, Jarrett told Pam and Donna that he felt awkward because he didn't know the crowd, which was an international mix of people who were hardly conversing. Pam hoped that they'd perk up once the show began. Pam, Donna, and Jarrett skittishly waved at Marcus, who quickly approached Eric.
Eric surveyed the room and noted that he didn't see their regular clients. Marcus asked if his father were nervous about that. Eric replied that he might be if Rick hadn't been so confident.
Backstage, Hope reassured Rick that his big risk would pay off. She hurried off, and he flashed back to when Eric had made him president. Eric arrived backstage and guessed Rick was nervous. Rick and Eric agreed that rebranding was risky, and Rick said his father knew how much the presidency meant to him. Eric did and said the company needed the showing. Eric expected to be impressed.
At the entrance, Thomas and Thorne whispered to each other that Rick had managed to fill the seats, but it wasn't enough to save his job. Thomas questioned why Rick had bothered with the showing if the regular buyers hadn't been interested. Thorne said Eric would ask that of Rick soon enough.
Aside with Hope, Caroline asked how it was going. Hope reassured Caroline, and Caroline expressed that she'd do anything to help Rick with his career. Caroline loved him very much, and she was proud of HFTF and what it could do for his career.
Rick located Maya in a makeup chair. He said he'd put it all out there, and once the models hit the stage, it would be out of his hands. Maya was sure it would be an incredible success, and everyone knew what was at stake. Rick was glad that she was a part of it and asked if they could sneak away afterward to celebrate.
Caroline walked up in time to see Rick and Maya kiss and announced that it was almost showtime. Maya walked off, and Rick wished Caroline luck. Caroline said that if they succeeded, it wouldn't be due to luck; it would be because they'd relied on each other and made good decisions.
Rick corrected that he and Caroline had made risky decisions. Caroline said they were going in a new direction, and taking on a new audience was always risky. He started to say something, but she told him to save it and go show the world what a great team they were.
The show began in the quieted room, and Hope strode on stage to reintroduce her line, which had become simply HFTF. It was no longer a line about personality. It had become about perspective, seeing the world, and expressing oneself in it. Just like music and art, the fashion line transcended cultures, and it offered worldwide cultural influences with a Californian flare.
Hope proudly announced that she was giving the audience HFTF. No one clapped, and no music played. She flashed a quizzical look at Eric and strode off stage. Eric nodded at Othello, and up-temp music sounded throughout the room. There was scant applause as the designs hit the runway, and Forrester employees flashed worried glances at each other.
Jarrett seemed to be the only one clapping, and Pam murmured that no one could dance to Othello's new age music. Donna asked Marcus if he'd expected what was happening. Marcus hadn't known what to expect, but he was certain they weren't getting the reaction Rick had wanted. Nearby with Hope, Eric quietly admired the line and wished they'd get more response.
Thorne and Thomas signaled to each other that they'd seen enough. They slipped out of the showroom and went backstage, where they told Rick that he should have put a stop to the show when he'd had the chance. Rick responded that he didn't know what they'd been smoking, but the line was great. Thorne quipped that the audience didn't agree with that.
Rick noted that he hadn't heard anyone booing, and Thomas retorted that the music had put people to sleep. Thorne couldn't believe that "this" was the best Rick could do, and Thomas guessed that Rick and Caroline had been secretive because they'd thrown the show together at the last minute.
Rick asserted that the line was different than anything Forrester had ever created, and the showing was meant to reflect that. Thomas replied that it was certainly different, and Thorne declared that Rick had failed himself, his team, and the company, and Rick could kiss the presidency goodbye.
At the HFTF showing, sensual music played, and Eric tensely watched the show. Pam suggested that they take a dessert break and pump the crowd with sugary lemon bars to wake them up. Eric murmured that he didn't want to stop the flow for fear that the crowd might leave.
Backstage, the worried Madison told Rick that the audience was awfully quiet. Rick assured her that they knew what they were doing, but whether it paid off would remain to be seen. Maya returned from the stage, and after hustling more models out, Rick told Maya that he knew what she was thinking. "There is no reaction out there," she replied.
Caroline sent Maya off to change, and Hope approached and admitted that she was a little nervous. Caroline told Hope and Rick that the audience didn't have to erupt in applause after every outfit, and not doing so didn't mean they didn't like the designs or wouldn't order them.
Nearby, Thomas and Thorne observed the tense Caroline, Hope, and Rick. Thorne thought the group should be nervous because the show was tanking, and the audience had given them nothing.
Rafael arrived backstage in time to see Carter dreamily watching Maya. Rafael approached Caroline, who quickly said she didn't want to hear anything bad about the show. He replied that he loved the designs. He was into the rebranding -- he just wasn't sure the audience was.
Rafael started talking about Maya and her secret, but Caroline didn't have time to focus on that. She wasn't even sure anything had happened between Carter and Maya. Rafael emphasized that Carter had been wearing the same clothes that particular morning as he'd worn the night before it.
Caroline decided to help Maya get into her next gown, but Rafael murmured that Maya was already in good hands. Caroline glanced over to see the robed Maya chatting with Carter. Caroline assured Rafael that if Maya had cheated, Caroline would tell Rick after the show; however, the line had to be her priority at that moment, and she couldn't be distracted from Rick's success.
On stage, more exotic casual wear, accessorized with HFTF jewelry and bags, graced the runway. Thomas and Thorne looked satisfied when Rick's anxiety began to show. They returned to the showroom as the finale designs headed down the runway.
Hope appeared in a beautiful, flowing, coral gown, and other models strode out to stand behind her. Only Jarrett attempted to applaud, but he fizzled out when he realized no one would join him. Hope asked if the audience had questions for her. In the silence, she murmured, "Okay...." under her breath. Jarrett attempted to clap again, and Forrester employees exchanged glances.
Backstage, Caroline encouraged Rick, and Rick thanked her for helping him accomplish the show. She said he could thank her once they reached the hundred million sales mark. Thomas and Thorne arrived, and Thorne asked if Rick and Caroline still thought that was possible.
Rick asked why it wouldn't be, and Thomas asked if Rick had seen the show. Rick expressed that the show had gone well, so he felt confident. Thorne reminded everyone that Eric had said he'd make his decision based upon the responses of the press and the buyers. "So, little brother, I'm feeling confident, too," Thorne retorted.
Back in the showroom, Donna and Pam handed out swag bags while some of the guests lingered around, talking to Eric. Jarrett was still confused about the crowd reaction because he'd thought it had been a good show. Pam advised him to report how he truly felt about it.
Backstage, Caroline suggested that she and Rick have champagne, but Rick wanted to wait until Eric had talked to the buyers. She hoped she'd done well for Rick, and he assured her that she had. Together, they concluded that they'd had great designs, they'd reached out to new markets with huge buying potential, and they just had to believe in themselves.
Caroline crossed her fingers and anxiously bounced. She became emotional and said she needed to tell Rick something. Rick was listening, but she shook her head as if silently changing her mind. She then blurted out that it had been great working with him. She kissed him and said she'd do anything to help him succeed. "I don't ever want to fail you," Caroline told Rick.
Later, Thorne and Thomas convened in the CEO's office to discuss the future of Forrester. They referred to each other as the president and vice present of the company. Thomas assumed Thorne's first presidential act would be to pack up Rick's office and perhaps send Rick to Forrester International. First on Thorne's agenda, though, was making sure Rick spent years in the exhaust-scented basement.
The men imagined that Eric would remain the CEO for years. Thomas assumed that Thorne would replace Eric, and Thomas would become president one day. Thorne figured that Eric was waiting for the right team to be in place before stepping down. "CEO, huh?" Thorne contemplated aloud.
Back in the showroom, Thorne and Thomas returned as the showing was wrapping up. Thorne asked if Eric was ready with his decision, but Eric stammered about doing another task first. Thorne stated that the choice would be difficult, but it had to be made. Eric agreed.
Backstage, everyone had cleared out except for Hope, Caroline, Rick, and Maya. The quiet crowd had unnerved them all. Hope thought that they'd accomplished something big with rejuvenating and rebranding the line -- even if it'd take a while to catch on. Rick said he'd wanted to get new buyers, but they'd sat there in silence. The women warned Rick not to assume what the buyers might be thinking.
Eric, Thorne, and Thomas arrived, and Rick asked if the buyers had gone. Eric said some still remained, and Hope offered to go out to talk up the line. Eric responded that it wasn't necessary, and it had been one of the most unusual shows he'd seen. Rick asked what the buyers had thought.
Eric stated that it was obvious that Rick had given it his all, and Forrester hadn't ever had a show like that. Thorne interrupted to say it was obvious no one had liked that line, and it was time for new leadership. Cutting in, Rick demanded that Thorne be courteous enough to let Eric speak. Rick then looked attentively, but warily, at his father.
