Steffy has put a plan in motion to keep Hope away from Finn on Bold & Beautiful, but rather than accomplish her goal, her latest move may be guaranteed to push her hapless hubster right into the Logan’s arms!

Steffy threw Hope (and us, to be honest) for a loop when she announced that she would not cut her Hope For the Future line despite Carter’s dire projections and Ridge’s obvious intent to let the collection RIP. Informing her father that this was her call, since he’d made the last big decision to promote Brooke without her input, Steffy nearly gave Hopie whiplash by declaring that she would give her and her team one last shot. The blonde was clearly expecting the woman whose husband she’d kissed behind her back to take her revenge by ending her fashion prospects. Why wouldn’t she?

The answer to that came after the fact, in a private meeting. Steffy had decided to use Hope’s desperate desire to keep Hope For the Future going to her advantage. Of course it’s ludicrous that a business would be run in this manner, but we can’t say it wasn’t clever. Tying the fate of her rival’s collection to her ability to stay away from Finn seems guaranteed to ensure that Hope won’t cross that particular line again… or does it?

As we all know, on soaps, and in life, if you tell someone they can’t do something it somehow makes them extra determined to do it. Especially if they’re a contrary type person, and Hope’s been nothing if not rebellious lately. At best she’s been struggling rather unsuccessfully to not become her mother’s daughter.

Therefore, Steffy’s ultimatum is more likely to have the effect of making Hope want Finn more than ever… but she’ll have to be crafty as to how she goes about it.

Probably the best way would be to circumvent Steffy’s conditions by exposing her behind-closed-doors manipulating. If Hope were to confide in her mother about the ultimatum and Brooke was to spill the beans to Finn, well, we’re guessing this isn’t something the good doctor would be comfortable with. It might be enough to stir up trouble at the very least.

Perhaps that’s why Brooke ends up in Finn’s office as the week wears on. Is she paying him a visit to inform him about his wife’s devious and manipulative methods of keeping Hope on the straight and narrow?

Now, we all know that Bold & Beautiful has teased Hope setting her sights on a new man. Might she be trying to make Finn sit up and take notice? Make him jealous? It’s certainly possible. If the advances come from Finn, Hope can’t be held responsible, can she?
All we know for sure is that Steffy just sealed her fate with that ultimatum. Or the fate of her marriage, if you will. Banning Hope from having contact with Finn is a surefire way to ensure that they’ll be put in each other’s orbits on the regular. This is Bold & Beautiful after all, and the writing is clearly on the wall.

How do you think Steffy, Finn, and Hope’s story will play out? Let us know in the comments.