The atmosphere at Forrester Creations was always chaotic, but to Thomas Forrester, the current chaos was wrong. It wasn’t the frantic, beautiful energy of high fashion; it was the nervous static of incompetence trying to look busy.

Thomas had been back at FC for a month, supposedly just consulting, yet everywhere he looked, the legacy of the Hope for the Future (HFTF) line—the powerhouse he had built with his own two hands and his own dark genius—felt diluted, cheapened.

The source of the dilution was Leo Maxwell, the ‘suspicious newcomer.’ Leo was slick, impeccably dressed, and spoke in the loud, empty language of industry buzzwords. He now occupied Thomas’s old desk, a blatant, painful reminder of Thomas’s own exile and Hope’s choice to replace him.

Thomas watched Leo conduct a fabric meeting, correcting the newcomer’s elementary mistake on fiber content under the pretense of offering assistance. Leo simply smiled, shrugged, and ignored the correction.

“He’s a disaster, Steffy,” Thomas muttered to his sister later, leaning against the doorway of her office.

Steffy looked up from a spreadsheet, her eyes narrowed. “I know he’s not you, Thomas, but Hope insists he’s perfect. He was apparently a ‘star’ at that boutique label in Milan, according to his resume.”

“Milan,” Thomas scoffed. “He can’t tell cashmere from cheap acrylic. That star went supernova a decade ago, leaving behind nothing but debt. He’s all presentation, no substance. And something about the way he arrived here… it stinks of a favor.”

Thomas knew HFTF inside and out. He knew the supply chain, the budgets, and the meticulous process required to hire a lead designer. The hiring of Leo Maxwell had been unnervingly swift, pushing out several highly qualified, established candidates.

“Hope is vulnerable right now, Thomas,” Steffy warned, softening her tone. “Don’t let your feelings for her cause you to relapse. Just focus on your consulting projects.”

“It’s not my feelings, Steffy. It’s my reputation. HFTF is my legacy. If he tanks the next season, the entire line—including Hope’s name—goes down with it.”

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🔎 The Ticking Time Bomb

Thomas decided to investigate. He didn’t care about reclaiming the job; he cared about integrity. He owed Hope the truth, even if it destroyed her.

He knew the only person who could force a quick, questionable hire past the HR department was someone with unusual leverage, someone with new influence over Hope Logan.

He thought of the recent drama: Liam’s wavering commitment, Brooke’s renewed distrust, and the constant, distracting presence of Deacon Sharpe.

Deacon. The recently redeemed ex-con, now successful restaurant owner, and Hope’s father. Deacon had been desperately trying to insinuate himself into Hope’s professional life, even offering “business advice” despite his obvious lack of corporate experience.

Using his old security codes, Thomas slipped into the HR archive room late that night. He didn’t search for Leo’s resume; he searched for the Hiring Justification Report and the Background Check.

The background check was suspiciously thin, relying entirely on a single recommendation from a low-level contact in a defunct European banking firm.

The justification report was the smoking gun. It cited an “emergency need” to fill the role quickly and included a highly irregular email from an external source—an urgent plea to give Leo a chance, citing his “unique creative needs” and “personal connections.”

The email sender was a burner account, but the IP address, when cross-referenced against known locations, pointed to a private office in the back of Il Giardino.

Thomas stared at the screen, a cold certainty flooding him. Deacon Sharpe. Deacon hadn’t just recommended Leo; he had used his new proximity to Hope to strong-arm the hiring process. Why? To impress Hope? Or was Leo a past contact, a favor owed, or worse—a source of potential illicit income?

The specifics didn’t matter. What mattered was the fallout: Hope had allowed her father’s shady influence to contaminate the integrity of her executive decisions. This was the ticking time bomb Steffy had worried about, and it wasn’t Thomas; it was Hope’s own loyalty to her father.

💥 The Boardroom Explosion

The next morning, Thomas didn’t go to Steffy. He went straight to the boardroom, where Hope was leading a presentation with Leo. Brooke was present, beaming with maternal pride.

Leo was droning on about “synergy” and “disruptive silhouettes” while pointing to a mood board that looked suspiciously like a knock-off of Thomas’s past work.

Thomas walked in, silent and imposing, holding the HR file and his old laptop.

“Hold on a moment,” Thomas interrupted, his voice calm, cutting through Leo’s polished façade. “Before you finalize the budget, Hope, there’s a small matter of due diligence we need to address.”

Hope frowned, annoyed by the interruption. “Thomas, we’re busy. We can talk about this later.”

“No, we can’t,” Thomas countered, walking to the main screen. He connected his laptop and displayed the two damning documents: the thin background check and the suspicious email.

“Hope, when I designed this line, I put my life on the line for its integrity. We never hired a lead designer without a six-month vetting process. Leo Maxwell was hired in nine days. Do you know why?”

Leo’s confident smile faltered. “This is ridiculous. He’s jealous.”

“I’m methodical,” Thomas corrected, ignoring him. “Leo, your resume claims you ran a successful label in Milan. The truth is, that label folded due to fraud allegations related to investor funds. Your references all lead back to a single shell company, Leo. Tell the board who got you this job.”

Leo remained silent, beads of sweat breaking out on his brow.

Thomas didn’t wait. He pointed the remote at the projection of the IP address traced to Il Giardino.

“This hire wasn’t vetted by HR. It was dictated by an external party with no corporate experience, using a fraudulent justification to get a favor. And that party is Deacon Sharpe.”

Brooke gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Hope’s face was a mixture of shock and dawning horror.

“My father… he just wanted to help,” Hope stammered, defending the man whose presence she had finally allowed back into her life.

“Help?” Thomas’s voice cracked with cold pity. “He put the entire HFTF line—which relies on your image of ethical business and familial love—on a ticking time bomb by installing a known fraudster into the lead design seat! He didn’t just want to help you, Hope; he wanted to control you! And you let him!”

📉 The Logan Fall

The fallout was immediate and catastrophic.

Steffy was the first to speak, her voice sharp with corporate authority. “Hope, I need an immediate explanation. If Thomas’s evidence is correct, this is a profound breach of fiduciary duty. You allowed personal bias and an external, unsecured influence to compromise the line’s integrity.”

Brooke rushed to Hope, but her defense was weak. “Thomas is just trying to hurt us, Hope! Don’t let him!”

“No, Mom,” Hope said, her eyes fixed on the evidence, the truth undeniable. “He’s right. Leo was rushed. Deacon kept pushing the ‘friend who needs a break’ narrative. I overruled HR because I trusted my father.”

Hope looked at the projection of Leo’s thin resume, then at the man himself, who was already shuffling toward the door, defeated. Leo hadn’t been an asset; he had been a weapon, poised to sink the company once the fraud was discovered.

“My credibility…” Hope whispered, the realization hitting her like a physical blow. “I won all the awards because Thomas built the line. And the first decision I made on my own—the one I made to distance myself from my past—was a disaster built on a lie from my father.”

Thomas watched, his victory cold and unsatisfying. He had exposed the truth, but in doing so, he had destroyed the woman he loved.

“You didn’t just lose a designer, Hope,” Thomas said, his voice flat. “You lost the trust of the board. You lost the integrity of the line. The Logan women have always believed their good intentions protected them from the consequences of their mistakes. But this time, the mistake was too public, and the fall will be too hard.”

The meeting dissolved into chaos. Steffy immediately called the corporate board. Brooke furiously dragged Hope out of the room, ready to confront Deacon.

Thomas stood alone in the wreckage, his laptop still projecting the damning evidence. He had proven his loyalty to the line, but he had lost his future with Hope. The Logan women were about to fall hard, and Thomas—the visionary—was left to pick up the pieces of the shattered Hope for the Future empire.