Watching a ‘raging river of code’ whiz by on Lauren’s laptop, Phyllis muses that it might contain the digital fingerprints of a corporate spy. Ravi doubts he’ll find the smoking gun in Lauren’s laptop. Be thorough with mine, Phyllis hopes he catches any viruses. Insider corporate espionage makes her feel ‘pretty chilly’. Ashley pokes her head in to insult and dismiss Phyllis (who reminds that they’re on the same side)
In her son’s office, Dina wonders if she’s supposed to be shocked by a photo of Jack kissing Nikki? Well, Jack’s shocked – shocked that his Mother hired someone to take them and that she sent a copy to Victor. Dina takes full responsibility for that – but JACK is to blame for this ‘tawdry mess’
Mariah joins Tessa warming up her vocal chords on the CL’s patio. Devon appears with honeyed tea for those vocal chords. No, Mariah’s not coming to the recording studio – she doesn’t want to be a distraction. Why would you be? Devon’s puzzled.
Billy’s aghast at the idea of teaming up with Victor to go against his brother. Victor’s only here to help his daughter and her company. Don’t pretend there’s any love lost between you and Jack. Billy’s still not interested. OK, as you wish, Victor’s about to leave but spins around with a smug smile when Vikki takes the bait and calls him back.
Both Devon and Tessa reject Mariah’s explanation that she made Tessa nervous at her last recording session. You’re a good luck charm, not a jinx. Mariah has work to do – go have fun. With a hug for Tessa and a kiss for Devon, Mariah then turns around and is surprised to see Kevin. I miss you, he says as they hug. Yes, he is indeed in town for a top secret mission.
As Billy busies himself at the coffee machine, Vikki tells Victor all about Jabot’s sneak attack (going after our youth demographic) Victor has the solution to their problem.
Ashley gets rid of Phyllis and closes Ravi’s door. No, he’s not sharing sensitive info with Fenmore employees – like whose password ‘opened the gate’. Whose??? Ashley asks – then is stunned to hear it’s her Mothers’.
In his office, Jack continues to blast Dina. No, Nikki’s husband does NOT have a right to know. And what about MY right to privacy?! You’re being careless and stupid, Dina argues. Jack thinks her in no position to judge Nikki. Don’t ‘darling’ me! Near tears, Dina fears for her son. Jack’s NOT scared – and is done with his Mother. On the other side of the slammed door, Dina whimpers.
Now at the estate, Mariah and Kevin come down from seeing Bella. Missing his friend, Kevin would rather talk about Devon than the consulting job that brought him back to GC. Mariah confides that Devon’s the coolest guy she’s ever dated – but she’s attracted to someone else.
Does your plan involve committing felonies? Billy asks. Reminding Billy that he’s no saint, Victor shares his plan at Vikki’s request. An anti-aging cream Newman was developing years ago is ready to go to market. Since they sold their cosmetics division, Victor will hand the miracle project over to BnS. Now, they just have to get it to the market before Jabot’s new line – and crush Jack. But no, this isn’t about him and Nikki, Victor claims.
In Jack’s office, Ashley’s updated that Dina not only admitted to taking and sending Victor these photos – she defended it. Yes, it was wrong but Ashley believes Dina was trying to protect Jack from Victor – and agrees with their Mother that Jack needs to stop seeing Nikki. Jack stands to say that he’s not sleeping with Nikki – but they’re happy together and no one will take that away from him.
Victor repeats that this has nothing to do with Jack and Nikki. He’ll transfer ownership of the products to BnS. No strings attached, Vikki clarifies – they’re mine. Nope, the only string attached is that BnS is to continue being a success. Thank you, Vikki gushes her appreciation for this ‘miracle’ ~hug~ Victor knows Jack will come after BnS – but you and I will defeat him. Billy’s ignored and silent like he’s not even in the room.