Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) will be distracted and will urge Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) to deal with Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) while chaos unfolds; Victor’s main goal is to protect Newman Enterprises and make Cane…

 

 

At Sharon’s place, Sienna’s gone to bed and Noah worries to Sharon that Matt is out there probably plotting his next move. She tells Noah

that Matt could have died in the car crash. Noah can’t relax until he knows. Suddenly, Tessa arrives. She gets an update on Nick, and then explains to Sharon how she knows Sienna.

Noah heads upstairs to let them talk. Sharon asks what brings Tessa by… is Mariah OK? Tessa honestly doesn’t know. She texted that she left the clinic and warned they wouldn’t hear from her anytime soon.

Sharon laments that she’s been so preoccupied with Noah. Maybe she should have told Mariah what was going on. “What if she needed me?” What if her call in L.A. was a plea for help? Tessa’s doesn’t think she needs anyone right now. She announces that she can’t keep doing this anymore. “I’m filing for divorce.”

Sharon gawps, “A divorce?” She asks if Tessa’s sure this is what she wants. Tessa says of course it’s not, but she can’t keep living in this limbo. She thanks Sharon for her support… but it’s ending. Sharon wonders if Mariah might be on her way home, but Tessa’s sure it would just be to collect her things. Her wife has clearly moved on and she can’t keep living in the darkness anymore.

At the hospital, Nick thanks the nurse… he feels so much better already. Adam drops in and Nick reports that the doctor agreed to up his pain meds. His brother admits he doesn’t have good news. Jack and Kyle nabbed Matt Clark… they tried to trade him for the AI. But before Victor could agree, everything went to hell with Newman Enterprises.

Once Adam has filled Nick in on the Abbotts having them followed, and Jack’s goons seeing the car crash, he explains that someone turned the AI on Newman Enterprises. “Two names made the short list: Cane and Phyllis. They could lose everything.

Adam says Victor’s gone to confront Cane and Phyllis. Nick declares that he can’t stay in his hospital bed while the family is under siege. Adam thinks he’ll have to sit this one out. Nick worries that Jack will release Matt or he’ll escape… it’s not a risk he’s willing to take.

Phyllis remarks on their complicated history and him screwing her over on their deal. Now, he’s coming to her hat in hand. Ignoring her, Victor asks Cane want he wants. “Arabesque?” Cane says there won’t be a buyout price. He’s with Phyllis. Newman is theirs and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.

Victor intones that every man has a price. Cane comes at him for tarnishing his father’s name and taking everything they worked hard for. Victor declares that BS. Mocking the Mustache, Cane offers Arabesque for pennies on the dollar. He and Phyllis then repeat that there will be no negotiation. She says, “You lost. We won.”

Victor warns they’ll see whose left standing when all is said and done. He predicts Summer will loathe her mother for going to such lengths to destroy her father’s family. With that, he walks out.

At the ranch, Victoria updates her mother that the situation with the AI is getting worse… someone leaked it. Nikki rants that Victor played with fire! His damn vendetta against Jack might cause them to lose everything!

Victoria’s sure that her father will intimidate Cane into backing down. Nikki feels everyone has vastly underestimated Ashby. “It’s possible that the Great Victor Newman has finally met his match.”

Claire arrives and they tell her that Newman is under attack and may not survive. Claire says she confronted her grandpa, and he refused to admit he had the AI program. Claire can’t understand Cane and Phyllis being behind this when she’s Summer’s mother. Victoria says she doesn’t care about family. Claire asks how she can help.

Victor arrives, greets Claire, and learns she’s in the loop. Victor confirms that Phyllis and Cane came after their company… and they’re not willing to make any kind of deal. He also learned that the AI software has begun transferring their assets to God knows where. There’s no sense in sugar-coating the fact: they’re in trouble. Nikki explodes, “My God! Victor! How could you have let this happen!”

The Final Scenes
At the ranch, Nikki hisses at Victor that his incessant need to go after Jack clouded his judgement. They argue heatedly as Victoria and Claire cringe nearby. As Victoria urges them to pull together, Adam and Nick arrive.