Young & The Restless Update
Recap written by Christine
Nate and Ashland were at Society. Nate had looked at Ashlandâs scans, and there was no sign of cancer. He felt obligated to tell the Newmans. Ashland said Nate wasnât a radiologist. Nate added that there was no record of Ashland getting chemotherapy in Genoa City. In a dark tone, Ashland warned Nate to think long and hard before he did anything rash. Nate asked if that was a threat. Ashland wasnât threatening Nate; he just thought Nate should think through the ramifications. Ashland asked if Nate wanted to risk his friendship with Victoria by hurting her this way. Nate said he wasnât going to be the one hurting her. Ashland was saddened that Nate was buying into the smear campaign. Nate said this wasnât a smear campaign, it was worse. He was disgusted by what Ashland did, and he couldnât believe heâd once called Ashland a friend. Ashland said they were still friends. Nate thought that Ashland had been conning him the whole time. Ashland denied it. Ashland said heâd never offer a job to someone he didnât believe in â the business meant too much to him to do that.
Nate accused Ashland of faking cancer so he could take the Newmansâ company. Ashland maintained that he was being framed. Nate didnât buy it. Ashland said Victoria loved him, and she wouldnât believe this lie coming from Victor, or Nate. Nate said that Ashland couldnât talk his way out of this with the Newmans. âYou were never sick, and Victorâs not the one to be manipulated,â Nate said. Ashland said when he proved his innocence, Nate would wish heâd never doubted him. Ashland started to leave. Nate got up and stood face to face with Ashland. He said it was time for Ashland to come clean. âIf you donât tell them, I will,â Nate said.
Ashland left. Later, Elena arrived, and Nate told her everything. She was appalled Ashland faked cancer. Nate was questioning his judgment since heâd thought Ashland was a friend. She wished heâd come to her sooner, so he didnât have to deal with this alone. He didnât believe it at first, thatâs why he looked into Ashlandâs medical records. Elena thought Ashland was pure evil. Nate said Ashland made a few veiled threats to him. Nate kept going over this whole thing and trying to figure out what happened. He wished he could believe Ashland was set up. Elena said it was hard to believe Ashland was so warm and generous to them, while tricking everyone. Nate said it was all an act. âWho better to be his allies than two doctors. If he could fool us, he could fool anyone,â Nate said. Elena said Ashland took a risk because Nate had access to his files. She knew it mustâve been difficult for Nate to cross that line. Nate felt he had no choice. He said he owed it to Victoria and the Newmans to tell them the truth.
Nate asked why he didnât see this coming. All the time he spent with Ashland, and he shouldâve realized something was off. He realized now that he was actually coaching Ashland into accurately portraying cancer. He wondered why he took Ashland at his word. Elena said Nate was only Ashlandâs friend, not his doctor â so he had no reason to question Ashlandâs diagnosis or double check the test results. Nate said he was too trusting â a billionaire who barely knew him asked him to be his best man and offered him a job. Nate felt he shouldâve noticed something was off. Elena said she wouldnât let Nate beat himself up. She wouldnât tell him what to do, but if it were her, sheâd take everything she knew to Victoria. That was his initial plan, but he hated to be the bearer of the news that would crush Victoria. Nate was also worried about what Ashland would do, given that he was vicious enough to fake cancer.
At Newman Media, Victor couldnât believe Adam was blaming Victoria for this mess. Adam said Victoria let this shark in, and she continued to defend him, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Victor said that Ashland deceived all of them, and theyâd all been fooled by love at one time or another. Victor reminded Adam that heâd been involved with a woman who accused him of attempted murder. Adam said the difference was he walked away from Chelsea when he found out what she did, and she was never a threat to the family business. Victor said they all had compassion for Adam during that ordeal, including Victoria. Victor wanted Adam to extend his sister the same courtesy. Adam thought Victoria deserved better than Ashland, but since she couldnât see it, they might all suffer for her blind loyalty. Sally was listening outside the door, and she left. Victor said they all had things they could accuse each other of. He told Adam to stop pointing fingers at Victoria.
Adam gave up and said they could debate Victoriaâs culpability in this mess another time. He said they needed a plan B to oust Ashland. Victor noted that heâd already told Adam he sent Nick to talk to Victoria. Adam didnât have faith in that plan, since Victoria didnât listen the last time Nick raised concerns about Ashland. Adam had a plan. Victor was interested. Adam thought they should leak the story to the press that Ashland faked his illness to take over Newman Locke. Adam said it was a win win â Victoria wouldnât blame any of the Newmans for pushing Ashland out of the company or her life, and the negative press would drive Ashland away.
Victor didnât like Adamâs idea, because he was worried about what the negative press would do to Victoriaâs self esteem. Adam countered that Victoria was barely fazed by the bad press Ashland already received. Victor said Victoria wasnât mentioned in those articles. Adam thought Victor was underestimating Victoria. Victor asked if Adam forgot the hit Victoria took to her self confidence after her experience with JT. Victor said it took her a long time for Victoria to trust her judgment again, and that was why heâd tried to keep this thing with Ashland away from her. Adam said it was too late to keep this from Victoria, and she didnât care what Ashland had done. Victor said Victoria was in denial, and she would come to accept the truth. Adam suggested there was a way for Victoria to come out unscathed. Victor didnât think that was possible. Victor said once the story was out, reporters would do their own investigation, and the company and the family would be embarrassed when people found out Ashland was able to deceive them. Most importantly, Victor said, Victoria would never forgive the family if she found out they were responsible for leaking the story. âI guess murder is out of the question,â Adam said. âFunny,â Victor dryly replied. Adam said it was a bad joke. Victor hoped Nick could get through to Victoria.
Victoria was near tears as she talked to Nick in her office. She said she didnât know what to believe anymore. Nick asked if something came to light that made her change her mind. Victoria was wary of confiding in Nick, because sheâd made the mistake of doing that before, and he betrayed her. He said he was just here to listen. She asked why sheâd give him more ammunition to criticize her husband. He promised he was just here to love and support her. She said heâd outwardly and repeatedly said he hated her husband. He could see she was struggling. He could relate to wanting to ignore all the evidence that the person you loved had betrayed you. He understood that she might have to deal with this on her own. He said she could tell him as little or as much as she wanted. He was just here to listen.
Victoria was sure Victor told Nick about the theory that Ashland made up a massive lie to gain control of Newman Locke. Nick saw the video of the doctor in Peru. He asked what Victoria made of it. She said Ashland told her it was a disgruntled employee. Nick stated that he wanted to hear what Victoria thought, not what Ashland said. Victoria hadnât concluded much. If Victor was right, Ashland didnât love her, and she didnât want to entertain that. She said Ashland claimed he was being slandered, but heâd had yet to indicate he was close to uncovering who was behind it. She said he just kept making this outlandish suggestion that Victor was responsible. Victoria thought it seemed like a juvenile counter-punch for Ashland to blame Victor.
Earlier today, Victor showed Victoria physical proof of money being paid to the Peruvian doctors from one of Ashlandâs small divisions. Victoria sensed that Nick already knew about this. Nick said it didnât matter what he knew or what he thought. He told her that it only mattered what she thought. She hated to admit it, but Michaelâs latest evidence gave her pause. It was damning and it was extremely hard to explain it away. She was scared. Nick tensed up and asked if Ashland threatened Victoria. Victoria said Ashland had been gentle and loving, and that was why she was scared to let herself believe he could do this to her. Nick understood that, but he said that Victoria could damage herself if she buried this â it could give her a deep rooted doubt that could eat away at her. âMaybe Iâm protecting myself, because if this is trueâŚ,â Victoria said. Nick encouraged Victoria to finish her thought. âUgh, you Newmans are relentless,â Ashland said, as he appeared in the open doorway.
Ashland knew he shouldâve expected Nick would be the next person to jump on the bandwagon to turn Victoria against him. Nick said the Newmans were relentless when it came to protecting their own. Nick wasnât here because of Ashland â he was here because he loved Victoria and wouldnât allow anyone to hurt her. He said to call if she needed him, then he left. Ashland thought Nickâs glare and demeanor cast doubt on his claim that he was there to give friendly support to his sister. Victoria looked dejected, and Ashland asked if she was okay. She silently hugged him. Nick was in the hallway, and he saw the embrace. Victor called Nick. Nick quietly brought Victor up to speed on his talk with Victoria. Nick was afraid that Ashlandâs interruption had erased all the progress Nick had made getting Victoria to consider the truth. Nick ended the call.
Back at Newman Media, Adam commented on the audacity of Ashland to blame Victor for framing him. Victor said Ashland would stop at nothing â he even convinced Victoria to make him co-CEO. Adam was taken aback, and he asked when that happened. Victor said the papers were signed yesterday. Adam asked why he wasnât informed. Victor had a lot of things to deal with. Adam said that they were all dealing with this, as a family, and as the CEO of Newman Media, he shouldâve been the first to know, not Nick. Victor had to tell Nick to convince him to go talk to Victoria. Adam didnât understand why Victor was so calm. Victor said itâd all blow over, and the Newmans would come out ahead. Adam thought Victorâs confidence was rather curious. Adam asked a question that had been gnawing at him – âAre the accusations against Ashland legitimate?â Victor asked why Adam suddenly doubted this. Adam just thought Ashlandâs claim that Victor wanted to get control of Newman Locke had weight. Nate showed up and said he had the smoking gun Victor was looking for. Adam and Victor stood up.
At Crimson Lights on the patio, Chelsea told Lauren and Chloe that the business trip was a success. She made some valuable connections in NY, which made her optimistic that she and Chloe might be able to get their line out earlier than anticipated. Chloe asked if Lauren would be willing to put her marketing resources behind them. Lauren admitted she didnât hear a word of the discussion. Chloe asked if there was word about Michael. Lauren had promised Kevin she wouldnât file a missing personâs report until tomorrow, but she wasnât sure she could wait. She was convinced something was wrong.
Lauren returned after making a call. She said Kevin was going to file a missing personâs report, and Rey was going to reach out to law enforcement in Peru. Chloe and Chelsea offered words of support. Lauren wished sheâd listened to her first instinct to talk Michael out of working for Victor. Chelsea didnât think Lauren should blame herself, because she never couldâve predicted this. Lauren said she actually did predict that working for Victor would be trouble. She felt like she should go to Peru. Chloe didnât think that was a good idea, since Lauren had no idea where to go or where to look. Lauren couldnât bear just sitting here pretending everything was okay and talking about work. Chloe said they could talk about how resourceful and clever Michael was. Chloe and Chelsea knew from experience how great Michael was at successfully arguing any case. Lauren agreed that he had a silver tongue. Chloe said Kevin always complain that heâd never win an argument with his brother. Lauren laughed and said it was one of Michaelâs worst qualities â he never admitted he was wrong. She shared a story about how Michael ate the last piece of cake, then launched a counter argument so effective that he had her half convinced that she ate it.
Sally went to Crimson Lights and ordered a big cup of strong coffee. Sharon asked how the job was going. Sally griped about getting left out of closed door meetings, even though she was COO. Sally wanted to buy Sharon a coffee and get her thoughts on Adam. Sharon was curious where this was going. Sally just wanted to be the best most supportive COO Adam could hope for. She wanted Sharonâs thoughts on how Adamâs mind worked. Sharon surmised that Sally needed help navigating the Newman dynamics. Sally sensed Sharon knew Adam better than most, and she knew Sharon had history with the Newmans. Sharon had conditions â she told Sally not to expect her to praise or badmouth Adam, and she wasnât going to reveal anything about her personal relationship with him.
Sally wasnât trying to dig into Adamâs past. She just wanted to find more ways to support him. She really liked him, and she thought he was special. Too few people seemed to see it, but Sally thought Sharon did. Sharon agreed that she was one of the few people whoâd seen Adamâs good side. Sheâd defended him, sometimes to her detriment. Supporting Adam wasnât always the popular thing to do, Sharon stated. Sally didnât care about that â she wasnât all that popular around here either. Sally was just talking about her working relationship with Adam. Sharon inferred that Sally and Adam had a personal relationship too. Sally said it wasnât relevant. Sharon thought that this all made things more difficult for Sally. Sally said it didnât. She understood people who were misunderstood, and she thought she could be an effective business partner for Adam. Sharon thought Adam must agree, since, on paper, Sally wasnât the obvious choice for COO. Sally wasnât having problems with the workload, but Victor had her stumped. Sharon said Victor had a lot of sway over the Newmans, but she doubted Sally would crack that code. Sally was just concerned Adam would keep focusing on pleasing his father instead of doing what was best for himself.
Sharon said that trying to solve the Newmansâ daddy issues was a foolâs errand. Many tried, and there was a long list of casualties. Sally was up for the challenge. She thought she could help Adam if she could learn the dynamics. On some level, Sharon admired Sallyâs honesty and commitment to her boss. Sharon saw that Adam seemed like he was in a good place â maybe Sally had a part in that, or maybe Adam finally made peace with his father. Sally said Victor loved to keep Adam guessing. Sharon said there were two things Adam needed more than anything â his fatherâs love and a feeling of harmony with his father. Sally was worried Adam would never be able to find that harmony, because he didnât see himself as Victorâs equal â he was still the son trying to impress his father. Sharon said that had been Adamâs Achilles heel from the day he came to Genoa City. Sally was trying to break him of that. Nick walked in. Sharon ended the conversation and wished Sally luck. Sally said thanks for the talk and went to the patio. Nick asked what that was about.
Sharon said Sally wanted information on the Adam/Victor dynamic. âIf you figure that out, let me know too,â Nick replied. Sharon asked how things were going with Victoria. Nick thought Victoria had been close to accepting the truth about Ashland, but she couldnât quite get there. He said Ashland had his hooks into Victoria. Sharon said if the evidence was as strong as Nick claimed, it would just be a matter of time. Sharon thought Nick had decided not to get involved. Nick realized he had to. He said if Victoria didnât open her eyes, the family would have to come up with a way to get Ashland out of her life for good.
Sally overheard the discussion about Michael. She approached and said she knew Victor had people actively searching for Michael in Peru. Chelsea didnât know becoming COO put Sally in the loop on non-Newman Media business. Sally said she was getting to know Victor pretty well, and he was good at harnessing his resources on things like this. Lauren thanked Sally for the information, but she said she didnât find it reassuring. Sally thought Lauren would want to hear this. Lauren was glad Sally told her, because she now knew Victor wasnât being truthful when he told her that Michael was fine. Now Lauren was even more worried, because she knew Victor was concerned. Lauren left to pass this news to Kevin. Sally was sorry â she was just trying to help, and she thought Lauren should know about her husband. Chelsea snapped that theyâd just calmed Lauren down before Sally got involved. Chloe was sure Sally didnât mean any harm. Chloe also agreed that Lauren needed to know Victor was looking for Michael. Sally hoped she and Chloe could be friends again, and she was sorry she and Chelsea got off on the wrong foot, but she hoped they could call a truce, now that they werenât working together. Chelsea doubted theyâd ever be best friends, but she supposed she could let bygones be bygones.
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