Young & The Restless Update
Recap written by Christine
At ChancComm, Gaines claimed that he made up the story about Ashland forging Camillaâs will and stealing her fortune. Billy and Lily didnât believe it. Lily asked if Gaines was saying he flew all the way to Italy to reveal a lie. Gaines said that the story didnât have to be true to stop the wedding. Billy pointed out that Gaines had the original letter from Camilla saying she wasnât leaving Ashland anything in the will. Gaines said he had a guy in Atlantic City create the letter. Lily said that if Gaines wouldnât back up the story, ChancComm wouldnât be able to defend themselves, and Ashlandâs lawyer would bury them. Billy told Lily not to worry, because ChancComm wouldnât get buried. Billy suspected that, the second the article was published, Gaines struck a deal with Victor, Ashland and Adam to save his own skin. Billy said that Ashland already copped to forging the letter â he admitted it to Victoria, which he wouldnât do if it was a lie, and heâd spent years paying Gaines to keep it quiet. Gaines said Billy would have a hard time proving that was true, but it was easy to prove the letter was a fake. âYou didnât have it authenticated did you?,â Gaines asked, adding that a test of the paper and ink would prove it wasnât 30 years old. Lily scoffed and asked if Gaines went through these extremes to get the upper hand on Ashland â a forgery of a forgery? Billy suggested that Gaines got out of the Tuscan wine cellar by agreeing to help Adam and Victor with their elaborate scheme. âVictor and Adam put the whole thing in motion,â Billy theorized. Gaines didnât say anything.
Billy called Ashland and left a message. Billy knew that the email hack reeked of Victor and Adam, but he didnât understand why theyâd release this article until now. âThey frame us for it and then they sue us into oblivion,â Billy stated. Lily realized that was why Adam was so smug when Billy threatened him â Adam was never in jeopardy. Billy added that it explained why Gaines caved so quickly when Billy said he wasnât going to release the article. âYou had a big deal planned with the Newmans, didnât you?,â Billy asked. Gaines said he couldnât confirm or deny it. Billy wanted to know what Adam and Victorâs next move was. Gaines didnât know, and he was on his way out of town for good. Gaines said he didnât expect Billy to pay him any more money. Billy sarcastically called Gaines sweet. Lily asked if Gaines came to ChancComm tonight just to rub this in their faces. âWhat good is a win if you canât gloat a little bit?,â Gaines replied. Billy didnât think Gaines won. He noted that Victor, Adam and Ashland still had power over Gaines. Gaines hoped all the Newman cash would ease his pain. Gaines said goodbye and good luck, and he left.
Billy admitted that they got one-upped by Victor and Adam. Lily mused that Billy was basically Victor and Adamâs accomplice. âAll they had to do was put some bait on a hook and cast a line and you couldnât help yourself,â Lily said. She noted that Adam and Victor knew Billy wouldnât be able to resist going after Newman Media and Locke. Billy asked Lily if she remembered that Adam and Victor declared war on ChancComm. He was trying to protect their company. She asked if he remembered her suggesting they try other options, like asking Victoria to intervene. She said he had too much pride to go to his ex for help. He said he called Victoria, and she didnât get back to him. âYou went to her, asked her to intervene. How did that go?,â he challenged. She said at least she tried something other than blackmail, which was his only plan, and his plan failed spectacularly. Billy took responsibility, but he said Lily was partially responsible too, because she told him to do whatever it took. Lily explained that she said that as a result of a knee-jerk reaction from her attempts to negotiate with Victoria and Adam and because sheâd had to tell Billy a million times that blackmail wasnât the answer. âI regretted it right away. Never shouldâve said it. We never shouldâve let Gaines back into our lives,â she stated. He said it didnât matter if they kicked Gaines to the curb or not, because Adam and Victor already had already flipped Gaines knowing that they were going to hack Billyâs email and authorize the release of the story. Lily asked why Billy even assigned the article to someone, when they never planned to publish it. He said that he did it to make the threat to publish it look real. He didnât think it mattered though because Victor and Adam wouldâve hacked into his email and made it look like ChancComm released the story anyway. âThose two bastards were two steps ahead the entire time,â he admitted. She apologized for jumping on him. She thought they needed to focus on saving ChancComm and their employees jobs.
Victor went home, and Nikki asked about Abby. Victor admitted she wasnât doing well, and he stated that grief could make you do bizarre things. Nikki agreed, adding that this was especially true when a loss was sudden, like with Chance. Nikki was stunned when Victor said that Abby moved Dominic in with Devon. Nikki said Abby would be clear across town from her baby. Victor said he and Ashley decided not to interfere because Abby was the mother, and she had the right to do what she wanted. Nikki hoped the arrangement didnât last long. Victor said Abby left it open-ended. Victor noted that he couldâve taken custody of the boy, since he and Ashley were designated as legal guardians if anything happened to Chance or Abby. He didnât stop Abby from taking Dominic to Devonâs, because he wanted to honor her wishes.
Nikki agreed with Victor, but she also saw Abbyâs point of view, since she felt she wasnât up for looking after the baby. Victor thought that it wouldâve been best if Dominic stayed at the ranch for a week or two. He held Devon in high regard, but the baby was his grandson. While Nikki agreed, she said that Devon had a special connection to Dominic, which Abby saw, and if it brought Abby peace for Dominic to be with Devon, that was what was most important.
Sharon and Rey were at Society, and they could hear Sally and Adam laughing from a few tables over. Rey asked Sharon if she was sure she didnât want to leave. Sharon thought it was nice to see Adam having a good time, even if it was with Sally. Sharon wasnât going to worry about Sallyâs motives, because it wasnât her problem. Sharon didnât want to leave, but Reyâs expression made her ask if he wanted to. He said he wasnât going to leave the restaurant where his sisterâs empanadas were still on the menu because of Adam. They talked a bit about Lola, who was enjoying her time living and working in Miami. The laughter from the other table caught their attention again. Rey thought it was weird that Adam was having the time of his life when Ashland, who was on the board of Newman Media, was at the center of a huge scandal. Sharon asked if he really wanted to spend time psychoanalyzing Adam. He realized she was right.
Sally and Adam saw Sharon and Rey. Sally recalled that Sharon and Adam had history. She asked if he had any feelings about Sharon being here tonight. âWeâre not gonna go there okay? So, stop,â he replied. She commented that he was full of mysteries, but he said he was an open book. He told her to ask him anything. âWhat are you looking for in -â Sally began to say, but Adam cut her off and said he couldnât answer that, or her next question. âYou are an open book but all your pages are blank,â she replied. Adam got a text that made him smile. He told the curious Sally that he was meeting someone, but not whom. Sally tried to figure out what they could actually discuss â the weather or sports, or Thanksgiving. He said he made a mean pumpkin pie â his motherâs recipe. He wrote it down for his mom when he was a kid. It was one of the few mementos he kept. Sally asked why his mom didnât write it. He explained that Hope was blind, and she usually cooked from memory, but sometimes, like on Thanksgiving, she had him help her.
Sally was going to ask a question, but Adam had to leave the table because Gaines arrived. Adam wanted to know exactly what happened at ChancComm. Gaines said it played out how Adam predicted it would – Billy stomped and yelled a bit, but he knew he was beaten. Adam smiled. To Gaines dismay, Adam reminded Gaines that there was more for him to do. âJust execute the next step of the plan and then youâre free,â Adam said.
Sharon praised the kale salad, and Rey said that was his momâs dressing. Lola borrowed a lot from their mom. Sharon was chattering about recipes, but Reyâs eyes were locked on Adam and Gaines, who were at the bar. Sharon realized Rey wasnât listening. Rey recognized Jesse Gaines because his picture was in the ChancComm article. He told Sharon about this and said that whatever was going on with Adam and Gaines couldnât be good. Rey had a flashback to the conversation he had with Billy and Lily earlier about Gaines, whether Ashland committed a crime and what Billy intended to do with the dirt Gaines had on Ashland.
Rey told Sharon that it didnât make much sense for Gaines and Adam to be meeting. At first, Rey thought that Billy was going to use Gaines as a bargaining chip against Victor and Adam. Now Rey theorized that Adam made his own bargain with Gaines. He said the man who destroyed Victoriaâs husbandâs reputation was hanging out with her brother. Something was wrong. Sharon asked if Rey could put the detective hat away for awhile, because not everything was a crime. Rey said apparently, Locke Communications Group was born out of a crime, so he couldnât help wondering what was going on. Sharon said that Adam and Victoria had a history of animosity, and while it seemed that tensions were thawing, it wouldnât be a surprise if they were on opposite sides again. Rey said Locke was on the board of Newman Media, and the article was going to affect Adamâs company, so why was he so calm?
Back at the bar, Gaines grumbled about his predicament. Adam stated that the camera crew was at the office. He told Gaines to stop whining and go put on the performance of his life. Gaines swallowed his drink.
Rey watched Gaines and Adam again. Sharon understood that being suspicious and being a detective was who he was, but this was not his case. She said the only mystery he had to solve tonight was what they were having for dessert. She wanted to enjoy their evening and block out the rest of the world. He was sorry he got caught up in whatever Adam and Gaines were doing. He thanked her for reminding him of what mattered. Rey promised that for the rest of the night, heâd be completely devoted to Sharon, but Gaines left the restaurant shortly after this, and Rey couldnât resist turning to watch Gaines go.
Adam returned to the table. Sally admitted she was curious and concerned. She loved her job, so she was protective of Newman Media, and she didnât want anything to hurt it or Adam. She told him to be careful. He promised to do his best. He just wasnât used to loyalty like this from employees. She said it wasnât completely altruistic, because sheâd hate to find another job. She offered to help with his plans. He appreciated her offer. He thought the coup with Victoriaâs dress was brilliant, but he said he needed her to focus on the fashion platform, because the wheels were already turning in the move against ChancComm. She saw him talking to Gaines. He said that required all his attention now, but there was nothing to worry about because everything was going according to Adamâs plan. Soon, they wouldnât have to worry about Billy or ChancComm again.
Back at ChancComm, Billy suggested that he and Lily werenât in as much trouble as she thought. It wasnât the first time theyâd been sued, and it wouldnât be the last. He said they already won the lawsuit Victor launched against them because of the article on Adam. Lily said they had facts on their side then, and they didnât this time, especially if Gaines was telling the truth when he said he lied about the whole thing. Billy said they knew Ashland committed a crime. He said Ashland wouldnât have confessed to Victoria about a crime he didnât commit, and he wouldnât have paid Gaines all that money if he were innocent. Billy said every accusation in the article was true, and they needed to stand by it. She thought they needed to be practical â they couldnât just stand on principle, when there was too much at stake. She thought the best thing to do was print a retraction and let people know about the hack. He thought that was the prudent thing to do. He got a text alert, and he told her that it might be too late for her plan.
Adam texted Victor and told him to watch Newman Mediaâs streaming news.
At Newman Media, Gaines did a press conference recanting everything attributed to him in the ChancComm article, and he said the letter from Camilla was fake. Gaines said he hated Ashland, so he made up these allegations and told them to Billy and Lily. âI still hate Ashland Locke, but he is, in fact, a victim in this matter because those lies should never have been published,â Gaines said. Gaines said he regretted his part in this, but he thought ChancComm shouldâve done their due diligence and fact-checked what he told them, and if they had, the article wouldnât have been published. Gaines said he believed ChancComm had an ulterior motive for publishing the article without vetting his claims. Gaines said he had a moral obligation to come forward because society deserved more from their news institutions.
Nikki returned to her living room after she watched Gainesâ recantation. She asked if Victor, Victoria and Ashland knew all about this. Victor stated that he knew, and he added that Ashland was part of it from the beginning. âThere was a risk of Ashlandâs story being exposed by Billy Boy Abbott, on his terms,â Victor stated. âSo Adam and I stepped in. we got rid of the problem,â he added. Nikki was worried because she knew everything Gaines said at the press conference was a lie and that his original statements about Ashland were true. Victor said that Billy had planned to use that against them. Nikki thought Victor often underestimated Billy. She felt that Billy and Victor were a lot alike. Victor scoffed. Nikki said when Billy and Victor felt cornered, they both went on the attack. For that reason, she thought that situation was far from over.
Back at ChancComm, Lily said you almost had to admire the thoroughness of the Newmanâs plan. Billy said the Newmans made Ashland bullet proof â it didnât matter what came out about the letter anymore, because itâd already been discredited. âThey painted us as immoral reckless villains,â Lily said.
Billy said that he and Lily were in the right, and they had truth on their side. Lily believed that they ceased to be the good guys the moment he resorted to blackmail. He thought she wasnât looking to cast blame. She sighed that she wasnât, it was just that she knew something was off from the minute Gaines showed up on their doorstep claiming heâd escaped. Billy wished heâd listened to Lily. He thought the good news was that there was nothing else for the Newmans to throw at them. Lily didnât agree. She thought there was a bigger shoe that was about to drop.
Back at Society, Adam told Sally she should go on ahead, because he had to have a conversation with Rey. Sally left. Adam went over and offered Sharon and Rey a drink. Sharon seemed hesitant, so Adam assured them he wouldnât be joining them. Rey asked if Adam had to go meet with his buddy, Gaines. Adam said Gaines was no buddy of his, and what Rey witnessed was a chance encounter. Adam said heâd used the opportunity to rake Gaines over the coals for what he was trying to do to Ashland. Rey thought that looked like a pretty gentle raking. Rey said he saw the pres conference, so he was skeptical about that being a chance encounter. Adam had something to say. Sharon said that she and Rey were trying to have a quiet dinner. Adam was sorry for the intrusion, but this would only take a minute. Rey was willing to hear Adam out. Adam said that before ChancComm published the article, Billy contacted him and threatened to release it. Adam admitted that Newman Media had been looking for ways to edge out ChancComm. Adam said that Billy tried to use the article as leverage. âIn other words, he tried to blackmail us. Now that canât be legal, can it?,â Adam said.
Back to the Main Days of Our Lives Page
