Nick Shares Shocking News With Victoria — and Victor Kicks His Plot Into High Gear

At Crimson Lights, Sharon asks Nick if he spoke to Victor, “Did he take a turn for the worst?” Nick sneers that his dad is playing the role of a lifetime, “We’ve been played. Duped. All of us.” Sharon’s jaw drops. “It was all a lie?” Nick says his father was setting a trap for whichever one of his kids would take advantage of his so-called weakness. Sharon thinks it’s an awful thing to do to family. Nick sniffs that it’s right out of the Victor Newman playbook. He feels like a fool for believing him. Sharon notes he was trying to be a good son. Nick can’t understand why his father brought Adam back to the company only to try and prove he’s disloyal. He gripes about Adam getting 500 chances, “I’m sick of it. I’ve had enough.”

Sharon points out that Victor loves Adam. Nick has no idea why. Sharon asks if it really matters why. “Maybe he really thought that Adam was genuine and sincere when he promised to change, and he just wants to give him another chance.” Nick feels if that were the case, his dad already figured out what he needed to know. Sharon asks, “What if Adam isn’t Victor’s target?” He already suspects Adam, Nick’s in the clear, that leaves Victoria. Nick shakes his head, “No way.” Sharon feels he may doubt her loyalty and is just waiting for her to make a move.

At the ranch, Nikki tell Victor she’s relieved that Nick knows the truth. Victor grumps that he wanted to tell him in his own time. Nikki points out that their son had already figured it out. She wants to tell Victoria and put an end to this but Victor insists he needs more time. He wants to find out what the hell he wants to find out! Nikki argues that Victoria would never be disloyal. Victor says that remains to be seen. Right now, he only trusts Nikki and Nicholas.

They argue about whether or not Victoria has motives. Nikki says she’s proven her loyalty time and again. Why is he putting her on the same level as Adam? “Please tell Victoria the truth and put Adam back where he belongs — on the outside looking in.”

In a bedroom, Victoria tells Nate that she’s still thinking about his suspicions that Adam is using Victor’s illness against him. Nate reminds her that he’s watching every move that Adam makes. If he does anything to exploit Victor, he’ll make sure they’re aware of it. Victoria thanks him for his support. She feels pulled in a million different directions and it’s helpful to have someone in her corner like him. “I’m really worried about my father right now.” She recaps that he’s not himself. They need to get him the best possible care and she has to be practical about the business. If word of this gets out, it could negatively impact Newman both inside and outside the company. She wants to get the ball rolling by bringing in doctors to do testing. Nate looks skeptical. He’s betting her father won’t fall into line. She’ll need to come up to a plan and the trick will be to get Victor to go along with it.

At the Club bar, Sally flashes to Nick breaking up with her over Adam. Just then, Adam appears, “Sally? You and Nick, it’s over, isn’t it?” He’s sorry. Sally says, “It’s OK.” Adam feels that once again he’s ruined something for her, “I’ll leave you alone.” Sally stops him with, “Adam. Don’t go.” She tells Adam that it’s not over over with her and Nick. He just won’t discuss it because he’s hurt. It would be easy to blame it all on Adam, but he was just being truthful about how he feels. “I think the kiss confused us both.” Adam feels it may just have been him bulldozing his way through even though she wanted Nick. He’s always ends up as a catalyst of bad fortune even when he has good intentions. “With you, with my father…” Sally asks him to tell her what’s going on. Adam tells her, “I think I’ve finally driven my father over the edge.”

Adam updates Sally on Victor’s erratic behavior. He thought Victoria was just trying to get him declared incompetent, but then he started to see things. He tells her about the weird drawing and says it all goes back to the moment he was pushed out of Newman. Sally thinks that’s a leap. Adam disagrees. He’s let him down every single time he gave him a chance and this last time must have pushed him over the edge. Sally isn’t seeing the connection since he really has changed. Adam tells her his father must have seen through him. It was all a scam to get his just rewards. Sally asks, “So, you lied to everyone. You lied to me. No catharsis, no redemption?” Adam replies, “None. Just revenge. Pure and simple.”

Sally supposes he fooled everyone. “You fooled me.” Adam is truly sorry but he wanted to punish them all and what better way to do that than from the inside. If he had told her what he was up to, she would have tried to talk him out of it. The irony is that he got the revenge he wanted; he pushed his father off the deep end, “I feel sick about it.”

In bed, Victoria tells Nate she was lying there imagining what it would have been like to have been born into a normal family. Nate teases her; does she want a TV family. Victoria says it would be simple. Everyone would go to work and be able to do something worthwhile. Nate asks, “Is that what you want?!” Victoria laughs, “No.” But she sometimes wishes her dad wasn’t her boss or business partner so they could talk about something besides the job and she could ask how he’s feeling without him worrying she’s trying to push him off the throne. Sometimes it feels like they’re a royal family waiting around for the king to die so the kids can fight over the crown. She doesn’t want her dad to die, and right now she’s not sure she wants the crown either.

At Crimson Lights, Nick defends Victoria. Sharon still finds it clear that Victor doesn’t totally trust her. Nick thinks that’s about Nate. Sharon tells him this is starting to sound paranoid. Nick should just be focusing on Kirsten. Sharon understands that he feels he needs to help sort this out. Nick thinks it’s like Dad’s disappointment in Adam is filtering down to the rest of them. “I have no idea how it’s going to play out this time.” Nick feels he should tell Victoria the truth. Sharon isn’t so sure. If she finds out he’s been putting her through this test it could destroy their relationship forever. Nick still doesn’t see that he has a choice.

At the ranch, Victor tells Nikki that she needs to trust him. There is one last part of the plan he needs to put into play. She sighs, “And what is that?” Victor tells her, “You’ll see.” Nikki wants details but Victor doesn’t want to put her in another difficult position. She thinks he resents her for making him come clean to Nick. Victor denies it. He has to do this his way. The stakes are very high. Nikki informs him that doing things his way has cost everyone he loves. “This will not end well, you can trust me on that much.” With that, she walks out.

At the Club bar, Sally tells Adam he’s a mystery. She wants to believe him but a part of her keeps going back and forth — is he actually sincere this time or is he just trying to garner her sympathy. Adam knows he’s earned that distrust. He just thought that if anyone out there would give him the benefit of the doubt it’s her. “This time it is real.” Sally decides, “OK. I believe you.” Adam asks if it’s a leap of faith or coming from her heart. She can see the fear in his eyes, and the guilt. “I have decided to trust you one more time.” Adam cannot tell her how much that means to him. Sally thinks he should tell Victor, but Adam doesn’t think his father is inclined to deal with what’s wrong with him, so he’s not likely to deal well with someone taking responsibility for it. He confides that he reached out to a doctor, but doesn’t know how to convince Victor to talk to him. He may think it’s another con, but he’ll have to take that chance. “Because, honestly, I don’t know what else to do.”

Sally suggests that Adam talk to the family about it. Victor’s three children as one united front. Adam tried that but Nick dismissed the idea of working together and he and Victoria can barely stand being in the same room together. Sally urges him to try again and tell his siblings that for their father’s welfare they need to come together as a team. Adam finds her inspiring but she’s forgetting about the big thing between him and Nick. Sally says this is bigger than that and urges him to set up a meeting for the three of them.

At Crimson Lights, Nick thanks Sharon for listening. She says he’s been there for her too many times. They agree it’s nice to be friends after all these years.

In the bedroom, Nate tells Victoria she can stay. She has a big day tomorrow. Her phone rings. It’s Nick. He tells her he needs to talk to her about Dad. Victoria thinks she’s maybe convinced him to talk to someone. If they don’t find anything, she’ll let it go. Nick needs to tell her something and it should be face-to-face. Victoria agrees to meet him at Society. She disconnects and tells Nate that whatever it is, it sounds urgent. He lets her know he’s there for her.

In the Club by the door, Adam thanks Sally for the good advice. He wonders who this new Adam is. Sally thinks he’s still figuring that out but is making good progress. They embrace. Adam looks at the stairs and says, “I guess this is goodnight.” Sally nods, “Goodnight.” She heads up the stairs, but stops to watch him leave.

At Society, Victoria wants Nick to tell her what’s going on. Nick tells her their father is fine. “Hey was lying. Everything that we thought we saw, everything that we thought he was going through was just a trap to test our loyalty.” Victoria gasps, “No, that can’t be,” and asks how he found out. Nick says Victor told him after he figured out the whole scheme, “He’s been playing us.”

Still in his bedroom, Nate takes a call from Victor, who says he needs to see him right now at the ranch, “And don’t tell anyone where you’re going.” Nate agrees, but wants to know what’s happening. Victor says, “They think I don’t know what’s going on but I do happen to know what’s going on.” Nate asks, “Who are ‘they’?” Victor can’t talk about it and informs Nate that he’s the only one he can trust. Nate says he’ll be right over.