I tried Lily again, too, Devon,
and Mattie--no response yet.
No word from Charlie either?
Hey, hey, look, look,
let's not jump to any conclusions just yet.
Of course you'd be triggered
after what you went through with Dominic,
but I wanna believe there is a logical explanation
for why we haven't heard from them.
How 'bout this?
How 'bout we sleep on it, see what the morning brings,
and touch base tomorrow?
Sounds good.
Talk to you then.
Hi.
Hey.
Twice in one day!
Lucky me.
No. I'm the lucky one.
My favorite drink ready and waiting for me.
You know, I was seriously considering
peppermint hot chocolate,
but you sounded like you needed some fortification.
You're a wise man.
You see? I feel stronger already.
Much better than the chamomile tea I had earlier.
So...I was surprised to get your text.
I thought you were deep into whatever plans you have
to go after Phyllis.
[sighs] Well, unfortunately,
it turns out that my plan has changed.
Victor! How's that short game
coming along these days?
[chuckling] You know, Jack,
I don't have time for this.
I haven't seen you in a while--
not that I've missed you.
I just assumed you'd flown south
with the rest of the snowbirds
to enjoy the links, you know,
you know, the fresh air,
the ocean breezes.
[chuckling]
Let me ask you something, Jack.
Have you lost your mind? I mean...
you seem to be more of
a blithering idiot than you were before.
Oh, golf's not your game?
Maybe you should try pickleball.
I mean, you got a lotta time
on your hands now that you've lost
Newman Enterprises.
Tell me...
how's it feel to be retired?
♪♪
[strumming mellow chords]
♪♪
I'll leave the game playing
to you and that punk brother of yours.
-There you are. -Hi, darling.
-Lovely as always, Nikki. -Jack.
-If you will excuse us. -Yeah.
Good luck filling your day. Uh...
shuffleboard may be your game.
What was that all about?
Jack Abbott blowing smoke.
Well, I was so relieved to get your message.
I mean, I sent you texts and voicemails
and I didn't hear anything back from you all day.
Where have you been?
[strumming bluesy chords]
♪♪
Oh! Hey.
Hi.
-How much did ya hear? -Uh,
enough, A, to be impressed and B, to sense that
you're having trouble deciding which way to go?
Well...
I like the second one.
But could I hear it again?
[clears throat]
How come you didn't tell me you were writing a song?
Just...fooling around. [laughs]
Oh. You seem kind of intense for just fooling around.
That's probably 'cause of all the caffeine.
Well, for the record, I like it,
and I think it should be a song and...
maybe we could work on it together?
-Ah, thank you. -Thank you!
Ah! This is exactly what I needed.
Thank you for suggesting it.
-I live to make you happy. -Hmm. Well, then, can you
make Victor and Nikki disappear?
I have to say I'm a bit surprised
to see them out in public.
Of course they like making a grand entrance--
all eyes on them and no one else--but you would think,
given the complete humiliation they've suffered,
that they wouldn't dare show their faces.
Well I, for one, am very happy that Victor
has come out from beneath whatever rock he climbed under.
That way I can rub salt in his self-inflicted wounds
and, to tell the truth, I really like doing it.
[laughs] Well, nothing makes me happier
than the fall of the House of Newman,
especially since it's due to that AI program
that Victor intended to use on Jabot.
Karma is alive and well,
and it is past time for him to pay for his sins.
Oh, I have a feeling Victor's days of abusing his power
and ruining people's lives are over.
Well, I will drink to that.
-Hmm. -What?
He just toasted Nikki
like he doesn't have a care in the world.
I mean, how is that possible, unless...
-You don't think... -What?
Well, I-I don't know.
But why does seeing Victor look so smug make me so nervous?
So I'm out of pocket a few hours,
and you're worried about me?
I was busy. Things to attend to.
Like...Phyllis?
Why do you ask?
Well, she has been off the grid as well.
Okay.
So did you confront her. Did you...
do something to her?
Did you put her in danger
so that she would give us back our company?
To be honest with you, I don't care what she's doing
or what condition she's in, okay?
Well, I'm happy to hear that.
But I am going to need an answer
as to what you've been up to.
Now, let me set you straight.
I'm doing everything in my power
to make sure that our company returns to our control.
You don't seem too pleased about this change in plans.
I'm not.
Dare I ask what happened?
You weren't exactly forthcoming about what you were up to
other than you were going after Phyllis.
The plan is simple.
Daniel is already refusing
to have anything to do with his mother.
And Summer is furious with Phyllis
for hijacking the Newman family legacy.
So I wanna talk to her.
I wanna convince her to actively align herself with us.
-Against Phyllis? -Yes.
-You wanna weaponize
Summer's anger against her own mother?
That's an awfully strong word.
-Am I wrong? -Not weaponize as much as...
present a united front.
I want Phyllis to see that if she continues down this path,
if she doesn't give us back Newman and all of its entities,
that she is gonna be completely and utterly alone in this world.
Abandoned by her daughter and son.
That's pretty harsh, don't you think?
It's just... look at it as a choice.
Phyllis can continue to be greedy and selfish
and sit on top of her little world all by herself
or she can do the right thing.
And be welcomed back into the arms of her loving kids.
Seems like a pretty simple choice to me.
But this is Phyllis we're talking about.
So, what's the snag exactly?
I was gonna go to Milan tonight to talk to Summer face to face.
I was hoping that Nick would come with me.
They're so close, and I know that his input
would help to convince her to see the wisdom of this move.
He refused?
[sighs] Yeah.
Unfortunately, Nick is not very keen
on coming between his daughter and her mother.
So he asked me for some more time to think about it.
Huh.
"Huh" what?
I can't help but notice this sounds awfully similar
to what you were facing with Billy and the kids.
And ultimately, you opted not to turn them against their dad.
But instead, you decided to put some distance between them.
Are you gonna offer that same grace to your brother?
This is a totally different situation.
What Phyllis has done to this family
is far more egregious than Billy's actions.
Yeah, I know, he took a payoff
for being a cowardly, self-serving weasel, but...
What?
Phyllis has gutted us.
Second of all, I mean, Summer's an adult.
She's had a lifetime of watching her mother
do selfish, disgusting things
like when Phyllis faked her own death.
It's hard to forget.
She put her kids through hell without a second thought.
Summer--she suffered so much from that.
But she and Phyllis have become close again, right?
Until this latest stunt, yes, they have.
But I'm gonna use this.
I'm gonna use it to convince Summer to side with us.
I just wish that Nicholas would help me.
It would make things so much easier.
Now, I understand that
he doesn't want Summer to be put in the middle of this,
but if it helped us to save our father's legacy,
don't you think it would be worth it?
[sighs]
You're not saying anything. Does that mean you don't agree?
I can see how strongly you feel about this.
But I wanna ask you a question,
and I hope you don't take it the wrong way.
You can ask me anything that you want,
but if you think you're gonna talk me out of this, you won't.
Oh, I know better than to stand in front of a freight train
-going full speed. -I want this, Nate.
I want my family's company back.
And stopping Phyllis is key to it.
So I'm not gonna give up until that woman sees the light
and Newman Enterprises is back where it belongs.
I see the logic in your plan and...
it could very well pay off the way you hope.
Okay. But you have a question.
It's actually on another track all together.
Okay.
Look, I want this to work out for you, I do.
Company back in your hands. Your family whole again.
But... if things don't go to plan--
No, they will.
I'm sorry. Continue.
If they don't...
what are some other options for you?
-Have you thought about that? -What are you talking about,
-other options? -What if this doesn't work out?
What if Phyllis has already won?
Say...the legacy is gone and you can't fight her.
Have you considered what you would do then?
Taking care of something that would return Newman to us.
That something has to be Phyllis,
but you act like she's not a problem.
Not as far as I'm concerned, no.
Well, she's a problem for me.
She stole Chancellor right out from under me
and gave it to Billy to run into the ground.
Sweetheart, I'm very well aware that it's very important for you
to protect Katherine's legacy. I know that.
That's hard to do when it's in somebody else's hands,
especially Billy's.
Sweetheart, I assure you
you will soon be at the helm of that company again.
Trust me.
I do trust you.
But I'd like a few more details just to ease my mind.
Well, you know...
Let me just say that I gave...
Cane Ashby a few incentives, you know, to...
make sure that he makes things right.
Cane?
Why Cane? What were the incentives?
I'll let you know at another time.
Can you at least tell me that you have spoken to Lily
and that she and the twins are all right?
Lily and her children are all right, okay?
I assume you've been keeping her apprised of the situation.
Yes. She knows exactly what's going on.
Don't you worry about a thing.
You're so confident.
Makes me dare to hope
that we will get everything back.
Cheers, my love.
The Moustache is definitely very pleased with himself.
I can feel his arrogance from here.
Jack, everything points to Newman Enterprises
being a total loss.
But look at them!
I-is it possible that Victor has figured out some way
to outsmart Phyllis and Billy?
Oh, I have no doubt he is pulling out every stop
to achieve exactly that.
We just have to hope that he's too late,
that the damage done to Victor and his ugly legacy
is irreparable.
Uh, thank you...for the offer,
but...now, thanks to you,
I think I know which way I wanna go with it.
Are you sure I can't change your mind?
You know, you got a lot going on.
I just don't wanna get in the way of that.
Are you kidding?
I could use the distraction.
You didn't wanna talk about it before.
It's okay. You don't have to talk about it now.
Sharon let it slip that I'm filing for divorce.
Oh.
How'd Mariah take that?
She was fine with it.
She told me that I have to let her go
and that I have to get on with my life with Aria.
I mean, how could this be something Mariah said to me?
I mean, I just thought-- I-I hoped that she would be...
I mean, I could just see the pain in her eyes
and I could see that she needs help and she needs me,
and I just wanted to reach out and take her into my arms
and just tell her that everything was gonna be okay.
But she shut me out.
And wanted me to go, so...
I left.
I'm sorry.
I know how hard that must have been for you.
So that is why I need a distraction.
So I can just focus on something else
other than the demons inside of my head,
and music is just how I know how to do that, so...
are you sure you can't play for me what you have?
I guess...
yes, I...
maybe could use your help.
[sighs]
[plays bluesy chords]
♪♪
-I think this has legs. -Yeah?
Yeah.
♪♪
[murmuring] ♪ Coming with all the fear ♪
♪ Sign that we'll both believe ♪
♪ I say you wanna look back ♪
I don't know. Something like that.
I think it's really good.
-You're not just saying that? -No.
I only say things I mean, and...
especially when it comes to music.
I think we make a really good team.
Daniel Romalotti junior,
I will never, ever forgive you for this.
I know you're not one to take pleasure
-in other people's misfortunes. -But in Victor's case,
I'm willing to make an exception.
No, I enjoy watching him toppled from his self-made throne,
especially since that fall happened
through the same means he intended to use to destroy me.
No, I just worry about Nikki.
[huffs] Of course you do.
And the rest of the family that is dragged down with him.
Well, as long as he stays down this time.
That man has more lives than a cat.
Yeah, that is the rub, isn't it?
-Yeah. -Every time he's down,
no matter how hopeless he seems, to get back up and I don't know,
better positioned than he was when it all started.
Well, it's beyond infuriating.
Yeah. I would admire that quality in anyone else.
In Victor, I find it nauseating.
But this time I honestly think
he has fully been neutralized,
so any doubts you have
about the permanence of his downfall...
please let me enjoy this moment.
[laughs] Oh, Jack.
I want nothing more than to enjoy it with you.
It's just seeing Victor and Nikki
out and about in a public place looking so satisfied--
I can't--I can't help but be suspicious.
It's a weak attempt to maintain appearances.
Victor is never going to admit defeat.
In fact, we'll probably bury that bastard
with that "never say die" look on his face.
-And there it is. -Don't let him get to you.
Yeah, hard not to.
-[phone tone] -Oh.
Oh. It's Patrick from the office.
It's the Underwood deal.
-Um, I better take this. -Yeah, by all means.
JACK: Hey, what's going on, Patrick?
Is it a go?
Yeah.
-[whispers] I'll be right back. -All right. Yeah.
Talk to me.
There's no way failure's an option.
-I won't even consider it. -But...
if it does happen...
Reclaiming my father's legacy means everything to me, Nate.
Everything.
My father has poured his heart and soul
into building a legacy for this family...
his blood and sweat and tears.
I've never taken that lightly.
I'm not gonna sit by and watch him brought to his knees,
his company ripped away from him
by someone as disgusting as Phyllis Summers.
I absolutely get it,
but this is Victor Newman we're talking about here.
The man is never down for long.
It's different this time, Nate, and you know it.
What I do know is that no matter what happens to his company,
he will still come out ahead.
-How can you say that? -Because he has the love
of his large and very loyal family.
And in my eyes, that is where Victor Newman's treasure lies.
I agree. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to stop fighting.
I am not gonna give up! I'm not gonna give up
until every division, every piece of furniture,
every pen on every desk is right back where it belongs.
-So it's all on you? -I want it to be on me!
I want to be the one
to give Newman Enterprises back to my father.
-Is that so selfish? -No.
Do you think it's egotistical?
Sounds like a daughter who loves her father.
It might be a little more than that.
How so?
I've always been my father's right hand.
But now...not so much.
I'm not sure I agree with that.
Adam. Adam is the one that he confides in,
the classic prodigal son,
the one who's given him so much grief.
He's the one that my dad confides in--not me.
Not Nicholas.
He has Adam do things that he would never ask us to do,
-let alone even tell us. -Probably because
Adam isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
But neither am I!
I am not. Not when it comes to defending my family.
It took a long time for me to get to a place
where I felt like my father saw me as his rightful heir.
But now I'm not in the room like I used to be,
and I don't like it.
And you feel the need to prove yourself.
I just know that there's a part of me,
a very big part of me, that wants to be the one
to put a smile back on my father's face
when I tell him that I'm returning his company to him.
Is that so terrible?
No, I get it.
And I want that for you.
Although I still think it might not be a bad idea
to have a contingency plan.
Hey, Mom, it's nice to see you too.
Daniel! Daniel, what the hell?
How was your trip to Milan?
I'm surprised you're back so soon.
You know how my trip went.
Summer wouldn't even let me in the door.
Well, I mean, I'm not surprised.
Uh, I'm kinda shocked that you're acting surprised
because, see, I knew that your trip was a bad idea
from the minute you messaged me about it.
Well, then, why didn't you have a conversation with me?
What, am I gonna talk to you? You weren't gonna listen to me.
Hey, why don't we go someplace where we can actually
-work on the song quietly. -You really think you're gonna
-walk away from me right now? -That's exactly what
I'm gonna do. It's exactly what I said I was gonna do last time,
because I am out of your life, remember?
What are you doing? What are you doing? We finally have it all.
Finally.
You keep taking that victory lap of yours.
I've got better things to do.
Why would you possibly wanna sabotage me to your sister?
-Sabotage you? -Yes.
Mom, no one sabotages you better than you.
No. You filled her head with all of these thoughts
that I'm the bad guy.
You stole Newman's legacy. You stole Summer's legacy.
Victor kidnapped Lily and her kids
because of something that you did!
-Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. -Yes!
No. No! That wasn't because of me.
That was Victor. He did that on his own.
-And they're fine, by the way. -Oh, they're fine?
-Yes. -Has anyone heard from them?
-That's not my point. -Okay, you know what,
I don't care what your point is.
My point is you have upended people's lives
because of your greed and because of your selfishness.
And because of my brilliance and my courage.
My courage, Daniel.
But you're never gonna acknowledge that, are you?
No, I think you're on your own with that one.
Well, I'm not losing Summer, and I'm not losing you.
-I'm not doing that. -You destroyed
Newman Enterprises.
I don't know how you thought that Summer was just gonna
sit by and not be pissed off at you for that.
You know what, she wouldn't be mad.
She would be canonizing me. Seriously!
But you and Nick got in her head.
-Me? -Yes! Yes! Both of you.
Both of you, you got in her head
and made her think that I did all of these horrible things.
Right? It was like a one-man smear campaign.
You really think I'm gonna sit back and allow that to happen?
You think that you're gonna get away with that with me?
No way in hell, Daniel!
Nikki.
-Diane. -Mm. You know,
I'm surprised to see you and Victor out on the town.
It must be hard to put on a brave face
after the catastrophic loss of Newman Enterprises
and Chancellor.
-How are you holding up? -Spare me, Diane.
You followed me in here for a reason,
so why don't you just say what you wanna say?
-Fine. -[compact snaps shut]
I want you to stop using the tragedy
your husband brought on you and your family
as a way to score sympathy points with mine.
Now, Jack might offer you some compassion
because he is kind and decent and obviously patient,
but you really need to find another shoulder to cry on.
Mm. Why are you so threatened?
Oh, I'm not threatened.
I'm just tired of constantly finding
poor, sniveling Nikki every time I turn around.
Of course you're threatened, Diane.
Jack and I have been very close for a long time,
and I haven't put him through
a fraction of the agony that you have over the years,
which makes me think maybe you have serious doubts
that you are capable of holding onto a man
-that you don't deserve. -[scoffs]
I know all too well what it feels like
to face the loss of a career you adore.
When I learned I'd never be able to perform surgery again,
I was devastated.
And even though I wasn't innocent
in bringing about the circumstances behind it,
um, I remember how bitter I was.
Couldn't go back, couldn't undo what had been done.
That loss of control-- it's the worst.
I was lost for a long time.
You think that's gonna be me
if we lose Newman Enterprises for good?
Victoria, I know how strong you are.
Driven. Determined to be the one to fix things.
You calling me a control freak now?
You are used to the world turning on your say-so.
And if that world suddenly stops turning,
it can be scary, unsettling.
So your idea of a fix for me
is to explore other options.
Look, you've been working for your father
most of your life.
You've been at the helm of Newman,
stepping in for him at times.
You probably saw yourself taking over permanently one day,
filling his shoes.
I so hate that you said that in the past tense.
The thought of that safety net being yanked out from under you
can be jarring on a million different levels.
You're so brilliant and talented.
And I don't want you to have even one doubt
about what you're capable of, what the future holds,
whether it involves Newman Enterprises or not.
That's why I want to encourage you
to at least think about what a reinvention of
Victoria Newman might look like.
You know, for the record, me and Nick,
we didn't fill Summer's head with negativity.
We filled it with the facts-- AKA the truth.
Okay, that's a lie. You spun the story to make me look bad.
That's what you did. Don't you get
that this is for the family?
I did this for the family.
No! No, you did this for you.
I-I don't know why you make me regret wanting to believe you.
[softly] Wow. Wow, Daniel.
This must be very difficult to watch.
Please don't do that. You don't need to involve her.
Tessa, do you mind, love,
to just give us a second in private?
-Do you mind? -No, absolutely.
No, no, no, no. Tessa's not going anywhere.
You have no idea what Jack and I have
because you have chosen to stay with a man
with no integrity and no soul.
Well, I'm not the one who's so insecure
I need to accost somebody in the ladies' room.
Oh, I'm just freshening up. But it wouldn't be a bad idea
for you to stay away from my husband.
Ah, well, that will never happen
because Jack and I share a very special bond,
something that you don't understand or ever could.
No, it could happen if you would stop playing
"damsel in distress" at every turn.
I don't go looking for sympathy from my dear friend.
-He just gives it to me. -[scoffs]
That's what friends do,
but you wouldn't know anything about that
because you don't have any.
Oh. And that lip color?
Not one of Jabot's best.
I promise you, I am fine.
Even if we lose the company for good,
I will survive. We all will.
I have no doubt, but it will knock the wind out of you.
I'm just trying to minimize that pain
by encouraging you to think of other ventures
that might give you equal satisfaction.
[laughs]
-Such as? -I don't know, um...
maybe you have an idea of starting your own company?
Or maybe you wanna go in a completely different direction.
Have you...seen yourself as a professor?
-Taking after Cole? -What?
In a classroom full of students
teaching [laughs] Business 101?
No. No, thank you.
Okay, uh, maybe, I don't know,
what did you wanna be when you were a kid?
-A CEO. -Oh.
-What? -[both laughing]
-Yeah. -Uh, say...
-what about a dancer? -Mm. Two left feet.
-A singer? -Tone deaf.
Don't say cook either, because you know I can't cook.
I can bake chocolate chip cookies, but that's baking.
You win for now.
I'm just trying to open your mind to other possibilities.
Understood. And I appreciate that.
But right now, I'm focusing all of my energy
on succeeding.
I want Newman Enterprises back, and I'm gonna get it.
Uh, keep me posted.
Something's wrong.
What's happened?
I'll, uh, fill you in on the way home, my darling. Let's go.
Hey. What's wrong?
Nothing.
I saw you and Nikki leaving the room earlier.
You two didn't get into it, did you?
[laughs] No! No, of course not.
I just--I told her I was sorry about Newman Enterprises
and Chancellor and everything else.
And she didn't take that so well.
Well, coming from me, hardly.
And that was it?
Jack, what else would we possibly have to talk about?
Oh, would you look at that?
The façade has already crumbled.
I guess Victor got some bad news.
[chuckling] Couldn't happen
to a more deserving son of a bitch.
There's no reason for Tessa to leave, Mom,
'cause I have nothing left to say to you.
I thought I made that position very clear.
Yeah. I find your position
and the way you're talking to me detestable.
I don't care. Come on, let's go.
Wait. Now, how many times do I have to tell you this?
What I did I did for us.
I did it for our family. Don't you understand that?
Lying, cheating, and stealing is not my idea of success.
How long have you been out of a job?
Really? Is this where you're going with this?
Yeah! If you worked with me,
[murmurs] you'd have any job you want.
Hell, you'd create a job. You'd be your own boss.
Same with Summer. We could create a fashion empire!
I don't want a job like that! I don't want a job like that
because it would mean that I've turned into
the same exact person that you've turned into.
Now, I told you from the start that if you went through with
this little plan of yours, you were gonna lose me
and Summer and Lucy.
Now, I don't know if you didn't hear me,
if you didn't think that I was being serious,
or if you just didn't care, but now I don't care!
You have gone too far! I am done.
-[sighs] This was nice. -Even though I encouraged you
to consider what life without Newman Enterprises
-would look like? -No.
I appreciate the way you challenge me.
Oh. Anything I can do to help.
And you do. You know that, right?
I just--I told you.
You always help me to stop and, you know,
not overreact to things.
Or at least take some time and think about it
before I'm gonna do what I wanna do anyway.
[laughs] One of the many things that make you so damn charming.
I don't know about that.
I do appreciate your advice, though.
You just always seem to make me feel better,
no matter what... whatever the future may hold.
Well, I...
care about your future.
And you.
You're just done with me forever?
-Seriously? You mean that? -Not a decision I wanna make,
but you're not really giving me much of a choice.
You have no idea. You have no idea how much I love you
and your sister.
You are the motivating factor
in every single move I make in my life.
[voice breaking] When I was in that hellhole,
the thing that got me through is thinking about my family
and what I would do if I was able to come back to them...
giving them the life that they'd never even dreamt of
and building something that you could be proud of.
And you--you don't wanna talk to me?
Ever again?
Come on.
You know, Daniel, forever's a long time.
It's a long time. You mean that?
Hey. I got your message.
Has there been a development with Phyllis
and Newman Enterprises?
This is a different matter entirely, son.
What is it?
Concerns Matt Clark.
What about him?
The judge who was given the case against Matt...
threw it out.
He threw it out? How the hell does that happen?
Apparently, the detective involved in the case
-was compromised. -No, no, no.
If the case has been thrown out, then that means...
That means that Matt Clark is free.
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."