Young & The Restless Transcript
Transcript provided by Suzanne
Nikki: I already ordered for you.
Victoria: If I want something, I’ll order it for myself.
Nikki: Okay. I’m not the enemy.
Victoria: No, but you are half of the reason why I’m so furious right now — because you and my father refuse to admit that I am an adult who has a right to live my own life without any interference.
Nikki: I know you’re looking for someone to blame.
Victoria: Are you telling me that you knew nothing about dad poking around in ashland’s medical records? And now he’s claiming that my husband has been lying about his illness.
Nikki: I found out shortly before you did.
Victoria: And yet you didn’t warn me?
Nikki: [ Scoffs ] I was in shock. I-I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to think it was a mistake.
Victoria: [ Sighs ] It shouldn’t even be in question, mother. I’m sure that dad told you what I said when I confronted him yesterday, so now I need to know. I need to know where you stand. And please tell me you don’t believe these hateful and disgusting insinuations about ashland.
Ashland: Yeah, everything seems to be under control finally. Well, yes, you’re damn right I’m upset. Things should have never gotten this far. No more surprises. You hear me? No, no, no, no. You disappoint me again, it’ll be your last time.
[ Knock on door ]
[ Sighs ]
Nate: Got a minute?
Ashland: You’ve spoken to victor.
Nate: Tell me he’s wrong. Tell me you haven’t been lying to me and the entire newman family this whole time.
Lauren: When was the last time you heard from your brother?
Kevin: Uh, good morning to you, too.
Lauren: I’m sorry. I just haven’t been in contact with michael for a while.
Kevin: Yeah, chloe mentioned you were a little concerned. Isn’t he doing some kind of work for victor?
Lauren: Yeah. That’s precisely why I’m worried. He hasn’t called or texted in almost two days.
Kevin: You know, I’ve done my share of work for victor, mostly off the books. He keeps his employees very busy.
Lauren: Which is why I had my reservations about this job in the first place. But victor persuaded him, “oh, it’s only going to be part-time,” only to ship him out of the country. I mean, who knows what kind of shady business victor has him involved in?
Victor: Ashland locke called my bluff. Told victoria everything and proclaimed his innocence.
Adam: And she believed him?
Victor: Every word of it. Now she’s furious with me.
Adam: [ Inhales deeply ] Well, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised he would make a move like this, considering how much time and effort he put into setting up this con, convincing everyone that he was dying of cancer.
Victor: I gave him a way out. I said continue lying and get the hell out of town.
Adam: So, what is your next step?
Victor: [ Breathes deeply ] I’m amber, I’ve lost 128 pounds with golo,
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Victor: I’ve been forced into the untenable position of telling my beloved daughter that she’s married to a fraud.
Adam: Well, we were aware of his reputation before he even proposed.
Victor: Yeah, but what pisses me off is that I allowed him to come into our family, into our circle. I allowed him to spin his web of lies and deception right under my nose.
Adam: Alright. It’s not your fault.
Victor: It will be if we allow him to sign the contract that makes him co-ceo of newman/locke.
Adam: Okay, so, how do we stop him?
Victor: I don’t know yet.
Adam: Well, he must be awfully confident that you can’t produce anything to convince victoria that he’s lying. You think he’s got someone helping him?
Victor: Oh, yeah. No doubt. As soon as he found out that i was onto him, he began to cover his behind.
Adam: Have you talked to michael?
Victor: To be frank with you, that’s another thing that bothers me terribly. I have not hear from michael ever since he left that hotel in lima. Hopefully he’s gone into hiding and is protecting himself.
Adam: Okay, then we need to seriously consider the possibility that ashland countered our move and he had his people stop michael from doing his investigation. So, either he has ice in his veins, or he knows something that we don’t, which would explain why he felt so confident in calling your bluff.
Victor: Well, whatever the case, the burden of proof is on my shoulders, you know? In order to convince my daughter to listen to me and not to her husband, I need irrefutable proof. And I ain’t got any right now. Which makes ashland locke be in the driver’s seat. And I don’t like that.
Ashland: Look, I swear to you, this is the work of someone who is out for revenge. It’s payback by some enemy i must have made along the way.
Nate: Do you really think someone would do something so awful to you? Who hates you that much?
Ashland: Well, it would certainly be a lot easier for me to name the number of people who don’t want to see my head on a platter. Look, they — you were with me during the worst parts of my illness. You stood beside me when i married the woman who’s changed my life. It’s surreal to me that we’re even having this conversation. You really believe that I would create this ruse, that I’ve been lying to victoria this entire time, the woman I love? I mean, I — [ Sighs ] I can understand why victor might think this way. He’s protecting his daughter. I get that. I mean, assuming that’s all it is.
Nate: Meaning what?
Ashland: Meaning it was one thing when I was getting involved in his company and he thought I was on death’s doorstep, but now it’s a whole other thing. Look, I-I-I — I can’t make sense of this. I just can’T. What I need from you now is to know that you believe me.
Nate: Why?
Ashland: Because I value our friendship. It’s one of the reasons that i offered you the job. I just hate to think that you’re buying into this.
Nate: [ Sighs ] Of course I want to believe that you’re telling me the truth… because you would have to be a pretty awful person to lie about having a fatal illness just to get what you wanted.
Ashland: I couldn’t agree with you more.
Nikki: [ Sighs ] To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what to believe. I mean, I keep asking myself if — if ashland is capable of doing something so repugnant.
Victoria: And your answer?
Nikki: I don’t know. I mean, I can’t ignore his past. And he did lie about his history, and it seems like the lies keep coming. After he swore to you that he would never keep anything from you again, then he pretended that he just happened upon this clinic in peru. Then we find out that he’s been funding it for years.
Victoria: Well, perhaps i find it easier to forgive his transgressions because I’ve had to do the same thing for dad so many times.
Nikki: Darling, all your father has done his entire life is try to protect you. Now, his methods may not have been perfect, but the only thing that’s important to him is your happiness, and that’s why he’s doing this. Even if he is wrong, he is just trying to protect you.
Victoria: By going after my husband, he’s already lost me. Goal!
Kevin: There are a million logical reasons to explain why michael’s been out of touch.
Lauren: I’m all ears.
Kevin: His phone died. Or it’s — he dropped it and it’s broken. Or he’s off the grid and there’s no cell service. Or maybe he got on a plane, turned it off, forget to turn it back on.
Lauren: Yeah, I’ve thought about all those excuses, too, and chloe tried to convince me that any one of them could be true.
Kevin: So, what’s stopping you from believing?
Lauren: Two days? My husband, who knows me better than anyone, who knows how I’m gonna react in any given situation, would know how scared I would be not to hear from him. He would find a way to let me know that he is okay. Something’s not right.
Kevin: What did michael tell you about his plans?
Lauren: Not much. He’s been playing it pretty close to the vest. Just that it was going to be a very short trip. But [Sighs ] I can’t shake this feeling that victor has gotten him involved in something bad.
Kevin: Well, he’s victor’s lawyer. Maybe this is something victor wants kept quiet.
Lauren: Right. This is precisely why he hired michael. You don’t need a keen legal mind to do estate planning or to set up a charity. He needed him on retainer. He needed someone he could trust with his secret dealings and then he could absolutely claim attorney-client privilege.
Kevin: Victor is a complicated man.
Lauren: And michael loved the idea of handling his special projects. It invigorated him. He was inspired by it. He was hungry for it. And now I’m worried he’s paying the price for it.
Nikki: Victoria, it breaks my heart to hear you talk about your situation with your father as irreparable.
Victoria: I just don’t see how we move past this.
Nikki: Do you really think that victor could make something like this up?
Victoria: My father has been known to use underhanded maneuvers in the name of business. Perhaps you recall how he got ashland to close the deal on what is now newman media. My husband was having a heart attack, and he refused to call for medical help until he signed the contract. Or was my husband supposed to be faking that, as well? Is dad claiming that that was part of this elaborate plan?
Nikki: I don’t know. But what if these accusations are true?
Victoria: How dare you, mother? How dare you? Of course I don’t think they’re true. Has ashland been a ruthless businessman his entire career? Absolutely. Just like my father has. But this, what you’re suggesting — it’s a different level of deception. It means he would have had to have been lying to me since the minute he met me.
Nikki: All I’m saying is —
Victoria: You’re saying that the man that I adore doesn’t love me. You’re saying that he’s evil and conniving and that I have been a fool all along. That’s what you’re saying.
Nikki: Darling, nobody wants to see you hurt. But what if this was a plan that ashland set in motion before he ever met you? I mean, he could have had this charade all set up before he came to genoa city. All I am asking is for you to please talk to michael and listen to what he says because he is the one who found the evidence of ashland’s guilt.
Victoria: I’ve heard enough. I’ve heard enough! I thought that you of all people would be on our side.
Nikki: I am on your side, as your mother, your coo, and your friend.
Ashland: I’m not gonna spend any more time trying to figure out victor’s motives. You are my primary concern right now. You came in here. You asked me about a story you’ve heard. You — you — you’re asking me if I’ve been playing you.
Nate: And I’m still waiting for an answer.
Ashland: Oh, come on. Nate, I… I have very few friends in this world. The more money I’ve made, the more power I’ve gained, the more isolated I’ve become. There are very few people i trust. You — aside from victoria, you have become one of my most trusted friends. You are someone I can confide in and be honest with, and i haven’t had that kind of friendship in a very long time. It’s also part of the reason that I made the impulsive decision to ask you to be my best man, even though we had not known each other for a very long time. Look, I’m — I’m — I’m not gonna try to convince you of anything, okay? I just want to know if you truly believe that I could be as cunning and calculating, so much so that I would make up some kind of a story like this one.
Nate: It’s, uh — it’s difficult to imagine.
Ashland: People have been coming after me my entire life in a hundred different ways. It comes with the territory.
Nate: This seems a bit extreme.
Ashland: I agree. This is a carefully calculated plot that victor has bought into, I think because he has never really trusted me in the first place.
Nate: [ Sighs ] I’ve known victor for a long time. And while he’s done some things that I’ve hated, that I’ve questioned, he’s a smart and careful man, thorough.
Ashland: I agree.
Nate: And he would never make an accusation like this if he didn’t have proof to back it up.
Ashland: And that’s exactly what my enemies expected. This trap has been carefully laid. But I am not going to stand idly by and allow these people to dismantle all the accomplishments I have made with the newmans.
Nate: Is that how you see your marriage to victoria? As an accomplishment? Kids can change minds,
Lauren: I think the reason that michael has been so cagey about this trip to peru is that he’s doing the type of job that should be done by a private investigator.
Kevin: You know he can take care of himself.
Lauren: I do, and that’s why I’m so worried. What if something has gone wrong?
Kevin: I’m gonna do some digging around.
Lauren: [ Sighs ] Thank you. Will you find out what may have happened to him?
Kevin: Yeah, I’ll look into it.
Lauren: Alright. Thank you so much. Look, I got to go. I can’t just sit around and hope for the best.
Kevin: What are you gonna do?
Lauren: Well —
Chloe: Hi, guys! Lauren, I’m so glad that you’re here. Um, I can update you on chelsea’s trip to new york.
Lauren: Uh, yeah. I got to go, uh, but I do want to hear about it. Just later.
Chloe: Sure. Okay.
Lauren: Kevin?
Kevin: I’ll be in touch.
Lauren: Thanks. Bye.
Chloe: Um…what did I just walk in on?
Kevin: She still hasn’t heard from michael. I’m worried. I knew him going back to work for victor would only lead to trouble.
Chloe: Hold on. You don’t know that he’s in trouble.
Victoria: Michael. It’s victoria. Call me as soon as you can. It’s important.
Ashland: Oh, my god. I do not consider my marriage to victoria an accomplishment.
Nate: Then feel free to clarify.
Ashland: Marrying victoria was the best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life. You know that. She is the true love of my life. She stood by me through so many tribulations.
Nate: And the accomplishment?
Ashland: I was talking about the merger, obviously, which, by the way, is the crowning achievement in victoria’s career. She’s the one who imagined it. She’s the one who made it happen. I couldn’t be happier for her and more proud of her for that. Marrying her was a gift. She gave me the kind of happiness that I never believed I deserved in my own life, and I’ve made her happy, too, happier, she says, than she’s ever been. Nate, I — I don’t know how much time i have left with her in this life. But I am not gonna let anyone take away one single second of that time.
Adam: Victoria will only see these accusations as an unwarranted attack unless we have something solid to back them up.
Victor: Yep. And time is running out. Ashland locke is about to sign a contract that will make him co-ceo of the company.
Adam: Yeah, and if he does, he’s gonna be as equally powerful as victoria.
Victor: I got a text from michael baldwin just before he went missing. He told me that he was gathering all the dirt he could find on ashland locke and send it to me.
Adam: And you still haven’t gotten it?
Victor: Nothing.
Adam: Well, until you do, there’s no way that you’re gonna be able to convince victoria.
Victor: [ Exhales heavily ] And victoria tells me that I’ve crossed a line from which it is very difficult to come back.
Adam: Well, that had to hurt.
Victor: Yeah. That really hurts, to think that I would lose her love and trust.
[ Knock on door ]
Nikki: I’ve just come from seeing victoria.
Victor: How’s she doing?
Nikki: Furious. And, underneath the anger, heartbroken.
Victor: Boy, do i wish i could make all this stuff go away.
Nikki: I’m worried about how all of this will end. What if you’re wrong, victor? How will you and victoria ever recover from this?
Adam: Look, there’s only one way that’s gonna happen. We need that evidence. It’s clear we can’t count on michael to save the day, so what we need to —
Lauren: Oh. Go on. If you have something to say about my husband, I’d like to hear it, too.
“The young and the restless”
will continue. I have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Chloe: Do not let yourself get pulled into lauren’s fears about michael.
Kevin: What if she’s right? What if he really is in trouble?
Chloe: What if the sky is falling? What if there is a zombie apocalypse?
Kevin: Oh, come on. Just because there’s no proof?
Chloe: There are a zillion reasons why michael could be out of touch. He’s busy. He lost his phone. He likes being off the grid. His phone’s dead.
Kevin: Yeah, I went through the same list with lauren, but she insists something about this feels off, and she’s right. If victor just needed a couple of contracts red-lined, there’s a million other attorneys he could have gone to. But he chose michael.
Chloe: Because he is the best.
Kevin: [ Sighs ] Chances are victor needed help with something top-secret, something private and delicate. But what if something has gone wrong? What if my brother is in trouble? He’s got nobody there, nobody to help get him out. I think we owe it to him to at least investigate.
Victor: Lauren. My goodness. How nice to see you. How can I help you?
Lauren: I need answers about michael. And we can do this with an audience, but I need to talk to you now.
Victor: Alright. Sweetheart, we can pick this up later, okay?
Nikki: Are you sure?
Victor: Yeah. I’ll let you know when I’m done.
Lauren: When was the last time you heard from michael?
Victor: I don’t recall exactly.
Lauren: Well, I can, down to the minute. It has been the longest two days of my life.
Victor: Lauren, I understand, but he’s on a very delicate mission, you know? And I’m sure he is wrapping things up and will come home as soon as he can.
Lauren: Don’t give me these vague reassurances.
Victor: I have no more answers.
Lauren: You know something? Either you’re covering something up or you don’t want to admit that you’ve lost contact with michael. Now tell me the truth now.
Ashland: So, now you’ve gotten a window into how rough and tumble the business world can be when you operate at the level I do. But I want to reassure you this kind of thing does not happen every day, and I intend to expose this sham for what it is and put an end to it so we can all focus on the future, a future that includes you in a new position at newman/locke.
[ Door opens ]
Victoria: Nate. I wasn’t expecting to find you here. Is everything alright?
Ashland: Just an unexpected conversation between friends.
Victoria: Are you talking about nate’s new position?
Nate: Not yet.
Ashland: Nate has heard about all the accusations made against me, and he understandably has questions.
Victoria: From my family. It’s humiliating that they’re spreading this rumor. I mean, I can’t imagine how they would think that ashland could possibly be lying about his cancer diagnosis.
Nate: It was the last thing I expected to hear.
Victoria: You don’t actually believe them, do you? I mean, you’ve — you’ve seen ashland’s medical records. You’ve — you’ve witnessed the toll that this has taken on him. It’s absurd, the idea that he’s never had cancer.
Nate: Everything I’ve seen supports his diagnosis, yes.
Victoria: Will you go to my father? He trusts you. Tell him how insane this is and the only thing that he is going to accomplish by pursuing this ridiculous accusation is it’s just gonna cause irreparable damage. And when the truth does come out and we find out who’s really behind it and why, his embarrassing claims that he’s doing this to protect me — it’s just not gonna amount to anything. It’s hurting ashland and it’s hurting me and it needs to stop.
Nate: I hope for all your sakes that the truth comes out sooner than later.
Victoria: Thank you, nate. Thank you so much.
Ashland: We’re lucky to have you as a friend, nate. And I appreciate that you’ve come here to hear my side of the story.
Nate: Of course.
Ashland: Nate. I’m looking forward to sitting with you and talking about your future at newman/locke.
Nate: Take care.
Victoria: [ Exhales sharply ] It is such a relief that he is not buying into this nonsense. You have the chief of surgery in your corner. Why don’t you look happier? I just heard something amazing!
Nate: Hey, you. I am sorry I am late.
[ Smooches ] I hope I didn’t have you waiting too long.
Elena: I won’t hold it against you…too much.
Nate: [ Chuckles ]
Elena: What held you up? Something exciting happen at memorial?
Nate: Uh, if there’s anything exciting about doing paperwork, I wish someone would share the secret.
[ Chuckles ] No. Uh, some newman family drama.
Elena: Shocking.
Nate: Yeah. It’s not just your garden-variety business intrigue or sibling rivalry. This is some next-level stuff.
Elena: Interesting. Go on.
Nate: Hmm. All I can say is ashland’s at the center of it, which is why i got dragged into it. Someone’s making some pretty scandalous accusations about him.
Elena: Well, ashland’s no angel. Everyone knows that. But I guess I’ve been a hopeless romantic because I thought falling in love with victoria would have changed him.
Nate: You really think love can change someone?
Elena: I think love from the right person, sure. But I don’t know ashland like you do. Do you think the allegations are true?
Nate: [ Sighs ] I don’t want to believe them.
Elena: But you’re not sure.
Nate: It’d be one thing if victor was the one who approached me about all of this, but it was nick.
Elena: Oh, boy. The newman with a heart of gold.
Nate: He knows ashland and i are close friends. He wants my help in confirming his suspicions.
Elena: So he’s basically asking you to betray your friend.
Nate: I told him and victor that I didn’t want any part of it. But when I left, I had a ton of questions. So I went to see ashland, heard his side of the story.
Elena: What did he say?
Nate: He claims it was all lies, that someone’s setting him up. He was very convincing.
Elena: Yeah. I know how persuasive ashland can be.
Nate: I was ready to leave memorial to go work for him.
Elena: Wait, you “were” ready?
Nate: I told ashland I was leaning towards accepting his offer. But I’m having doubts now about taking that leap… and about locke himself.
Ashland: Victor’s protecting his daughter. I can understand that. But why he felt the need to go to my friend, poison him against me, I, uh…
Victor: I’m so sorry.
Ashland: Yeah. Well, maybe it’s better that everything’s out in the open with nate. I’m just glad he had the chance to hear the truth from me. But, victoria, I’m gonna find out who’s behind these attacks, prove these disgusting allegations are just lies.
Victoria: That is the fastest way to get my father to back off.
Ashland: No, I want more than that, though. I want to remove any shred of doubt from victor’s mind… or anyone else’S.
Victor: I don’t like seeing you this upset.
Lauren: What have you gotten michael involved in?
Victor: Sweetheart, it was a delicate mission that I knew he could handle.
Lauren: It was supposed to be a short fact-finding mission! The secrecy, the intrigue. You made it sound like an adventure, and michael ate it up. He was eager to go. The one thing you forgot to tell him is how dangerous it was.
Victor: I would never put him in a dangerous situation.
Lauren: This trip to peru has dragged on, and michael is now off the radar. My gut is telling me that something is very wrong.
Victor: Michael is not only a great lawyer. He’s a good friend of mine. If anything goes wrong, I will move heaven and earth to get him back here, alright?
Lauren: Right. And we need to do that now. We need to find him.
Victor: We don’t even know if anything is amiss. We don’T. I don’t want you to have your imagination run amuck with you.
Lauren: What if you had lost contact with nikki and she was out of the country? What would you do?
Victor: I would do the same thing you’re doing now. And if she walked back in and she was alright, she would tell me, “listen, why were you so worried?”
Lauren: I really hope you’re telling me the truth. Because if anything happens to michael, I will never forgive you.
[ Door slams ]
Victor: [ Breathes deeply ]
Stouffer’s makes you happyfull
Kevin: Hi. Thanks for meeting us.
Lauren: Well, I’m glad you’re taking my concerns about michael seriously.
Chloe: Well, when you left society, we talked about it, and kevin persuaded me that this is more than just his phone running out of power.
Lauren: [ Sighs ]
Kevin: I’ve hacked into his devices, tried tracking him.
Lauren: And what did you find?
Kevin: [ Sighs ] Dead ends and brick walls.
Lauren: [ Sighs ] Sounds like my meeting with victor.
Chloe: That’s who you rushed to go see when you left society?
Lauren: Yeah, I thought it would be important to go see the man that sent michael to peru in the first place to see what was going on. But all he said is that he would move mountains to keep michael safe.
Chloe: Well, that’s not much of an explanation.
Lauren: Exactly. I think he’s as much in the dark as we are and doesn’t want to admit that he doesn’t know what happened to michael and why he’s been out of contact.
Kevin: I’m gonna keep digging around to see what I can find, but if we don’t hear from our brother by morning, I’m gonna get my cop buddies involved.
Nate: [ Sighs ]
Elena: Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. We are gonna have brunch, where the only thing you have to decide is whether you want coffee or tea.
Nate: Coffee.
Elena: You don’t have to make a decision about newman/locke just yet.
Nate: I’m loving this already.
Elena: And you’re gonna love me more for not demanding details about what’s going on with ashland. I understand why you want to be discreet.
Nate: This could affect a lot of people.
Elena: But it’s all gonna work out in the end — because I know you’re gonna be fair and you’re not gonna jump to any conclusions. I trust your instincts. Your gut reactions have saved so many lives.
Nate: [ Sighs ]
Elena: So you should trust them, too. And if something feels wrong, it probably is.
Nate: And that’s what I’m afraid of.
[ Sighs ] But I’m not sure who’s behind this. I need to find out.
Victor: Look, he’s not only a good friend, but he has the evidence I desperately need, alright? So, whenever you hear anything bout him or from him, you let me know, alright? Get to work.
[ Sighs ]
Adam: Michael baldwin still awol?
Victor: Yeah.
Adam: Well, he’s a smart guy. He’s got himself out of some tight spots before.
Victor: [ Breathes deeply ] You know, I never thought that ashland locke would get the upper hand.
Adam: Well, how far do you think he’d go to keep him quiet?
Victor: He will do whatever he can. He’s a desperate man. Especially now that he knows his entire back story is about to come to light and we expose him for the fraud he is. So he’s back against the wall. I expect anything from him.
Ashland: I am going to put all my energy into finding out who’s trying to destroy my life and put a stop to it.
Victoria: I just want this to be over.
Ashland: First I need something from you.
Victoria: Anything. You know that.
Ashland: Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you believe I’m telling the truth?
Victoria: Of course I can. I will always support you.
Ashland: That’s all I needed to heaR.
Victoria: We should celebrate that.
Ashland: [ Chuckles ] What do you have in mind?
Victoria: This.
Ashland: The contract.
Victoria: Yes. Making you my full partner, my co-ceo of newman/locke.
Ashland: [ Exhales sharply ] I can’t tell you what this means to me.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Stylus clatters ]
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