It’s not been an easy time for Brooke, what with her longtime love standing by his daughter rather than siding with her as usual, but she and Ridge have so far weathered the storm. Unfortunately for the blonde bedroom bombshell the heat is about to be turned way, way up on a situation that’s already almost too hot to handle… and what happens next is guaranteed to shock Bold & Beautiful viewers.

Brooke was predictably appalled when she learned that Ridge not only stood by Steffy’s side whilst she fired Hope and turfed her out of Forrester Creations, but was sticking to his guns after the fact. In the past, the face of Brooke’s Bedroom only had to shoot her lover a warning look and give him a pinchy little reminder of where his loyalties ought to be lying and he would fall back into line. But not this time.

Steffy pointedly asked her dad to do something practically unprecedented by continuing to support her even when put under the gun from Brooke. Rather surprisingly, he’s done it, although he’s showing definite signs of cracking under the pressure. Most recently, he paid Steffy’s husband a visit in an effort to dig for the truth about the encounter between Finn and Hope that led to her unceremonious exit from the company. Finn maintained his position, taking the view that Hope had come onto him in the past, and had clearly done it again. At least in the absence of any other logical explanation for her landing on him in lingerie.

In Hope’s corner is Carter Walton, her new lover and one of the only people who knows the truth… that she was actually lying in wait for him in the design office at Forrester Creations, and not Finn. Their collective outrage over her firing has led them down a bit of a dark path, as rather than simply come clean about their relationship, they’re actually contemplating committing fraud on a massive scale.

Carter explained to Hope that if he puts his name down as manager of the LLC Ridge asked him to set up for tax purposes, he could effectively take over the company. Overflowing with hope for the future, his new girlfriend encouraged him to follow through after learning that all he needed to do to seal the deal was trick Ridge and Steffy into signing on the dotted line.

Enter Brooke, who will find herself in an impossible predicament when she overhears her daughter and her lover plotting the takeover of her man’s family business, per the Bold & Beautiful weekly preview.

The intrigue begins on Thursday when Brooke learns a shocking truth, and will immediately find herself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Let’s take a closer look at what her dilemma will entail.

If Brooke supports her daughter by keeping quiet, she’ll cost the man she loves his company and family legacy. This would also crush Eric, whom she adores, and who has always had her back. If Ridge ever finds out Brooke knew and didn’t tell him it will destroy their relationship; a risky proposition with Taylor back in town ready to swoop in at a moment’s notice. Furthermore, it would make her a hypocrite given that she expects him to put her above his daughter at every turn. In a nutshell, it would be a shocking betrayal.

However, if Brooke goes to Ridge and Steffy and gives them the heads-up about Carter and Hope’s plot… well, it would be unprecedented. If there’s one thing we know about Brooke it’s that she will take Hope’s side under any circumstances. She might privately take her to task for bad behavior, as she did when her daughter was obsessing over Finn, but she will stick up for Hope and fight for her to have what her heart desires even when it defies all logic. Brooke siding with Ridge and Steffy at this point would be seen as the ultimate betrayal from her daughter’s perspective, and would be a shocking twist for viewers.

What happens next is all down to where the writers want to take this. If they’re angling to turn Forrester Creations upside-down and have Carter and Hope running it for a time, Brooke will keep her mouth shut and let it happen. Of course, there will be a price to pay for all of them down the road because secrets always come out on soap operas.

If the powers that be want to shine a light on Hope’s increasingly uncharacteristic behavior (it previously wouldn’t have been in Hope’s DNA to plot a serious crime), then they’ll have Brooke rain on Hope and Carter’s parade and the two will face the consequences of their actions. This would keep Brooke’s destiny with Ridge intact and perhaps create a catalyst for Hope and Carter to start up a rival fashion house.

The bottom line is that there’s no way around it… whatever Brooke decides to do will involve a shocking betrayal of one of her loved ones. Bold & Beautiful fans will not want to miss this one!