Devon Gives Tucker a Reality Check — and Nikki Confronts Victor About His Cruel Plan

Tucker meets with Mamie in her suite at the Athletic Club, although she doesn’t think this is wise. She says there are no new developments. McCall saw her talking to Nate the other night and wonders what that was all about. She assures him she’s been upfront with him. She thought they had similar goals when it came to the family. He wasn’t aware these involved Nate and thinks her trust in him is misguided. He reminds her of what her nephew did at at Chancellor-Winters to his own family and says Nate is very ambitious and single-minded and can’t be trusted. Nate could very well destroy anything they aim to achieve. Mamie reminds him they agreed to stay out of each other’s way. Tucker reminds her that the common denominator between them is Jill and the fact that she has no business running Katherine’s company. Mamie had the utmost respect for that lady and, since he’s her son, she respects him too. They agree that the point of this is to secure Devon’s future and give him and Lily autonomy without Jill.

When Tucker tells Mamie that Nate was never supposed to be part of this deal, she says it’s none of his business and she will handle any trouble that comes with the cousins. Mamie warns him not to cross her on this. McCall remains sure that Nate is more trouble than he’s worth. She thought he was one of those people who trusted the universe. “You’re not the universe,” he points out. They tease each other and he suggests it’s a long-shot to try and lure Nate away from a powerful job and the boss he’s smitten with. Mamie thinks everyone underestimates her ability to get what he wants. He’s not doing that and admires her determination. She reminds him he’s in charge of taking care of Jill. “It will happen. At the moment, I have other priorities,” he says, pecking her cheek and walking out.

At the penthouse, Jill has a video call with Lily and Devon. She complains that she’s discovered nothing about Mamie. Lily points out there may be nothing to find. Devon tells her not to look so disappointed about it. Jill will keep looking but she has to go to San Paolo for some meetings. She doesn’t like being out of touch with a wild card like Mamie on the loose. She urges them not to underestimate their great aunt. They don’t understand why they need to worry about her when she has such a small stake in the company and only seems to want to support them. They debate this with Jill, who remains confident that this is all about her. Lily wonders about the timing. Jill still has no idea what they are dealing with.

Once the call ends, Devon gets a text from Tucker, asking him to lunch. He tells Lily he hasn’t reached out to his father lately because he doesn’t know what to think about him these days. He’s assured him he has no connection to Mamie. Devon is not convinced but needs to get more information before going to Jill. His sister reminds him he was going to distance himself from Tucker for everyone’s sake. He’s been considering that and decides to tell him his day is full. Before he can send a text, Tucker calls and offers to meet him wherever he wants. He felt like they were getting to a place of trust before his marriage to Ashley fell apart. Although his son tries to put him off, Tucker won’t back down so Devon agrees to coffee as long as they can have a “real conversation.”

Devon and Tucker meet in the dining room of the GCAC. McCall says they were in a good place not too long ago but that no longer seems to be the case. His son isn’t sure how he can let his guard down around him because there’s always so much drama in his orbit. He wants to trust him but doesn’t know how. Tucker feels like he’s been honest. Devon reminds him he called a truce with the Abbotts and then antagonized them at the wedding reception. He’s also sure that he has something going on with Mamie. Throwing up his hands, Tucker won’t blame him for doubting him but he’s trying really hard and asks him to meet him half way. His son asks him to open up about his break-up with Ashley. It feels like he hasn’t taken responsibility for it. McCall has reached out to her but she hasn’t responded. Devon thinks she may be afraid of him and his refusals to compromise. His father says he did nothing but compromise. “It looks like you just dumped Ashley because she wouldn’t start a new company with you,” Devon suggests, asking if he was pushing her to cut her family out of her life. Tucker says she will always choose her family over him but his son thinks that, given their history, she could have been afraid that he was using her.

When McCall asks Devon if he thinks he just views people as tools, his son points out he treats people that way sometimes. Getting frustrated, Tucker says none of this has been easy for him. All he wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his wife. When he came back, he was full of rage and made some empty threats to the Abbotts. He has no intention to follow through on any of that. His son points out there’s no reason for anyone to believe that. Tucker just wants them to repair their relationship. Devon says that’s possible, but he keeps doing stupid things to threaten it. He’ll always side with Abby. That means his father may have to make things right with Ashley to avoid creating chaos. Tucker says that his wife changed her mind about what she wants in life and that’s when things fell apart. If that’s the case, Devon doesn’t see the big deal. He would do anything for the woman he loves. “I guess I have some thinking to do,” Tucker says.

In Victor’s office at Newman, he asks Nate for an assessment of Adam’s job performance. Nate says it is exemplary; far better than he had anticipated. He notes that Victor almost seems disappointed by this. The Newman worries his son may have fallen into line a little too easy. He’s tried turning over a new leaf before to no avail. Nate suspects that Adam is concerned about his father’s state of mind and general well-being. He’s noticed some changes in temperament and shares Victoria’s concerns. After thanking him, Victor dismisses him and smirks to himself.

In the corridor, Nate bumps into Nikki and they discuss his meeting with Victor. The former doctor explains that the boss was totally lucid and there were no hints of anything that Nick and Victoria had alluded to. Nikki snaps that her children are mistaken and walks off. Joining her husband in his office, she says Nate was suspicious about how normal he was acting. She assumes he’s concocted some kind of plot to manipulate everyone. He assures her that he’s not losing his mind. Things are starting to coalesce around him and he’s detecting some upsetting patterns among his children. As he has a drink, she tells him he’s being cruel but he doesn’t see it as any crueller than the possible betrayal. This needs to play itself out. His wife needs to think about this and exits. Jill calls him and they talk about the Mamie situation. She wants details about their deal and he just says he thought it was charming that Mamie wanted to work with her family. Nothing that wasn’t above board was suggested in their discussions. Jill doubts he would tell her if there had been.

When Nikki returns with her arms crossed, she tells her husband that she can’t condone what he’s doing. What will happen if his children find out? Dismissing this, he says the ends will justify the means. Once one of them betrays him, the rest will understand. His wife asks if he can keep this charade up long enough — Nate is already suspicious. Victor has factored that in and is sure one of his kids will make a move very soon.

Mamie runs into Lily at Crimson Lights. They hug and chat about how well she is settling in. Lily admits she’s still surprised about the mystery of her return and involvement with the company. Mamie remains vague on the details but has a laugh when Lily admits that it has Jill rattled. She asks Lily if she doubts the sincerity of her decision to invest. Lily is sure she wants a tangible connection to the family again… but also wanted to shake Jill up. She’s sure the family they’ve lost would be happy she’s there so they can build something stronger. Taking her hand, Mamie says the financial benefit is great, but it’s also about family. That includes Nate and she wants him back at the company. Lily says that won’t be easy. Mamie says he’s owned that what he did was wrong — what more can you ask of anyone? Lily is sure it will be harder for Devon to be forgiving.

Devon bumps into Nate as he’s leaving the GCAC. After some polite chat, Nate asks for his take on Mamie’s return. Devon thinks it will be great for the family. It’s important that they make her feel welcome. Maybe that’s something they can work on together. Nate would like that. To be transparent, Nate tells his cousin that Mamie wants him back at Chancellor-Winters. This doesn’t surprise Devon but he appreciates the warning. Nate assures him that he’s happy where he is and this is a notion that only exists in Mamie’s head. Devon says it will be up to him to dissuade her then.