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“Are you trying to seduce him again?” demands Steffy, picking up where yesterday’s episode left off. And sure, things look bad, what with Hope kinda sorta laying on top of Finn. (By the way, why did Finn bring his wife’s computer to the design office instead of, you know, the one in which she works? Oh, right… plot point!)

Hope insists that Steffy has completely misunderstood the situation. But given that she can’t exactly reveal her involvement with Carter, things don’t go particularly well. Steffy is loaded for bear and furious with her longtime rival. “I swear to God, if the next words coming out of your mouth are ‘You’re totally mistaken,’ I’m going to lose my mind!” Steffy snaps. And why, she wonders, is Hope wearing lingerie, if not for Finn? Who else would it have been for?

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Hope says that sometimes, things aren’t what they seem, but Steffy’s not thrilled with that answer. “This was just a pathetic play for my husband,” snarks Steffy. “You are just like your mother!” Reminding Hope of her past warning, Steffy says, “You’re done, Hope. I want you gone today!”

Across the hall, Ridge insists to Taylor that he trusts Carter, but doesn’t understand why the heck he wants to make such big changes at Forrester… and why now? As they continue discussing Hope for the Future, Brooke enters, making it clear she’ll continue to support her daughter and her line.

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The conversation quickly devolves to Taylor accusing Hope of being after Finn. When the topic of Thomas comes up, each woman has a different take on what went down there. But the main topic is Hope’s attraction — past, present or future — to Finn. Brooke tries to explain where Hope’s head and heart was, insisting things are different now. Ridge, suddenly remembering he has the ability to speak, chimes in, but it doesn’t defuse the tensions between his favorite ex wives.

Over at Il Giardino, Sheila has turned the restaurant into a Halloween fest… complete with severed heads and bloody axes. “She got a little carried away,” Deacon tells an arriving Carter, and both laugh. Because who doesn’t love the idea of a serial killer going all-out on her high holy days, right?

Carter becomes a tad uncomfortable as Deacon and Sheila discuss their extremely active sex life. Once she exits to whip up a pizza, Carter chuckles that you never know what to expect of Sheila. (You know, the woman who shot his best friend’s daughter? And her husband? And her grandmother? And her mom?) Deacon asks Carter what’s going on between him and Hope. Carter makes it clear he’s totally #TeamHope. “I believe the world’s a better place because Hope’s in it,” admits Carter.

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Sheila interrupts to present a tray of toe cookies. Once she exits again, Deacon tells Carter that he’s thrilled with the recent changes in Hope. “There are great things ahead at Forrester,” he says, “and I expect Hope to be a part of it!”

In the final moments, Deacon once again thanks Carter for supporting Hope. The COO admits he’s not big on the whole Forrester vs. Logan thing, promising he’ll continue to support Brooke and her daughter. Meanwhile, Taylor tells Ridge that she fears Hope might be spiraling. But the real drama is unfolding in the design office, where Hope’s refusal to admit she was trying to seduce Carter has a stunning outcome: Steffy fires her! Hope protests, but Steffy — in full boss rhymes-with-witch mode — barks, “Who runs this company? I do. And if I say you’re done, you’re done!”

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After telling Hope to pack her things because both she and her line are over, Steffy storms into the main office and tells her parents that she just fired Hope. As Ridge realizes that this is going to create a wildly awkward situation for him, Steffy says, “I’m going to need you to back me on this, Dad. I’m going to need your support!”

Next on The Bold and the Beautiful: Ridge makes a stunning move by backing Steffy, throwing the balance of power into chaos.