Sharon Vows To Fight For What’s Hers, and Sally Accepts An Offer From [Spoiler]

Sharon Vows To Fight For What’s Hers

Sharon visits the tack house where Mariah and Tessa have just put Aria down to sleep. The baby was exhausted after seeing the doctor. Mariah worries that they don’t know anything yet. An audiologist is coming, but they are still scared and feeling helpless. Sharon knows how bad all that feels but insists now is not the time to panic or lose hope. They sit around with tea and admit they all went on the internet and looked up worst case scenarios. They also agree that was a terrible idea.

Mariah changes the topic to SNA. Her mom says it’s complicated, but Mariah won’t drop it. She’s startled when Sharon explains the merger is in motion and Adam is making a powerplay. In her experience, when a war breaks out, Victor usually takes Adam’s side. Everything is up in the air right now. This all sounds like typical Adam to Mariah. Sharon has every intention of fighting to keep her stake of the company. She’s been part of plenty of Newman family drama and knows how to survive it. Her daughter wishes she had her fearless energy. Tessa says she’s the bravest of the three of them. Sharon adds she never gives herself enough credit. She tells them that what’s happening to Aria is just another challenge, but they are not alone and will survive anything that life throws at them. They cuddle on the couch and tell each other they love each other.

After Sharon leaves, Tessa asks her wife if she wants to go out and see some butterflies. Mariah is distracted but agrees. They know neither of them will rest easy until they get answers about their daughter’s hearing. Mariah can’t help thinking that she should have noticed something sooner. The wheels are spinning and she’s going crazy. Getting an idea, Tessa makes a call. Soon after, Devon arrives. He wanted to come over and answer any questions they might have about hearing loss. He gives Mariah a hug.

Nick stops by Sally’s suite and she instantly guesses he’s not having a good morning. After he assures her he’s not upset with her, he is about to start venting about his brother. However, they decide to make this an Adam-free space and not discuss him. To cheer them both up, she starts taking off his shirt and pushes him to the bed.

They relax after sex and she asks if his offer to fund a business of hers is still on the table. Nick confirms it, saying he has complete trust and faith in her. She doesn’t even need to give him a business plan. At least this means she won’t be working with Adam. Sally admits that wasn’t an easy choice, but something felt wrong about Adam’s offer. Nick says his brother operates by isolating a person.

They realize they are talking about Adam again so change the topic to her and her business. She feels ready for it now. Before, it would have felt like she was taking advantage of him. The old her would have leaped on that. They both like the new her. She never thought she’d smile again after losing the baby, but now she smiles all the time and that’s because of how wonderful Nick is. His kindness and sensitivity have allowed her to dream and want to nurture something of her own to leave to the kids she hopes to have someday. He’s sure she will “soar.” She likes that and they kiss. They get dressed and discuss their plans for the day. He tells her that she is a helluva investment…if he could only convince her to come and live with him. Kissing him, she says they can only have one life-changing moment at a time.

Adam arrives at the ranch to meet with his father. He makes it clear that he wants to be the CEO of Newman Media once this merger happens. He built that company and the merger was his idea. That means he deserves his seat at the head of the table. None of this is a surprise to Victor, nor is his son’s brazenness. He wonders if Adam ran this gambit by Nick and Sharon. He’s not impressed by his methods.

Adam apologizes for his bad manners but insists this is something he deserves. Victor thinks that’s debatable. He’s upsetting the dynamic that they have set in place. His son accuses him of trying to keep the carrot just out of reach and suggests he listened to Nate instead of him. What’s really going on? Is this some kind of punishment because of the blackmail scheme? Victor repeats this is about his son’s methods. What’s wrong with him? Is he going to go off and sulk now? Adam doesn’t think he’s seen the logic but will back off until Victor comes to his senses. “Maybe Nate will suggest it and it will suddenly become a great idea?” Adam jokes. Either way, Audra is redundant. Victor agrees there are too many cooks at the company but doesn’t commit to getting rid of her.

After Adam departs, Nikki enters and gets a rundown on the conversation from her husband. He tells her not to worry but she does. She has an idea but she’s not sure he will like it. Nikki suggests he put Adam in the secondary position and Nick and Sharon in charge. He furrows his brow and mulls that over.

Adam is startled to see Esther working at Crimson Lights. She offers him a free espresso to celebrate her new job. Sally wanders in and breaks the news that she won’t be working with him. They get a table and she says that while she appreciates his offer and support, she’s still turning him down. Instead, she’s going to take Nick up on his offer to fund her business. It’s time for her to create something for herself. Although Adam thinks she will thrive, he suspects this is a mistake and it won’t be hers with Nick’s money backing it. She insists that she believes in Nick. Adam doubts his brother will be able to resist meddling. It’s a trait he shares with their father.

Nikki arrives and is startled to see Esther behind the counter. “Hard times?” she asks. Esther giggles and says she’s reinventing herself and suggests Nikki should give it a try. Nikki says she’s fine where she is. Excited, Esther tells her that she can’t see Sharon coming back any time soon given how good things look for her. Victor’s wife suggests the erstwhile maid hold off on ordering business cards. Sharon’s new business looks like it could explode.

This is a shock to Esther. “Darn him,” she says, cursing Adam. “Double darn,” agrees Nikki. They complain about Victor’s son making things difficult and promising yet again that he will be the son his father wants while Nick is stuck in the middle. The whole situation sounds like trouble to Esther. Now she’s depressed that her plans for the coffee house are probably going to go up in smoke. She was planning to revamp the menu and bring in a jazz trio. Nikki reminds her she’s only been in charge for five minutes and will get over it.

Sharon and Nick meet at Society and agree that they can’t let Adam get what he wants. They need to anticipate how he will react so they can stay one step ahead of him. She suggests they just back out of the deal. They can take back Kirsten and make it their own, free of Newman Media and Adam. If they hadn’t asked Adam to join up with them, they could have pulled that off originally. If they stick with the Newman track, it will be all the familiar fighting. Nick agrees, but points out the paperwork is filed and it would be hard to fight Victor. There would be lawsuits and delays. On the other hand, if they remained, they would have to push back every time Victor and Adam got involved. But would it even be possible to turn Kirsten into the business she imagined with Adam and Victor involved? They turn and see Victor standing there.

Once Victor sits down, they tell him that if Adam is in charge, they will walk. Sharon asks him his intentions toward her company. He admits it should be stripped down so it can compete in the marketplace. Nick wonders if he’s talking about the business or the company leadership.

Later, Nick joins Sally on a couch and she fills him in on her meeting with Adam. He doesn’t care how his brother feels and wonders if he should just bag all this family stuff and focus on her business venture. She can appreciate him saying that but makes it clear that she is only accepting his capital as an investment, not looking for a business partner. If she’s not running the show, there is no deal.

Sharon goes to Crimson Lights. Esther assumes her dream is dead and she’s there to take back the business. Sharon assures her everything is on track and things look even better than they did before. Esther gasps in relief. Adam manages to overhear all of this.

When Victor gets back to the ranch, Nikki says he left before they could discuss her ideas. He explains there are new issues. Sharon is threatening to become a sticking point and Nick could follow suit. His wife wonders if any of this is worth it.