AUDRA: So we understand
each other?
I think I'm gonna need to
hear the words again.
I'll leave Claire be, and you...
I keep my mouth shut about LA.
You see?
Was that so hard?
Just like that,
we're friends again.
Just like that.
Oh, come on.
Isn't it better this way...
when we're on the same page,
a team?
Nice try.
-What? -Don't get me wrong.
You can...you can flirt
with the best of them.
Oh, like you.
See, I know why you're really doing this with me.
To make sure you get what you want.
What makes you think that you can get your hands
on the AI program and turn it on Newman Enterprises?
I can't believe you're asking me that.
You know I can do anything.
You know there's a fine line
between confidence and bravado.
Yeah. But fortunately for me,
that's not my issue.
Ah, see, if you could have pulled off this bait and switch,
you would have done it already.
Why haven't you?
♪♪
The doctor said the surgery
was a success.
I guess it was just a, you know,
a bad break.
I'm not gonna lie to you, Nick.
I've about had it
with being in hospital rooms
waiting for people I love to wake up.
I have had a lifetime of it.
I've also about had it with you and Noah
running off to put your own lives at stake
just to deal with Matt?
You are not going to take matters
into your own hands anymore,
you hear me?
Oh, good, he's out of surgery.
What? What are you two doing here?
I came to check on Dad.
Any updates?
Uh, well, the surgery went well.
He's still out of it
from anesthesia.
He hasn't woken up yet.
Okay, all right, so we wait.
Should I see if we can get a couple more chairs in here?
Noah Newman,
I swear to God!
I'm sorry, okay. I know I took off
after you told me not to.
Everyone told you not to--
your grandparents, me, Victoria.
Thank God Victor was able to confirm
that you had gotten home safely through Newman security.
-I was fine. -Great.
You made it home. And then you decided
to turn around and come back here?
I thought you were smarter than that.
But the choices you've been making these past few days--
I have to question your judgment.
Noah just wanted to get back to check on Nick.
The two of you do not seem to realize
there is a maniacal man out on the loose--
Matt Clark.
He's kidnapped you both already,
and you thought it would be a brilliant idea
to give him another shot at it?
Evening.
May we come in?
Can't wait to hear this.
This had better be worth my while.
Oh, I believe it will be.
You know, Nicholas is having surgery,
so I need to get back to the hospital.
Fine. I mentioned in my call
we have Matt Clark in our custody.
And?
Well, we're aware of the hell
he's put your family through lately,
Noah and Nick in particular,
and we think the man may be of some value to you.
Matt Clark is a worthless lunatic.
That the way you feel, Victor?
Seems to me you would wanna have him in your custody.
I guess the question is
how far are you willing to go to make that happen?
I'm--I'm sorry I took off.
You snuck off
after I specifically told you not to!
Mom, I'm not a kid anymore. You can't tell me
-what I can and can't do. -Noah, do not test me,
-not right now. -Noah just wanted to
-check on his father. -I tried to call you
to check in, but you didn't answer your phone.
I was worried something might have happened.
Yeah, a lot has happened!
And I'm gonna need you to stop adding to that drama.
Okay.
Okay. And the doctor said...
It was a really bad break, but...
it could have been worse.
Okay, good, good. That's good, right?
And you?
You were in the hospital.
Now your father's in the hospital.
You know, if I could just go 48 hours
without someone in my family getting hurt or kidnapped,
I'd be a lot better!
Dad's gonna be all right.
[tearfully] He hasn't woken up.
He hasn't woken up yet.
But I can see him.
He's breathing. I will take it.
Me too.
I'm glad that you're both here in one piece.
Well, it matters, right?
Yeah. I-I'm so sorry we scared you.
Has there been any word from Newman security
about Matt?
Yeah, I spoke to Grandpa earlier.
Matt still hasn't been caught. But the team says that
from the look of the crash, he was likely injured,
so they don't think he could have gotten too far.
SIENNA: That's why we took the risk of coming down here.
I-I probably should have stayed, let Noah come alone.
But I'm not letting her out of my sight again.
This whole situation is just--
it really just has everybody on edge.
And that is my fault.
Why would you say that?
Uh, b-because, if we never--
Come on. If nothing had ever started between the two of us,
this wouldn't be happening.
Matt is off the rails because he is mad at me.
You didn't know who Matt really was.
How ruthless he could be. No regrets.
We found each other. That's all that matters.
Matt would have found a way to torment this family
regardless of anything you did.
His history with Nick and me goes back decades.
I hurt him. He felt betrayed by me.
At best, he's a narcissist.
At worst, a maniac.
His feelings don't matter.
I just pray that Victor finds a way
to put an end to this once and for all.
ADAM: Well, this is pretty interesting.
I just can't quite figure out why the two of you
would make up a story like this.
This isn't a lie. We have Matt Clark.
How, exactly, did you track him down?
How'd you even know he was alive?
As far as the rest of the world goes, the man's dead.
-Let's just say we got lucky. -Okay, what'd he do?
He come up to your door and identify himself?
Say, "Hey, we both hate the Newmans.
Let's go get 'em."
-Something like that. -I saw Matt myself.
He is alive.
He claims to be Mitch Bacall.
Claims he came to Genoa City looking for his wife.
But he is definitely the man who put Nick in the hospital.
You know he has a long list of crimes.
Yes. Sharon told me those stories years ago.
I would not wish that horror or pain on anyone.
I was shocked to see him
standing very much alive in my living room.
And now we have him.
If you want him, he's yours.
How'd you pull this off, Jack?
Huh? What'd you do? Did you have Nick followed?
We had your entire family followed.
Why did you steal the program from me
just to give it to Victor...
and then wait around for him to make the next move?
Victor and I had an arrangement.
That he would give you Jabot after he decimated it,
which, you know, to be honest, seems like a really stupid deal
when you could have just used the program yourself
and turn it against Newman Enterprises.
You got no love for Victor. Why go to him at all?
I wanted Victor to do my dirty work.
Right. You wanted to make it look like he stole my program
and then turned it on Genoa City's finest.
You know, I can't help it
if everybody thinks the worst of Victor Newman.
But then he welched on the deal and never gave you Jabot.
Everyone underestimates me, don't they?
So this is the perfect revenge.
You get to destroy Victor Newman.
But don't you want to? He's destroyed your company.
Remember our first agreement?
That we were gonna take down
every single company in Genoa City
and make it our own?
Yeah. A lot's happened since then.
Yeah. A lot has happened.
Why haven't you made your move yet?
I mean...you could rule Genoa City by now.
You wouldn't have to answer to me,
Jack, Billy...anyone.
[laughing] Okay. Wow.
I don't need a man to get what I want--at all.
No, but in this case,
I can't do it on my own.
I need you.
Level with me, Audra.
Okay, fine.
I flirt with you because I feel like it.
[laughs] Sure. Okay.
Oh, please. I've seen you in action too.
Don't forget that. I know all the moves.
And I know all of yours.
It's pretty amazing, right?
That this is still fun?
You pushed me away when I came to town.
Completely shut me out.
And I explained why.
So...forgive me.
Look, we've always had chemistry.
Always. [giggles]
I-I can't say I remember.
Liar! Ask me my name.
Go on. Ask.
What--what is your name?
Audra Cortez. Remember that.
I'm gonna be a famous big-time artist someday.
And you are?
I'm Holden Novak, the king of the Vespers.
So The Shadow Room's your domain?
Every king needs his castle.
Hmm. Ooh!
Remember...this?
-[giggling] -Oh, my God.
I forgot I, uh... I posed for you.
You did.
Charcoal portrait. You still have that?
Oh, it's somewhere in storage, I think.
Well, I gotta say, I, uh, I look good.
Yeah. That's a testament to my talent.
[laughing] Okay.
Yeah, I...I did capture
something real about you.
I saw you.
And I still do.
Well, that was a long time ago.
We don't have to be enemies, you know?
Because you decided that now?
Well, aren't you happier with things like this?
If it sticks, yeah.
Why wouldn't it?
Well, there are reasons why I don't trust you, Audra.
And why you don't trust me.
Fine.
Can we at least be...
friends with...caution?
[both laugh]
Hmm? Is that a yes?
Hey, uh, glad you made it here.
-Are we still on for dinner? -Absolutely.
Hello, Audra.
You look well, Claire.
Happy new year.
Thank you.
You're very welcome.
It was really nice running into you both.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.
-Thanks. -Hang on, hang on.
What is going on with the civility?
What do you mean?
What is going on between the two of you?
We've down this road before, Phyllis.
-Have we? -Mm-hmm.
The whole, uh, you know, look how similar we are,
both lost and misunderstood,
-and we need each other. -Oh, don't flatter yourself.
-I don't need anyone. -Oh, okay.
So when you said you needed me, that was just a lie?
To achieve my business goals,
I would like to align with you.
-Hmm. -Right?
[whispering] Don't flatter yourself.
[whispering] Okay.
So our relationship is just strictly business?
You know, you really think that you got me, don't you,
because of your blue eyes and your charm.
Maybe.
It doesn't work on Lily, does it?
And you?
I think that you should reassess
the reach of your charm and your likeability.
-Noted. -Sorry to,
-you know, burst your bubble. -No.
My ego can handle it.
-I'm sure it can. -Yeah, well, if you're done
trying to make me feel bad about myself,
why do you need me to...
to take down Victor?
I can get the program back.
But you know its inner workings.
A wiz like you can't figure it out?
There's no time.
We need to do this together.
So I need you.
Will you do this with me or not?
Hey!
Welcome back.
Hey.
Oh, I was having a dream.
I was in my mom's Ferrari.
I love that car.
I was...
hauling ass.
Taking the corners like Leclerc.
Then I wiped out.
I totaled my mom's car.
I...
was so worried that she was so mad at me.
Was that a dream?
Uh, you did not total Nikki's car.
You just crashed your own.
Oh, yeah.
My own car.
Yeah, okay.
It's coming back to me a little.
Uh, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain?
[sighs]
I'm floating.
That's the drugs.
NICK: Yeah, I'm levitating.
Oh, wow, that's pretty impressive
when you just came out of surgery.
Yeah.
Am I--what do they say-- am I in one piece?
Um, I think you'll live.
Everything went smoothly.
Although you may be hobbling around for a little while
on a crutch.
[groans] Crutch?
[groaning] There goes my professional football career.
SHARON: Yep. And you're not allowed to race cars
anymore either, so there goes Nikki's Ferrari.
Damn it.
But the doctor said that the cast is small enough
it fits underneath your clothes,
so probably nobody will even notice.
I guess except for the hobbling.
Well, you can make that work for you.
You know, maybe a sexy pirate thing...
Take it easy, okay? Your child is in the room.
Hey.
You two.
Join the party, huh?
Dad, I am so sorry about all this.
Yeah. I feel terrible, Nick, for what you've been through.
No, no, no. Stop.
Stop. This isn't your fault.
I'm glad you're gonna be okay.
NICK: I'm good.
Can, uh, we get you anything?
Yeah.
Some answers.
Where's Matt?
They find him yet?
What is the bargain that you wanna make?
JACK: We give you Matt Clark.
You give us the software program.
-Why would we do that? -Because it's a fair deal
that protects Jabot and ensures that Matt doesn't do
any more damage to your family.
Family is the most important thing...right, Victor?
What if I refuse?
We set Matt Clark loose.
You can take your own chances with him.
Jack, that maniac has it in for our family.
Okay? There's actual lives that are at stake here.
What you and your father have done to Jabot
has put my family and all of my employees in jeopardy,
and I will stop at nothing to get you to understand
your actions have consequences.
This isn't like you.
Wanna bet?
Hasn't Matt hurt enough people already?
JACK: You have the power to stop this right now, Victor.
It's a win-win.
Safety for my family. Safety for yours.
What do you say. We have a deal?
Why don't we just go? Let's get outta here.
First I'd like an answer to my question.
Look, there's nothing going on, Claire.
The truth is...
look, I owe you an apology.
I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through.
I don't wanna fight anymore.
The anger, the resentment-- it's just not worth it to me.
Just live and let live, right?
What?
You have your life. I have mine.
Look, this is a small town. We need to learn how to coexist.
And I'm not saying that we need to be friends.
But I see no reason for us to continue being hostile.
Do you really expect me to believe this?
Look, I understand
that it might be difficult.
It's a 180.
Yeah.
Well, have a good night.
Enjoy your meal.
What the hell was that?
So what is it?
You and me--yes or no?
Newman Enterprises.
What do you say?
-I'm not sure. -Okay. That's a no.
Well, I'm just...not ready to make a decision.
Okay, well, make a decision soon,
because I'm not gonna be around forever.
You've flip-flopped on me so many times.
I've been torn...
between being what my family wants me to be
and what I've become.
I guess it's no longer a problem, is it?
Why?
Lily made her choice by leaving.
Wait. Does this have anything to do with the text
you got earlier?
Lily told me she was going to visit Mattie for a few weeks.
Okay.
The text was from Mattie, saying...
her and Charlie wanna cut ties with me.
Oh, wow.
Damn.
So...[clears throat] that's that.
It's over.
There's no point in trying for something
that's never gonna happen.
They obviously want nothing to do with me.
So what's next?
Being Dumas made me a success.
I need to remember that...
Embrace the lessons that I learned.
That's what I've been telling you.
Well, I'm finally listening.
Matt is still out there.
Newman security hasn't found him.
And the police?
They're on it too. Issued a APB.
It's a full-on manhunt.
Well, I hope they know they're dealing with
-a slippery son of a bitch. -If I could get my hands on him
for what he's done to you, I'd rip him apart.
Sienna too.
Okay, stop it, both of you.
See, this is what I was afraid of.
You are both to stay clear of Matt, thank you very much.
That is an order.
Your mom's right. It's not safe for you to be out here.
-Not either one of you. -That's what I've told them
numerous times.
Matt has to be injured after the crash.
We figured he's less of a threat.
Even if he's not hurt, he's gotta be laying low.
So that's your theory?
That you're safe because Matt might be hurt
or he's in hiding?
Makes sense, doesn't it?
I do not want you taking any chances, son.
You took the chance, Dad. You had Matt in a car with you.
-What was your plan? -SIENNA: Okay, Noah,
-maybe now's not the time-- -No, no, no. When the car
went off the road, it wasn't headed back into town.
It was headed deeper into the woods.
So, Dad, what was your plan?
Look, I obviously want Matt Clark
to pay for the crimes against my family.
Well, here's your chance to make that happen.
But I don't need your help.
If you let him go, I'll find him.
You would risk that? You're really that stubborn?
-Enough said. -You won't negotiate with me
even when your family's lives are at stake?
It is Clark that put Noah in a hospital in Los Angeles.
-Am I right? -After everything you have done
to the Abbotts, we're offering you a lifeline.
No. But that's not good enough for him.
'Cause that would leave the Abbotts some peace.
Listen, Jack, it's my father's decision.
He is the one who best knows how to handle Clark.
Jack, you know that I'll do everything
to defend my family.
That doesn't mean that I'll accept
your desperate attempt to bribe me.
Victor, stop it! Enough is enough.
All right, don't worry about Audra.
Was that Audra, really?
Yeah, yeah.
Hmm.
She was nice to me. That means that something's wrong.
No, no. That just means that I finally convinced her
to back off.
She has no reason to hold a grudge against you--at all.
Yeah. 'Cause she's known for being so reasonable.
Well, didn't I tell you?
I know how to handle her.
I can't trust her.
Fine.
Maybe...you can trust me.
Give peace a chance, hmm?
I haven't got to see you since we had drinks together
on New Year's Eve, okay?
You really wanna spend the rest of our night
talking about Audra?
What did you say to turn her around?
If you tell me that, maybe then I can believe it.
Does it matter where we were going?
We just have to find Matt and make sure everyone's safe.
You know, maybe Matt... will disappear,
finally realize that he is no match for the Newmans.
Well, I wish that more than anything,
but does the man you knew him to be scare very easily?
Nope.
No. He will dig in deeper. This entire experience
will make him even more focused on getting his revenge.
That bastard should have just stayed away.
We won't let him beat us, Nick.
We will stop Matt before he has a chance to hurt anyone else.
I should have dealt with him when I had the opportunity.
SHARON: We'll figure it out.
Everything will be okay.
I want you to just rest, get some sleep.
Why would you refuse that offer?
I have my reasons.
-Is it because it's Jack? -I will handle this.
Nicholas just got out of surgery because of that madman,
and Noah almost was killed in another car accident
-that Matt caused. -That thug will be
taken care of, okay?
If Jack already has him, we can be sure
that he'll be turned over to the police right away.
I told you, I'm handling it.
Well, you let Nicholas be alone in a car with him,
and we know how that turned out.
Victor, please, please
give Jack the AI program
so that we can get Matt Clark out of our lives for good!
This isn't the first time you said you're done.
Yeah, well, it's the first time I meant it.
So you're ready to write off the losses?
Nothing left to hold on to.
May as well be Dumas again.
You mean it this time?
Newman Enterprises doesn't stand a chance.
Okay. All right. Wait.
All right, then let's get moving.
So I'm gonna hack into Newman and get control of the program,
and then you're gonna help me unleash it onto Newman itself.
You don't have to hack into Newman Enterprises.
Don't I?
There was an element built into the program.
When triggered, it causes it to turn on its host.
What?
It'll take out Newman Enterprises
the way it took out Arabesque.
I can make that happen.
Well, Audra's choices
lost her almost everything in life--
her jobs, her boyfriend, her--
And that's why she's being nice to me?
I told her to take the hostility toward you
down a few notches,
that it might help with her overall image.
It makes more sense to me that she is playing a new angle.
Audra only does what's best for Audra.
Did you...
give her a trade?
Tell her if she backed off you wouldn't tell me
the rest of the story about what happened in Los Angeles?
Strange to see Dad so out of it.
It's really difficult to see anyone you care about
laying in a hospital bed.
Sharon, can we do anything for you?
You need anything to eat or drink?
You wanna take a break?
Thank you. I'm fine. I would like to stay here.
Why don't you get in touch with your grandfather
and see if there's any news.
All right. Step outside?
Okay.
Voicemail. I'll try again in a few minutes.
Your dad seems like he's gonna be okay.
He sounded like himself, yeah.
And your mom's holding up. She's--your mom is very tough.
-Yeah, that's Mom. -Yeah, she--she knows what's up.
Especially when it comes to a crisis.
Yeah, unfortunately, she's had to deal with a lot of those.
Yeah.
You know, your family really loves you.
You're very lucky.
God, I just--I wish-- I wish there was some way
-that I could help find Matt. -No, no. Hey.
That is not your responsibility.
Hey, he came here after me.
This is my family's hometown, the family he hates.
Yeah, but there's gotta be some way,
some way to get to him.
I just--I can't figure out where to start.
No, look, all we can do for now is lay low, okay?
I started all of this by getting involved with you.
So I should be the one to end it.
Matt Clark needs to be locked up for life.
I never wanna see him again.
He will soon be out of our lives, all right?
All I want is that software program
so I can destroy it.
No one should have that kind of power.
I agree.
How do we know that you'll really destroy it?
What's to stop you from using it to attack Newman Enterprises?
We can destroy it together.
No one should ever use it again.
Victor, please.
Please make the right decision.
Do it for me.
You show me proof that you have Matt Clark.
Whatever happened in LA must be pretty bad
if Audra wants so much for it to stay secret
she's willing to change her attitude towards me.
Why are you so hung up on this?
I thought that you would be happy
that she stopped coming after you.
That's why I talked to Audra.
To help you out.
I appreciate that.
But whether it lasts is another story.
[chuckles] Well, when I say that I've got this...
I've got it.
You are so sure of yourself.
Oh, you have no idea.
I think I do.
Wow.
Then I say that you follow my lead
and we get back to this wonderful night of ours.
And how do we do that?
You know, there is this one thing
that I've been wanting to do ever since 2026 started.
What is it?
Please stop blaming yourself, okay?
Matt targeted me because of my parents.
-It had nothing to do with you. -Ha. Yeah, right.
Right. It had nothing to do with him finding out
we were sleeping together.
It's not true, and you know it.
Okay, who cares what the guy's motivation is?
He's a psychopath.
Yeah, a psychopath that I vowed to marry
and spend the rest of my life with.
Yeah. And you needed to get away from him, okay?
And if we hadn't met...
What?
Oh, I never would have left him? Is that what you think?
I think we found each other at the right time.
So you rescued me.
We rescued each other.
Well, do you have a better way of looking at it?
Well, gimme a minute, all right?
I'll give you all the time in the world.
'Cause I'm not going anywhere.
Okay, wise guy.
You listening to me?
'Cause I have something else that I need to say.
You need to take care of yourself.
Stop playing hero for maybe five minutes.
And stop riling Noah up as well.
He's just like his father.
Maybe we just...
let Victor's security team and the police handle this--
-[grunts] -[Sharon gasps]
What is it? Another nightmare?
[groans]
No. Go get the nurse.
What is it? Tell me what's wrong.
No, I just--
I need my meds upped or something.
Okay. Okay, I'll--I'll get someone.
[Nick grunts]
Ohh...
You had this trigger the entire time
and you never said anything to me?
Why didn't you use it on Victor before?
Because stealing Newman Enterprises
wasn't gonna win me back Lily and the kids.
But I guess that doesn't matter anymore.
Oh, you're a bastard.
Yeah.
Oh, my God. We're gonna take Victor down.
What an honor.
Two visits with Victor Newman in the same day.
This is the last one
you will ever have.
How is little rich boy Newman doing?
Is he all right? I hope he's all right.
He crashed the car.
If I were you, I would not let him borrow
that sweet ride you have in the driveway there.
You haven't changed one bit.
You're the same despicable human being you always were.
You have no manners.
You have no hospitality.
I expected more from the Newmans and the Abbotts,
the elite families of Genoa City.
Shame on you.
You're lucky that you're still breathing, man.
You like to play games?
This time...
you are not gonna win.
Actually, Mr. Clark is in my custody.
What happens next is up to you.
What's it gonna be? We have a deal or not?
SPEAKER: Next week on "The Young and the Restless."
I can't keep doing this anymore.
It's just--it's too hard.
Tessa, what are you saying?
Did Victor agree to call off the dogs?
-Not exactly. -What do you mean?
Finding Matt was not the craziest part of the evening.
Newman Enterprises is ours.
And there's not anything you or anyone else can do about it.
Captioned by Los Angeles Distribution and Broadcasting, Inc.
Captioning provided by Bell Dramatic Serial Company,
Sony Pictures Television and CBS, Inc.
Join us again for "The Young and the Restless."