Days of Our Lives Update
Update written by Joseph
Rafe enters the police station and comments that Jada hasn’t moved from her desk in hours, so he hopes she at least had lunch. Jada says not yet as she had to make sure the report on Stefan’s kidnapping was flawless because Melinda has made it very clear that she wants Brady and Eric to go down, and she doesn’t want Melinda riding them any harder. Rafe appreciates her dedication but points out that she has to eat. Jada notes that she didn’t see Rafe leave for lunch either so she invites him to come with her. Rafe responds that he doesn’t think that’s such a good idea.
Xander sits in his office at the Spectator, looking at a photo of Sarah on his phone until Gwen walks in and tells him that she has a scoop on Roman talking to his dead wife’s urn and saying that it talks back to him. Gwen jokes that Roman’s obviously going mental. Gwen then asks what’s the matter with Xander and guesses it’s about Sarah.
Chad is at the Brady Pub, on the phone with Paulina. Chad tells her not to worry as they are all over it and they plan to spin Sloan freezing her assets to her narrative that Sloan is desperate because of her twisted desire for revenge. Chad says they will notify her as soon as the press release is done and hangs up. Leo arrives and sits at Chad’s table. Chad tells him that he’s working. Leo says he is too. Chad calls Leo’s column garbage. Leo says the Spectator has high journalistic standards so every word he writes must be the truth. Leo turns on his recorder and asks if SJPR have a comment on the Alex Kiriakis situation.
Alex sits at the CEO desk at Titan and dreams about Stephanie coming to be with him until Maggie walks in and questions what he is doing in her chair.
Chanel gives the woman at the Bakery an application to fill out and talks about how glad she is that she came when she did because the bakery could use another set of hands after her most valuable employee just left. The girl asks what happened so Chanel notes that it wasn’t just her employee but also her girlfriend and they broke up. She tells Chanel she’s been there and it sucks. Chanel says in addition to the heartbreak, she’s also been slammed at work. Chanel remarks that mixing business with pleasure is always a risk.
Gwen asks if Xander was daydreaming about Sarah. Xander claims he was thinking about Maggie actually because Victor just made her the new CEO of Titan yesterday, but by the time word got out, they already put the paper to bed. Gwen says oh well but Xander feels it’s big news that should’ve been on the front page. Gwen says maybe on the business page but argues that Eric and Brady kidnapping a co-CEO of DiMera Enterprises is clearly the winner here. Xander asks Gwen if they’ve sold more papers. Gwen says she doesn’t know yet but is sure it will be an improvement. Xander remarks that he still wishes they got the Titan story while Gwen remarks that she wishes he’d start focusing on what’s in front of him instead of the one that got away.
Alex tells Maggie that he’s sorry as it’s a force of habit since Sonny never minded sharing his desk. Maggie says that she does and asks if he’s going to have a problem reporting to her. Alex says not at all and agrees to do his best for Titan in a supporting role. Maggie knows he was very disappointed that Victor didn’t give him the job. Alex responds that it’s cool because lately, he’s had to get used to a lot of things he doesn’t like..
Chad asks Leo what Alex Kiriakis situation and says he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Leo asks about the musical chairs behind the executive suite at Titan. Chad says there is no musical chairs and that Victor chose Maggie as CEO and the board believe she is best for the job. Leo says he’s not interested in lines from a press release, he wants to know what happened behind the scenes. Chad says there was no backstabbing or betrayal. Leo brings up hearing that Alex was a shoe-in for the job but then Victor changed his mind at the last minute and went with Maggie instead, so something must have prompted that. Chad then reveals that it was because of Leo reaching out to Victor about Alex’s extra curricular activities with Allie and Chanel. Leo questions if Chad is saying that Victor passed on Alex because he’s a man whore. Chad says he didn’t use those terms but sure. Stephanie then comes over and questions what is going on here.
Chanel shows the woman at the bakery more on the application and tells her to get it back to her as soon as possible. She introduces herself as Talia and says she’ll be back soon as she then walks away.
Jada doesn’t get why it wouldn’t be a good idea for her and Rafe to get lunch. Rafe reminds her of Abe’s e-mail and the new policy about interpersonal relationships and not fraternizing. Jada argues that partners have lunch together all the time. Rafe reminds her that they aren’t partners and he’s her boss. Jada reminds him that they had burgers at the Pub on Valentine’s Day and he didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Jada comments that it’s not like it was a date, then stops and asks if Rafe thought it was.
Stephanie asks if anyone’s going to answer her. Leo explains that he was just asking Chad for a comment on the shakeup at Titan and says that since Stephanie is here, maybe she’d like to do the honors. Stephanie states that after an exhaustive search, Victor has chosen Maggie as CEO and they believe she is the best person for the job. Leo complains that Chad already gave him that answer and he wants her comments on the real story. Stephanie says that’s what she did. Leo doesn’t buy an exhaustive search and says that Alex was a shoe-in for the job before Victor changed his mind. Leo starts to tell her what Chad said but Stephanie says that whatever Chad told him is strictly off the record. Leo asks if that’s because there is more to the story. Leo brings up that Stephanie was dating Alex and then their relationship suddenly fell apart, so he asks if that’s part of the reason that Victor didn’t choose him as CEO. Stephanie declares they are done. Leo then asks if Alex was having threesomes behind her back, if Alex cheated on her with the bisexual baker, or if Alex broke up with her because she couldn’t satisfy him in certain ways. Chad shouts that’s enough and that they broke up because Alex shut off her phone which Leo questions. Chad then reveals that they were on a date and Alex didn’t want to be interrupted, so he shut off her phone and she didn’t get to say goodbye to her dying mom, shocking both Leo and Stephanie as well.
Maggie comments on the e-mails. Alex says she’s been in meetings all day. Maggie says she’s just getting to know all the different departments. Alex asks if she needs help with the lay of the land but Maggie says she’s got it. Alex reminds her that last night, she called him her right hand man and that she’d be counting on him to help bring her up to speed on some things. Maggie responds that the meetings took care of that. Alex asks what Maggie will be tackling first. Maggie responds that she would like to find ways to help Titan run more efficiently and the wisest areas to invest. Maggie notes that the publishing department stood out to her. Alex says when Sonny put him in charge of that, his first move was making Bella Magazine the focus and talks about growing the business and the brand. Alex mentions that he just turned in the latest advertising budget for approval. Maggie says she saw that but he won’t be needing her approval as Maggie announces she is shutting down the magazine.
Gwen tells Xander that the publication has a very bright future so she wishes Xander would stop second guessing. Xander apologizes and says she’s right that they couldn’t have wished for a better lead story on day one than Brady and Eric’s arrest. Xander says he just really wants the paper to be a success after everything they did to get it. Gwen says she can’t fault him for that. Gwen then gets a phone call, informing her that the numbers are up 20%. Gwen orders a press release and hangs up. Gwen excitedly shares the news with Xander, who calls it incredible. They hug and then Gwen kisses Xander.
Leo tells Stephanie that is not what he expected to hear and asks her to tell him more. Leo asks how she felt when she realized she’d never get to talk to her mother again. Chad warns Leo not to do that. Leo asks if Stephanie can explain how she felt when she walked in to Kayla’s hospital room and realized she was bereft of life. Stephanie threatens to take his phone and stick it as she warns him to just go. Leo tells Stephanie that he’s sorry about her mother. Stephanie tells him to get out so Leo exits. Stephanie then turns back to Chad and asks what the hell is wrong with him.
Alex questions Maggie saying she is shutting down Bella. Maggie is surprised it hasn’t happened sooner because the magazine has been struggling for some time. Alex argues that he’s been working on getting it back on track. Maggie tells him that she’s sorry but the numbers are numbers and by shutting it down, Titan can take a write-off. Alex asks Maggie to give him a little more time to show her what he can do but Maggie says the decision has already been made. Alex questions if she’s just going to let all the staff go without any warning. Maggie says they will give them a generous severance package. Alex asks if Victor is going to sign off on this when Bella was named after his daughter. Maggie declares that Victor doesn’t have to sign off because he’s not the CEO of the company, she is.
Gwen apologizes to Xander for kissing him and says she just got really excited about the numbers. Leo arrives and says he just heard about the numbers being up. Xander says he has to go. Leo questions where he’s going and if he doesn’t want to get out champagne and celebrate. Xander argues that they can’t just sit around and congratulate each other, adding that if they want to keep the numbers up then it’s going to require work and stories that actually matter. Xander decides he will go see if Maggie will talk to him about taking over Titan as he then exits the office. Leo asks what his problem is.
Paulina joins Chanel in the town square and informs her that she just met with Belle, so from here on out, she is their only attorney as she fired the rest of their team. Chanel asks what happened. Paulina responds that they got their behinds handed to them by Sloan, so all of her assets have been frozen and so have Chanel’s.
Rafe tells Jada that he didn’t think their dinner on Valentine’s Day was a date at all. Rafe then admits he didn’t think so at the time anyway which Jada questions. Rafe explains that as much as he enjoyed their evening, he thinks it’s best if they don’t do it again and he hopes that she’s not offended by that. Jada says if that’s what he wants. Rafe confirms he thinks it’s best to not socialize outside of work because he doesn’t any confusion. Jada asks if he means thinking he’s interested in her in a way that he’s not. Rafe says yes even though that’s not exactly the case. Jada then questions if Rafe is saying he’s interested in her. Jada tells Rafe that aside from being her boss, he’s a good friend so he can be honest as she asks if he wants to be more than friends. Talia then arrives at the station, interrupting them. Jada excitedly hugs Talia so Rafe guesses they know each other. Jada then introduces Talia as her sister, Talia Hunter.
Chanel questions Paulina saying that she can’t access any of her money. Paulina explains that she can access some but not much. Chanel calls this insane and asks how she’s supposed to run a business. Paulina calls it temporary and says Belle will file a motion to get it undone hopefully soon. Chanel asks what she is supposed to do in the meantime. Paulina says they will just have to tighten their purse strings as the courts are going to be watching them for any unnecessary expenditures. Chanel asks like what. Paulina tells her that she can start by taking down the Now Hiring sign at the Bakery.
Alex tells Maggie that he gets it’s all about the bottom line. Maggie says Victor wants to honor his daughter’s memory but he also wants Titan to thrive for generations to come. Alex complains that Bella was his baby and asks what he’s supposed to do now. Maggie assures that she will find a place for him. Alex questions where. Xander then arrives with flowers to congratulate Maggie, noting that he can’t think of a more perfect choice as the new CEO. Xander asks if Alex agrees. Alex decides to go get a coffee and leaves. Xander asks if Alex is upset that Victor passed him over for the job which Maggie confirms. Xander relates to that. Maggie says speaking of jobs, she understands congratulations are in order for Xander too, though she admits she was surprised that Jack and Jennifer handed over the Spectator to him and Gwen. Xander claims they clearly thought they had potential and they were right because their first issue was a huge success. Maggie says that’s good for him. Xander notes that he was just telling Gwen that to keep their numbers up, they need the stories, so he couldn’t think of a bigger story than an exclusive interview with Titan’s brand new CEO. Maggie guesses that’s why he’s here which Xander admits. Xander asks if Maggie will grant him the interview or if she will write him off like her daughter did.
Gwen tells Leo about kissing Xander and swears it wasn’t pre-meditated. Leo doesn’t think it’s a big deal. Gwen says it wasn’t a big deal to Xander which is why it is such a big deal to her. Gwen explains that when she first walked in, Xander was sitting there looking miserable and it was obvious that he was pining over Sarah.
Stephanie questions why the hell Chad would tell Leo anything about her mom. Chad apologizes and says Leo was coming at her with all the stuff about Alex. Chad apologizes for blurting that out. Stephanie asks if it was also blurting out when he confirmed that Alex is a man whore. Chad brings up that last night, Stephanie said she was pissed off about that too. Stephanie says she didn’t share that opinion with the media. Stephanie reminds Chad that they work with Titan so it’s their job to protect them. Stephanie questions why Chad would shoot his mouth off to a gossip columnist. Chad calls himself an idiot and apologizes as he shouldn’t have said anything. Chad admits that Leo mentioned Alex and he reacted emotionally. Stephanie tells Chad that he can’t do that with a reporter, ever. Chad acknowledges that it was a huge mistake. Chad admits he doesn’t like Alex and thinks he’s a douchebag, but that doesn’t give him the right to be a jerk. Chad repeats that he’s sorry but admits he’s glad that Alex didn’t get the CEO job. Stephanie questions if that’s what this is about and if he doesn’t want her working with Alex. Chad says no, so Stephanie asks if he’s not trying to sabotage the firm’s relationship with their biggest client because he doesn’t think she can keep things professional with her ex. Chad says he didn’t say that while Stephanie feels it sounds like that’s what he meant. Stephanie suggests Chad figure out how to communicate more clearly since he works in PR as she then walks out of the Pub.
Stephanie walks to the park and bumps in to Alex. Alex says his mind has been on not getting the CEO job. Stephanie confirms that she heard. Alex feels stupid about bragging the way he did. Alex guesses Stephanie must be relieved that she doesn’t have to report to him anymore. Stephanie argues that she didn’t see any problem in them working together and she’s sorry he didn’t get the job since she knows how much he wanted it. Stephanie adds that it’s not like Titan doesn’t need him anymore as she’s sure Maggie is psyched to have him to rely on. Alex responds that she’s unfortunately wrong as Maggie couldn’t care less about what he thinks.
Maggie admits to Xander that she wasn’t a fan of how he treated Sarah but she believed that he loved her and she does believe in giving second chances, so she’s sorry that Sarah didn’t give him one. Maggie adds that now that Xander has legitimate work, she wants to see him succeed so she agrees to give him an interview.
Leo argues that Xander can’t still be pining over Sarah while Gwen argues that he’s still madly in love with her. Leo insists that it won’t last long because when a person is out of sight, they are more quickly out of mind. Gwen disagrees since Sarah is still very much in Xander’s heart. Gwen complains that Xander looked absolutely horrified when she kissed him. Gwen calls herself an idiot but Leo insists that before she knows it, Xander will forget about the woman who got away and focus on the beautiful woman in front of him.
Chanel asks Paulina why she has to take down her hiring sign. Paulina explains that hiring help will cost her money that she doesn’t have right now. Chanel complains that she’s drowning without Allie. Paulina says she’s sorry and they’ll just have to wait until Belle bails them out and then she can hire whoever she wants. Chanel argues that she wanted to bring someone on right now because it may be too late by then. Chanel adds that she’s really great and will probably find another job before then. Paulina questions Chanel having somebody in mind already. Chanel confirms that she does and she’s the perfect candidate.
Jada introduces Talia to Rafe. Talia mentions hearing a lot about him. Jada asks what brings Talia to town. Talia says she missed her big sister and says it’s been forever since they’ve had kickboxing and brunch. Jada wishes Talia called to let her know she was coming so she could’ve booked them a class and a restaurant. Talia says she wanted to surprise her. Jada responds that she can’t think of a better surprise than a visit from her little sister. Talia reveals that it’s more than a visit and announces that she’s moving to Salem. Rafe gets a text and steps out of the station. Jada questions Talia moving to Salem as she thought she was living with someone in New York. Talia reveals they broke up. Talia says she cried her eyes out for a few days but decided that was enough and she needed a new start in Salem. Jada questions it being just like that. Talia feels she doesn’t seem too happy about it. Jada assures that she is, but it’s a big change and asks if she’s really thought this through. Talia insists that she wanted to get out of New York and be with her. Jada reminds her that she will need to earn a living and find a place to live. Talia figured she would crash with Jada but Jada says her place is pretty small. Talia is sure they will figure it out. Jada asks what about a job. Talia reveals that she’s already on it.
Chanel gives Paulina one of Talia’s cookies and she loves it. Chanel repeats that Talia is the perfect candidate for the bakery. Paulina understands why Chanel wants her now but says she’ll just have to be patient. Paulina insists that Talia will understand if she wants the job and then walks away.
Stephanie doesn’t understand why Maggie would shut down Bella. Alex says it was for a tax write-off even though he had big plans for the magazine. Stephanie encourages him not to give up and to try to change her mind. Alex says he already did but Stephanie says he obviously didn’t try hard enough. Stephanie notes that it won’t be easy but it is possible. Alex asks how. Stephanie advises him to spin a negative in to a positive and make Maggie see Bella as a lucrative opportunity instead of a negative. Alex repeats that Maggie doesn’t care about his opinion or his goals as she is the CEO now and has her own goals. Stephanie questions if everything Alex worked so hard for just goes away then. Alex says it’s not what he wants. Stephanie tells Alex that if he really wants Bella, he should fight for it.
Xander finishes interviewing Maggie and says that was terrific as he thanks her. Maggie apologizes for not having time to give him more but asks him to talk to her assistant to schedule a longer interview. Xander says he will. Maggie asks how things are going with Xander and Gwen and if they are a couple again. Xander assures they are not but admits that they did spend some quality time together after he broke up with Sarah. Xander adds that he made it very clear with Gwen that he’s not over Sarah and doesn’t know if he ever will be. Xander says now that Sarah has left town, maybe that will change, but he doesn’t think it’s fair to lead Gwen on. Maggie says she has little sympathy for Gwen after what she did to Sarah, but agrees that he shouldn’t start a relationship when he still has feelings for someone else. Xander congratulates Maggie again and says that of all the people that Victor has put in that chair over the years, she is the best choice yet. Maggie thanks Xander as he exits.
Gwen tells Leo that she told Xander the same thing about focusing on the present. Leo insists that once Xander has the divorce decree in hand, he’ll have no choice but to accept his marriage is over. They talk about the papers getting lost last time. Leo encourages that Xander and Gwen are soon to be his favorite couple, madly in love and making babies. Leo then decides to go check around for gossip and exits the office. Gwen wishes she shared his optimism.
Rafe returns to the station and asks Jada if Talia left. Jada confirms that she went to follow up on a job opportunity. Rafe calls that impressive and a pretty great surprise to find out her sister is moving to town. Jada calls spontaneous decision making Talia’s specialty. Rafe guesses she has some arrangements to make so he will let her get to it. Jada stops Rafe and reminds him that they didn’t finish their conversation about them. Jada then apologizes for putting him on the spot and says nevermind. Rafe then gets a call and reminds Jada that she needs to grab lunch as he steps out again.
Talia returns to Chanel with her application but Chanel says there’s something she has to tell her about the job. Chanel hesitates but then goes ahead and tells Talia that she’s hired which excites her.
Stephanie returns to the Brady Pub. Chad informs her that he just sent her the press release for Paulina. Stephanie thanks him and says she will take a look. Stephanie apologizes. Chad says he’s sorry for letting his personal feelings get in the way of him doing his job. Chad promises he won’t make that mistake again as he cares about the company and her. Chad says they have a great thing going and he doesn’t want to screw that up. Stephanie agrees and holds his hand.
Xander returns to the Spectator office. Gwen asks if he spoke to Maggie. Xander says they set up a proper interview for the weekend but she gave him some quotes to use in the meantime. Gwen asks if they should talk about tomorrow’s paper then. Xander responds that he was actually thinking they could talk about them.
Alex returns to the Titan office, looking for Maggie but finds the office is now empty. Alex sits at the desk again and uses the office phone to call Victor. Alex tells Victor that he was wondering if they could have a chat about Bella Magazine.
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