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, he’d 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 they’d keep each other strong. He told her he had the skin of a woolly mammoth, but she said that wasn’t 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 wouldn’t have the chance to reconnect, but he said they’d get back to Tuscany eventually. She said in the meantime, they’d create an oasis for themselves while they searched for proof.
Victoria sensed Ashland wanted to say something. He said if he’d known the universe was saving her for him, he would’ve 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 wasn’t sure they were on the right path. He revealed that he snuck into Adam’s office and got into his computer. He didn’t 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 wasn’t sure he wanted to. She was adamant that they’d uncover Adam’s mistakes. He said when he was in Adam’s office, he overheard Adam and Sally outside. In that moment, Ashland realized he was behaving like a lowlife criminal. He said he’d 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 didn’t find any proof. Victoria said Adam was good at covering his tracks. Ashland replied that time was of the essence, which meant they’d have to fabricate proof against Adam in order to make the plan work. He couldn’t in good conscience ask her to be part of that. “Do 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 you’re keeping something from me, you’ve never been an active participant in anything like this,” 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 he’d 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 didn’t believe Adam changed. Ashland asked what if they were wrong, and Adam was innocent. He couldn’t 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 – earlier he’d seemed sure Adam was guilty. He said that Adam was guilty but this was putting her in an impossible position. He’d kept things about his past from her because he didn’t want to taint what they shared. He said if she did this, she’d know how low she was sinking, and she’d tell herself she was doing it for him, but one day, she’d 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 Ashland’s hands and said that she wasn’t afraid to cross that line to protect him and his reputation. He said they could just walk away – 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 they’d 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. “It could be incredible; making something of our very own,” 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 Adam’s 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 Adam’s computer. Adam wanted to know what to expect as Victoria’s 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 Victoria’s plan. Adam felt he should be entitled to do so, since the plan revolved around him. Victor said Ashland took the bait and he’d now come up with “proof” Adam was out to get him. “Which everyone will believe because hey, it’s Adam,” Adam replied. Victor clarified that it was a charade. Victor said they’d apologize to Ashland and ask him for evidence, and Ashland would plant that evidence in Adam’s computer. Adam said Ashland might figure it out, since he’d outwitted them many times. Victor said they’d catch Ashland red-handed, and then Victor would have a reason to nullify Ashland’s contract with Newman Locke, then Victoria would be free and Adam would emerge unscathed.
Adam understood the plan, and he’d 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 Victoria’s 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 Victoria’s plan had a ton of potential pitfalls. He said Victoria was inspired by Billy’s plan to trick Adam into publishing disparaging articles about Billy’s 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 didn’t take it. Adam wondered if Ashland knew Adam gave him access to the computer. Victor said Ashland’s 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 – 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 Victoria’s plan succeeded. Sally didn’t 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 couldn’t even work without Adam. She wished she’d been at the office earlier to make sure Victor understood Adam’s concerns about the plan. Adam said he laid it all out, but Victor just disagreed. The only thing Adam didn’t mention was that Ashland had been blaming Victor all along, so the family could’ve let Victor be the fall guy instead. Adam thought he was chosen to be the fall guy in Victoria’s plan because the family viewed him as the disposable one. Sally said Victoria might think that, but Victor didn’t, and Nick was on Adam’s side too. She encouraged him to bide his time and play along so he’d 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 – his pitch was about creative content, and that might have convinced Victor that Adam belonged at Newman Media. Sally said it wasn’t that bad at this company. Adam said he’d 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 you’d think that would persuade everyone once and for all. He got Gaines out of the way at Victoria’s wedding, and he was the reason she was able to marry Ashland. He supposed that meant this was all his fault. He’d 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 would’ve been. Adam said he gave Chelsea a job, he didn’t fight her for full custody and he tried not to break her heart. He’d done the right thing. The old Adam wouldn’t 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 wasn’t 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 family’s perception of him hadn’t 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 he’d turned into an unmitigated success. She told him not to give up because Victor made one of his transparent power moves. “[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 don’t look for permission,” she said. She also thought he should count himself lucky for all the opportunities he’d been handed because most people didn’t get the millions of chances he’d gotten to reinvent himself, and they didn’t 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 she’d 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 he’d had to put up with. She knew he’d 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 he’d done a monumental job of turning his life around. He was glad she didn’t know the old him. She said the Adam she was with now was phenomenal, and she said he’d 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 Tessa’s Friday the Thirteenth wedding. She said they’d 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 wasn’t 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 décor, and he accepted the task. She asked what was wrong with him. He was worried about Victoria and Ashland and Victoria’s plan. He didn’t 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 didn’t know what it was. He said that Victoria’s plan made her complicit, and he thought that crossed a line.
Nick was worried for Victoria’s safety. He was glad Victoria didn’t seem to buy Ashland’s 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 couldn’t control himself around Ashland. Ashland came up and said hi. Nick left. Ashland guessed Sharon knew why he’d fallen out of the Newman’s 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 he’d 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. “You know, when I was sick I found that green tea – oh what am I talking about. Barking up the wrong tree,” she said. He’d hoped she’d 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. “By whose authority do you make this offer?,” 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. “You leave Newman Locke, you leave Victoria. Today.” Adam stated.
Nikki went to Victoria’s 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 didn’t want Victoria to fool herself – she said Ashland knew his days were numbered and he was looking for a clean exit. Victoria revealed that Ashland asked if she’d walk away from the family and the company and start fresh. “As if either one of you would walk away from your companies. I think he has grown suspicious and he is testing you,” Nikki said. Nikki was hoping Victoria wasn’t 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 wasn’t 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 wasn’t selling her soul to to oust her husband – 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
