Can Zende Join Logan? Why Forrester Creations May Be Pushing Him Too Far

For years, Zende Forrester Dominguez has been one of The Bold and the Beautiful’s most patient characters. He returned to Los Angeles to work at the family company, committed himself to the business, and waited for opportunities that always seemed just out of reach. Unlike some members of the Forrester family, he never demanded special treatment or assumed that his last name entitled him to anything. He put in the work and trusted that eventually, his dedication would be recognized.

Lately, however, that patience has started to look less like a virtue and more like a burden.

Zende’s Place At Forrester Creations

Zende Forrester Dominguez (Delon de Metz) has years of experience at Forrester Creations and has contributed to some of the company’s most important projects. When Hope for the Future was thriving, Zende finally found the kind of creative fulfillment he had been searching for.

Working alongside Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) and later stepping into a larger role after Thomas moved to Paris, he wasn’t simply carrying out someone else’s ideas. He had a voice in shaping the line and helping define its future.

For years, Hope for the Future wasn’t just another assignment. It was a line Zende helped build, one that allowed him to showcase his talent and establish himself as more than a member of the extended Forrester family working quietly behind the scenes.

Then the line was put on hold several times. Like Hope Logan (Annika Noelle), Zende was told to wait while the company focused on other priorities. Months turned into more than a year, and every conversation about Hope for the Future seemed to end with another vague assurance that its time would come — eventually.

With Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Katie Logan (Heather Tom) establishing a truce that limits Logan and Forrester from actively recruiting one another’s family members, an interesting question has emerged. If someone with a Forrester surname genuinely wanted to leave Forrester Creations and pursue another opportunity, would Logan really turn them away? More specifically, what happens if that person is Zende?

Zende Has Earned More Than Another Promise

What makes Zende’s growing frustration so understandable is that he isn’t asking for an opportunity he hasn’t earned.

He has spent years contributing to the company while watching others move into the spotlight. Every time Hope for the Future seemed poised to become a priority again, another project took center stage. Now, with Eric Forrester’s (John McCook) couture line commanding the company’s attention and resources, Zende finds himself waiting once more.

The problem is that waiting becomes much harder when there is no clear end in sight.

At some point, vague promises stop sounding reassuring and start sounding like excuses. Zende appears to be reaching that point now.

The RJ Factor Cannot Be Ignored

Zende has acknowledged that his cousin, RJ Forrester (Brayan Nicoletti), is talented and even extended an olive branch after admitting that RJ’s return had been difficult for him. The two shook hands and agreed to move forward without resentment.

RJ returned to Los Angeles and immediately found himself at the center of the company’s biggest creative endeavor. Eric asked him to help bring his couture vision to life, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) praised his dedication and instincts, and Brooke celebrated RJ’s contributions. Yet even when Zende worked on the same projects and invested the same energy, the recognition often landed elsewhere.

At couture runway presentations this week, viewers watched Eric and Ridge applaud RJ’s long hours and hard work while Zende stood nearby, looking increasingly frustrated.

Zende has more experience than RJ and has spent years proving his commitment to Forrester Creations. Yet when important opportunities arise, he still finds himself waiting behind someone whose greatest advantage is being Ridge and Brooke’s son.

Loyalty Has Limits

This week reinforced just how little certainty Zende has about his future. As Eric’s couture line remained the company’s top priority, Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor) appeared noticeably cautious about celebrating the decision to devote so many resources to a single collection.

Zende asked the question that has been hanging over this storyline for months: Was Hope for the Future actually coming back as promised?

Ridge offered little more than a shrug and a slight nod. There was no timeline, no clear plan, and no reassurance that the line Zende helped build would once again become a priority.

Later, when Carter encouraged him to be patient, Zende immediately thought of Hope. Patience had not done much for her career, and he seemed to recognize that it might not do much for his either.

What If Logan Isn’t An Option?

The Logan-Forrester truce sounds reasonable until someone like Zende becomes the exception.

If Brooke and Katie are determined not to recruit each other’s employees out of respect, where does that leave a designer who feels trapped by the very company he has remained loyal to for years?

If Zende can’t move forward within Forrester Creations and can’t pursue the work he genuinely loves elsewhere because of rules created by other people, it is difficult to imagine that resentment wouldn’t eventually take hold.

Now that Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) has told Hope she needs to return to Forrester Creations to relaunch Hope for the Future, another complication has emerged. Zende may be the first person to notice that Hope isn’t exactly rushing back through those doors.

If he realizes she has fully committed to Logan, he could find himself facing a decision he never expected to make. Will he become intrigued by the possibility of joining her, or will his loyalty to Forrester compel him to sound the alarm?

Zende Needs To Choose Carefully

Zende genuinely loves Forrester Creations. When Hope and Carter staged their corporate takeover, he remained loyal to the family and even offered to resign. Ridge instead asked him to stay, trusting him to keep an eye on what was happening inside the company. That history matters because it demonstrates that Zende’s frustrations are not rooted in a lack of loyalty.

The problem is that loyalty becomes more difficult to maintain when the future you have been promised never quite arrives.

Zende has spent years accepting delays, changing priorities, and assurances that his opportunity is coming. Although the line he helped build is apparently being taken out of limbo, RJ continues to rise within the company, and Hope for the Future seems to end with more questions than answers.

If Hope truly has moved on and Logan becomes a legitimate alternative, Zende may have to decide whether his future is tied to Forrester Creations simply because it is the family business or because it is still the place where he can accomplish the things he wants most as a designer. Those may not be the same thing.