Young & The Restless Update
Recap written by Christine
At Newman Media, Adam was surprised to hear Diane was alive. He asked how she pulled this off and why she was back. Victor said Diane claimed she wanted to reunite with Kyle, but he didnât know her true motives. Sally walked in and wanted to know what was going on. Adam told her that Kyleâs mother was actually alive. Sally asked if this was this Jackâs ex wife. Adam said it never got that far, but Diane married Victor, and she dated Nick. Victor put a stop to the history lesson. He said Diane was dangerous, and he told Adam to stay away from her, lest she try and use their connection to wrangle something out of him. Sally was curious about Adam and Dianeâs connection. He said they didnât really have one. Adam assured his father he had no interest in Diane. He shifted gears and asked about Victor and Victoriaâs conversation. Victor said Victoria wasnât very fond of Adam.
Adam didnât know why Victoria saw him as a threat. Victor said that Adam bore some responsibility for that. Victor acknowledged that Adamâs brilliant idea to pay Ashland bought them some time, but Adam went behind Victoriaâs back to do it. Sally said that if Adam had consulted to Victoria, she wouldâve shot down his idea. Victor thought that was probably true. Adam thought the important thing was that they all worked together to neutralize Ashland. Victor said he encouraged Victoria to make Adam co-CEO, but she said sheâd rather resign. Adam and Sally shared a look.
Sally suggested calling Victoriaâs bluff. Sally found it hard to believe Victoria would give up on her dream job just because she had to share it with her smart capable brother. âHave you met my sister?,â Adam replied. Victor said the last thing they needed was a public conflict over control of the company. Adam asked if that meant there was no chance for him to advance and if all the ideas he had for the company were just going to die. Victor said Adam had to show Victoria that he was loyal to her and convince her that he had good ideas.
After Victor left, Adam admitted heâd been kind of thrown by the Diane thing. Sally noted that, like Diane, Adam also used to be dead. Adam said there were quite a few similarities between Diane and the man he used to be. Sally was eager to hear more, but Adam said theyâd talk about it another time. He wanted to talk about Victoria. Heâd miscalculated; he thought Victor was going to be ready to throw Victoria in the penalty box for the mess she created with Ashland. Sally thought it made sense that Victor was protective of Victoria, considering he almost lost her in the car accident. Sally said the bright side was that Victor had Adamâs back and was championing him to Victoria. She said he just had to win Victoria over. He said Victoria was stubborn â it was a Newman trait. She said he was charming and persuasive, so those must be Newman traits too.
At The Grand Phoenix, Billy assumed Ashland was staying at the hotel because Victoria threw him out. Ashland sarcastically praised Billyâs power of deduction. Billy asked why Ashland was still in town. Ashland had his reasons, which were none of Billyâs business. Billy told Ashland to stay the hell away from Victoria. Ashland said it was abundantly clear that Billy was still in love with Victoria. Ashland wondered if Lily had noticed and if she resented the fact that Billy kept barging in to protect his ex. Billy said he and Lily were fine, and he wasnât worried about Victoriaâs ability to deal with Ashland. Billy warned Ashland that he was playing with fire. Ashland stated that Victoria was not nearly as angry with him as Billy thought. Billy asked what about Victor â the one who stood there and watched Ashland gasp for air as he was having a heart attack, and that was before Ashland admitted to tricking Victoria. Billy said Ashland was on the top of Victorâs hit list, and that was not a fun place to be.
Billy went home and recorded his anonymous podcast about a run in he had today with a greedy, manipulative business mogul. Billy said it was like this guy didnât trust his own business acumen, so he had to lie and deceive to get the upper hand. This person might get away with what they did. Billy said that if wealth and power gave a person blanket immunity, it was an indictment on them all.
At the Abbott house, Jack saw Dianeâs voicemail but didnât listen to it. Kyle came downstairs and said Harrison was playing with his new BFF Traci. Kyle appreciated Jack and Phyllis spending time with Harrison while Kyle was getting his bearings. Jack said it was their pleasure. Kyle wasnât sure what to do about his mom. Jack stated that Diane took years to contemplate things before she sprung all this on Kyle, so Kyle should take all the time he needed. Jack offered to be a sounding board. Kyle wanted to take Jack up on that in the future, but heâd already spent a lot of time talking to Traci and Mariah today. Kyle had a lot of questions, and there was only one person who could answer them. Jack offered to go with Kyle, but Kyle thought Diane would be more forthcoming if they talked one on one. Jack agreed, and Kyle left. Ashland called Jack and asked if they could meet.
Kyle went to Dianeâs suite. He saw she was packing up. She said she was leaving to give him space, unless he had a change of heart. He was just there to get some answers. He asked how he could know she really changed. Diane didnât expect Kyle to trust or believe her. She said she deceived him when he was growing up, because she wanted him to see the kind and loving version of herself. He said it worked, because heâd thought she was the best mom ever. Sheâd been so angry with Phyllis when he read that expose she wrote about Dianeâs exploits. Kyle had never been able to reconcile what he read with the version of Diane that he knew. He said she blackmailed people, committed arson and destroyed relationships and never seemed to care. She said heâd seen both sides of her now. She told him to ask her anything.
Kyle asked what kind of work Diane did on herself. She said she found a psychologist who called her out on her crap and forced her to look at herself. He asked how it went. She admitted sheâd been offended and indignant for the first year of sessions, but deep down, she knew what the psychologist was saying she was true. Diane had to admit she wasnât a victim, she was a narcissist. She realized that none of the things she was so desperate to get â money, attention, affection and power ever came to her. Her behavior left her broke, invisible and alone. Worst of all, it cost her the one pure unselfish joy sheâd ever known â her life with her beautiful son. The realization was crushing, but it was the first step on the road that brought her back to him, asking for forgiveness. He appreciated what she was saying, but he asked what would happen if all the work she did didnât get her what she wanted.
Diane said nothing would happen if Kyle turned her down â sheâd leave him alone. He was skeptical. She said he mattered to her more than anything, and sheâd learned the hard way that she shouldnât try and force people to give her something she didnât deserve. She said he didnât owe her a thing. Sheâd love it if he forgave her and gave her a place in his life. Sheâd also try and make up for the hurt and damage she caused. He wasnât sure if that was possible. He said it wasnât that he didnât want what she wanted â she was his mom and she loved him. He was wondering if the version of her he remembered was real or if it was just an act she put on because she needed the admiration of someone who was too young to know better. She said her love for him was never an act. He thought he was willing to leave the door open and give her a chance to prove she was who she said she was. âPlease donât go back to LA,â he asked. Diane was moved. She went to hug Kyle, then she thought better of it and pulled back.
Jack and Ashland met at Society. Jack said he was in the middle of a family emergency, so he couldnât stay long. He assumed this was about Harrison. Ashland guessed that Jack hadnât spoken to his brother and heard the news. Concerned, Jack asked if this was about Ashlandâs health â had he taken a turn for the worse? Ashland cryptically said that heâd done some reprehensible things that came back to bite him, and deservedly so. He wanted to shield Harrison from the fallout. Jack asked Ashland to stop dancing around the subject and just say what he did.
Jack was stunned when Ashland said he lied to everyone and he never had cancer. Ashland was disgusted with himself for his cruelty. Jack didnât care how Ashland felt â he was concerned about Victoria. Jack lived through the death of a spouse, and he had some idea of the anguish Victoria had been preparing for, just to find out it was a hoax. Ashland began to explain that he genuinely fell in love with Victoria. Jack didnât want to hear it and he was sure Victoria didnât either. Ashland said he agreed to annul the marriage and leave the company. Jack hoped Ashland was going back to NY and would leave Victoria alone forever. Ashland didnât want to leave town without seeing Harrison, and he was worried about how Kyle and Summer would take the news. âYou damn well should be,â Jack replied.
Ashland admitted his behavior had been abhorrent, but he said he was a good father. Jack countered that Ashland lied to Harrison about being sick. Ashland stated that there were two people in this world that he loved â Victoria and Harrison. He knew his wife might not forgive him, but he couldnât lose his son. He said heâd do whatever it took to keep that boy in his life. Jack wondered why Ashland thought Jack would help him. Ashland said he and Jack were at an age where theyâd seen a lot of life, and they knew people were complex, not black and white. Jack had heard enough of this sick and twisted reasoning lately, and he was done. Ashland decided heâd talk to Kyle himself. Jack warned him that this was not a good time to go to Kyle seeking forgiveness. He left.
Kyle went back to the Abbott house and told Jack he was still conflicted about Diane, but he was going to give her a chance to prove himself to her. Jackâs eyes widened.
Victoria summoned Nikki to the office to talk about Victor. She said Victor suggested Adam take Ashlandâs position as co-CEO. Victor framed it as a response to Victoriaâs supposedly fragile emotional state, which infuriated her. Sighing, Nikki said sometimes Victor wasnât the most tactful. Victoria felt insulted. Nikki understood that, but she suggested Victoriaâs anger should be directed at Ashland. Victoria said Ashland wasnât a threat anymore, but Adam was. Nikki said Adam was a big reason Ashland was no longer a threat. Victoria said Adam used a half a billion dollars of Victorâs money to make it happen, and that didnât entitle him to be co-CEO. Nikki wanted the family unit to remain strong. Victoria said sheâd quit if Victor made Adam co-CEO.
Victoria said her brother was a snake whoâd been looking for ways to undermine her ever since he agreed to come work for her. Appointing him co-CEO would make things worse. Nikki said Victor saw things differently. Victoria replied that Victor always had a soft spot, or a blind spot, for Adam. Nikki admitted Adam had been successful running Newman Media and had proven he could be a reliable family member. Victoria asked if Nikki was arguing that Adam should be co-CEO. Nikki said no, she was just stating facts. Victoria thought Victor would be satisfied if she hired a co-CEO who he could agree was better than Adam. Nikki didnât think Victoria would be able to find anyone who fit that bill. âIâm looking at her,â Victoria replied.
Nikki didnât know how to respond to the offer. Victoria hoped sheâd accept, since she was the only one Victoria trusted to be her co-CEO. Nikki didnât like the idea of being a pawn in Victoriaâs game with her father. Victoria said Victor would have to agree Nikki was the most qualified and experienced candidate, since sheâd been Victoriaâs COO from the very beginning, and she was family. Victoria told Nikki to envision herself as co-CEO. Victoria was sure Nikki would be brilliant. Victoria added that Nikki could lighten Victoriaâs workload, since Nikki always said Victoria worked too hard. Nikki was happy to take some of the work off Victoriaâs plate, but she got the feeling this would be a promotion in name only, just to fend off Adam. Victoria said this was a sincere offer, and theyâd have so much fun if they were partners. Nikki thought they had to think of the possible repercussions. Victoria was sure that there were no downsides. Nikki said Adam wouldnât be happy, since he thought he deserved more responsibility and Victor agreed.
Nikki asked if they really wanted to create more family drama just as the news about Ashland was going to break. Victoria wasnât going to let Adamâs possible potential hurt feelings dictate her decision. She hoped they could keep the reasons for Ashlandâs departure from becoming public knowledge. Nikki was convinced it was going to come out very soon. She thought they should prepare for that by presenting a united front to the world. Victoria said if she caved in to Adam, heâd continually try to sabotage her, sheâd have to play defense and the family would have to choose sides, and it would end in warfare and an absolute disaster for the family and the business.
After Nikki left, Adam went to Victoriaâs office and asked to talk. He said he was surprised that Victor asked her to promote him as co-CEO. He said if heâd known he wouldâve asked Victor to hold off until Adam and Victoria had a conversation. He wanted to convince her that he could make a good partner. She asked if he was going to offer him 500,000,000 of someone elseâs money in exchange for a promotion. He said that the company had almost doubled since the acquisition of Ashlandâs business holdings, and she was going to need help. He knew theyâd never been close, and that she didnât trust him. He said no matter how much he tried to support her, there was too much history in the way. He asked what he could do to change that and show her that working together could be a positive thing.
Victoria said it didnât matter how Victor pitched her the idea of promoting Adam, because she was never going to agree to it. She agreed that her workload was going to increase now that Ashland was out of the picture. Adam said he didnât need a title â heâd happily pitch in so she could see how well theyâd work together. Victoria didnât mean to imply that she needed Adamâs help. She informed him that sheâd already hired someone she could trust – the only logical choice â her mother.
Nikki met Victor at Crimson Lights and told him that Victoria offered her the co-CEO job. Nikki thought that it made sense for her to step into the position. Victor said it was a smart move on Victoriaâs part. Nikki said they both knew it was a strategic move to keep Adam out, but she said sheâd do an excellent job. He was sure she would. He wasnât going to fight Victoria on hiring Nikki. He said if he imposed his will on Victoria, sheâd be very upset, and if he preferred Adam over her, heâd never hear the end of it. He took Nikkiâs hands and called her Madame CEO.
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