Young & The Restless Update
Recap written by Christine
Victoria went to work and found Ashland staring out the window. She mentioned that he got up and left the house early. She was surprised he was there. She just came to tie up some loose ends before the temporary CEO took over. She asked if he had a plan he wanted to share yet. He was having second thoughts about the trip. She reminded him that he was the one who decided to cancel. He still thought that was the smartest move, because it would give them time to prove Adam was setting him up. However, heâd looked forward to having time with her away from the searing eyes and false accusations. She joked that it was also known as a typical Newman dinner. He knew this was taking a toll on her. She said theyâd keep each other strong. He told her he had the skin of a woolly mammoth, but she said that wasnât true. He stated that she knew him better than anyone, and it was true that this was starting to wear on him. He lamented that they wouldnât have the chance to reconnect, but he said they’d get back to Tuscany eventually. She said in the meantime, theyâd create an oasis for themselves while they searched for proof.
Victoria sensed Ashland wanted to say something. He said if heâd known the universe was saving her for him, he wouldâve lived an entirely different, more wholesome life. He stated that she temporarily sacrificed the job she worked her entire life for to stand by him. He wished he could make up for it. She said this was was her choice, and she felt good about it. He never thought he could love someone as deeply as he loved her. He was scared she could just walk away from him if she believed the lies. She asked if he was doubting the plan. He wasnât sure they were on the right path. He revealed that he snuck into Adamâs office and got into his computer. He didnât find any evidence that Adam framed him. Victoria said Adam was too smart to leave a digital trail. She said they had to dig deeper. He wasnât sure he wanted to. She was adamant that theyâd uncover Adamâs mistakes. He said when he was in Adamâs office, he overheard Adam and Sally outside. In that moment, Ashland realized he was behaving like a lowlife criminal. He said heâd done things like that in the past, but he put that life behind him when he fell in love with her. Now that man was back again, and he hated himself for it. He said the only way for this plan to work would be to go further down that path, and he was afraid it would destroy their love for good.
Victoria maintained that fighting together would only strengthen their love. Ashland was concerned they might cross a line while protecting their love that would only destroy it in the end. Victoria asked if Ashland thought Adam was guilty. He thought Adam was the most obvious culprit, but they didnât find any proof. Victoria said Adam was good at covering his tracks. Ashland replied that time was of the essence, which meant theyâd have to fabricate proof against Adam in order to make the plan work. He couldnât in good conscience ask her to be part of that. âDo you understand what we are about to do? We are about to embark on a scheme to defraud. Exactly the same thing that your family is accusing me of doing and that lie almost cost me your trust and your love. Now as far as I know, unless youâre keeping something from me, youâve never been an active participant in anything like this,â he stated. She said she stood by him when he, Adam and Victor turned the tables on Billy. He reminded her that she chose to stay out of that plot.
Victoria said she might feel different if they were framing an innocent man, but they were talking about holding a guilty man responsible for what heâd done. She revealed that Adam once conspired with Jack to fake a diary where Victor confessed to murdering a man. Ashland said that was the old Adam. Victoria didnât believe Adam changed. Ashland asked what if they were wrong, and Adam was innocent. He couldnât live with himself if she one day regretted the choices she was making today and she resented him for leading her down that path. She asked where the doubt was coming from â earlier heâd seemed sure Adam was guilty. He said that Adam was guilty but this was putting her in an impossible position. Heâd kept things about his past from her because he didnât want to taint what they shared. He said if she did this, sheâd know how low she was sinking, and sheâd tell herself she was doing it for him, but one day, sheâd blame him for making her cross that line. He held her and said he loved her so much, but he was afraid he was taking her to the point of no return.
Victoria took Ashlandâs hands and said that she wasnât afraid to cross that line to protect him and his reputation. He said they could just walk away â go somewhere else and start something new. She asked if he could really reset his life again, like he did when he buried Bobby DeFranco and started over as Ashland Locke? He said theyâd start a new empire together. He told her that she was the only thing that mattered to him. He never believed he could feel this intensely about anything, and he wanted to protect that and protect her. âIt could be incredible; making something of our very own,â he said. He said there was no pressure. He was going to go home for awhile. She asked if he felt okay. He was fine, he just needed to rest. He left.
Victor went to Adamâs office and asked if there was any evidence Ashland was moving forward with his plan. According to Adam, there was no indication Ashland planted files on Adamâs computer. Adam wanted to know what to expect as Victoriaâs plan unfolded. He asked how much warning he was going to get as things moved along and what to expect when he was busted for framing Ashland. He asked what he was supposed to tell Connor. He asked if Victor really thought this plan was their smartest move.
Victor wondered why Adam was questioning Victoriaâs plan. Adam felt he should be entitled to do so, since the plan revolved around him. Victor said Ashland took the bait and heâd now come up with âproofâ Adam was out to get him. âWhich everyone will believe because hey, itâs Adam,â Adam replied. Victor clarified that it was a charade. Victor said theyâd apologize to Ashland and ask him for evidence, and Ashland would plant that evidence in Adamâs computer. Adam said Ashland might figure it out, since heâd outwitted them many times. Victor said theyâd catch Ashland red-handed, and then Victor would have a reason to nullify Ashlandâs contract with Newman Locke, then Victoria would be free and Adam would emerge unscathed.
Adam understood the plan, and heâd stick to his role of the black sheep, but he was a little tired of always having to prove he was a team player. He said he improved Victoriaâs plan by saying he should stay on as temporary CEO so that Victor could pretend to fire him when Ashland planted and then found the evidence. Adam thought it sounded great on paper, but Victoriaâs plan had a ton of potential pitfalls. He said Victoria was inspired by Billyâs plan to trick Adam into publishing disparaging articles about Billyâs drinking. It was a scheme so weak that when Victoria found out about it, she shut it down. Adam said the plan hinged on Ashland finding fake evidence, but when Adam gave him access, he didnât take it. Adam wondered if Ashland knew Adam gave him access to the computer. Victor said Ashlandâs days at the family business were numbered one way or the other. Adam wanted to talk about the business. Victor said that after all this was finished, Adam would be CEO of Newman Media, and Victoria would be sole CEO of Newman Locke. Adam intende to play his role, but he thought Victor had too much faith in a half-baked plan that Ashland might already see through. He was concerned Ashland might be planning his next move. Victor was unfazed â he said this was a chess game, and he was very good at it.
Later, Victor was with gone and Sally was with Adam. She asked how things went. He told her that Victor said Adam would be going back to his old job once Victoriaâs plan succeeded. Sally didnât think it was right that Adam was just going to get discarded after the plan was finished, without even getting a chance to prove he was the better leader. She noted that the plan couldnât even work without Adam. She wished sheâd been at the office earlier to make sure Victor understood Adamâs concerns about the plan. Adam said he laid it all out, but Victor just disagreed. The only thing Adam didnât mention was that Ashland had been blaming Victor all along, so the family couldâve let Victor be the fall guy instead. Adam thought he was chosen to be the fall guy in Victoriaâs plan because the family viewed him as the disposable one. Sally said Victoria might think that, but Victor didnât, and Nick was on Adamâs side too. She encouraged him to bide his time and play along so heâd have more opportunities to prove himself. She noted that he sold Victor on the idea of the streaming service. He said that might have backfired â his pitch was about creative content, and that might have convinced Victor that Adam belonged at Newman Media. Sally said it wasnât that bad at this company. Adam said heâd never be the kind of heir Victoria represented.
Adam tried to be good. He felt he was doing a monumental job walking the straight and narrow. He donated a kidney to Faith, and youâd think that would persuade everyone once and for all. He got Gaines out of the way at Victoriaâs wedding, and he was the reason she was able to marry Ashland. He supposed that meant this was all his fault. Heâd tried to be the best father he could be to Connor. He did right by Chelsea. Sally said Adam had been more forgiving than she wouldâve been. Adam said he gave Chelsea a job, he didnât fight her for full custody and he tried not to break her heart. Heâd done the right thing. The old Adam wouldnât have known what the right thing even meant. He was finally getting to a place where his family was trusting and including him. He proved he wasnât like Locke, and he got rewarded by being made the fall guy, and once his services were no longer needed, like a punching bag, his family was going to kick him to the curb. He wondered what the point to being the good guy was if his familyâs perception of him hadnât changed.
Sally opined that being the head of Newman Media was not exactly getting kicked to the curb. She said Adam was the head of a major communications company that heâd turned into an unmitigated success. She told him not to give up because Victor made one of his transparent power moves. â[Victor] obviously was mad that you were challenging the plan, so he put you in your place by reminding you that he has the power to demote you. But he also has the power to promote you, so if you want to be a leader, lead and donât look for permission,â she said. She also thought he should count himself lucky for all the opportunities heâd been handed because most people didnât get the millions of chances heâd gotten to reinvent himself, and they didnât have the resources at their disposal. He thanked Sally for the honesty and for reminding him that it was easy for him to sound like a selfish insensitive jerk. He knew sheâd had to work a lot harder than he did to get to where she was. From her brief exposure to the Newman family dynamics, she thought he was a saint for what heâd had to put up with. She knew heâd had to jump through hoops to get to where he was too. She told him not to let this get under his skin. She said heâd done a monumental job of turning his life around. He was glad she didnât know the old him. She said the Adam she was with now was phenomenal, and she said heâd get a chance to make a move, and when he did, it would be amazing.
At Crimson Lights, Sharon talked to Nick about Mariah and Tessaâs Friday the Thirteenth wedding. She said theyâd probably get married under a ladder to thumb their noses at superstition. Nick thought the wedding date was weird at first, but now he was coming around. Sharon was concerned because there wasnât much time to get ready for the wedding, which was in May. The 70s glam theme Noah came up with would take a lot of time. She thought they should have daily meetings about this from now until the night of the wedding.
Nick said that if Tessa and Mariah thought they could pull the 13th off, everyone could make it work. Sharon asked Nick to scour the entire Midwest for authentic 70s dĂ©cor, and he accepted the task. She asked what was wrong with him. He was worried about Victoria and Ashland and Victoriaâs plan. He didnât bring it up earlier while they were discussing the wedding. Sharon said the last thing Mariah and Tessa needed was to hear about a marriage based on lies. Nick appreciated the diversion the wedding gave him. Sharon asked if Nick wanted to talk about the plan. He thought it best if she didnât know what it was. He said that Victoriaâs plan made her complicit, and he thought that crossed a line.
Nick was worried for Victoriaâs safety. He was glad Victoria didnât seem to buy Ashlandâs claims, but a lot could go wrong. Sharon thought Ashland was despicable. Nick knew Ashland was trouble from the start. Every time Nick thought Ashland sunk as far as possible, he hit a new rock bottom. Nick said Victoria was determined to handle this on her own. The only saving grace was that Victor had his security team on Victoria. It worried Sharon that Victor thought this was necessary. She said that Nick could be in danger too, because there was no telling where Ashland would draw the line if he felt like the whole Newman family was antagonizing him.
Nick said this plan was just complicated, involving a lot of moving parts and loose cannons. Sharon asked if Adam was involved. Nick thought Sharon said she already had enough to worry about with the Friday the 13th wedding. Sharon saw Ashland come in and head their way. She warned Nick, who said he was going to leave because he couldnât control himself around Ashland. Ashland came up and said hi. Nick left. Ashland guessed Sharon knew why heâd fallen out of the Newmanâs good graces. He asked if he could get coffee anyway.
Sharon started to make coffee, and Ashland mused that it would probably be the coldest cup heâd ever had. Sharon noted that he could go to another establishment. He acknowledged that he should thank her for not refusing him service. She said she gave the cold shoulder to everyone who pretended to have cancer. He heard about her recent health crisis and he was sorry she had to go through that, but he was innocent. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but⊠Before she could say more, Adam and Sally walked in.
Sharon served Ashland. âYou know, when I was sick I found that green tea â oh what am I talking about. Barking up the wrong tree,â she said. Heâd hoped sheâd give him the benefit of the doubt. He intended to exonerate himself. She excused herself and went in the back. Adam asked Sally for a moment with Ashland. Adam approached Ashland, who called him the new pretend CEO. Adam had an offer to make. âBy whose authority do you make this offer?,â Ashland asked. Adam was speaking under his own authority and representing the Newman family. He offered Ashland half a billion dollars to leave and start over somewhere else. âYou leave Newman Locke, you leave Victoria. Today.â Adam stated.
Nikki went to Victoriaâs office and said she saw Ashland leave. She asked what was going on. Victoria brought Nikki up to speed. She said she practically had to beg Ashland to frame Adam, so that he would believe she was still on his side. Nikki said Ashland wanted Victoria to believe he actually loved her and that he suddenly had a conscience. She called him despicable. Victoria said that Ashland had never sounded as sincere as he did today. Nikki was adamant that Ashland was a liar and conman. Victoria thought there was more to it. Nikki didnât want Victoria to fool herself â she said Ashland knew his days were numbered and he was looking for a clean exit. Victoria revealed that Ashland asked if sheâd walk away from the family and the company and start fresh. âAs if either one of you would walk away from your companies. I think he has grown suspicious and he is testing you,â Nikki said. Nikki was hoping Victoria wasnât tempted to run away with Ashland.
Nick came into the office. Nikki told him Ashland seemed conflicted about framing Adam. Nick said he never liked the plan, because it forced Victoria to cross a line he wasnât comfortable with. Victoria said that was funny because Ashland said the same thing. Nick guessed that was the one thing he and Ashland had in common. She said she wasnât selling her soul to to oust her husband â she was just allowing Ashland to perpetuate the crime of coming up with false evidence to frame Adam. She thought it was the strongest plan they had. Victor walked in and heard that Ashland was having second thoughts. Nikki asked if there was a part of Victoria that was still in love with Ashland.
Back to the Main Days of Our Lives Page
Back to the Main Daytime Updates Page
